April 1st is known for a few special reasons including “international fun at work day,” “sourdough bread day,” “national one cent day,” and the one everyone waits for – “April fool’s day.” It’s a reminder to be very aware of your surroundings and to question things that may seem surprising, unusual, or unbelievable. I don’t think people are as gullible as they once were because it’s becoming increasingly difficult to fool someone, or a group of people, in a big way. Having said that, it’s still fun trying!
Why does the trickery end at noon, though? Who decided that rule? What’s wrong with it going throughout the day? According to legend, the rule dates back to an 1851 British newspaper article which stated “April fool’s gone past, you’re the fool at last,” which means if you dupe someone after 12 noon, you’re the one who is the April fool. There’s also speculation that the day honours the spirit of folly and that rules need to be in place to avoid full on chaos.
The origins of April fool’s day is very sketchy. There are references to it as far back at the mid 1300’s up to the 1500’s. There’s even a story of several people being tricked into going into the Tower of London in 1686 to watch the lions being washed. Not sure if they thought they were real lions or gargoyle-like lions. One thing is for sure, they weren’t the BC Lions. In other words, no one really knows how it all started, but we’ve all been the victim of a prank at least once in our life.
Did you know CKRM now has the power to emit pleasant odours through your radio and car speaker? With the help of a special button installed by our I.T. department, Gloria Evans and I made radio speakers smell like bacon and birthday cake.
Oh, by the way, Happy April Fool’s Day from Gloria and Cody! (We don’t actually have the power to make scents come through the speaker……yet)
