April Fool's Day lore and pranks across history
Washington AP notes April Fool's Day origins and practices. Aids include zookeepers and casket factories where jokers trick victims with boxes and phone calls. French origins trace to Charles IX and shifted New Year gifts to January, while April 1 humor persisted among couriers and captives like Francis, Duke of Lorraine, in historic tales.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
William S. Walsh
Fox
Lyon
Wolf
Ellie Phant
New Yorker Magazine
National Geographic Society
Charles IX
France
Francis
Duke of Lorraine
Nantes
Adventurer 70 Plans Pacific Crossing With Pets
New York AP reports William Willis, age 70, aims to sail 10 063 to 12 000 miles across the Pacific from Callao Peru to Australia with only a dog and a cat. Willis, famed for a 1954 raft voyage of 6700 miles in 115 days, plans a larger solo expedition named Age Unlimited. He will tow his four ton raft to Callao, then sail the Humboldt Current toward Australia, lasting about two months. He vows to endure with minimal sleep and food, carrying 150 gallons of water and a gasoline alcohol stove, with safety features and a steel pontoon raft under construction in Harrison New Jersey.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
William Willis
Pacific Ocean
Callao
Peru
Australia
Willis
Samoa
New York Harbor
Pacific
Tess
Deli Robbery Ends With Net Gain For Owner
In Buffalo an 82 year old widow warding off two bandits at her deli viewed by police, after one man demanded cigarettes and produced a ten dollar bill, she returned change from her apron and the gunman grabbed the cash from the register but netted only eight dollars for herself.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Buffalo
N.Y
Rose Deziak
Connors to wed Indian-English actress Kamala Devi
Hollywood AP report says Chuck Connors will marry Kamala Devi on April 10. The former baseball star and The Rifleman actor met on Geronimo and plan to travel to Bombay to meet Devi parents after initial series segments air.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hollywood
Chuck Connors
Kamala Devi
Connors
Miss Devil
India
Bombay
April Fools Trick Behind Lion Wash Ceremony
English pranksters stirred laughter on April Fool's Day with a mailed invitation claiming admission to view the annual washing of the lions at the Tower of London. On that day London traffic clogged Tower Bridge as all were curious, but no lion, gate, or ceremony existed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Eve
Tower of London
White Gate
Er Bridge
London
Emory selects new president John F Kennedy
The Emory Wheel reports Emory University has chosen John F Kennedy as president design. Dr. S Walter Martin, former president, resigned to take another post while the university continues its search.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atlanta, Ga
Emory University
John F. Kennedy
Emory
the University
S. Walter Martin
Toll Collectors Strike in Italy
Italian motorists faced free rides on highways as toll collectors walked out over a new labor contract. Unions demand higher wages and better hours, disrupting toll operations across the country.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Italy
Rome
Also Mentioned on This Page
J. W. Davis
Harrison
N.J
Pacif.c
Cavalier
Central Ave
Ficks Reed Co
Rathman Troup
Rerchnanrup
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