Did You Know?
Did You Know Bathtubs Were Controversial?
Since October 7 was National Bathtub Day, it seemed timely to write a DYK on Bathtubs. Bathtub History It’s easy to think bathtubs are a relatively modern invention but think again. The first known bathtub dates back to 1700 BCE and the Palace of Knossos on the...
Did You Know the Romans Helped Spread this Fruit Around the World?
Don’t you just love fall? It brings cooler weather, the smell of wood smoke in the air, and color in the trees. But there’s another reason to love fall—apples. History Did you know it’s believed apples come from modern-day Kazakhstan in Central Asia? Their...
Did You Know 100 Years Ago FBI Agents Chopped Down Apple Trees to Prevent Crime?
According to my niece, Johnny Appleseed—not George Washington—chopped down the cherry tree so he could plant his apple trees. But did you know during Prohibition the FBI made it their mission to chop down Johnny Appleseed’s apple trees to prevent the production of...
Did You Know Holy Water, Postcards, and Worms Have Something in Common?
I think it’s safe to say almost everyone reading this has purchased something from a vending machine at least once in their life. Maybe it was a newspaper, a canned drink, or a candy bar. Whatever it was, the machine dispensed a specific product once you’d paid the...
Did You Know These 22 Letters Helped Change the World?
September is Read a New Book Month. Books are magical, transporting the reader into other worlds, times, careers, and situations they would never otherwise experience. But books wouldn’t be possible without a way to convey this magic. The First Alphabet A book...
Did You Know This Land-Based Mammal Holds Its Breath and Walks Under Water?
Going through my National Geographic magazines recently, I stumbled upon an article about armadillos. I thought I knew these “beer-drinking” critters. Turns out, I didn’t. Since my first “Did You Know?” two years ago was an armadillo story, I decided to revisit the...
Did You Know Professional Know-It-Alls Were Once Employed in Small American Towns?
In the last two centuries, the world has welcomed many important inventions. But today our lives are almost completely ruled by one. The telephone. History Telephones have come a long way since the construction of that first telephone line in 1877-78. Three...
Did You Know a Necklace Made with This Body Part Was Thought to Bring Good Luck?
Have you ever stopped to consider where the traditions you practice come from? Every generation grows up with traditions. Some are family-specific, others cultural. Over time these traditions change. New ones are created, and old ones are modified and/or discarded....
Did You Know This Lost Art Has Been Rediscovered?
Carousels reached the U.S. in the 1800s thanks to European immigrants. During the height of the “Golden Age of Carousels” (1880-1930) between 2,000-3,000 hand-carved and painted carousels operated in the states. More than one hundred years later, the number of...
Did You Know Some Carousels Tell Stories?
As an author, I’ve often heard, “Write what you know.” For carousel carvers of old, it was, “Carve what you know.” They knew horses. After all, as mentioned in DYK This Carnival Ride was Created to Train Warriors?, carousels began as a safe way to train warriors on...