What A Fool Believes

What a Fool Believes

Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.

Proverbs 18:2

In 1957 the BBC news announced that, thanks to a very mild winter, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree.

National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again—in 1992. His new campaign slogan was, “I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Listeners responded viscerally to the announcement, flooding the show with calls.

In 1996 the Taco Bell Corporation announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia to express their anger. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said, as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.

Six years later, Burger King published a full-page advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a “Left-Handed Whopper” specially designed for the thirty-two million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new Whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper, but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. Thousands of customers went into restaurants to request the new sandwich.

In 2010 Google announced it was changing its name to Topeka. The company spokesperson said it was due to the mayor of Topeka, Kansas, making a convincing argument. So they replaced their standard homepage logo with the word Topeka, showed the Google headquarters with a freshly updated sign, and gave suggestions on how to use the new vernacular: “I Topeka’d him.” Customers thought the company leaders had lost their minds.

Of course, all of these were pranks played on April 1. The exact origin of the day is unknown, although some believe it could be based on a change to the Gregorian Calendar from the Julian Calendar and the resulting confusion that change created.

Here’s the point for couples: April Fools’ Day provides ample opportunity for you to have fun. Those who infuse their relationship with humor, finding something to laugh about together, discover the bond between them has grown. In fact, did you know that this day also marks the beginning of National Couple Appreciation Month? It was founded to encourage couples to do something special and celebrate their relationship. And that’s no joke.

It is the ability to take a joke, not make one, that proves you have a sense of humor.

—Max Eastman