APRIL 1st is the day for hi-jinks and low humor (Shutterstock).

Monday is April Fool’s Day. Of course, you might remark that during an election year, every day is April Fool’s Day and you’re not far from wrong.

Here are a few favorite 4-1 favorites of mine.

Years ago in the Westminster Police Department, a lieutenant (who shall not be named) sent out a memo directing all rookie patrolmen to do a series of confusing tasks.

They dutifully set out on their missions until one of them noticed that date of the memo and the signature …. Abe Rifule.

Even more years ago a newspaper in Michigan ran a story and photo about a flying saucer crashing into the dome of the state capital. 

Many phone calls came in complaining about the obvious hoax, but a substantial number of them wanted to know how they were going to get the UFO out of the roof.

Those were the days before anyone had invented the term “fake news.” Those were also the days when people a) actually read newspapers and b) had a sense of humor.

Finally, when I was in college the Long Beach State the student newspaper ran on April 1 an article claiming to have won the highly prestigious Pulitzer Prize in journalism. 

Two years later, when I was working on the school newspaper, an awestruck student said to me, “Wow! You guys won the Pulitzer Prize! That’s amazing.”

Only if you think gullibility is amazing. Frankly, I’m almost never surprised by it.