Facts of the Day

Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama is the head of the dominant Dge-lugs-pa (Yellow Hat) order of Tibetan Buddhists and, until 1959, both spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet. The first of the line was Dge-'dun-grub-pa (1391 - 1475), founder and abbot of Tashilhunpo monastery in central Tibet. In accordance with the belief that lamas are reincarnated, his successors were conceived as his rebirths. The present Dalai Lama is the 14th in this succession. He set up a government-in-exile in Dharmsala, India, in the Himalayan Mountains when he had to flee Tibet. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in recognition of his nonviolent campaign to end Chinese domination of Tibet.

April Fools' Day

There are several explanations for the origin of April Fools' Day, but here is the most plausible one. April 1st was once New Year's Day in France. In 1582, Pope Gregory declared the adoption of his Gregorian calendar to replace the Julian calendar and New Year's Day was officially changed to January 1st. It took awhile for everyone in France to hear the news of this major change and others obstinately refused to accept the new calendar, so a lot of people continued to celebrate New Year's Day on the first of April- earning them the name "April fools." The April fools were subjected to ridicule and practical jokes and the tradition was born. The butts of these pranks were first called poisson d'avril or "April fish" because a young naive fish is easily caught. A common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke. This evolved over time and a custom of prank-playing continues on the first day of April.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid), first isolated in 1928, was identified as a cure for scurvy in 1932. Vitamin C is a water-soluble, carbohydrate-like substance that is involved in certain of the metabolic processes of animals. This vitamin is essential in a variety of metabolic functions, including synthesis of collagen, maintenance of the strength of blood vessels, metabolism of certain amino acids, and the synthesis or release of hormones in the adrenal glands. Fairly large amounts are needed; an adult is said to need about 60 milligrams per day. Citrus fruits and fresh vegetables are the best dietary sources of the vitamin.

Tomb-Sweeping Day

According to Chinese custom in China and Taiwan, there are days in April observed in the maintenance of ancestral graves. The graves are swept, food, wine, and flowers are presented as offerings; and the burning of paper money at the gravesides is thought to help ancestors in the afterworld. People also picnic at the gravesites.

Modern Olympics

The first modern Olympics opened at Athens, Greece, in April 1896 after a 1,500-year hiatus. Thirteen nations participated - represented by 235 male athletes. The architect of the modern Olympics was Pierre, baron de Coubertin (1863-1937) who proposed its revival on November 25, 1892, at a meeting of the Union des Sports Athlétiques in Paris. He was a founding member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its president from 1896-1925.