Karen Hill

When a person wins money in a lottery or on a TV game show, people often say that he had a “windfall,” which means that he had an unexpected piece of good luck. The word “windfall” came into being 900 years ago in 11th century England. It seems that William the Conqueror, who ruled England … Read more

Surprisingly enough, yes! It all happened back in 1152 in France. King Louis VII, who wore a beard, married the lovely Eleanor of Aquitane, daughter of a French duke. As a dowry, Eleanor’s father gave Louis two provinces in Southern France. Then Louis went off to the Crusades and, alas, returned without his beard. Eleanor … Read more

The popularity of growing beards has increased greatly in the 1960s and 1970s, but men have been letting their chin hair grow since ancient times. And not only did they grow them, but gave them as much care as women give their hair-dos today. The ancient Syrians oiled and curled their beards. The ancient Egyptians … Read more

This may sound silly to you, but there were many ancient taboos against whistling that have come down to us today as superstitions. These taboos probably began when early man heard strange, new sounds and gave each its own special meaning. For example, when he heard the whistling of strong winds and it was followed … Read more

To shave or not to shave? That has been the question down through history. The answers, however, have been closely associated both with fashion and with religious customs. Although we do not know who the first man was to shave off his beard, we do have records showing that ancient Egyptian men shaved because it … Read more

In the Middle Ages, knights put cloth coats over their armor to keep the sunlight from making the metal too hot. On each knight’s cloth coat was sewn an original design which was a symbol of important events in the knight’s life, outstanding qualities he possessed, or a pictorial representation of his name. Designs included … Read more

People have always been superstitious about mentioning the name of a dead person. Primitive man thought that by doing this, the dead person’s spirit would be disturbed and it would return to haunt the living. By wishing for a soul to “rest in peace,” people hoped that the spirit would stay within the dead body. … Read more

The marking of graves goes back to ancient times when primitive people put stones on top of graves. These superstitious people believed that evil spirits lived in the bodies of dead people and that the stones would prevent these evil spirits from rising up. These stones also served to mark the grave as a warning … Read more

Although yo-yos have been found on ancient Greek vase paintings from the 8th century B.C., not too much is known of their use in those early times. Much more is known of their origin and use in the Philippine Islands, where for centuries yo-yos were jungle fighting and hunting weapons. Hundreds of years ago, the … Read more

Most people all over the world, even if they do not understand English, understand and use the American expression “OK.” Nobody knows for sure exactly where or when that expression became part of our language, but there are several possible sources that are accepted. Some believe that “OK” may have come from the Choctaw Indian … Read more

The custom of mounting a horse from the left side has really nothing to do with the horse’s preference. The custom probably began hundreds of years ago when men wore long swords on their belts. A man’s sword hung down his left leg, making it easier for him to pull it out quickly with his … Read more

The custom of playing tricks on friends on April 1st is believed to have originated in France in the middle 1500s. Before that time, one calendar was used throughout Europe. Under this calendar, each new year began on April 1st. On that day, people celebrated by exchanging gifts and visiting each other. Then in 1564, … Read more

The earliest toothbrush was shown to the world back in 1770, but what a strange beginning it had! A man named William Addis was serving a sentence in England’s Newgate Prison for having started a riot. With a great deal of time on his hands, he began thinking how he would make a living when … Read more

The history of the pretzel goes back to the early part of the 7th century. Its beginnings are attributed to a monk in Southern France whose duties in a monastery included baking bread. One day, so the story goes, the monk took strips of bread dough and shaped them into looped twists. Its design was … Read more

If you want to go back in history and take the ingredients that go into pizza to see when they might first have been put together, you could probably trace the pizza back 2,000 years to the time when Roman soldiers added olive oil and cheese to Jewish matzohs! Ever since ancient times, Italians have … Read more

Pencils, as we know them, are a fairly recent invention, less than 200 years old, although man has been writing with other tools since ancient times. These include flints to scratch on cave walls, fingers dipped in plant juice or animal blood, lumps of earth, and pieces of chalk. The earliest crude “pencils” were probably … Read more

Sailors on early ships had no real way of knowing how fast they were traveling and how far they had gone in a specific period of time. So a system of measuring was devised, using a log of wood. The log had a weight tied to one end and a long rope attaching the other … Read more

Laws regulating the direction of traffic began hundreds of years before the automobile was even invented. England was the first country to establish any kind of law regarding its roads. In 1555, a law was passed requiring people to keep the roads in front of their property repaired at their own expense. Because of this … Read more

Our practice of driving to the right can be traced back to Ancient Rome, where soldiers carried shields in their left hands. To protect themselves from strangers on the road, they walked on the right side so that the shield on the left provided that protection. As the Roman Empire spread over Europe, people followed … Read more

Although no one knows for certain how the custom of taking food home for a doggie, or anyone else, began, we do know that in Ancient Rome, when a host had guests to dinner, he gave each one a fine cloth napkin in which to take home fruit from the meal. Any guest refusing to … Read more

It is believed that 3,500 years ago, an Asian traveler set out on a long journey across a hot desert. He probably carried a canteen filled with milk to satisfy his thirst. At that time, canteens were made from the linings of sheep’s stomachs, since they were waterproof. When the traveler stopped to rest for … Read more

Madame Jacques Montgolfier, the wife of a French paper manufacturer, had washed one of her petticoats and hung it on a line over a small fire to dry. As her amazed husband watched, heat from the fire inflated the petticoat and caused it to rise. This led Jacques and his brother, Joseph, to begin experimenting … Read more

Because bowling was a popular sport in many European countries beginning in the 1100s, it was only natural that colonists brought this game with them to the New World. The English brought 9-pin bowling here; the Germans brought their version called Kegles; and the Dutch brought their Skittles. As bowling increased in popularity in the … Read more

Relics found in tombs of ancient Egyptian children who lived in 5200 B.C. show that these children used 9 pieces of stone set up as pins and a stone ball to roll against them. This ball had to be rolled through an arch made of three pieces of marble before it hit the pins. There … Read more

The names of the days of the week came to us from the mythological gods of Ancient Rome. It was the Romans who were the first to begin their days at midnight, while the ancient Babylonians began theirs at sunrise and the ancient Jews, at sunset. Sunday was named because it was the day sacred … Read more

A baby born on February 29, 1980 will not have another February 29th birthday until 1984, the next time a Leap Year occurs. What does he do then to celebrate his birthday in 1981, 1982, and 1983? A Leap-Year baby can choose his own birthday from either February 28 or March 1, two dates which … Read more

Birthdays are one of our very oldest customs. We can suppose that prehistoric mothers and fathers noticed that their children grew up in stages. One day, the baby could only gurgle; then the next, he might repeat a word he heard his parents say. One day, a baby could only crawl; then the next, he … Read more

In ancient times, people believed that evil spirits could do harm to infants. They also believed that these evil spirits were allergic to certain colors, especially blue. Since blue was the color of the Heavenly sky, it was the color that was supposed to make evil spirits powerless and drive them away. This belief in … Read more

Long, long ago, barbers did much more than cut people’s hair. Barbers performed some minor operations on people, especially blood-letting, or bleeding. This was believed to be a cure for some illnesses in which the “bad blood” was supposed to leave the body. To perform the operations, barbers had their patients hold onto a pole … Read more

Easter began as the most joyous of Christian holidays to celebrate the rebirth of Christ. Since Easter comes at the same time as spring, when new life begins with growth and rebirth in nature, many ancient people honored the coming of spring. Ancient Egyptians and Persians celebrated the coming of spring by coloring and eating … Read more

Back in 16th century England, before homes had indoor plumbing such as toilets and sinks, chamber pots were used as receptacles for dirty water and wastes. People had the habit of emptying these chamber pots by throwing them out of upper-story windows of their homes into the gutters. Therefore, a stroll along the city streets … Read more

The buttons on the sleeves of men’s jackets serve no real purpose today. But there are many stories explaining how they came to be there. One story involves Frederick the Great, who was King of Prussia in the 1700s. Frederick’s armies were involved in a great many wars, and he was often on the field … Read more

Buttons have been used since ancient times to fasten or decorate clothing. Archeologists have unearthed buttons dating back to times earlier than written history. But in the 1200s, when fitted clothes took the place of loose robes tied by string or fastened by pins, buttons became popular. At that time, both men and women had … Read more

As far back as the 1500s, men had been trying to devise a camera to make photographs. The first rough camera was called the camera obscura, which means “dark chamber,” for that is exactly what it was, a large darkened box with a hole in one side through which light could enter. This light formed … Read more

Charles Cros, a Frenchman, drew up a plan for a phonograph in 1877, but never built his mechanism. At the same time, Thomas Edison had been working on a phonograph of his own and later that same year, patented the first of his many versions. When Edison had learned of Alexander Graham Bell’s new invention, … Read more

Wallpaper was created in the 1500s as a practical and cheap substitute for woven tapestries, leather, and wood paneling that had covered the walls of European homes and palaces for hundreds of years. The earliest wallpaper uncovered, a black and white pinecone and leaf design, dates back to 1509. The date is known because the … Read more

The earliest card games were played with bank notes, but playing cards as we know them are believed to have originated about 800 A.D. in Hindustan, an area in Northern India. During the next several hundred years, their use spread to Europe. The four suits, hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs, first appeared in France in … Read more

The earliest collection of animals, though not a public zoo, was established by Shulgi, ruler of Ur (now Southeast Iraq), around 2400 B.C. Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt collected animals from all parts of Africa and established the first real zoo in 1500 B.C. Chinese Emperor Wen Wang followed her example in 1100 B.C., when he … Read more

The tradition of wearing earrings goes back to early days when earrings were treated not as jewelry, but as amulets to protect the wearer from wicked spirits. This tradition carried over to sea-going men, especially pirates who believed that earrings made them see better and could give them stronger eyesight. Did it work? Who knows! … Read more

In ancient times, sea traders often raided cargo ships on the Mediterranean Sea and in the Far East. These men were called sea rovers, or pirates. They also robbed coastal towns of their riches and held prisoners for ransom. Since piracy was against the laws of all nations, pirates did not fly any one nation’s … Read more

In 1780, a group of French chemists discovered how to combine chemicals to produce fire. Their matches worked well, but the burning of one chemical, phosphorus, was found to be poisonous. A safe striking match was developed by John Walker, an English pharmacist, in 1827. He accidentally scraped the end of a stick he was … Read more

The wheel is one of man’s most important inventions, but no one knows for sure how, when, or where it was first developed. It is probable that early in man’s development, the idea came to someone of using a tree trunk as a huge roller for moving heavy objects. We do have proof that by … Read more

We can probably trace the origin of the orchestra back to the origin of man, for we know that primitive people had crude instruments, and we can guess that they probably played together in groups. However, the idea of a real orchestra had to wait for the development of wind and bowed string instruments, as … Read more

Ancient works of art that have been uncovered show us that music goes back as early as 4000 B.C. But the earliest form of written music with symbols has been traced to the ancient Greeks who used letters of the alphabet to represent musical tones. This music was written down for choruses who sang and … Read more

People in Ancient Sumeria made drums as long ago as 3000 B.C. Although drums can be considered the oldest musical instrument, they were also used as a method of communication, a call to battle, and to keep a rhythmic beat in ceremonial dances. Drums can be grouped into three basic shapes and each is made … Read more

Songs have been written and sung all through history. Egyptians sang songs as early as 4000 B.C.; Hebrews in 900 15.3.C. had songs and chants which appear in the Bible; and Greeks in 500 B.C. had choruses. For a long time, there was no universal method of recording words and music on paper. Songs were … Read more

Bells have been used throughout history mainly to call worshippers to religious services. But they were also used to announce the arrival of fresh foods at ancient markets, to signal the time of day, to alert people to an enemy attack, to announce deaths, and to celebrate important dates. Bells originated in the 800s B.C. … Read more

The oldest books known were baked clay tablets used about 3500 B.C. in Mesopotamia. They were deeds to land and other business records. By 25 B.C., the Egyptians had found a better way to produce books. They used papyrus, a reed-like plant, and pasted layers of its inner bark together, making a sheet. Sheets were … Read more

Some historians believe that myths began as actual historical events which, when told and retold through the ages, became exaggerated. Other historians believe that ancient people created myths to explain how and why things which they didn’t understand could happen: how the earth was created, how man came to be, why the sun rises, why … Read more

All civilizations have had forms of writing and reading. People first used pictures as words. The Babylonians and ancient Egyptians passed beyond this stage and used hieroglyphics, which contained symbols along with pictures. In 1200 B.C., the Phoenicians, with their alphabet, were the first people to read sounds from letter symbols rather than from pictures. … Read more

Even though our modern 26 letter alphabet is called the Roman alphabet, the Romans did not invent it. They simply refined and polished a system of written language that had been developing for thousands of years in many nations. Most alphabet letters began as a simplified version of ancient drawings of animals, objects, or signs. … Read more

There is no certain date for the first use of these utensils by humans. But we know that knives have been used from the time that cavemen began hunting. Any material that these primitive people found that was hard and sharp became a knife with which to skin animals and cut meat. These same cavemen … Read more

Present day government grew out of the family and clan organization that made up ancient tribes. Some people working together to lead or control a group of others formed the beginnings of government. Primitive governments were tied in closely to religion, with the king or chief of a tribe also the high priest. As cultures … Read more

Primitive humans used the cycles of nature as their calendars. They noted day and night, the sprouting of leaves, heavy rainfalls, number of harvests, and, later, the changing position of the sun and moon among the stars. They used all these as time markers. These observations were the forerunners of the more elaborate calendars later … Read more

People had many ways of telling time long before mechanical clocks were developed. Prehistoric man probably watched the movements of the sun and the changing shadows on the ground to measure time. Sundials, developed as early as 2000 B.C. in Babylon, were the earliest instruments for telling time. The sun’s movement from east to west … Read more

Ancient people began to measure things animals, for example, by comparing them to the length of a stick or a stone. Then, measurements were made by comparing parts of the human body to the length or width of the object to be measured. The width of a man’s thumb was used to measure an inch. … Read more

Humans have used given, or first, names throughout recorded history. Even the most primitive societies gave each member a name. These names originated when early humans used specific cries and sounds to identify themselves. Each individual had a sound that named him. Names were later given by the tribe family or chosen by the individual: … Read more

Over 100,000 years ago, before the beginning of recorded history, people made paints from plants, from charcoal, from clay, from minerals in the soil, and from blood! These colors, or pigments, were ground up and mixed with water, oil, or animal fat, then made into a paste. Primitive man then either rubbed this paste on … Read more

In 5000 B.C., primitive people in Egypt and the Near East began making pottery to use as simple household utensils. They shaped clay cups by hand and baked them in the sun. Molds gave pots another shape; clay was smoothed inside a reed basket or a coarsely woven sack. The mold burned off as the … Read more

Silks, wool, cotton, and flax are among the first fibers used by humans to weave cloth. Wool was probably the first cloth used, dating back to 6000 B.C. in Turkey. Linen was woven from flax in Egypt in 5000 B.C. It was not only used for clothing, but also as a wrapping for mummies. Cotton … Read more

It is believed that people began sewing pieces of animal skins together to make clothes about 15,000 B.C. They used needles made of bone or wood. The basic design of the needle has not changed since it was first invented. A thread is run through a hole in one end of a straight or curved … Read more

Since early humans traveled from place to place and from climate to climate, they discovered the need for skins as protection from the cold. Hunters might have first used animal skins in hunting to cover their scent or to disguise their appearance, thus allowing them to get closer to their game. Skins might have also … Read more

In 5000 B.C., the idea of a person owning private property did not exist. People owned tools and houses, but no man owned the land. Since farmers had not yet developed techniques of fertilizing and rotating their crops, soil exhausted quickly and families moved on. When people learned how to keep nutrients for plants in … Read more

Ten thousand years ago, after man had tamed animals, he began to build temporary settlements near rivers and streams, and in woods. His house was built of mud and reeds, and was rounded and roughly semicircular, as he attempted to duplicate the shape of the cave he had moved out of. These houses were fragile … Read more

Because early rural communities were so small and because all communications were delivered by word of mouth, there was no need for any mailing addresses. People knew the whereabouts of their relatives and neighbors, and messages were easily directed to them. Then, as more of the common folk learned to read and write and as … Read more

Social development came early to the new humans. At first, people lived in packs, with each member doing a job that served the whole group: finding and gathering food, caring for the young and ill, keeping the fire, building shelters, or locating caves to serve as shelters. A group could more easily defend itself against … Read more

For millions of years, humans ate the fish and meat they hunted and fruits and vegetables they grew in their natural state, raw. Gradually, they learned to improve the taste of food, to keep it from spoiling, and to make it useful in more ways by cooking it, drying it for later use, or milling … Read more

Prehistoric people who first appeared on earth 2 1/4 million years ago depended on the hunt for their supply of food. They picked and ate wild grasses and plants, and hunted animals to use their skins as clothing and their meat as food. Gradually, man learned to make weapons with which to hunt and kill … Read more

It is believed that the earliest humans first used fire for warmth, and later for cooking food, for shaping weapons and tools, for protection against wild animals, for changing clay into pottery, and for light. These early people got their fire from brush fires ignited by lightning, from the fire of volcanoes, from the heat … Read more

It is believed that human speech developed between the times of the Neanderthal Man (beginning in 100,000 B.C.) and the Cro-Magnon Man (beginning in 35,000 B.C.). The actual process of this development is unknown, but most theories claim that language developed either as an imitation of animal sounds, like grunts and barks, or as a … Read more

The history of a prehistoric tribe of people was first passed on by word of mouth. Anything that was written upon, clay tablets, animal skins, or wood carvings, by early civilizations has vanished, worn away by time. However, one example of recorded primitive history which remains is the paintings of the Cro-Magnon Man on the … Read more

It is believed that man developed from the same general grouping of animals as monkeys and apes, however, the ancestors of the human race were a separate group of animals which walked erect on two feet. It is thought that man, with his present build, was established by 25,000 B.C. The Neanderthal Man and Cro-Magnon … Read more