Watch Out! It's Almost April 1st!

Tomorrow is April 1st or as it is better known, Fools' Day! This is the day when pranksters come out in full force to have some light-hearted fun at the expense of some unsuspecting souls. Though the origin of this age-old tradition is not known for sure, some trace it back to 1582, the year when the Julian calendar (which began the New Year in April), was replaced with today's Gregorian calendar. Others believe it was to mark the change of seasons. No matter what started it all, April Fools' sure is a fun tradition.

And while it probably began with individuals pulling small harmless pranks on each other, over the years, even large corporations have joined in the fun. This has resulted in tricks that have had people fooled for days, if not months. Here are a few of the best pranks from April 1st, 2013.

GOOGLE Inc.

Last year, Google Inc. pulled a number of pranks on its audience. They ranged from adding a search by smell feature, to an announcement that everyone's beloved YouTube, was being shut down.

However, their best one was the introduction of 'Treasure Maps' - a pirate style design that featured 2D hand-drawn landmarks where treasure chests were located. No word on how many people rushed to seek their share of gold, but the information sure seemed real - until one realized the date it was released.

British Broadcasting Corporation

Some of the best pranks have come from the normally staid and serious British Broadcasting Company (BBC). Over the years, they have fooled their audience with reports of Swiss farmers harvesting spaghetti and even airing what seemed like a genuine documentary about a new breed of flying penguins, which had the media fooled for days!

In 2013, the company's online science and environment section ran an article about how NASA's Mars Rover had decided to shut down its Twitter account because it could not handle the abuse from its followers. The article was so detailed that it had many people wondering, if the news was actually true!

Virgin Group

Another amazing prankster is Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group. In 2012, he fooled the world with an announcement about Virgin Volcanic, a revolutionary vehicle that could transport three thrill-seekers into the molten lava of an active volcano. The lucky pioneers would include himself, Hollywood actor, Tom Hanks and . . . the person that believed such a vehicle actually existed.

While that may prank may not have fooled everyone, last year's announcement about the introduction of the world's first glass-bottom plane sure did - So much so, that over 700 people commented on the post that was published on the company's website and thousands more, shared the link on their Facebook pages. A publication in China even reported it as breaking news!

Happy April Fools' Day! We for one cannot wait to see what pranks are in store for all us tomorrow!

Resources: metro.co.uk, wikipedia.org, virgin.com