Foolish

Today is April Fools' Day.  It's celebrated, if that's the word, in America and many Western countries in general.

The origin of the day is unclear. That sort of figures.  It's not the kind of day that, at a particular point, some king or parliament would say "okay, we've never done anything like this, but starting today, on an annual basis, you can do any stupid thing you want."  It is mentioned, sort of, in The Canterbury Tales, so it goes back at least several centuries.  Of course, many cultures, for millennia, have had days when things are turned upside down.

Can't say I like the day.  I like all sorts of fun, but practical jokes aren't fun at all. (April Fools' Day is supposed to be about harmless pranks, though there's wide disagreement over what constitutes harm.)

There have been many famous hoaxes perpetrated in its name.  There was San Serriffe, the fictional island created by the Guardian in a story full of typographical gags.  There was Taco Bell claiming it had purchased the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell.  They got a lot of free publicity, but was it really the kind you want?

Best of all, I suppose, was Sidd Finch, the fictional baseball pitcher invented by George Plimpton in Sports Illustrated.  Finch was allegedly a yoga master who could throw the ball faster than anyone (even without a windup).

The story came out in 1985.  I remember people discussing it as if it were real, though the story didn't make any sense.  Some people, I guess, will believe anything in print.  It was necessary to point out that the issue of SI, though released in March, was dated April 1.

PS  Congratulations to the Michigan Wolverines, who are playing for the basketball championship on Monday, and that's no joke.