Wikipedia:April Fools' Main Page/2017 (2)

Igor Judge, a former judge

Nominative determinism is the hypothesis that people are drawn to professions that fit their name. The term was first used in the magazine New Scientist in 1994, after its humorous Feedback column mentioned a book on polar explorations by Daniel Snowman and an article on urology by researchers named Splatt and Weedon. The hypothesis had been suggested by psychologist Carl Jung, citing as an example Sigmund Freud (German for "joy"), who studied pleasure. A few recent empirical studies have indicated that certain professions are disproportionately represented by people with appropriate surnames, though the methods of these studies have been challenged. One explanation for nominative determinism is the theory of implicit egotism, which states that humans have an unconscious preference for things they associate with themselves. An alternative explanation is genetic: an ancestor might have been named Smith or Taylor according to their occupation, and the genes they passed down might correlate to aptitudes for those professions. (Full article...)

White-throated honeyeater

• ... that the white-throated honeyeater (pictured) used to be gay, but isn't any more?
• ... that the Roly Poly Goalie ate all the pies?
• ... that a song about masturbation was written by Ivor Biggun and recommended by Johnny Rotten?
• ... that Poke Valley Run was reputedly named for its shite pokes?
• ... that a woman can open a bottle?
• ... that Robin Hood sued the United States?
• ... that baseball players fall down on the Grassy Knoll?
• ... that erection engineer Mark Barr had a business making rubbers, said bicycles stimulated ball development, and was elected to the screw committee?

Carrie Lam

• The United Kingdom invokes Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, beginning the formal process of Brexit.
• Carrie Lam (pictured) wins the Hong Kong Chief Executive election.
• Former Russian MP and government critic Denis Voronenkov is shot dead in Kiev.
• The World Meteorological Organization adds twelve new cloud types to the International Cloud Atlas, the first update to the official cloud classification scheme since 1986.
• A terror attack at the Palace of Westminster, London, results in five people dead and fifty others injured.

April 1: National Day in Iran (1979); Edible Book Day

The 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos

• 1293 – Robert Winchelsey left England for Rome to be consecrated by the Pope, only to find that there wasn't one.
• 1871 – Richard Plantagenet Campbell Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (pictured) opened a new railway line, using horses instead of locomotives.
• 1924 – Wrigley Jr. opened a company, packaging chewing gum with each can of baking powder.
• 1947 – Over 20% of the Royal New Zealand Navy took the day off.
• 1997 – Marriage in the Netherlands became more samey.