Donate
  • About
  • Rent College Pads
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
Search
News
Opinions
Sports
Classifieds
Comics
BMA
Events
Subscribe

Saturday, January 28, 2023
Print Archive

Eastern Echo
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Comics
  • Podcast
  • BMA
  • Events
  • Classifieds
  • Search
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Comics
  • Podcast
  • BMA
  • Events
  • Classifieds
Search

Subscribe to the Echo

Donate to The Echo

You can support the Echo by donating through the EMU Foundation and selecting to apply your gift to a specific fund. Any of the funds listed below will provide support to the Echo.

01049 -- EMU Echo Editor Endowed Scholarship:  Provides financial support for the current EMU Echo Editor.

02414 -- Scott Stephenson Eastern Echo Scholarship:  This expendable scholarship is for the benefit of student(s) in the School of Communication, Media & Theater Arts in the College of Arts & Sciences.  It will be awarded to a full or part-time junior or senior EMU student majoring in journalism and working for the Eastern Echo.  The student should be working to self-finance their education and not be eligible for need-based grants.

00825 -- Student Media Development:  Provides support for the Student Media program.

Thank you for supporting the Echo and EMU Student Media.

Give Now


4/1/2020, 6:00am

The history of April Fools' Day can be traced back to the Cincinnati Zoo

April Fools' Day is not just a holiday, its a tribute.

By Jenna Robinson
The history of April Fools' Day can be traced back to the Cincinnati Zoo
April Fools' Day is a tribute to the beloved gorilla, Harambe.

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Mail
  • Print

Note: this article was published as a part of the Echo's 2020 April Fool's Day content.

April Fools Day is celebrated across the world with fun jokes and pranks, but one question remains ... where did this unofficial holiday originate?

Like many other things in our society, it can all be traced back to Harambe, the beloved gorilla.

In 2016 a young boy fell into the gorilla enclosure, fearing for the boy's safety a zoo worker shot and killed the gorilla, Harambe.

So, how did this tragic incident lead to a national holiday? Lets continue.

It turns out the zoo keeper who killed Harambe was new and didn't know that this incident was actually staged. That's right, the incident was planned out so that Harambe could save the child and be the hero of the Cincinnati Zoo.

The zoo keepers have been working on this trick for months. They would run drills after the zoo closed every night and teach Harambe to protect and rescue the child (they practiced with a doll for the first few months).

On May 28, 2016, the drill was supposed to take place but the new worker ruined it.

One worker who wishes to remain anonymous remembers yelling out to him at the time of the incident.

"It's an ape drill, fool!" the worker said.

Globally, people were devastated at the death of Harambe, they shared grief and keep his memory alive by sharing memes of the handsome beast. But this wasn't enough, people united on the internet and decided to turn the ape drill incident into something people love - jokes and pranks.

People around the world chose a day - April first - to partake in pranks in honor of the deceased gorilla.

People began using the phrase "ape drill, fools," just like the line that was yelled after Harambe's assassination. Soon, however, people got this confused with the date of the holiday and eventually began saying "April fools."

Eastern Michigan student Alan Stone said he still dresses up as a gorilla every year on April first to keep Harambe's memory alive.

"The ape drill was such a tragic day," Stone said. "Each year on April first I put on the (gorilla) costume and pull pranks on the people in my neighborhood."

Never forget Harambe. This April first, remember to look up at the sky and say "ape drill, fool."

(Don't believe a word of this story, it is completely made up! April Fools!)

Share



Related Stories

Boubacar Toure shoots free throw versus Miami (OH) on Feb. 2 at the Convocation Center.

EMU Basketball crushes Kansas to win March Madness Tournament

By Caleb Burlingame

EMU to introduce several new majors, including Competetive Eating in an attempt to stay relevant

By Kylie Gilligan

The Normalization of Hate Speech at Eastern Michigan University

By Ally Graham


The Eastern Echo welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.


Most Popular


1/24/2023, 8:00am

From tumbling to trending: EMU cheerleader gains 2.4 million views on recent TikTok

By Mackenzie Thompson

Eastern Michigan University cheerleader Olivia Fields' TikTok video at recent basketball game reaches 2.4 million views.


1/23/2023, 12:00am

EMU men's basketball game vs. NIU draws in record-breaking attendance


1/25/2023, 3:00pm

Daiquan White: Born a dawg


1/23/2023, 8:00am

EMU Police Department hosts free ALICE training sessions


Podcast


11/10/2022, 11:35am

TheBlockE Podcast


11/8/2022, 11:35am

Student Interview: Pritish Kokate - The Eastern Echo Podcast Ep. 5


11/3/2022, 5:58pm

Special episode: EMU Journalism Professor Dr. You Li speaks with EMU alumni Nathan Bomey


10/27/2022, 6:03pm

Interview w/ Ronia Cabansag - The Eastern Echo Podcast Ep. 3


Tweets by TheEasternEcho
Eastern Michigan Echo To Homepage
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Freelance
  • Submissions
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Distribution

All Rights Reserved

© Copyright 2023 The Eastern Echo

Powered by Solutions by The State News.