Dear Kid,

April 15^th has gotten a bad rap. Yes, it’s Income Tax Day, and Lincoln died, and the Titanic sank, and Anna Boleyn and George Boleyn Lord Rochford were accused of adultery and incest, and there was the horror of the Boston marathon, and yes it’s snowing this morning which is a mistake on a whole new level, but is that any reason to condemn 1/365 of the year?

So, being the kind of mom that I, I decided it was time to set the record straight and share some of the fabulous things that happened throughout history on April 15^th.

Unfortunately for me, that would involve some fabulous things actually happening on April 15^th.

At first, I thought finding fab things for the 15^th would be easy. Then I realized I was looking at events for May 15^th and I had to start all over.

Some pretty good things happened on April 15^th. The first US school for the deaf opened (1817), the first telephone was installed (1877), insulin became generally available (1923), the NFL changed the penalty flag from white to bright gold (1965), and billionaire Leona Helmsley was sent to jail for tax evasion (1992).

But none of that really qualifies as “fabulous.”

Sigh.

And it’s snowing. In April.

Plan B: Advice For April 15

• Avoid the post office (everyone who isn’t e-filing is mailing their taxes).
• Avoid “unsinkable” ships. Even in the bathtub.
• Call your mother (which you already did, but you can certainly do again).

Hope you manage to have a day that qualifies as fab.

Love, Mom