Did You Know?
Did You Know This Toy has been Used in Light Fixtures & Pecan Picking Machines, And for Keeping Leaves Out of Gutters & Squirrels Out of Bird Feeders?
Many things we consider staples in today’s world were discovered or invented by happy accidents. This toy is one of them. The Beginning In the early 1940s, Richard James, a naval engineer at a navy shipyard in Philadelphia, was trying to solve the problem of...
Did You Know This Flower Was Named For The Youth In A Greek Myth?
I don’t know where you are, but here in Texas it’s H.O.T. Since last Thursday was Daffodil Day, I decided to cool off with the first flower of Spring. The Greek Myth The daffodil’s botanical name is narcissus and comes from the Greek myth of Narcissus and Echo....
Did You Know Not All Wild Mustangs Have Four Legs?
I just love nice surprises, don’t you? Recently, my family had an unexpected one. We discovered mustangs in our front yard. No, not horses. I’m talking about wild Texas grapes. The Surprise Because I mow the yard, I knew there were “berries” growing high in a...
Did You Know One Person’s Trash Really Can Be Another’s Treasure?
Have you ever bought secondhand items? The old saying about one man’s trash being another’s treasure is true. The Beginning In the U.S. during the nineteenth century, people faced uncertainty and conflict. The country was in trouble, and so were her citizens....
Did You Know Interstate Travel May Be Faster, But Country Roads Can Lead to Unexpected Mysteries?
How often do you get off the main highways and take smaller country backroads? If you’re like me, not often enough. All those years driving between Tennessee and Texas—and making the trip in one day—meant I never had the time to deviate off my route, no matter how...
Did You Know The Heart of the Pearl Industry Was Once Located In The Appalachian Mountains?
Today we travel across the country with ease. The first settlers weren’t so fortunate. Discoveries Recently, I took Mom to see the Tennessee State Archives and Library in Nashville. (I wrote about the TSAL in December’s DYK Tomorrow Never Comes?) To our...
Did You Know A “Silly Head” Isn’t A “Silly” Blonde?
How do you feel about pennies? Superstitions I have a cousin who won’t pick up a penny if it’s not heads up. (Me? A penny is a penny, and I’ll pick it up regardless of its position.) Many superstitions surround the penny. But where did they come from? Why do we...
Did You Know Human Zoos Were Once Major Attractions?
Have you ever attended a World’s Fair? Do you even know what it is? The Fair In the U.S., it’s called a “World’s Fair.” Continental Europe and Asia know it as an International or Universal “Exposition”—Expo for short—while the United Kingdom refers to it as an...
Did You Know 50,000 People Do This Daily?
For more than two hundred years, people dreamed about connecting England and France by tunnel. In 1994, the dream finally came true. This is a look at the Channel Tunnel after the build. (To learn how it became a reality—from concept to construction—read “Did You Know...
Did You Know Loyalty and Retribution Birthed One Of Our Country’s Greatest National Treasures?
This is the story behind the story of Arlington National Cemetery. The Beginning A couple of years after he married, John Parke Custis (Martha Washington’s son and George Washington’s stepson), purchased two plantations in northern Virginia to be closer to his...