Trivia Of The Day April 1

On April Fool's Day 1998, Burger King published an advertisement for "Left-Handed Whopper". The condiments of this whopper were supposed to be rotated 180 degrees, as to avoid spilling out toppings from the right side of the burger. It was said to be the "ultimate 'Have-it-your-way' for lefties"

In the Middle Ages a unicorn became seen as a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be captured or tamed by a virgin. Medieval apothecaries sold “unicorn horn”, also known as “alicorn”, for its medicinal properties.

Fresco by Domenichino of a maiden taming a unicorn, c. 1604–05 (Palazzo Farnese, Rome)

On April 1, 1987 Steven M Newman became the first man to walk solo around our planet Earth. The 15,000-mile trek took him four years and untold pairs of shoes to complete.

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Happy Birthday April 1

William Harvey, the first to describe blood circulation, was born in the Kentish coastal town of Folkestone on April 1, 1578. He was the eldest of seven brothers and two sisters. Harvey enrolled in the University of Padua in 1599, where he studied under Fabrizio d’Acquapendente, who was the first person to clearly describe the valves in the veins. Galileo was a Professor during Harvey's time there.

Otto Von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of the German Empire, was born on his family estate at Schönhausen, a village on the Elbe, North West of Berlin, on April 1, 1815. His father, Ferdinand Von Bismarck, was a landowner and a former Prussian military officer; his mother, Wilhelmine Mencken, originally belonged to a prosperous bourgeois family. A very mischievous child, as a youth Otto was an indefatigable duellist. He was known as the mad Junker.

The dwarf George Nutt was born on April 1, 1848. Nutt was touring New England with a circus when P. T. Barnum hired him to appear at the American Museum in New York City. Barnum gave Nutt the stage name Commodore Nutt, a wardrobe that included naval uniforms, and a miniature carriage in the shape of an English walnut. Nutt became one of the Museum's major attractions.

Commodore Nutt in uniform, ca. 1865

For more April 1 anniversaries, including the first UK Prime Minister, the founding of William Wrigley Jr. Company and a report saying the Leaning Tower of Pisa had fallen over OnThatDay.

Today Is April 1

Many trace the origins of April Fools' Day back to 1582 when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian, resulting in the new year starting on January 1st instead of March 25th. “Those who continued to celebrate the end of New Year Week on April 1st were referred to as fools,” according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

One of the first April Fool pranks occurred in 1698, when the citizens of London were tricked into attending the lion-washing ceremony at the Tower of London, a ceremony that did not actually exist.
The prank was repeated on April 1, 1857 when tickets were offered for "Washing the Lions" at the Tower of London in London.

Astronomer Patrick Moore told BBC listeners on April 1, 1976 that due to a unique planet alignment, we would feel lighter at 9.47am.

As part of an April Fool's Day prank in 1989, a TV news station in Seattle reported that the city's iconic Space Needle had collapsed. So many people called 911 that the lines went down, and medical professionals left from hours away to volunteer in the 'recovery' efforts.

Holy Innocents Day on December 28th commemorates The Massacre of the Innocents, the biblical recount of infanticide by Herod the Great. It is a day for pranks, equivalent to April Fool's Day in many countries including Spain, Hispanic America, and the Philippines. After somebody plays a prank on somebody else, the joker usually cries out, in some regions of Ibero-America: Inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar ("You innocent little dove that let yourself be fooled").

On This Day April 1

On April 1, 1974 a local prankster Oliver "Porky" Bickar took 70 tires to the top of Mt. Edgecumbe, a volcano located at the southern end of Kruzof Island, Alaska. and lit them on fire. The locals thought the 400-year dormant volcano was erupting and a helicopter was sent up to check it out. When the helicopter arrived, the pilot found the words "APRIL FOOL" spray painted on the snow.

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Trivia Of The Day March 31

A Yale study found that Crayola crayons are the third most recognizable scent, behind coffee and peanut butter.

There have been six sinkings in the history of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. On March 31, 1921, both boats sank and the 73rd Boat Race had to be held again on 1st April.

In 1920, Uruguay passed a law making dueling legal in order to permit a duel between a policeman and a newspaper editor. For the next 72 years, until 1992, dueling was legal in Uruguay as long as the participants had official permission.

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Happy Birthday March 31

Influential French mathematician and 'father of modern philosophy' René Descartes was born at the farmhouse of his great grandma on March 31, 1596. It was located in La Haye en Touraine, a small town in the Indre-et-Loire, now named after him – Descartes. His father Joachim Descartes, was a prominent councillor in the parliament of Rennes. He belonged to a family that had produced a number of learned men.

The house where Descartes was born in La Haye en Touraine

The German composer Franz Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732, in Rohrau, Austria. His father was Mathias Haydn, a wheelwright who also served as "Marktrichter", an office akin to village mayor When he was 7 Joseph entered the choir school of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. He had no formal musical training until his late teens, when he worked with the Italian Niccolo Porpora.

For more March 31 anniversaries, including the opening of the Eiffel Tower, the marriage of Anne Hyde to the future James II of England, and the founding of the oldest independent air force in the world, check out OnThatDay.

Today Is March 31

National Crayon Day is celebrated on March 31 every year. The day is intended to celebrate the creation of crayons as well as the joy of using crayons to color.

4-crayon pack sporting built-in sharpener. CC BY 3.0, $2

The most recognizable scent for adults in the USA was the smell of crayons in the 18th century.

In 1903 a wax crayon was developed in Europe and was first used to mark crates and boxes. Later called Crayola, it made its way in several colors to the USA. where the boxes of eight retailed for five cents on October 23, 1903.

A crayon molder named Emerson Moser helped create 1.4 billion crayons over a 37-year career. On his last day he revealed that he was color blind.

Crayons can be used as candles in case of an emergency. Each crayon can burn up to 30 minutes.