That Old Trick!

In a classic April Fools’ Day trick, people in London were invited to watch some lions being bathed.

Guards at the Tower of London are known as “Beefeaters.”

It’s almost time for April Fools’ Day! Taking place each year on April 1, April Fools’ Day is the perfect time to play harmless pranks, or tricks, on people. Pranksters have been coming up with April Fools’ tricks for hundreds of years. Back in 1698, people in London, England, became convinced they were going to see some local lions get bathed.

It happened on April 1, of course. That day, several people were invited to a city landmark called the Tower of London to see the lions get “washed.” The Tower, which still stands today, was famous for many things. Mostly, it was known as a prison. But at the time, the tower was also home to a collection of animals owned by the king of England, including tigers, elephants, snakes, and lions. The idea of washing the lions may have seemed weird since lions can bathe themselves. More important, lions can be dangerous! Even so, many people fell for the prank. When they got to the tower, there was no bathtime to watch.

This ticket, which is from the year 1856, promised that its owner would get to see the royal lions get “washed.”

The lion-washing prank didn’t end there. For at least two years in the 1850s, mischief-makers even sold tickets to “view the annual ceremony of washing the lions.” The tickets said that audience members should go to the Tower of London’s “white gate.” In fact, the tower has no white gate. That might have been a clue that the whole thing was a joke! Another clue is that there were no lions at the tower in the 1850s. All the animals had been taken to new homes by 1835.

Fun Fact

In France, kids fool their friends on April 1 by taping paper fish to their backs. When the friend notices the fish, the trickster says, “poisson d’avril!” That means “April fish” in English.

The Spaghetti Crop…and Other Pranks!

A restaurant in England created this photo of a spaghetti harvest in response to a fake news report that spaghetti grew on trees!

Do people still fall for April Fools’ Day pranks? They sure do! Check out some famous pranks from the past 70 years or so.

The spaghetti crop. In 1957, a British TV show reported that farmers in Switzerland were growing strands of spaghetti on trees!
The well-traveled iceberg. In 1978, a business owner announced that he had towed an iceberg from Antarctica all the way to the harbor of Sydney, Australia. The “ice” turned out to be plastic and foam.
The Taco Liberty Bell. In 1996, fast-food chain Taco Bell claimed that it had bought the Liberty Bell, a famous bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Taco Bell said it planned to rename the landmark “Taco Liberty Bell.”
The left-handed burger. In 1998, Burger King announced that it would sell a burger just for left-handed people. The new burger’s ingredients would be rotated to make the handheld meal easier for lefties to eat.
The flying penguins. Penguins are flightless birds—or are they? In 2008, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that cameras had filmed penguins flying. There was even a video clip that used trick photography to make it look like the black and white birds were in the air.

Lions, Ligers, and Tigons

Does the animal in the photo look like a cross between a lion and a tiger? That’s exactly what it is! A cub that’s born to a male lion and a female tiger is called a liger.

How big do lions get? Why do lions live in groups? And what’s so special about a liger? Find the answers to these questions and more at Britannica!

WHAT'S THE WORD?

hoodwink

Part of speech:

verb

Definition:

: to deceive or trick (someone)

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“In the News: That Old Trick.” Britannica School, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 29 Mar. 2026. https://news.eb.com/level1/that-old-trick. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026 [Replace this date with today’s date.]