The Calendar
April's Desktops
Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons.
R. Buckminster Fuller
Drip, drip, drop, little April Showers...
Well, seeing as we did April Fools last year, shall we do April Showers this time round? No yawning at the back, please. This is interesting.
April sees a lot of diverse weather (if you're up North this year, so does March!) from fog to sunshine from muggy heat to frost. According to meteorological records the lowest temperature for April was -15°C on the 2nd of April, 1917 at Newton Rigg, Cumbria. However, in Camden Square, London the temperature was recorded as being a staggering 29.4°C on the 16th April, 1949.
Perhaps the main reason for the often heavy deluges prevalent in the month of April is the position of the jet stream. The jet stream is a band of very strong winds, 30,000ft above the Earth which controls the weather on the ground. High & low pressure systems are formed when the air in the jet stream speeds up or slows down. During the start of Spring the jet stream moves North and thus brings in strong winds and rains from the Atlantic.
These depressions can often be tracked across Ireland and Scotland bringing heavy showers (often hail or snow) and blustery winds. So in one day the weather at anyone time can change from being beautiful to horrendous within seconds.
April is a beautiful month for many reasons. It is the official beginning of Spring with the sun climbing higher into the sky and the nights becoming longer with the advent of British Summer Time. It is when we see most of our plants and hedgerows burst into life and the birds start a-singing. April 14th is Cuckoo Day when their first calls can often be heard followed immediately after by Swallow Day and the promise of Summer's glorious dog days...
But be aware; although April showers will always bring May flowers, April can plunge you straight back into Winter at the drop of a hat.
Seeing as you've all been good, here's some of the most famous April Fools of all time:
- 1. The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest
- 1957, Panorama the respected British news program reported that due to an unusually mild winter and the eradication of the persistent spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were experiencing a bumper spaghetti crop. The show ran footage of Swiss farm workers harvesting strands of spaghetti from trees. Vast amounts of people were completely taken in, with viewers actually calling in to enquire how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. The BBC replied that they should, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."
- 2. Planetary Alignment Decreases Gravity
- 1976, British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC Radio 2 that the planet Pluto would soon pass directly behind Jupiter, this would create a unique and unprecedented gravitational alignment. The amazing effects of this bizarre astronomical phenomenon would be tangible to the people of Earth. Moore stated that at 9:47 AM, if people jumped in the air at exactly the precise moment, they would experience a strange floating sensation. Immediately after 9:47AM, BBC2 began to receive a multitude of calls from listeners claiming to have experienced this sensation, with one woman exclaiming that she and eleven friends had risen from their chairs and floated around the room!
- 3. The Sydney Iceberg
- 1978, a giant iceberg appeared in Sydney harbour being towed by a barge belonging to a local entrepreneur - Dick Smith. Smith had previously been boasting about his intention to bring an iceberg back from Antarctica. Once docked, his workers would break the berg into ice cubes and sell them; drastically improving the flavour of any drink with their untouched purity. Local radio stations tracked the progress of the berg all the way into the harbour until a rainstorm began to reveal the bergs secret. It was made of firefighting foam and shaving cream applied liberally to a superstructure of plastic bags, no less!
- 4. The 26-Day Marathon
- 1981, the Daily Mail ran a story about Kimo Nakajimi, a long-distance runner and first time entrant to the London marathon. Unfortunately for Nakajimi, due to a translation error he had entered the race with the understanding that he was to run for 26 days and not 26 miles. At the time of the article the Mail reported that Nakajimi was still out on England's roads, determined to finish the race. A number of readers had reported sightings of the runner and had seemingly tried to flag him down!?
- 5. Nixon for President
- 1992, National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, was in the process of campaigning to become President again. His new slogan was, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again." The program also broadcast Nixon apparently delivering his candidacy speech. The audience began to flood the show with calls of outrage and disbelief. Only later did the show reveal that it was a hoax and 'Nixon' was actually an impersonator, comedian Rick Little.
Our next calendar download will be available on Tuesday, 1st May.