Loved this!! My love affair with maps started decades ago with those occasional maps in National Geographic magazines, and continues to this 8th decade+ as I do genealogy research with old maps, local maps, huge maps, tiny maps. Love them all. Thanks for the great post today!
I don't know how I never heard of Terry Pratchett before, especially since there are 41 books in the Discworld series. Only a few pages into Equal Rites and I am already in love. Thanks for the recommendation!
What a fun newsroom that must have been to work in! I pulled some pranks working for the animal shelter’s social media marketing team a few years ago. I’ll try to dig them up and share!
I enjoyed this even the second time around! And of course went down the "Terrible Maps" rabbit hole and the Sitka volcano hoax this time! Thanks for that bit of silly time. Always good. 🤣
lol, I love this! We had a map of middle earth when I was a kid, hand drawn by my dad as he read the books, and tried to plot out where everything must be.
For many years we subscribed to Discover Magazine. They had some really good April Fool's Day articles. I no longer have access to their site to find them, though. There was one about "ice borer" animals, whose head heated up to some amazing temperature so they could bore through ice. They bore a resemblance to naked mole rats as I recall.
I had a little community newspaper that one April Fool's Day was full of stories of nefarious political doings, committed by people with names like Brian Pepperonni. I thought it was transparent but heard later that a Social Studies teacher in the local high school devoted a class to lecturing against the corrupt and terrible goings on. I had huge fun writing the articles but have felt guilty until today. No more! Spaghetti rules!
Back when Google still held to their credo (“don’t be evil”), they had those awesome directions for getting to London from Iowa, which included “Swim 3,700 miles”. Alas, humor appears to be among the first casualties inflicted by evil.
Loved this!! My love affair with maps started decades ago with those occasional maps in National Geographic magazines, and continues to this 8th decade+ as I do genealogy research with old maps, local maps, huge maps, tiny maps. Love them all. Thanks for the great post today!
I don't know how I never heard of Terry Pratchett before, especially since there are 41 books in the Discworld series. Only a few pages into Equal Rites and I am already in love. Thanks for the recommendation!
There is the famous Spaghetti Tree BBC Richard Dimbleby April Fool from 196?
BBC: Spaghetti-Harvest in Ticino | Switzerland Tourism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVo_wkxH9dU
What a fun newsroom that must have been to work in! I pulled some pranks working for the animal shelter’s social media marketing team a few years ago. I’ll try to dig them up and share!
This was wonderful. Thank you.
Might I recommend YA fantasy? The Mapmakers Trilogy, by S.E. Grove—I enjoyed it very much and like to spread the word.
Actually 1957. Spaghetti in England then came in cans so obviously came from a tree. Our cuisine has improved somewhat since then!
I enjoyed this even the second time around! And of course went down the "Terrible Maps" rabbit hole and the Sitka volcano hoax this time! Thanks for that bit of silly time. Always good. 🤣
Hate April Fool’s Day; love this.
Don’t know why I keep thinking of the map of The Village in the first episode of The Prisoner.
“No, I need a bigger map!”
Excellent. Reaffirms my trust in both media and the reading public.
lol, I love this! We had a map of middle earth when I was a kid, hand drawn by my dad as he read the books, and tried to plot out where everything must be.
Great story! I too would love to hear a new joke like this. Maybe a new animal discovery from the Amazon, or deep in the ocean?
For many years we subscribed to Discover Magazine. They had some really good April Fool's Day articles. I no longer have access to their site to find them, though. There was one about "ice borer" animals, whose head heated up to some amazing temperature so they could bore through ice. They bore a resemblance to naked mole rats as I recall.
I had a little community newspaper that one April Fool's Day was full of stories of nefarious political doings, committed by people with names like Brian Pepperonni. I thought it was transparent but heard later that a Social Studies teacher in the local high school devoted a class to lecturing against the corrupt and terrible goings on. I had huge fun writing the articles but have felt guilty until today. No more! Spaghetti rules!
That was so much fun! Another book rec for map nerds - The Cartographers, by Peng Shepherd.
Back when Google still held to their credo (“don’t be evil”), they had those awesome directions for getting to London from Iowa, which included “Swim 3,700 miles”. Alas, humor appears to be among the first casualties inflicted by evil.