April 1 in Pop Culture History

April 1st is the perfect day for companies to market risky ideas.

1789 – Pennsylvania Representative Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg was elected the first US Speaker of the House of Representatives.

1853 – The first professional, full-time US fire department with salaried firemen was established in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1875 – Sir Francis Galton published the first newspaper weather map, in The Times in London, England

1877 – Edward Schieffelin founded Tombstone, Arizona, best known as the place where Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers had their shoot-out with the Clantons and McLaurys at the O.K. Corral in 1881

1934 – Bonnie and Clyde kill two young highway patrolmen near Grapevine, Texas.

1938 – The first panda to live in captivity outside China, Su Lin, died after a twig lodged in his throat at the Brookfield Zoo, Chicago.

1957 – The BBC broadcast the ‘spaghetti-tree hoax’ on its current affairs program Panorama, showing spaghetti being harvested from trees.

1960 – The first weather observation satellite, Tiros I, was launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida, and made the first television picture from space.

1960 – Dr. Martens released its first boots, the model 1460.

1963 – ABC premiered General Hospital, the daytime drama that eventually became the network’s longest-running (soap opera) serial program produced in Hollywood. On the same day, NBC debuted The Doctors.

1965 – On April 1, 1965, Michael O’Mahony claimed on BBC TV to have invented Smell-O-Vision. Numerous viewers called in and reported having experienced coffee and onion aromas through their TV sets. #dontbeleiveanythingaprilfirst

1970 – President Richard Nixon signed legislation officially banning cigarette ads on television and radio.

1976 – Apple Computer Company was formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne.

1977 (Tornado) Madaripur and Shibchar, Bangladesh

1979 – Nickelodeon kid’s cable channel was launched.

1983 – Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life and Screwballs were released in theaters.

1984 – Singer Marvin Gaye was shot three times and killed by his father during a domestic dispute.

1988 – Beetlejuice, The Seventh Sign, and Bright Lights, Big City debuted in theaters.

1989 – #1 Hit April 1, 1989 – April 7, 1989: The Bangles – Eternal Flame

1994 – Major League II and Thumbelina were released in theaters.

1997 – As part of a crossover April Fools joke, Pat Sajak hosted Jeopardy, and Alex Trebek hosted Wheel of Fortune.

2004 – Gmail was launched on April 1 and was widely assumed to be an April Fools’ Day prank. They offered 1GB free storage in 2004, while other webmail services typically provided between 5MB – 50MB.

2005 – Sin City debuted in theaters.

2006 – #1 Hit April 1, 2006 – April 7, 2006: Sean Paul – Temperature

2007 – Google sent an email to all of its employees warning that a python was loose inside their New York office. It was not a joke.