Tai-Pan wrote:
>> Interesting Facts of Trivia >> >> The reason why something is the way it is can often be more >> interesting than the thing itself. For instance, did you ever >> wonder >> why.... >> >> Dimes, quarters and half dollars have notched edges, while pennies >> and nickels do not? >> The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing >> gold and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small >> quantities >> of the precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half dollars are >> notched >> because they used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren't >> notched because the metals they contain are not valuable enough to >> shave. >> >> Men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have >> buttons on the left? >> When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn >> primarily by the rich. Because wealthy women were dressed by >> maids, >> dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right. Since most people >> >> are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through >> >> holes on the left. And that's where women's buttons have remained >> since. >> >> X's at the end of a letter signify kisses? >> In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, >> Documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented >> an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X >> and >> the kiss eventually became synonymous. >> >> Shifting responsibility to someone else is called "passing the >> buck"? >> In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a >> buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. >> If a player did not wish to assume the responsibility, he would >> "pass >> the buck" to the next player. >> >> People clink their glasses before drinking a toast? >> It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by >> offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink >> was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small >> amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would >> drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would >> then touch - or clink - the host's glass with his own. >> >> People in the public eye are said to be "in the limelight"? >> Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and stage >> lighting by burning a cylinder of lime in an oxyhydrogen flame that >> >> produced a brilliant light. In the theater, performers on stage >> "in >> the limelight" were seen by the audience to be the center of >> attention. >> >> Ships and aircraft in trouble use "mayday" as their call for help? >> This comes from the French word m'aidez - meaning "help me" - and >> is pronounced "mayday." (Note: not exactly.... it's pronounced >> "med-ay", but close enough) >> Someone who is feeling great is "on cloud nine"? >> Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they >> attain, with nine being the highest cloud If someone is said to be >> on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares. >> >> Zero scores in tennis are called "love"? >> In France, where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on >> scoreboard looked like an egg and was called l'oeuf, (pronounced >> "luff") which is French for "egg". When tennis was introduced in >> the >> US, Americans pronounced it "love". >> >> Many coin banks are shaped like pigs? >> Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense, >> orange clay called pygg. When people saved coins in jars made of >> this >> clay, the jars became know as "pygg banks". When an English potter >> >> misunderstood the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig. And >> it caught on. > -- oozing on the muggy shore of the gulf coast l...@fbtc.net -- The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: silver-list-requ...@eskimo.com -or- silver-digest-requ...@eskimo.com with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the SUBJECT line. To post, address your message to: silver-list@eskimo.com Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html List maintainer: Mike Devour <mdev...@eskimo.com>
