Most credit for the origin of April Fools’ Day to King Charles IX in 16th Century France when he move New Years from the end of March to January — with those still marking the new year in April mocked as fools. But history emeritus Professor Joseph Boskin still gets media calls each year asking about how he told an AP reporter in 1983 a phony story about April Fools’ origin – as a joke – and they ran the story anyway.
“So it doesn’t matter what I’ve written or have done, my Warholian 15 minutes is an April Fools’ Day story.”
Contact Joseph Boskin, 617-353-8312, jboskin@bu.edu
