Fishing on the Net
By Bonnie Nelson
April Fools' day
How many of you had a practical joke played on you yesterday? The origins of April Fools' Day are shrouded in mystery. The most popular theory is that France changed its calendar in the 1500s so that the New Year would begin in January to match the Roman calendar instead of the start of spring in late March or early April.
The word 'hoax' came into use during the 1700s. The curious thing about hoaxes from this period is that they were not exposed until centuries later. Probably because there was little desire to challenge deceptions that supported the status quo.
Hoaxes take many forms. The main characteristic of a hoax is presenting a piece of information or media as something real or believable to human understanding but is in fact false (http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/). Here are a few of the more famous hoaxes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ April_Fool's_Day).
* Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre radio broadcast on October 30, 1938, entitled "The War of the Worlds" has been called the "single greatest media hoax of all time", although it was not ó Welles said ó intended to be a hoax. The broadcast was heard on CBS radio stations throughout the United States. Despite repeated announcements within the program that it was a work of fiction, many listeners tuning in during the program believed that the world was being attacked by invaders from Mars.
* The April 1, 1985, issue of Sports Illustrated featured "The Curious Case of Sidd Finch" by George Plimpton. The article was about an eccentric pitcher said to be a prospect for the New York Mets who could throw a baseball 168 miles per hour. The hoax was perpetrated with the knowledge of the magazine and of the New York Mets organization. Plimption later reworked the material into a novel.
* In 1998 the Alabama state legislature voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi from 3.14159 to the Biblical value of 3.0. NASA engineers in Huntsvile, Alabama were reportedly disturbed by the decision.
All in all, April Fools' Day is a day of fun. Hope you didnít take anything too seriously.
Bonnie Nelson is a freelance writer living in Fountain, CO. If you have comments or questions, email her at waltbon@comcast.net
CONTACT THE WRITER • WALTBON@COMCAST.nET
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