Now most of you might not know this, but April 1 wasn’t always called "April Fool’s Day." In fact, April 1 has been an extraordinarily historical date throughout history. Consider this: on April 1, 1340, Niels Ebbesen kills Gerhard III of Holstein in his bedroom, ending the 1332-1340 interregnum in Denmark. Bet you didn’t know that! And I’m pretty sure most of you didn’t know that on April 1, 1572, in the Eighty Years’ War—the Watergeuzen capture Brielle from the Spaniards, gaining the first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic. (Most of you didn’t remember the Eighty Years’ War did you?) But seriously, in case you were wondering, on April 1, 1778, Oliver Pollock, a New Orleans businessman, created the "$" symbol. Cool, right?
So, for our April 1, 2011 Useless But Compelling Fact question, tell us what happens when you flip the switch at The End of the Internet. If you know the answer and are the first to send it to me, you’ll win. Send your answers directly to me at joseph.rosenbaum@rimonlaw.com.