Monday, April 09, 2007

Pranks for the Memories


This is my last week to work on the WIP, so I've pre-written a week's worth of blogs. I'm pressing forward in a wicked rush to meet my deadline!

But now, to our daily topic:

Did you play an April Fools Joke on anyone? I did, at Mt. Hermon, though it was inadvertent. (And I won't explain what it was because I plan on doing it again.)


Anyway, my newspaper had a great list of famous (or infamous) hoaxes perpetuated on the public. It was too good not to share.


1. 2002: The "Bonsai Kittens" urban myth that went 'round the internet. Did you receive a copy of these kittens-in-bottles that were supposedly being grown under glass to force their bones to conform to certain dimensions? I did, and after my initial shock, I thought the joke was kind of funny. (Not that I'd ever advocate tormenting kittens, but the idea of them submitting to that kind of behavior. If you've ever tried to bathe a cat, you know what I mean.)


2. 1722: A young Ben Franklin writes a series of newspaper columns signed "Silence Dogwood," who claims to be an elderly woman.


3. 1835: P.T. Barnum displays Joice Heth, an elderly black woman he says is 161 years old and George Washington's former nurse.


4. 1869: The Cardiff Giant, a ten-foot-tall figure of stone, is dug out of the ground in Cardiff, NY. People go nuts debating whether it's a statue or a petrified man. It's a phony.


5. 1938: Orson Wells and his "War of the Worlds" theater broadcast. Thousands of people really believe the world has been invaded by Martians.


6. 1957: The BBC airs a documentary on the Swiss spaghetti harvest, showing spaghetti growing on trees, on April Fools Day.


7. 2007: The Big Foot's missing foot found in the dumpster. Remember this one? Not exactly a hoax, but interesting all the same. (Look through the archives if you need reminding.)


8. Today and tomorrow: all those emails assuring you that you can help a poor Nigerian princess claim her ten million dollar estate if you'll wire her a few funds . . . don't fall for that one. Please.

So . . . did you commit an April Fool's Joke? Care to share?

~~Angie

P.S. Happy Birthday to my darling daughter!

3 comments:

Dana said...

I didn't play a joke on anyone but our pastor played one on the entire congregation. Our church was planning to open a second campus today but on April 1st he came out at an unusual time at the beginning of the service and broke the news that the whole deal fell through. We all sighed, groaned, ached... until he told us he was yanking our chain. Oh well. And that's all I've got...

Dana said...

Oh and the second campus did, in fact, open this morning with phenomenal turn-out. God is good! Between the two campuses we had over 2,000 people in attendance with 148 giving their lives to Christ. This is the 14th month this church has been in existence. The leadership is humbly following Jesus and He's boldly building His church. :)

Suzanne said...

My pastor husband stood up in front of the church and announced that we were expecting a baby! They got so excited until he said, "April Fools!"
tee hee hee