April Fool's Day, 1937

Black Gold Drenches Alamo (1937) Front page story in the San Antonio Light - Apr 1, 1937:

"Oil well drilled secretly on grounds of Texas shrine in heart of San Antonio. Crowds watch bringing in of 50,000 barrel gusher which is expected to bring many protests."

Old Rye Willow Trees (1937) "Old Rye, N.H.—A freak windstorm spells things in branches of willow trees." [Life, Mar 22, 1937.]

Sandpapers Boat to Fit (1937) "The Flume, N.H.—Local boy builds boat, finds it too big, sandpapers it down to fit." [Life, Mar 22, 1937.]

Parisian Poisson d’Avril (1937)
A Parisian boy pins a paper fish onto the back of a police officer at Porte Saint Denis. Pinning a paper fish (un poisson d'Avril) onto a victim's back was, for centuries, considered to be the traditional April Fool's prank in France, perpetrated primarily by young boys.

Pet Oyster-Eating Hippo (1937) "Charleston, R.I.—Dr. Harold Sand's pet oyster-eating hippo escapes from backyard." [Life, Mar 22, 1937.]

Siamese Twins Joined By Their Beards (1937) The Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung profiled a pair of Siamese twins who, unusually, were joined by their beards. The phenomenon was said to have first presented itself when the twins reached their 14th birthday. The twins had recently been discovered by the talent agent Passuff and would be appearing onstage in variety shows. (Note: The name Passuff was a pun — "pass auf" in German means "pay attention").

George Washington Caught Backwards (1937) "Boston—General George Washington is caught backwards on his charger in the Public Gardens." [Life, Mar 22, 1937.]