April Fools Day is here. The origin of this day of mischief is unknown. A day devoted to pranks, jokes and laughter is a pleasant break from the chaos. Besides April Fools Day, April 1st is also Bommer Bonus Day, International Edible Book Festival, International Fun at Work Day, International Pillow Fight Day, National Love Our Children Day, National Jump in Muddy Puddles Day, National Sourdough Bread Day, Poetry and the Creative Mind Day, and St. Stupid Day which is celebrated in San Francisco and is based on the belief that one of the unifying characteristics of society is stupidity. It’s hard to argue with that. On this day in 1663 the Dutch province of Gemert levied fines against unwed mothers of 50 guilders. On this day in 1693 the Puritan minister, Cotton Mather’s 4-day-old son dies and witchcraft is blamed. He would become the driving force behind the Salem Witchcraft Trails. On this day in 1853 Cincinnati becomes the 1st US city to employ fulltime firefighters. On this day in 1889 the 1st dishwashing machine went on sale in Chicago. On this day in 1929 Louie Marx introduced the Yo-Yo. On this day in 1933 the Nazi persecution of Jews begins with a boycott of Jewish businesses. On this day in 1934 Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker killed two highway patrolmen near Grapevine, Texas. These murders turned public opinion against them. On this day in 1960 the 1st weather satellite was launched. In 1966 on this day “Hold On, I’m Comin” single was released by Sam & Dave. Today’s observations are provided by the late Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko who died in 2017 in Tulsa Oklahoma. He said, “when truth is replaced by silence, the silence is a lie.” “Unfortunately, justice is the train that’s nearly always late.” “One day posterity will remember these strange times, when ordinary common honesty was called courage.” “I have known that if all the values in this world are more or less questionable, the most important thing in life is kindness.” “when there is freedom of speech, I’ve found that the majority of people really have nothing to say.” “To partly remain a child: that is to be really mature.” I think that’s a good place to end this post. Abide.