Revision 51896900 of "April 1, 2004" on enwiki

{{Daybar|April 1, 2004|2004}}
*[[George W. Bush]] signs the [[Unborn Victims of Violence Act]], commonly known as [[Laci Peterson|Laci]] and Conner's Law, that states that an act of violence that leads to the death of a pregnant mother and her child can be counted as two offenses. [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040401-3.html (White House)] [http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040401-041701-1460r (UPI)]
* [[Faroe Islands|Faroese]] Prime Minister's Office announces that from then on the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister's Office would use a new version of the Faroese Coat of Arms. The colours were inspired from the Merkið (flag) and yellow/gold was added. The new [[Coat of Arms]] depicts a Ram on a blue shield ready to defend. It can be used by the Government Ministries and by [[Faroe Islands|Faroese]] embassies, but some still use older versions of the [[Coat of Arms]]. [[Image:Faroe Coat of Arms 4.png|thumb|left|100x112px|Faroese Coat of Arms]]
* The [[Turkey|Turkish]] [[Interior Ministry]] states forty-one members of [[terrorism|terrorist]] [[organization]], [[Revolutionary People's Liberation Party]] ([[DHKP-C]]), are detained in synchronous operations in [[Turkey]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[Belgium]], and the [[Netherlands]]. [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-04/01/content_1396648.htm (Xinhua)]
* Following a [[gun]] [[battle]], in which [[Palestinian]]s hiding in a [[World Health Organization]] psychiatric hospital, in [[Bethlehem]], opened fire on [[Israel]]i [[troop]]s outside who came to arrest them, 12 of the Palestinians, mostly known militants from [[al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades]] that make up part of [[Yasser Arafat]]'s [[Fatah]] faction, are [[arrest]]ed. [http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=OXGW3W3TKK1ZWCRBAELCFEY?type=topNews&storyID=4723774 (Reuters)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3589759.stm (BBC)]
* [[Astronomer]]s [[estimation|estimate]] that [[Earth]]-like [[planet]]s may orbit as many as one in twenty [[star]]s. [http://www.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=34978&cat=Science (Webindia123)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3588721.stm (BBC)]
* [[Paul Bremer]] pledges [[justice]] for the [[Defense contractor|contractor]]s killed and [[mutilation|mutilated]] in an attack in [[Falluja]]. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3589057.stm (BBC)]
* [[United Kingdom|British]] Immigration Minister [[Beverley Hughes]] resigns over [[visa (document)|visa]] irregularities. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3589131.stm (BBC)]
* [[Palestinian]] [[General]] Haj Ismail Jabber is discovered to have been claiming the [[payroll]] for 37,000 members of the [[Palestinian Authority]]'s National Security force when only 30,000 members exist.  The difference of $2 million is kept by General Jabber each month. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/411056.html (HaAretz)]
* [[Same-sex marriage in Canada]]: [[Michael Hendricks and René Leboeuf]] become the first same-sex couple to legally wed in [[Quebec]]. [http://montreal.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=qc_marriage20040401 (CBC)]
*[[Neil H. Shubin]] of the [[University of Chicago]] reports in the [[Journal Nature|Journal ''Nature'']] the discovery of a 365-million-year-old forelimb in [[Pennsylvania]], representing the evolution of [[fish]] to land-dwelling animals.  [http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000BC4A9-8057-106C-BA3083414B7F0000 (Scientific American)]
Voting begins in South Korean parliamentary elections.

===April Fools hoaxes perpetrated in 2004===
'''[[April 1]] [[2004]]''' was an [[April Fool's Day]] that fell on a [[Thursday]]. Hoaxes for this year included:

*In [[April 1st RFC|a tradition]] dating back to at least [[1978]] (RFC 748), the [[IETF]] issues RFC 3751, Omniscience Protocol Requirements, written by Scott Bradner, the Secretary and VP of Standards for the [[Internet Society]]. See [[April 1st RFC]].
*[[The Guardian]] newspaper reported that [[Peter Mandelson]] was frontrunner to become the [[BBC]]'s new chairman.[http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1183684,00.html]
*[[CBBC]]'s ''Newsround'' website claims the [[planet]]s of the [[Solar system]] will be renamed after characters from ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' - [[Earth]] will be named [[Gandalf]]. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/sci_tech/newsid_3587000/3587189.stm]
*Both [[The Independent]] [http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/media/story.jsp?story=507170] and [[The Today Programme]] [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/arts/archers_20040401.shtml] claimed [[Brian Eno]] had crafted an electronic remix of the theme tune of the radio [[soap opera]] ''[[The Archers]]'' to replace the theme that had been used for over 50 years. 
*An advert by [[BMW]] claimed new 'SHEF technology' would allow car drivers to cook their evening meals whilst driving home.[http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1183684,00.html]
*[[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun]] reported that [[British Police]] were fitting [[hawk]]s with [[speed cameras]] to catch lawbreaking motorists.[http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004150977,,00.html]
*The [[Daily Mail]] included photographs purporting to be the [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen]] gambling on [[horse racing]] amongst her subjects at a local [[Bookmaker]].[http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1183684,00.html]
*[[Google]] announced to start interviewing candidates for their new [http://www.google.com/jobs/lunar_job.html lunar hosting and research center]. An email to the address listed returns an [http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=102591&cid=8740668 autoreply].
*The [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] announced that it was merging with the [[United States Department of Justice]], with [[Attorney General]] [[John Ashcroft]] taking a new job in the office supplies department. They also announced that the recently retired [[MPAA]] head [[Jack Valenti]] would be joining their board of directors.
*[[Blizzard]] announced that [[World of Warcraft]] would be adding Two-Headed Ogres as a playable race [http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/races/two-headed-ogre.shtml]. Also, they announced the addition of a new neutral hero for [[Warcraft III]]: the Goblin Tinker [http://www.battle.net/war3/neutral/goblintinker.shtml]. Meanwhile [[Mythic Entertainment]], makers of [[Dark Age of Camelot]] announced a new expansion with a new player race of tiny tiny Spriggans [http://www.camelotherald.com/rots/].
*[[Freshmeat]] partners with [[Babel Fish (website)|Babel Fish]] to enable (very poor) translations into over 52 languages [http://freshmeat.net/articles/view/1142/]. The front page was also translated using the [[rot13]] cipher.
*The [[Toronto Star]] reports that [[jogging|joggers]] in the city are upset at a new speed limit of 10 km/h in city [[park]]s; the limit is to reduce noise disruption during the sensitive mating season of the local black [[squirrel]] population. [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1080774613973&call_pageid=970599119419]
* The '''Campus Security''' Department at [[Queen's University]] offered employment to students and staff for '''[http://www.queensu.ca/security/employment-april.html extra security needed during the filming of "Spiderman 2"]'''. Includes some Photoshopped photos of the actors near well known University buildings.
*The [[neopaganism]] [[Internet forum]] WiccaUK was informed that [[spaghetti]] was invented by [[witch]]es in the [[Middle Ages]].[http://forums.wiccauk.com/showthread.php?t=8540]
*[[National Public Radio]]'s news program ''[[All Things Considered]]'' announces that the [[United States Postal Service]], as part of its "Go Postal" program, is launching a "National Portable Zip Codes Program," which will allow individuals to keep their old zip codes if they move within the United States. [http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1805651]
*[[Howard Stern]]'s daily radio program was introduced by Tom Chiusano, the general manager of [[WXRK]] (which hosts the program), announcing that [[Viacom]] was pulling the plug on the show because of "the weight of the government pressure and its effects on our corporation." During the next hour, a mock replacement show with two different DJs ensued, and listeners from across the country called to complain. [http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4648090/]
* The [[Motley Fool]] investment site announced that [[Hormel Foods Corporation]] planned to sue the [[United States]] government over the [[CAN-SPAM]] anti-spam law.  [http://www.fool.com/features/2004/h040331.htm?source=mppromo]
* ''Pro Wrestling Torch'' reports [[Vince McMahon]] will form a women's [[ice hockey]] league with some unusual rules. [http://www.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/article_7753.shtml]
* [[Today (Singapore newspaper)|Today]] a [[Singapore]] [[newspaper]] reported that a billboard outside the [[Singapore History Museum]] was vandalized with the phrase "[[Casino]] Coming Here". Singapore has very strict laws forbidding vandalism.  
* The owner of [[DeadJournal]] announced, as an [[April Fools]] joke, that [[LiveJournal]] would be taking over operation of his site. [http://www.deadjournal.com/community/new_shit/34659.html]
* Australian Broadband Community website [[Whirlpool (website)|Whirlpool]] announced that Telstra was going to "kill off" its cable service in favour of its ADSL service. [http://whirlpool.net.au/article.cfm?id=1256&show=all]
* [[DVD]] news website, [http://www.dvdfile.com dvdfile.com], reported that the entire [[General Hospital]] [[soap opera]] would be released on June 22, boasting a 55 disc set of all 252 episodes from the 38th season.
* Open source firewall [[SmoothWall]] announced that it had been bought by [[Microsoft]], prompting a large number of [http://community.smoothwall.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12813 concerned and worried posts] on the [http://community.smoothwall.org SmoothWall Community Forums]
*The [[Homestar Runner]] website claimed that it was sold to thoraxcorp.com. A generic animation of a stick figure shoveling dirt was displayed, along with some fake and unrealistic advertisements. If users waited a while, Homestar Runner character [[Stinkoman]] jumped up and asked the stick figure, who he dubbed "Sticklyman," if he was asking for a challenge. Additionally, [[Thorax Corporation]] is a fake company created by [[The Brothers Chaps]], creators of [[Homestar Runner]].
*[[OverClocked ReMix]] featured a poorly-made [[Final Fantasy]] medley rearrangement submitted by Final Fantasy composer [[Nobuo Uematsu]]. Later in the day, the ReMix is attributed to [[Chrono Trigger]] composer [[Yasunori Mitsuda]].
*[[:pt:Revista Set|Set]][http://www.uol.com.br/setonline], a [[Brazil|Brazilian]] [[Film journals and magazines|film magazine]], said that [[Industrial Light and Magic]] was burned and [[Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith|Star Wars Episode III]] was delayed to [[2007]], and also that [[Johnny Knoxville]] was chosen for [[Indiana Jones]] in ''[[Indiana Jones 4]]''. (the pages were only deleted Saturday, April 3)
* [[Suprnova.org]] announced that, owing to a huge surge in Japanese traffic, the site would slowly transition to Japanese, and discontinue its English-language version.
*[[WrestleCrap]] inducted [[Chris Benoit]] and [[Eddie Guerrero]] into their "Hall of Shame" with fake biographies.
*The Hawaii radio station [[KCCN]] jested on air that [[American Idol]] would implement a new policy, where unlike previous weeks, only one vote from each from Hawaii household would count in the call-in tally. This resulted in an allegation that idol contestant [[Camile Velasco]] was sighted votes in favor of [[Jasmine Trias]] because some voters thought this was a real policy. [http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/13/features/story1.html (According to Verizon's records, calls from Hawaii to "American Idol" numbers increased to 1.43 million from just less than 927,000 the previous week. How this impacted both contestants is open for debate.)]
*GSN switched hosts on their original programming(Grahm Elwood hosted Whammy!,Kennedy hosted WinTuition,Marc Summers hosted Cram,Mark L. Wahlburg hosted Friend or Foe,and Todd Newton hosted Russian Roulette)
*94.3 FM, a [[country music]] [[radio station]] in [[Poughkeepsie, New York]] aired a segment that stated that April 1st, 2004 was really [[March 32]] because of a thing in the calendar. This included a (correct) history of the calendar, starting with the [[Julain Calendar]], then the [[Gregorian Calendar]]. It also mentioned how we only have leap years in years divisible by 100 if they are also divisible by 400. (i.e. [[2000]] but not [[1900]]). Then, itm mentioned (probably truthfully) how in years divisible by 10,000 there is no leap year. Then, it said (and this is the prank) that the calendar was still slightly off, so 4 years after a millenial year, there was 1 more day in March. They even added a nice poem, starting with "Thirty days has september..." then they ended it with "But in every Millenal year plus 4, March has one day more"

Genuine events that had been interpreted as April Fools included:

*The [[National Archives (UK)]] revealed that during the [[Cold War]], there were British plans to use [[chicken]]s to regulate the temperature in a [[nuclear bomb]].[http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1183684,00.html]
*[[The Guardian]] revealed that the [[Football World Cup 1954|1954 World Cup]]-winning [[Germany national football team|Germany team]] may have been given performance-enhancing injections.[http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1183266,00.html]
*The [[Associated Press]] reported that [[Google]] would launch an [http://gmail.google.com/ e-mail service] with 1 GB of storage for each user. [http://www.google.com/press/pressrel/gmail.html]
*[[The Register]] [http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/36707.html], '''Web Hosting Industry News''' [http://thewhir.com/features/subdomain.cfm] and [[Slashdot]] [http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/03/30/0240215] report that Ideaflood, Inc. has filed a [[patent]] on the idea of user [[subdomain]]s and is now attempting to collect royalties from various websites.

=== External link ===
* [http://aprilfools.urgo.org/2004.html A long list of supposed 2004 April Fool's]

[[Category:April Fool's Day]]
[[Category:Days in 2004|04/01]]

[[ja:4月1日 (2004年)]]