on 1 April 1998 the Burger King company released an advertisement for a new hamburger called the Left-Handed Whopper'. The advertisement said that the new hamburger had the same ingredients as a regular whopper, but that the Left-Handed Whopper was a special burger for left-handed people. Thousands of people went Burger King restaurants to ask for the Left-Handed whopper. They didn't know that it was an April Fool's Day joke! April Fool's Day began in France more than 400 years ago. Before then, people celebrated the new year on 1 April. Then in 1582 the French king, Charles IX, changed the calendar. He moved the beginning of the year from 1 April to 1 January. After this, anyone who celebrated the new year on 1 April was called an 'April fool'. People played jokes on these 'April fools'. Day jokes. Some of the best jokes have Today people in many countries play April Fool's television news programme been played by the media. For example, in 1957 the British In the "Panorama' showed a story about a family of spaghetti farmers in Swi many people story, the farmers were pulling spaghetti off spaghetti trees. After the show, trees! called the television station to ask how they could grow their own spaghetti Some people will believe anything!