411 Pain Presents: The Truth About April Fool's Day

411 Pain Presents: The Truth About April Fool's Day

On April 1st, people traditionally play pranks and jokes on one another.
But why? When did this start and for what reason?

April Fool's Day is celebrated in England, France, Scotland and the USA. It began in England in the 1600s where an April Fool is called an April Noddy. In France it is the April Fish or poisson d'Avril. In Scotland, it is the April Gowk.

411 Pain found that one theory as to the origins of the holiday is the change to the Gregorian calendar that we use today. Under the old calendar, or Julian calendar, New Year's Day was celebrated at the Spring or Vernal Equinox at the end of March. Since this would sometimes coincide with Easter, the church changed New Year's to April 1st. In 1582 when the new calendar was adopted, some people would forget about the switch. Some people would pay their New Year's Day visits on the original day of April 1st knowingly and shout "April Fool" to those who forgot that this was not now the New Year!

To this day young children in the US will tell each other that their shoelaces are untied and then yell "April Fool" when the person looks down to see that they are not. Media play pranks as well. The late night talk radio show Coast To Coast AM tried to fool it's listeners one year by claiming that the show was now called Toast To Toast AM and was a cooking show instead of the paranormal show that it had been.

This year, 411 PAIN continues the tradition by bringing you April Fuel's Day!
Be sure to listen all week to the X102.3 in West Palm Beach to hear Reggie Dee's clues to the secret gas station location -
then pull up on April 1st with 1-800-411-PAIN saved in your phone to win $$$

411 Pain, the leader in road safety awareness wishes you a safe and fun April Fool's Day.
Remember: NEVER drink and drive, NEVER text and drive and ALWAYS wear your seatbelt!

411 Pain Presents: The Truth About St Patrick's Day

411 Pain Presents: The Truth About St Patrick's Day

Most American's know St Patrick day is "The Wearin' O' The Green". People dress in green and wear leprechaun pins and the like. Flowers are dyed green as is beer, Mc Donald shakes, (Shamrock Shake) and the Chicago River. There are parades and people drink.

But who was St Patrick?
St Patrick was a Roman Britton kidnapped by Irish raiders at the age of 16 and kept in Ireland as a slave.
He was told to flee and he would be returned to Britain. Upon his return, he joined the Church and studied to become a priest.
In 432 he was called back to Ireland and according to Irish folklore, he used the 3 leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish who were then pagan. He died on March 17 461.

411 Pain found that some of the most well know St Patrick's Day events include:

The infamous NYC parade - a tradition since 1762
The closest rival parade in Savannah Georgia - a tradition since 1824
the dying green of the Chicago river - a tradition since 1962

Here is 411-Pain's official list of St Patrick Day parade's around the country:

New York City, since 1762
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1771
Morristown, New Jersey, since 1780
Boston, Massachusetts, since 1804
New Orleans, since 1809
Buffalo, New York, since 1811
Savannah, Georgia, since 1824
Carbondale, Pennsylvania, since 1833
New Haven, Connecticut, since 1842
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since 1843
Chicago, Illinois, since 1843
Saint Paul, Minnesota, since 1851
San Francisco, since 1852
Scranton, Pennsylvania, since 1862
Cleveland, Ohio, since 1867
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, since 1869
Kansas City, Missouri, since 1873
Butte, Montana, since 1882
Rolla, Missouri, since 1909
Denver, Colorado, since 1963
Pearl River, New York, since 1963
Las Vegas, Nevada, since 1966
Cincinnati, Ohio, since 1967
St. Louis, Missouri, since 1968
Norfolk, Virginia, since 1968
Lexington, Kentucky, since 1980
San Diego, since 1981
Jackson, Mississippi, since 1983
New London, Wisconsin since 1984
Hoboken, New Jersey, since 1986

Wherever you may be and whatever you may do on St Patrick's Day,
411 Pain wishes you the luck o' the Irish!
And remember, PLEASE never drink and drive, never text and drive and always wear your seatbelt!