The post that was quoted here has been removedIt's okay. Maybe a nap, then glance at these four lines by Tomas Transtromer, the Swedish Nobel Prize winning poet:
He often began his poems with descriptions of mundane settings and acts, but he was also interested in dreams and the other uncontrollable wanderings of thought. In “Preludes” (translation by May Swenson) he wrote:
Two truths approach each other
One comes from within,
one comes from without — and where they meet you have the chance
to catch a look at yourself.
April Fools' Day: Origin and History
"The uncertain origins of a foolish day by David Johnson and Shmuel Ross: April Fools' Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most light-hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar.
New Year's Day Moves: Ancient cultures, including those of the Romans and Hindus, celebrated New Year's Day on or around April 1. It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year's Day to be celebrated Jan. 1. That year, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year's day to Jan. 1. According to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on "fool's errands" or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.
Problems With This Explanation: There are at least two difficulties with this explanation. The first is that it doesn't fully account for the spread of April Fools' Day to other European countries. The Gregorian calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, for example, but April Fools' Day was already well established there by that point. The second is that we have no direct historical evidence for this explanation, only conjecture, and that conjecture appears to have been made more recently.
Constantine and Kugel: Another explanation of the origins of April Fools' Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University. He explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.
"In a way," explained Prof. Boskin, "it was a very serious day. In those times fools were really wise men. It was the role of jesters to put things in perspective with humor."
This explanation was brought to the public's attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in 1983. There was only one catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the AP to realize that they'd been victims of an April Fools' joke themselves.
Spring Fever: It is worth noting that many different cultures have had days of foolishness around the start of April, give or take a couple of weeks. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there's something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations.
Observances Around the World: April Fools' Day is observed throughout the Western world. Practices include sending someone on a "fool's errand," looking for things that don't exist; playing pranks; and trying to get people to believe ridiculous things.
The French call April 1 Poisson d'Avril, or "April Fish." French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying "Poisson d'Avril" when the prank is discovered." http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html
April 2: National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
"National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day is celebrated annually on April 2nd.. This food holiday is a classic favorite of many. The average American will have eaten over 2000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the time they graduate from high school.
Peanut butter was considered a delicacy in the early 1900′s and was only served in New York City’s finest tea rooms. In a May 1896 article published in the Good Housekeeping magazine, a recipe “urged homemakers to use a meat grinder to make peanut butter and spread the result on bread”. That same year, in June, the culinary magazine Table Talk, published a “peanut butter sandwich recipe”.
It is thought to be that the first reference of peanut butter paired with jelly on bread, to be published in the United States, was by Julia Davis Chandler in 1901. In the late 1920′s the price of peanut butter declined and the sandwich became very popular with children.
According to the Peanut Board, during World War II, both peanut butter and jelly were part of the United States soldiers military ration list. In 1998, The J.M. Smucker Co. introduced Goober, a jarred product which combined alternating vertical stripes of peanut butter and jelly.
It may be a good day to try something “outside the box”. Following are a few ideas to help you out!
◦Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes
◦Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast
◦Peanut Butter and Jelly Pie
◦Peanut Butter and Jelly Sushi
◦Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
◦Peanut Butter and Jelly Donuts
◦Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes
◦Peanut Butter and Jelly Fudge
Our research was unable to find the creator and the origin of National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, an “unofficial” National holiday." http://nationaldaycalendar.com/days-2/national-peanut-butter-and-jelly-day-april-2/
Note: It's been reported that Elvis Presley liked Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches before he left the room.
July 4, 1776, it turns out that King George did not write in his diary, which he did not actually keep, "nothing of significance happened today"
That was a derivative of King Louis XVI, who wrote that type of statement - "rien", or "nothing" - in his diary on July 14, 1789, Bastille Day. His diary notation actually was just about not getting any game on his hunt that day.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11703583
Originally posted by Grampy Bobby21 again Stees
Reminder: Our next RHP Member's Birthday is @Great-Big-Stees' on Monday, April 13.
14th April
1986
In retaliation for the April 5 bombing in West Berlin that killed
two U.S. soldiers, Ronald Reagan orders bombing raids against
Libya, killing 60 innocent people.
1994
During Operation Provide Comfort in Iraq, two USAF aircraft
shoot-down two US Army helicopters, killing 26 people.
No retaliation was ordered!