A conceptual "country" was declared, a town rediscovered and a brave new company born – here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history.
1. Pompeii’s ruins were rediscovered
Year: 1748
The summer of AD 79 was cataclysmic for the people of Pompeii.
Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the Roman town and its people under tonnes of ash and rock. This is how it stayed until a surveying engineer rediscovered it on April 1, 1748.
Astoundingly, the town – its buildings, artefacts and skeletons – was pretty much intact. Since then, treasure hunters and archaeologists have dug continuously through the debris to unearth and excavate what remains. This has taught us much about life in the ancient world.
Greek settlers had originally claimed the town, but Pompeii was under the influence of Rome by 2nd century BC. It eventually became a place where wealthy holidaymakers and distinguished folk flocked.
Scholars estimate that about 12,000 people were living there when the volcano erupted, with almost as many inhabiting the surrounding areas. While death toll estimates range from 16,000 to 30,000, the exact figure is not known.
2. 'Nutopia' was founded
Year: 1973
John Lennon and Yoko Ono weren’t afraid of being controversial.
On April 1, 1973 the former Beatle and his second wife, the Japanese multimedia artist, announced the birth of their conceptual country, Nutopia.
Anyone could be a citizen, if only they declared their awareness of it.
The declaration read: “Nutopia has no land, no boundries [sic], no passports, only people. Nutopia has no laws other than cosmic. All people of Nutopia are ambassadors of the country.”
The "nation's" name is a portmanteau of "new" and "utopia". Its national anthem was three seconds of silence, which was included on Lennon's solo album Mind Games, released in November that year.
The week before Nutopia was announced, Lennon had been issued an order by US immigration authorities to leave America, and was given 60 days to do so.
Perhaps that’s why the declaration also included this: “As two ambassadors of Nutopia, we ask for diplomatic immunity and recognition in the United Nations of our country and its people.”
At the press conference, the pair also waved a white handkerchief, declaring “surrender and submission”. The deportation order was overturned within two years and, in 1976, Lennon received his green card.
3. Apple Computer was born
Year: 1976
Stephen Wozniak had a lifelong dream to build his own computer. By 1976, he’d designed the plans for his own microcomputer, but Hewlett-Packard Company, where Wozniak, then 26, was an intern, wasn’t interested.
So he and a friend, 21-year-old Steven Jobs, set up their own production operations in Jobs’s family garage. And that’s where Apple Inc. (then Apple Computer) was born on April 1 that year. Just over 10 months later, they’d incorporated the company in Cupertino, California.
While today Apple is known as a leader in consumer electronics, for three decades it predominantly manufactured personal computers, including the Apple II, Macintosh and Power Mac.
By the early 2000s, however, they’d introduced the iPod and iTunes Music Store, followed not that long after by smartphones, media players and tablets.
In 1985, a frustrated Wozniak, who believed the company had been going in the wrong direction, left active employment at Apple, while Jobs was ousted by chief executive John Sculley that same year.
Famously, however, Jobs returned in 1996, eventually becoming chief executive, instilling a new corporate philosophy of recognisable products and simple design that ultimately changed tech history.
Sadly, Jobs died in 2011. Tim Cook is Apple's current chief executive.
4. Bob Dylan becomes a poet laureate
Year: 2017
Many of us know more Bob Dylan tunes that we realise. Mr Tambourine Man, All Along the Watchtower and Like a Rolling Stone are among his most famous contributions.
But did you know that he won the Nobel Prize for Literature?
Aged 75, Dylan became the first musician to ever win the award on April 1, 2017. It was a moment that redefined the boundaries of literature, at least within the context of the prestigious Swedish prize.
While some famous novelists commended the academy for its choice, others were not impressed. “Bob Dylan winning a Nobel in Literature is like Mrs Fields being awarded three Michelin stars,” wrote Lebanese-American painter and writer Rabih Alameddine on Twitter.
“This is almost as silly as Winston Churchill.” The former British prime minister had previously won the prize in recognition of the literary qualities in his political speeches.
American writer Jodi Picoult asked: “I’m happy for Bob Dylan, #ButDoesThisMeanICanWinAGrammy?”
The Swedish Academy defended its choice, saying Dylan, who has also published prose, poetry and a memoir, had “created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. Indeed, literary scholars have long debated whether the maestro’s lyrics are in fact poetry.
5. The Prince of Soul was killed
Year: 1984
While Marvin Gaye's songs – from Ain't No Mountain High Enough to I Heard it Through the Grapevine – have captured the world's hearts, perhaps the most astonishing aspect of the Motown singer's life was his death.
The day before his 45th birthday, Gaye was shot and killed by his own father.
He’d reportedly had a long-standing conflict with his father, Marvin Gay, Sr (the “e” was added by the singer for his stage name), who was a preacher in the Hebrew Pentecostal Church. He enforced strict morality among his four children, although reports state he adopted a complicated model of this morality himself.
Marvin Jr’s relationship with his dad came to a head a year after he’d moved back in with his parents.
He may have only just won his first Grammy the year before, but he was struggling with depression, debt and drug abuse. During a heated argument on April 1, 1984, Marvin Sr took out a gun and shot his son three times.
The so-called Prince of Soul’s brother, Frankie, held him as he died and later wrote in his memoir that Marvin Jr’s final words were: “I got what I wanted … I couldn’t do it myself, so I made him do it.”
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
England 241-3 (20 ovs)
Malan 130 no, Morgan 91
New Zealand 165 all out (16.5ovs)
Southee 39, Parkinson 4-47
England win by 76 runs
Series level at 2-2
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
More on Quran memorisation:
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
