Culinary student David Estey’s girlfriend broke up with him for no apparent reason one year. At least he thought she did. She made the call on April Fools’ Day.

April 1st has become known as a day for pranks, practical jokes and good-natured trickery. Friends and family members are usually at the receiving end of an April Fools prank, as many jokes can be as simple as a white lie or as elaborate as a complex conspiracy.

“My girlfriend and I had been together for about four months when she calls me and tells me she had gotten a new job,” Estey said. “Then she said she was moving to Santa Barbara that night because she had to start right away. Then she just hung up.”

Estey said he was livid about the conversation and didn’t realize the date, but couldn’t call back because he was walking into work.

“She called back about 30 minutes later and told me she was joking, but by that time I was pretty pissed,” Estey said. “So I think it’s payback this year.”

Senior communications major Jackie Lewis had an experience that reminded her not to believe everything she hears.

“My boyfriend’s cousin called me and told me that he had gotten in a fight with some kid at the gym and that he was in jail,” Lewis said. “I was driving by his work on the way to the jail and he had attached a big sign to his car saying ‘April Fools.’ He was standing there with a big grin on his face.”

Although the prank rattled Lewis a bit, she said she did feel relieved after realizing that the joke was on her.

“I was just so happy he wasn’t in jail,” Lewis said.

But while many pranks and jokes are played on April 1st, the history behind the day remains somewhat of a mystery.

Many theories about the day’s existence circulate. None have been proven to be accurate. While some involve religion, others reference the cycle of our celestial surroundings.

One belief stemming from the 1500s involved the use of the Julian calendar, which was widely used during the reign of the Roman Empire. This calendar celebrated the New Year on March 25 and celebrated the holiday on April 1, during Christian Holy Week processions.

According to snopes.com, when Pope Gregory VIII adopted the Gregorian calendar, many were “fooled” into celebrating the New Year on the old day, April 1. Those who fell for the trick were known as “April fools,” and annual celebration proved to widen the array of pranks and jokes played.

April Fools’ Day is not limited to small-scale fun between friends. The usually serious business world, as well as popular media, also participates in the expected April antics.

On April 1, 1996, The New York Times ran a full page Taco Bell advertisement that claimed the fast food company had purchased the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia “to reduce the country’s debt,” and was subsequently renaming it the “Taco Liberty Bell.”

An April 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated featured a hoax article that generated quite a bit of attention, especially in New York. According to the article’s author George Plimpton, a New York Mets talent scout had found a pitching prospect at a Tibetan monastery who could throw a 168 mile per hour fastball. Mets fans were sorely disappointed after finding out the playful nature of the article.

As new pranks are played out every year, many remind themselves to avoid becoming the target of others. And with new ways and creative minds scheming this year, don’t believe everything you hear on April 1.

“I think it should be a national holiday,” said communications professor and popular culture expert Nick Trujillo. “People just take life a little too seriously and April Fools is a reminder to have a little fun in life.”

Josh Huggett can be reached at [email protected]