Mark Boslough
Encyclopedia
Mark Boslough is a physicist most famous for his April Fools' Day
1998 joke involving Pi
. To poke fun at New Mexico
's legislature for attempting to require schools to teach creationism
, he wrote an article claiming that Alabama
state legislature voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi from 3.14159 to the 'Biblical value' of 3.0. This was passed around to people via email and caused an outrage. The hoax was finally discovered when people started calling the Alabama legislature to protest. National Geographic News highlighted Boslough's article when it compiled a list of "some of the more memorable hoaxes in recent history." It was elevated by the Museum of Hoaxes to number seven on its "Top 100 April Fools Hoaxes of All Time" list. It eventually took on a new existence as an urban legend and has had to be debunked by Snopes.
Within a year, Boslough launched another internet hoax in which he fabricated an unfortunate Darwin Award recipient's untimely death. That story also had to be debunked by Snopes after it was printed as an actual event by the Denver Post.
Boslough's day job includes research into asteroid and comet impacts, and he regularly appears in television documentaries on that subject. His work was featured in the BBC
program Tutunkhamun's Fireball, was one of Discover Magazine's Top 100 Science Stories of 2006., and has written about climate change denial
in the Skeptical Inquirer
, in particular reference to the "Climatic Research Unit email controversy
".
In February 2011 Boslough was elected as a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
Boslough grew up in Broomfield, Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
1998 joke involving Pi
Pi
' is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter. is approximately equal to 3.14. Many formulae in mathematics, science, and engineering involve , which makes it one of the most important mathematical constants...
. To poke fun at New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
's legislature for attempting to require schools to teach creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
, he wrote an article claiming that Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
state legislature voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi from 3.14159 to the 'Biblical value' of 3.0. This was passed around to people via email and caused an outrage. The hoax was finally discovered when people started calling the Alabama legislature to protest. National Geographic News highlighted Boslough's article when it compiled a list of "some of the more memorable hoaxes in recent history." It was elevated by the Museum of Hoaxes to number seven on its "Top 100 April Fools Hoaxes of All Time" list. It eventually took on a new existence as an urban legend and has had to be debunked by Snopes.
Within a year, Boslough launched another internet hoax in which he fabricated an unfortunate Darwin Award recipient's untimely death. That story also had to be debunked by Snopes after it was printed as an actual event by the Denver Post.
Boslough's day job includes research into asteroid and comet impacts, and he regularly appears in television documentaries on that subject. His work was featured in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
program Tutunkhamun's Fireball, was one of Discover Magazine's Top 100 Science Stories of 2006., and has written about climate change denial
Climate change denial
Climate change denial is a term used to describe organized attempts to downplay, deny or dismiss the scientific consensus on the extent of global warming, its significance, and its connection to human behavior, especially for commercial or ideological reasons...
in the Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
, in particular reference to the "Climatic Research Unit email controversy
Climatic Research Unit email controversy
The Climatic Research Unit email controversy began in November 2009 with the hacking of a server at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia...
".
In February 2011 Boslough was elected as a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
Boslough grew up in Broomfield, Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins.