Posts: 4456
From: Stafford, VA USA
Registered: Feb 2005

posted August 08, 2007 09:18 AM         

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> In George Washington's days, there were no cameras.
> One's image was
> her 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."
>
>
> 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. The y 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 1700s, 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 th e expression 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, the re 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 "gossi p."
>
>
> 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 term "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 stack ed 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 thought that was an improper expression,
> didn't you.)
>
>
> You must send this fabulous bit of historic
> knowledge to unsuspecting friends. If you don't,
> your floppy is going to fall off your hard drive and
> kill your mouse.

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Posts: 5378
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2005

posted August 08, 2007 09:51 AM         

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THESE ARE GREAT!!!!!

THANKS BLUE!!!!

Thanks for the Funny History Lesson 101 !!!!!!!!!

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Posts: 4456
From: Stafford, VA USA
Registered: Feb 2005

posted August 09, 2007 04:49 PM         

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