It is April Fools’ Day
I didn’t know it’s April Fools’ Day until…
Conversation at 1:45 AM
Wynn: not sleeping ar?
Wynn: tmr got class leh
KahWee: got what class leh
KahWee: got meh
Wynn: ya
Wynn: 9am
KahWee: oh… is it
KahWee: what class is that
Wynn: 108
KahWee: huh
KahWee: really ar
Wynn: april fool
Wynn:
KahWee:
108 is one of the modules I take at school. So fast and it’s April 1st already. Time really flies. April Fools’ a good day to check out the web. Companies like Google always have something prepared for you - typically making some bogus announcement. Some of the not-too-funny April Fools’ pranks include:
- Assassination of Bill Gates: In 2003, many Chinese and South Korean websites claimed that CNN reported Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, was assassinated, resulting in a 1.5% drop in the Korean stock market.
- SARS Infects Hong Kong: In 2003 during the time when Hong Kong is seriously hit by SARS, it was rumored that many people in Hong Kong had become infected with SARS and become uncontrolled, that all immigration ports would be closed to quarantine the region, and that Tung Chee Hwa, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at that time, had resigned. Hong Kong supermarkets were immediately overwhelmed by panicked shoppers. The Hong Kong government held a press conference to deny the rumor. The rumor, which was intended as an April Fools’ prank, was started by a student by imitating the design of Ming Pao newspaper website. He was charged for this incident.
- Death of a mayor: In 1998, local WAAF shock jocks Opie and Anthony reported that Boston mayor Thomas Menino had been killed in a car accident. Menino happened to be on a flight at the time, lending credence to the prank as he could not be reached. The rumor spread quickly across the city, eventually causing news stations to issue alerts denying the hoax. The pair were fired shortly thereafter.
- Tragedy on April Fools’ Day: The 1 April 1946 Aleutian Island earthquake tsunami that killed 165 people on Hawaii and Alaska resulted in the creation of a tsunami warning system (specifically the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre), established in 1949 for Pacific Ocean area countries. The tsunami in question is known in Hawaii as the “April Fools’ Day Tsunami” due to people drowning because of the assumptions that the warnings were an April Fools’ prank.
Well, you can read about other jokes at Wikipedia - the most counter-productive website I know. Always start by researching some school work and end up reading just about anything other than the research itself.