Can you tell your true stories from your April Fools?

APRIL FOOLS – TRUE OR FALSE

These weird and wacky tales were all reported and all have a ring of truth about them, but which ones were April Fools and which were actual events?

QUESTIONS – TRUE OR APRIL FOOL

1. When a tree was cut down in Boston Common during the remodelling of the park in 1845 a stone trap door was found beneath it with an iron ring set in it. A stone staircase led down to a large cave full of old coins, weapons and jewels believed to be part of a burial ritual. Reported by the Boston Post.

2. In 1923 the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung and The New York Times reported the Russians had discovered a method harnessing energy displayed in thunderstorms and other atmospheric conditions. The Russians were reported as saying they would only use this new energy finding for peaceful purposes and not for any military purposes.

3. Irish news channels reported that an Arctic Walrus which is believed to had fallen asleep on an iceberg woke up on the beach in County Kerry and was discovered by a 5 year old girl and her father as they enjoyed an early morning walk.

4. Ernest Hemmingway’s Spanish colonial home in Key West, Florida is home to many polydactyls. It’s not a dinosaur, but is the scientific name for a six-toed cat and is a tradition dating back to Hemingway’s time as a sailor where six-toed cats were considered lucky.

5. In 1929, 70 year old George Daynor walked 112 miles to New Jersey where he bought a 4 acre plot of land for $4. He then spent the next three years building a home from bottle, bedframes, mud and other rubbish which when completed he named, ‘The Palace of Depression’.  It had a popular tourist attraction where visitors could go to the ‘Knockout Room’ and have a bowling ball dropped from height onto their heads for 25 cents.

6. In 1936 an ancient Viking ship and other artefacts were discovered in a sandstone quarry near Waimanalo, Oahu, Hawaii reported the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The discovery was said to be evidence of the worldwide exploration of the Vikings and prove they were the first Europeans to set foot in the Americas.

7. The Board of Education in Glastonbury, Connecticut announced new plans to reduce school overcrowding. The plan was devised in 1985 by a computer program that came up with the solution to limit families to .75 children per household for the next 15 years. During an interview with the Rivereast News Bulletin, the board president stated they had not yet figured out how to implement this figure but it was hoped to come to some finalisation within the next 10 months.

8. In 1982 the head of British Telecom ordered all his female employees to be checked to see if their bras were interfering with electronic equipment after a Daily Mail report that underwire bras were responsible for disrupting TV and radio signals. The advice was for women to wear their bras for a few hours before removing them and waving them next to any electronic equipment to see if it caused any problems.

9. Maradona, the dazzling Argentinian footballer was in negotiations for a $6 Million transfer to Moscow Spartak F.C. in 1988 according to the newspaper, Izvestia, a newspaper headed by the Kremlin.

10. In 1981 Japanese long distance runner, Kimo Nakajimi was invited to run in the London Marathon. Unfortunately due to a translation error by Import Director Timothy Bryant, he thought he had to run for 26 miles for 26 days instead of 26 miles in one day. On the fifth day Mr. Nakajimi was still running and refused to stop as it would cause him to lose face and honour after being invited to run in such a prestigious event. This was the pre-cursor to ultra-marathon events.
Reported by The Daily Mail

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ANSWERS – TRUE OR APRIL FOOL

1. When a tree was cut down in Boston Common during the remodelling of the park in 1845 a stone trap door was found beneath it with an iron ring set in it. A stone staircase led down to a large cave full of old coins, weapons and jewels believed to be part of a burial ritual. Reported by the Boston Post.
APRIL FOOL

2. In 1923 the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung and The New York Times reported the Russians had discovered a method harnessing energy displayed in thunderstorms and other atmospheric conditions. The Russians were reported as saying they would only use this new energy finding for peaceful purposes and not for any military purposes.
APRIL FOOL

3. Irish news channels reported that an Arctic Walrus which is believed to had fallen asleep on an iceberg woke up on the beach in County Kerry and was discovered by a 5 year old girl and her father as they enjoyed an early morning walk.
TRUE (It was found on March 14 2021)

4. Ernest Hemmingway’s Spanish colonial home in Key West, Florida is home to many polydactyls. It’s not a dinosaur, but is the scientific name for a six-toed cat and is a tradition dating back to Hemingway’s time as a sailor where six-toed cats were considered lucky.
TRUE

5. In 1929, 70 year old George Daynor walked 112 miles to New Jersey where he bought a 4 acre plot of land for $4. He then spent the next three years building a home from bottle, bedframes, mud and other rubbish which when completed he named, ‘The Palace of Depression’.  It had a popular tourist attraction where visitors could go to the ‘Knockout Room’ and have a bowling ball dropped from height onto their heads for 25 cents.
TRUE

6. In 1936 an ancient Viking ship and other artefacts were discovered in a sandstone quarry near Waimanalo, Oahu, Hawaii reported the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The discovery was said to be evidence of the worldwide exploration of the Vikings and prove they were the first Europeans to set foot in the Americas.
APRIL FOOL

7. The Board of Education in Glastonbury, Connecticut announced new plans to reduce school overcrowding. The plan was devised in 1985 by a computer program that came up with the solution to limit families to .75 children per household for the next 15 years. During an interview with the Rivereast News Bulletin, the board president stated they had not yet figured out how to implement this figure but it was hoped to come to some finalisation within the next 10 months.
APRIL FOOL

8. In 1982 the head of British Telecom ordered all his female employees to be checked to see if their bras were interfering with electronic equipment after a Daily Mail report that underwire bras were responsible for disrupting TV and radio signals. The advice was for women to wear their bras for a few hours before removing them and waving them next to any electronic equipment to see if it caused any problems.
TRUE (Although the bra report by the Daily Mail was an April Fool, the head of BT took it seriously)

9. Maradona, the dazzling Argentinian footballer was in negotiations for a $6 Million transfer to Moscow Spartak F.C. in 1988 according to the newspaper, Izvestia, a newspaper headed by the Kremlin.
APRIL FOOL

10. In 1981 Japanese long distance runner, Kimo Nakajimi was invited to run in the London Marathon. Unfortunately due to a translation error by Import Director Timothy Bryant, he thought he had to run for 26 miles for 26 days instead of 26 miles in one day. On the fifth day Mr. Nakajimi was still running and refused to stop as it would cause him to lose face and honour after being invited to run in such a prestigious event. This was the pre-cursor to ultra-marathon events.
Reported by The Daily Mail
APRIL FOOL