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I received this in email today and thought it was very interesting, so i thought i would pass it along
Historical Trivia
> >
> >
> >
> > In George Washington's days, there were no cameras.
> > One's image was either
> > sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington
> > showed him standing
> > behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others
> > showed both legs and
> > both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how
> > many people were
> > to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted.
> > Arms and legs are
> > 'limbs,' therefore painting them would cost the
> > buyer more. Hence the
> > expression, 'Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and a
> > leg.' (Artists know hands
> > and arms are more difficult to paint)
> >
> > ************
> >
> >
> >
> > ******************
> >
> > ********************************
> >
> >
> >
> > As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only
> > twice a year (May
> > and October) Women kept their hair covered, while men
> > shaved their heads
> > (because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs.
> >
> > Wealthy men could afford good wigs made from wool. They
> > couldn't wash the
> > wigs, so to clean them they would carve out a loaf of
> > bread, put the wig in
> > the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes. The heat would make
> > the wig big and
> > fluffy, hence the term 'big wig..'
> >
> > Today we often use the term 'here comes the Big
> > Wig' because someone appears
> > to be or is powerful and wealthy.
> >
> >
> >
> > **************************************************************
> >
> >
> >
> > In the late 1700's, many houses consisted of a large
> > room with only one
> > chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the
> > wall, and was used
> > for dining. The 'head of the household' always sat
> > in the chair while
> > everyone else ate sitting on the floor.
> >
> > Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be
> > invited to sit in this
> > chair during a meal. To sit in the chair meant you were
> > important and in
> > charge. They called the one sitting in the chair the
> > 'chair man.' Today in
> > business, we use the expression or title 'Chairman'
> > or 'Chairman of the
> > Board.'
> >
> >
> >
> > **************************************************************
> >
> >
> >
> > Personal hygiene left much room for improvement. As a
> > result, many women and
> > men had developed acne scars by adulthood. The women would
> > spread bee's wax
> > over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions.
> > When they were
> > speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at
> > another woman's face
> > she was told, 'mind your own bee's wax.' Should
> > the woman smile, the wax
> > would crack, hence the term 'crack a smile'. In
> > addition, when they sat too
> > close to the fire, the wax would melt . . . Therefore, the
> > expression
> > 'losing face.'
> >
> >
> >
> > **************************************************************
> >
> >
> >
> > Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front. A
> > proper and
> > dignified woman, as in 'straight laced'. Wore a
> > tightly tied lace.
> >
> >
> >
> > **************************************************************
> >
> >
> >
> > Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there
> > was a tax levied
> > when purchasing playing cards but only applicable to the
> > 'Ace of Spades..'
> > To avoid paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards
> > instead. Yet, since
> > most games require 52 cards, these people were thought to
> > be stupid or dumb
> > because they weren't 'playing with a full
> > deck.'
> >
> >
> >
> > **************************************************************
> >
> >
> >
> > Early politicians required feedback from the public to
> > determine what the
> > people considered important. Since there were no
> > telephones, TV's or radios,
> > the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns,
> > pubs, and bars. They
> > were told to 'go sip some ale'
> >
> > and listen to people's conversations and political
> > concerns. Many assistants
> > were dispatched at different times. 'You go sip
> > here'
> >
> > and 'You go sip there.' The two words 'go
> > sip' were eventually combined when
> > referring to the local opinion and, thus we have the term
> > 'gossip.'
> >
> >
> >
> > **************************************************************
> >
> >
> >
> > At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint
> > and quart- sized
> > containers. A bar maid's job was to keep an eye on the
> > customers and keep
> > the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and
> > remember who was
> > drinking in 'pints' and who was drinking in
> > 'quarts,' hence the phrase
> > 'minding your 'P's and Q's'.
> >
> >
> >
> > *************************************************************
> >
> >
> >
> > One more: bet you didn't know this!
> >
> >
> >
> > In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many
> > freighters carried
> > iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls.
> >
> > It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon.
> > However, how to
> > prevent them from rolling about the deck? The best storage
> > method devised
> > was a square-based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on
> > four resting on
> > nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon
> > balls could be
> > stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was
> > only one
> > problem...how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding or
> > rolling from under
> > the others. The solution was a metal plate called a
> > 'Monkey' with 16 round
> > indentations. However, if this plate were made of iron, the
> > iron balls would
> > quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was
> > to make 'Brass
> > Monkeys.' Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts
> > much more and much
> > faster than iron when chilled.
> >
> > Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the
> > brass indentations
> > would shrink so much that the iron cannonballs would come
> > right off the
> > monkey; Thus, it was quite literally, 'Cold enough to
> > freeze the balls off a
> > brass monkey.' (All this time, you though t that was an
> > improper expression,
> > didn't you.)
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