April "Fish Day" is Not a Sharp Stick to be Picked Up Every April First!

[Joe Riley]

"The origin of April Fools' Day is not definitively known, but it is commonly believed to have started in France in the 1500s when the new Gregorian calendar moved the start of the year from April 1 to January 1. Those who continued to celebrate the new year on April 1 were mocked as "April fools," leading to the tradition of playing pranks on this day."

"Not everyone got the memo, and people who mistakenly continued to celebrate the new year in April were mockingly called “April fish” (poisson d’avril) and became the targets of pranks and hoaxes, starting with the placing of paper fish on a victim’s back. The term “April fish” persists in French-speaking areas, and likely comes from the abundance of fish in streams during early April, making them easy to catch – much like gullible people being pranked."

I Shrunk Me Boss - April Fool's Day Song​

 

[Sheryl]

 

[Joe Riley]

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[Sheryl]

 

[Joe Riley]

 

[Joe Riley]

 

[Joe Riley]

 

[Joe Riley]

 

[Sheryl]

 

[Joe Riley]

 

[Sheryl]

The Left-Handed Whopper​

Burger King proudly bills itself as the home of the Whopper, which makes it fitting that the fast-food chain sprung a whopper of a prank on April Fools' Day in 1998. That day, a full-page advertisement in USA Today trumpeted the launch of the "Left-Handed Whopper," with a helpful diagram showing how BK's signature sandwich was "rotated a full 180 degrees" to ensure a "better grip" and "maximum enjoyment" for lefties. The company's vice president of marketing even described how the product was only being sold in the United States for the time being, but would possibly become available in "other countries with large left-handed populations."

Neither the publication date of the ad nor the head-scratching premise raised red flags among the masses; a follow-up release from Burger King described how thousands of customers had gone to their restaurants to request left-handed Whoppers, with others specifying that they still preferred the right-handed version.

Here is a picture of a left-handed Whopper

 

[Joe Riley]

The Left-Handed Whopper​

Burger King proudly bills itself as the home of the Whopper, which makes it fitting that the fast-food chain sprung a whopper of a prank on April Fools' Day in 1998. That day, a full-page advertisement in USA Today trumpeted the launch of the "Left-Handed Whopper," with a helpful diagram showing how BK's signature sandwich was "rotated a full 180 degrees" to ensure a "better grip" and "maximum enjoyment" for lefties. The company's vice president of marketing even described how the product was only being sold in the United States for the time being, but would possibly become available in "other countries with large left-handed populations."

Neither the publication date of the ad nor the head-scratching premise raised red flags among the masses; a follow-up release from Burger King described how thousands of customers had gone to their restaurants to request left-handed Whoppers, with others specifying that they still preferred the right-handed version.

Here is a picture of a left-handed Whopper

 

[Joe Riley]

A Fake Eruption at Mount Edgecumbe Volcano​

Mount Edgecumbe. Picryl.

"When you live next to a volcano, the last thing you want to see in the morning is unexpected smoke. In 1974, that’s exactly what the residents of Sitka, Alaska, woke up to. Smoke appeared to be pouring out of the nearby dormant Mount Edgecumbe volcano. Panic quickly spread across the town and soon made local and even national news – until a Coast Guard pilot investigated and discovered the truth."

"Inside the volcano was a pile of old tyres, set alight by local prankster Oliver “Porky” Bickar, who had flown hundreds of old tyres into the volcano’s crater and set them on fire, along with spelling out ‘APRIL FOOL’ in 50-foot letters."
April Fools! The History Behind the World’s Greatest Day of Pranks

 

[Nancy Hart]

Inspiration for the little red-haired girl, Donna Mae Wold (born Donna Mae Johnson, 1929-2016)



Johnson and Schulz dated for three years, but in 1950 when Schulz proposed to her, she turned him down, saying she was already engaged. "I'd like to see Charlie Brown kick that football, and if he gets the little red-haired girl, that's fine with me", Donna said around the time Schulz announced his retirement in 1999.

 

[Joe Riley]

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[Sheryl]

 

[Joe Riley]

Welcome April!