1950s
April 5, 1955
“The Joke Was On Us”
By Charles B. Arrington Jr.
In 1955, The Cavalier Daily was the one on the receiving end of the prank! They sent their copies to the print, yet in the morning they were not distributed. They never discovered the missing papers, but swore revenge on the Spectator, a rival paper they believe to be responsible.
Now that we’ve covered a prank on The Cavalier Daily, we thought an April Fool’s game might be a little fun for this April Fool’s edition! Of the next five articles, all but one are prank articles published by the CD. Can you figure out which one of these stories actually happened?
1960s
April 1, 1966
“Euthanasia Slated For Rotunda”
No Author
The Rotunda was once meant to be demolished! At the time — and not that much has changed since — parking demands were overcoming the students and visitors of the University, forcing the administration to consider repurposing the valuable, central space of the Lawn and the Rotunda as a parking lot.
1970s
April 1, 1971
“CD Sports Scandal Uncovered”
By Steve Booth
The Cavalier Daily’s own Sports desk was once in a grave scandal — a drug bust. They used the “Pigskin Prognostic” and tip-offs from the site of the games to coordinate numbers between the CD writers and the buyers. They were caught when a Pigskin Prognostic was found circled, shown below.
1980s
April 1, 1987
“Scientists’ ghost-busting crusade is a complete fraud”
By “Walter Peck”
Three professors from the department of parapsychology created a false investigation into paranormal activity, using gas to induce hallucinations in their victims and effects to create a false image of a spirit, which they then “catch." The author argues that these men are fabricating this ghostly problem in Charlottesville in order to rake in money and accolades when they heroically save the day.
1990s
April 1, 1999
“Fabio gets goosed”
By Kate White
World-famous model Fabio came to Williamsburg to ride the new roller coaster Apollo’s Chariot. During the ride, while he was seated in the front row, a goose flew into his face. His face was bloodied by the incident, and it was unclear whether or not the blood was that of his wounds or of the goose’s.
2000s
April 1, 2003
“UVA Sorority life goes MTV”
By Dana Whitaker
The University's Greek life was featured on an MTV show that spotlighted sororities across the nation. Vans and TV crews came to the University to film the houses and traditions specific to the University's Greek culture. MTV’s show focused on the interworking of how sororities function internally, but also on how different sororities and fraternities interact with one another.
Now to reveal which one was real ... the article from the 1990s, “Fabio Gets Goosed” by Kate White! We hope you guys enjoyed this special April Fool’s edition of The Cavalier Daily: From the archives.
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