Listerine
Mouthwash sold under the trademark Listerine is one of America’s best-known medical products. But if a famous British surgeon had his way, it wouldn’t be on the market. Impressed by the findings of Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister elevated antiseptic surgery to new levels. Contemporaries revered him so greatly that he became the central figure of […]
Stem-winder
Nuremberg, Germany, may have been the birthplace of modern timepieces. It was there, around the year 1500, that coiled springs were first used to drive the works of clocks. Soon artisans learned how to use the new source of power in order to produce portable clocks known as watches. Once these devices came into general […]
Purchase
Until modern times, there were no stores as we know them. Merchants occupied small booths that had no show windows or display counters. There was nothing resembling newspapers or TV advertising. Consequently, a person wanting a specific commodity had to get out and hunt for it. Every successful shopping expedition was a major or minor […]
New Records on Family Search Website
On 05/31/2020, Family Search sent out the following advice to various individuals, etc. Their website is www.familysearch.org. Over 57 Million New Records “FamilySearch expanded its free online archives in April of 2020 with millions of new indexed family history records from all over the world. FamilySearch is continuously adding new records every month that you […]
Lynching
Mob violence is probably as old as mankind, but the American name for it is comparatively youthful. Two centuries ago, more or less, Captain William Lynch cut a wide swath through parts of Virginia. As magistrate of a kangaroo court, he heard brief testimony and then sentenced several Pennsylvania County ruffians to hang.
Raining Cats and Dogs
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained, it became slippery, and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof… Hence the saying, “It’s […]
Why A Brides Bouquet
Here are some facts about the 1500s: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence, that is why the custom today of […]
Eavesdroppers
Was the Term “Eavesdroppers” Coined From a Misunderstanding of Architecture? In Secrets of Henry VIII’s Palace: Hampton Court, it is claimed that little painted figures of human faces carved into the ornate ceiling beams of Hampton Palace as though surreptitiously observing the people below inspired the term “eavesdroppers” uninvited listeners to other people’s conversations whether […]
The Upper Crust
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust. Orlan Smith
DNA update by National Geographic
In the August 2019 issue of the National Geographic on page 94, author Andrew Curry discusses “Who Were The First Europeans?” If you have any Europeans in your DNA you will be surprised by how far back it goes now and what area most of them settled in after they left Africa 45,000 years ago […]