It’s April Fool’s Day, the first day of April. Who started a day of foolery? The History Channel said. “Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes.”
Snopes.com said, “Wherever and whenever the custom began, it has since evolved its own lore and set of unofficial rules. Superstition has it that the pranking period expires at noon on the 1st of April and any jokes attempted after that time will call bad luck down onto the head of the perpetrator. Additionally, those who fail to respond with good humor to tricks played upon them are said to attract bad luck to themselves.”
Many newspapers have run bogus stories and the day is a favorite of morning radio hosts. The most outrageous this reporter can recall is one carried out by Zoo 100 in New York’s Scott Shannon. Bruce Springsteen gave a concert in New Jersey on the night of March 31st (supposedly that was a fact). The next morning Shannon and Zoo started with a traffic report of unusual congestion around the concert site. That lead to a reporter going on site and reporting back that Springsteen (who was known for long encores) was still performing. The Hook was the reporter said that “If you left early last night, your ticket is still good to return this morning and enjoy the rest of the encore.” The legend continues about many people not going to work but to New Jersey to catch Springsteen in concert. April fools!
While we are on foolery, have you seen the story circulating on social media that Nostradamus predicted the COVID-19 virus. The Journal checked Snopes and that supposed prediction doesn’t stand up. Here is what Snopes.com said:
“Michel de Nostradamus was an astrologer who lived in France in the 1500s and is most famous today for the poetic quatrains he wrote for his book, “Les Prophéties,” which many enthusiasts now claim foretold various significant historical events. Nostradamus wrote a lot of stuff so general (and obscure) that with the help of a little imagination (and some liberal interpretations from the original French), people have claimed he has “predicted” nearly every event of significance since the mid-16th century.
Snopes added, “But this particular viral prediction was not expressed in quatrain form, nor could we find anything like it published in “Les Prophéties.” We also found no mention of this supposed prophecy prior to the events of early 2020, which generally indicates it is a modern hoax.”
If you are planning on going to Texas there is a 14-day self-quarantine requirement. Texas State Troopers will screen everyone from Louisiana along highways entering the state. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed that order on March 29th. Early reports are that the troopers are observing travel along the border in northwest Louisiana but have not taken any actions supporting the governor’s order.
Northwestern State University recruiters are finding innovative ways to stay in touch with prospective students despite social distancing. “The recruiters are still working their territories reaching out to each student providing virtual tours, Zoom sessions and, as always, being their primary resource at NSU,” said Ashlee Hewitt, director of recruiting. “Their communication efforts are email, texts, phone calls, Zoom and social media.” Earlier in March, Hewitt recorded a video message to reassure next year’s freshmen that she and her staff are always available to answer questions and offer assistance.