Until 1564), it was a tradition to begin the New Year with a weeklong celebration, ending with a big party. But the calendar was different then; the new year began on March 25 - which meant the annual party was held on April 1. In 1564, a new calendar was instituted, making January 1 the beginning of the New Year. People who forgot and still showed up to celebrate on April 1 were called "April Fools."

WHY 13 IN A BAKER’S DOZEN? Why do Cowboys wear High Heels? Jeff Rovin

To keep bakers out of jail. Because of the way rolls, buns and cakes were cooked in the 15^th century - in 3 rows of four - they were sold in batches of a dozen.

The goods were fashioned by hand, of course, and bakers found they could make them smaller without the customer being any the wiser. Who could tell the difference, after all, when 12 items were stuffed into a bag?

Well, enough people apparently could tell, because London lawmakers passed laws which standardized the weights of these goods.

Stiff fines and jail sentences were imposed if the totals were off, so bakers often took the precaution of throwing in an extra roll or cake to make absolutely sure they made the required weight. Hence, 13 to a baker’s dozen.

THEY WEIGHED IN ON THIS http://www.cleanlaffs.com

The town of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, carries on the multi-century custom called the "Weighing-in Ceremony." In early May, the town's mayor, mayoress, deputy mayor, deputy mayoress, town clerk, and district councilors are weighed in order to learn if they have grown fat at the public trough.
The ceremony was banned when Cromwell and the Puritans came to power in the 17th century, and revived in the 19th century. The present weighing machine consists of a red plush seat
suspended from a large brass tripod, and is known as jockey scales.

FACTS ABOUT THE TONGUE

The tongue is an amazing organ. The tongue, like the heart, is almost all muscle; unlike the routine and repetitive cardiac contractions though, the tongue is capable of very precise, complicated, and elaborate movements. It has many important responsibilities that we probably take for granted. The tongue is necessary for all speech. No matter what language you speak, the tongue is crucial to your ability to create the sounds that make up the letters and the words you speak. Without a tongue you would be unable to communicate the way you do every single day, no talking, no singing, no whistling. Secondly, the tongue is necessary to eat with. The tongue is designed to help you move food around in your mouth and direct it to your throat. Without your tongue, you would pretty much have to lay on your back to eat. Thirdly, the tongue is the source of one of your most favorite senses, your sense of taste. Mmmm, chocolate. Imagine food with no taste. That is what things would be like without your taste buds that are located on your tongue. Life would be pretty dull and boring without a tongue. The tongue also seems to get a lot of recognition. Because we hear of

• Tongue-in-cheek
• Sticking your tongue out
• Being tongue tied
• Cat got your tongue
• Tongue Twisters
• Speaking in tongues

With all these abilities attached to it, still the tongue is a very small organ.

THE WORLD'S EASIEST QUIZ.
1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?
2) Which country makes Panama hats?
3) From which animal do we get catgut?
4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?
6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
7) What was King George VI's first name?
8) What color is a purple finch?
9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
10) How long did the Thirty Years War last?
Answers To The Quiz:
1) 116 years, from 1337 to 1453.
2) Ecuador.
3) From sheep and horses.
4) November. The Russian calendar was 13 days behind ours.
5) Squirrel fur.
6) The Latin name was Insularia Canaria - Island of the Dogs.
7) Albert. When he came to the throne in 1936 he respected the wish of Queen Victoria that no future king should ever be called Albert.
8) Distinctively crimson.
9) New Zealand.
10) Thirty years, of course. From 1618 to 1648.

SAY WHAT??

The following were actually taken from recent classified ads in newspapers:

FREE PUPPIES: 1/2 cocker spaniel - 1/2 sneaky neighbor's dog

FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER. 8 years old. Unpleasant little dog.

AMANA WASHER $100. Owned by clean bachelor who seldom washed.

SNOW BLOWER FOR SALE... only used on snowy days.

FREE PUPPIES...Part German Shepherd - part stupid dog

2 WIRE MESH BUTCHERING GLOVES: 1 5-finger, 1 3-finger, PAIR: $15

TICKLE ME ELMO, still in box, comes with its own 1988 Mustang, 5l,

auto, excellent condition $6800

83 TOYOTA HUNCHBACK -- $2000

GERMAN SHEPHERD 85 lbs. Neutered. Speaks German. Free.

FREE 1 can of pork & beans with purchase of 3 br 2 bath home.

FOR SALE: Lee Majors (6 Million Dollar Man) - $50

NORDIC TRACK $300 Hardly Used *************Call Chubbie

FOUND: DIRTY WHITE DOG. Looks like a rat.. been out awhile.. Better be reward.

HUMMELS - Largest Selection Ever "If It's In Stock, We Have It!"

HARRISBURG POSTAL EMPLOYEES GUN CLUB

GEORGIA PEACHES CALIFORNIA GROWN - 89 cents lb.

NICE PARACHUTE: Never Opened - Used Once Slightly Stained

FREE: farm kittens. Ready to eat.

AMERICAN FLAG 60 Stars - Pole Included $100

TIRED OF WORKING FOR ONLY $9.75 PER HOUR? We offer profit sharing

and flexible hours. Starting pay: $7 - $9 per hour.

EXERCISE EQUIPMENT: Queen Size Mattress & Box Springs -$175.

JOINING NUDIST COLONY! Must Sell Washer & Dryer $300.

LAWYER SAYS CLIENT IS NOT THAT GUILTY.

MISCONCEPTIONS OF HISTORY Joe at www.shagmail.com

Many school children mistakenly believe that Christopher Columbus first discovered America. Actually, it was quite a bit before Columbus, in the 1st century B.C. that a land mass between Europe and Asia is mentioned in Strabo's Geography.
In Germany, between 1860 and 1864, Johann Reis made and demonstrated a device which he called a telephone. In doing so he came up with a model that transmitted most of the features of human speech over a wire - 12 years before Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent.
And if I may attack an unassailable American legend, it is true that electric lights were burning in England well before Thomas Edison burnt the midnight oil to invent them. It was in 1878 that Joseph Swan produced the first successful filament lamp inside a vacuum bulb.
It's funny how certain misinformation can become part of the furniture of our minds. Who knows? In twenty years people may actually believe that Al Gore actually invented the internet.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds.
There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs.
Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.
Pearls melt in vinegar

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs.
"I am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
Average life span of a major league baseball: seven pitches.
A duck's quack doesn't echo and no one knows why.
The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.

It is hard to understand how a cemetery raised its burial cost and blamed it on the cost of living.

We are born naked, wet, and hungry. Then things get worse.

The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.

It is said that if you line up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try and pass them.

You can't have everything, where would you put it?

Latest survey shows that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the world's population.

If the shoe fits, get another one just like it.

Eat right. Stay fit. Die anyway.

The things that come to those that wait may be the things left by those who got there first.

Flashlight: A case for holding dead batteries.

Shin: A device for finding furniture in the dark.

As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in public schools.

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

It was recently discovered that research causes cancer in rats.

The only cure for insomnia is to get more sleep.

Everybody lies, but it doesn't matter since nobody listens.

I wished the buck stopped here, as I could use a few.

I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it.

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

The only number not found in the Roman numeral system is zero.
Elvis Presley was named a Special Federal Narcotics Agent by Richard Nixon.
The letters of the alphabet in order of their frequency of use are, ETAISONHRDLUCMFWYPGVBKJQXZ
The Mayflower, after outliving its usefulness, was dismantled and rebuilt as a barn.
The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 136 degrees Fahrenheit on September 13, 1992, in Azizia, Libya
A typical American hospital has three to four times more employees than patients.
The mother of Mike Nesmith, of the rock group The Monkees, invented Liquid Paper.
In 1809, Meslitta Bentz invented the world's first drip coffeemaker by making a filter out of her son's notebook paper.
Napoleon liked to eat chicken so much that he would have his cooks prepare a fresh chicken every half hour so when he wanted chicken, it would be ready .
The music for the Star Spangled Banner is from an old British drinking song.
Francis Scott Key, writer of the Star Spangled Banner was a lawyer.
There are 2,500 different species of ants in the world. Think about that on your next picnic.
The Dutch painter Rembrandt often called the master of light and shade, painted almost 100 self-portraits.
The first electronic computer was about 80 feet long, weighed 30 tons, and had 17,000 tubes.
The only letter not used in the spelling of any of the 50 states in the U.S. is Q.
At President Andrew Jackson's funeral in 1845 his pet parrot was removed for swearing.
A flock of geese on the ground is called a gaggle. A flock of geese (or other wildfowl) in flight is called a skein.
President Grover Cleveland had the first telephone installed in the White House in the late 1880's. He always answered the phone himself.
Cracker Jacks were introduced in the year 1896, but the prizes weren't included in the boxes until the year 1912.
Thomas Edison held over 1,300 US and foreign patents.
A ten-gallon hat holds less than a gallon.
There are more geysers in Yellowstone National Park than there are in the entire rest of the world.
Tom Cruise was born Thomas Mapother IV.
No other words in the English language rhyme with the words, month, orange, silver or purple.
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
Life Savers candy was actually invented by a chocolate manufacturer just to fill in for the summer when the chocolate sales were down.
The first license plate on a car in the United States was issued in Denver, Colorado in 1908

Coca Cola was originally green.

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.

The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters.

Men can read smaller print than women, women can hear better than men.

The city with the most Roll Royces per capita: (Hong Kong)

Percentage of Africa that is wilderness: (28%)

Percentage of North America that is wilderness: (38%)

Barbie's measurements if she were life size: (39-23-33)

Cost of raising a medium sized dog to the age of 11: ($6,400.)

Average number of people airborne over the U.S. during any given hour: (6,100)

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

The youngest Pope was 11 years old.

First novel ever written on a typewriter: (Tom Sawyer)

The San Francisco cable cars are the only mobile National monuments.

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades: King David

Clubs: Alexander the Great

Hearts: Charlemagne

Diamonds: Julius Caesar

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th. (John Hancock & Charles

"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

The term "whole 9 yards" came from WWI fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their

Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it is kissing the

conveyor belt.

The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't

beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

The Interstate system was designed so that one mile in every five must be straight. These

The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the "General Purpose" vehicle,

G.P.

The cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches for each gallon of fuel that it burns.

No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Super Bowl.

The nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosey is a rhyme about the bubonic plague. Infected

What occurs more often in December than any other month? (Conception)

What separates "60 Minutes" on CBS from every other TV show? (No theme song)

Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what? (Their birthplace)

What is the most popular name that boat owners name their boats? (Obsession)

If you were to spell out consecutive numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find

the letter "A"? (One thousand)

What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers all have in

common? (They were all invented by women)

What is the only food that doesn't spoil? (Honey)

There are more collect calls made on this day than any other day: (Father's Day)

What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) is most ironic? (He was allergic to

carrots.)

HE SHOULD HAVE SHOUTED "FORE!" Uncle John’s Great Big Bathroom Reader (11^th edition) p. 163

"It was the final round of the 1934 U.S. Open," writes Ross & Kathryn Petras in The 176 Stupidest Things Ever Done, "and the pressure was on. Cruikchank was 2 strokes ahead of his competitors. He had to make the next hole in 4 strokes to keep his lead.

"Cruickshank’s drive off the tee was fine, But his following approach shot was too weak. With horror, he watched the ball sink with a splash into the stream in front of the green.

"A split second later, the ball bounced back out of the water – apparently ricocheting off of a submerged rock – and rolled onto the green just 10 feet from the hole.

"It was a miracle. With a whoop, Cruickshank tossed his club in the air, tipped his hat and yelled to the heavens, ‘Thank you, God!’ Unfortunately, the club landed on his head. It knocked him down and upset his balance for the rest of the day. He lost the lead and came in 3^rd."

TITANIC STORIES Uncle John’s Great Big Bathroom Reader (11^th edition) p. 250

In 1898, a short novel called The Wreck of Titan or Futility, by Morgan Robertson, was published in the U.S. It told the story of the maiden voyage of an "unsinkable" luxury liner called the Titan. Robertson described the boat in great detail.

The Titan, he wrote, was 800 feet long, weighed 75,000 tons, had 3 propellers and 24 lifeboats, and was packed with rich passengers. Cruising at 25 knots, the Titan’s hull was ripped apart when it hit an iceberg in April. Most of the passengers were lost because there weren’t enough lifeboats.

Fourteen years, later, the real-life Titanic took off on its maiden voyage. Like the fictional Titan it was considered the largest and safest ship afloat. It was 882.5 feet long, weighed 66,000 tons, had three propellers and 22 life boats, and carried a full load of rich passengers. Late at night on April 14, 1912, sailing at 23 knots, the Titanic ran into an iceberg which tore a role in its hull and upended the ship. At least 1,513 people drowned because there weren’t enough lifeboats.

* In 1935, a "tramp steamer" was heading from England to Canada. On watch was a 23 year old seaman named William Reeves. It was April, the month when the Titanic hit an iceberg and went down. As the Reader’s Digest Book of Amazing Facts tells it:

All of a sudden, Reeves recalled the exact date of the Titanic accident – April 14, 1912 – the day of he had been born. That was enough to get him to act.

He shouted out a danger warning, and the helmsman rang the signal: engines full astern. The ship churned to a halt – just yards from a huge iceberg that towered menacingly out of the night. More deadly icebergs crowded in around the tramp steamer, and it took 9 days for icebreakers from Newfoundland to smash a way clear.

The name of the ship Reeves saved from a similar fate to the Titanic’s. The Titanian.

* The stoker on the Titanic was named Frank Lucks Towers. Charles Pelegrino writes in his book, Her Name, Titanic: "Though he would survive this night (Titanic) without injury, his troubles were just beginning. In two years, he’d be aboard the Empress of Ireland when it collided with another ship, opening a hole in the Empress’s side. (Note: it was the worst peacetime maritime disaster – over 2000 lost). It would be an usually hot night, and all the portholes would be open as she rolled onto her side in the St. Lawrence River. In minutes she would be gone – yet miraculously, Frank Towers was going to survive – virtually alone. He’d take his next job aboard the Lusitania (sunk by German U-boats in 1915) and would be heard to shout "Now what!" when the torpedo struck. He’d swim to a lifeboat, vowing every stroke of the way to take up farming.

THE FIRST VENDING MACHINE Coffeebreak Workbook 3/97

Vending machines were first used in Egypt in 215 BC. In Alexandria, a device was used to dispense holy water. The first vending machine in the U.S. appeared in 1888.

STATUE OF LIBERTY NAIL Ripley's Believe It Or Not - Great & Strange Works of Man

A single fingernail of the Statue of Liberty weighs 100 pounds

HERE COMES THE MILLENNIUM! R.Digest 10/96 p. 79

Even though the millennium is nearly 4 years away - or is it 5? - people and nations are trying to figure out just how to celebrate this grand event. For Christmas 1999 the Roman Catholic Church will begin a series of observances. Dozens of nations have millennial projects under way as well. And mints in many countries are considering striking coins to promote world peace.

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express has received queries from many private groups seeking to charter the historic 176 passenger luxury train and ride it into the next millennium. One of Japan's largest travel agencies is hoping to sail 6 cruise ships into the South Pacific toward the International Date Line, where passengers will be among the 1st to witness the dawning of the new millennium.

The Millennium Society, a 6000 member group that began planning for the big night in 1979, hopes to put on a series of 24 public festivals in each of the world's time zones at the stroke of midnight. Celebrations are planned for the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Mount Fuji, the Eiffel Tower, and of course, Times Square, where more than one million people are expected to join Dick Clark for the big celebration. Another 250 million will watch it on television. The society also plans a private affair. It has signed an agreement with the Egyptian government for the right to celebrate New Year's Eve 1999 at the Great Pyramid of Cheops. - William Ecenbarger

THE HANDSHAKE R.Digest 10.96 p. 146-147 Kenneth O. Gilmore

No one can pinpoint its actual beginning. A common explanation is that when early man encountered a stranger, he held out his hand to show he had no weapon. From this, supposedly, evolved the handshake.

Not so, says Brian Charles Burke, who is writing a history of the handclasp. "That idea became popular in the 19th century and just took off." Instead, the Philadelphia historian believes, the handshake meant "putting your blood behind your breath." He explains that ancient peoples distrusted the spoken word alone, and they used the handclasp to signify that their promise was backed up by the power of their heart - i.e., their blood. Thus, the handshake connoted trust.

That meaning of trust has survived to this day. People in business often nail down agreements simply by declaring, "Let's shake on it."

The handshake also has a rich history as a symbol of reconciliation or rapport. The Roman co-emperors Balbinus and Pupienus Maximus put the handclasp on a coin in A.D. 238 to signify their harmony. One rare coin showing 2 couples shaking hands is thought to celebrate the wedding of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina II, the daughter of Emperor Antoninus Pius, in A.D. 145.

The handshake as a sign of reconciliation figures prominently in our own nation's history. On a commemorative medal issued in 1775, William Penn is depicted shaking hands with a Delaware Indian chief at a treaty signing. When tribal dignitaries visited Washington D.C., Presidents Jefferson through Taylor gave them impressive "Peace Medals" bearing the President's portrait on one side and the clasped hands of soldier and Indian on the reverse.

On September 27, 1945, after Japan's unconditional surrender ending WW II, Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur met with Emperor Hirohito at the U.S. embassy. Despite the belief of some allies that Hirohito should be indicted as a war criminal, MacArthur shook his hand. The American commander felt strongly that reconciliation - not humiliation - was necessary to achieve his goal of building a democracy in Japan. With the help of that handclasp, he succeeded.

We're all familiar with the many styles of handshakes: the guy with the sweaty palm, the nervous hand wringer, the Type A personality who shakes off your hand jovially, then quickly breaks off and moves on. The varieties afford us a "felling" about the other human being. And so often what we're looking for is sincerity.

To American politicians, the handshake has long been a way of conveying intimacy with the voters. The world record for glad handing was probably achieved by Theodore Roosevelt at a New Year's reception in 1907 when he shook hands with 8513 people.

When two hands meet, we pass on something of ourselves. After being introduced to Mark Twain, Helen Keller - who was both deaf and blind - commented, "I can feel the twinkle of his eye in his handshake."

ODD REQUESTS OF VISITOR INFO BUREAUS Saturday Evening Post 1/2 1997

San Francisco - "Does your map have streets on it?"

Hawaii - What kind of currency do you use?"

Philadelphia - "Where can I buy a picture of the Liberty Bell? In the one I have, the bell has a crack in it."

"Why is my tarantula bald?"

"What hotel in Philadelphia overlooks the ocean?

"How much does it cost to get into the free festival at Penn's Landing?"

"Will the fireworks be at night or during the day?"
Fairbanks - "What's the official language of Alaska?"
Louisville - "If it rains, will the hot air balloon race be held inside the Freedom Hall?"

Los Angeles - "I'm on a street with a lake - how do I get downtown?"

Boise, Idaho - "If you go to a restaurant in Idaho and you don't want any kind of potato with your meal, will they ask you to leave?"

Phoenix - "How many cups of water could it take to fill the Grand Canyon?"
"When will they complete the bridge across the Grand Canyon?"

"Why isn't the Grand Canyon lit at night?"

"Is it going to snow in November?"

Scottsdale, Arizona - "Have we made peace with the Indians?"

Salt Lake City - "What's that white stuff on the Mountains, is it salt?"

"In New York City they have a dance called the ballet - do you have anything like that in Utah?"

"Where can we go to see the Mormons?"

Denver - "What time of year do the deer turn into elk?"

"What season is it there right now?"

Cobb City, Georgia - "Where are Scarlett and Rhett buried, and are they buried together?"
Des Moines - "Will India be sending a team to the Olympics?"

"I'd like to know about the opportunities for dog sledding in Des Moines."

"Can you tell me when to plant my broccoli?"

Orlando, Florida - "Where can I find an Orlando hotel with an ocean front view?"

"We're allergic to carpeting - which hotels don't have carpeting?"
"If I'm pregnant and don't go on the Disney World rides, do I get a discount?"

"Please send me 4 Disney World tickets - I'll send you the money later."

Wasn't really McCoy, that is. His real name was Norman Selby.

Norman left the farm in Indiana around 1890. A year later, he surfaced in the ring as Kid McCoy.

The Kid was something. He said he'd fight anyone, anywhere, and he did. For years he averaged a fight a month, winning most by knockouts.

A host of imitation Kid McCoys soon cropped up. But on March 24, 1899, any confusion ended for good. The Kid, in a titanic slug-fest that cost him three broken ribs, finished off the legendary Joe Choynski in the 20th round.

The San Francisco Examiner's boxing writer proclaimed, "NOW YOU'VE SEEN THE REAL McCOY!"

The word we use today to describe a less-than-brilliant student was originally the name of an intellectual giant.

John Duns Scotus was one of the greatest thinkers of the entire Middle Ages. His writings on philosophy, logic and theology were required reading in universities for 200 years after his death in 1308.

His followers were known and respected as "Dunsmen" or "Dunses."

But then came the Renaissance and a new way of thinking. The "Dunses" wouldn't have any part of it. And ironically, dunce came to mean someone who wouldn't, or couldn't, learn.

STICKY SUBJECT OF GUM by Roy Rivenburg in Los Angeles Times (1995)

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, after lightning struck the village of Gbonwea, Liberia, residents called in a shaman, who warned that Chiclets should never again be allowed in the town. Although the priest didn't spell out the connection between chewing gum and electrical storms, villagers took his advice seriously.

In Singapore it's more acceptable to urinate in an elevator (punishable by a fine of up to $690) than to import chewing gum for commercial purposes (a $6925 fine and/or a year in jail). The crackdown began in 1992 after gum twice jammed subway train doors, and became an increasing nuisance in movie theaters and other public places.

Gum is also unwelcome at the Statue of Liberty. Four years ago the copper mama was infested with the stuff, says superintendent M. Ann Belkov. So she ordered trash cans with signs that read: "Put your gum here." They work - sort of. Now people stick their gum on the signs.

UNTRUE FACTOIDS R.Digest 8/94 p. 98 From "1001 Facts Somebody Screwed Up" by Deane Jordan

The statue of Liberty is not that monument's name. It is Liberty Enlightening the World.

Footballs are not, and never were, made of pigskin.

Cinderella wasn't supposed to wear glass slippers, some scholars theorize. Charles Perrault may have misread "pantoufles en vair", or squirrel-fur slippers, for "pantoufles de verre": glass slippers.

Despite their name, catgut strings do not come from cats. Sheep are usually the source.

The dog days of summer are not so named because Fido can't take the heat. It's because Sirius, the dog star, rises in conjunction with the sun during part of the summer. The ancients thought that made the days hotter.

There are only 46 "states" in the United States. Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Massachusetts are commonwealths. Rhode Island, though a State, and the smallest at that, is actually the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

DID YOU KNOW? -- Servant, September 1991, p. 9

* 78% of Americans say they believe in Heaven. 60% believe in Hell.

* The average child in rural Africa gets 830 calories a day. The minimum requirement for healthy development: about 2,300.

* In Chicago, black cats are off limits for adoption during Halloween season.

* In 1960, 68% of Americans disapproved of homosexual activity. 75% do today.

* The life span of a major-league baseball: 5 pitches.

* Over 50% of all clinical psychologists live in the U.S.

* Men out-stutter women 4 to 1.

* 6 out of 10 black children grow up without a father.

* 1 in 100 Canadian babies die before their first birthday. In Mali it's 1 in 3.

* The average man's beard grows 6.2992125 inches a year.

* The Flat Earth Research Society has 2,800 members.

EATING ODDITIES, Saturday Eve Post Sept 89

Our word "fork" comes from the Latin "furca" and the Old English "forca". Small forks used for eating 1st appeared in Tuscany in the 11th century, and they were still a rarity in Italy by the 14th century. In 1611 an English traveler, Thomas Coryate, returned from a visit to Italy with several forks (put inadvertently, of course, in to his travel bag...) and tried to create some interest in them. But most people called him affected for using so odd a devise to put food into his mouth.... Most British clergymen were vehemently opposed to forks; they believed that only human fingers were worthy of touching God's food. Often, when someone died after having used a fork, these clergymen preached that this was God's way of showing His displeasure over the use of such a shocking novelty, even though the victim might have died of the plague. The fork was introduced in America in the 1630's thanks to John Winthrop, the 1st governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony.

The Dutch humanist Erasmus (circa 16th century)... was among the first concerned with table manners. He insisted that diners never lick their fingers or wipe them on their coats.... It was better, according to Erasmus, to wipe one's fingers on the tablecloth, a custom that certain people observe even today.

Napkins, as we know them today, have not always been widely used. Early Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians used "serviettes," napkins the size of bath towels. In the 1700's it was acceptable at the table to use the serviette to also wipe off all utensils, as well as greasy fingers and lips. (Someone finally) encouraged people to first wipe their fingers on a hunk of bread to keep serviettes cleaner....

The modern spoon as we know it dates back to the 18th century; table knives were introduced around 1600. Before that, people brought their own daggers to the table to serve as knives.

In France, in the 1630''s, a refined man named Armand Jean du Plessis (better known as Duc de Richelieu, chief minister of Louis XIII) got tired of watching people stabbing their knives and daggers into chunks of food and then at the end of the meal picking their teeth with the sharp ends of their daggers, which was customary. He ordered the kitchen staff to file off the sharp points of the house knives, and soon round-tipped knives became the latest thing.

PRESIDENTIAL LIGHT SWITCHES Not A Good Word About Anybody Jane Goodsell

President and Mrs. Benjamin Harrison were so intimidated by the newfangled electricity installed in the White House they didn't dare touch the switches. President Harrison knew tow things about electricity: The White House had just been wired for it, and it could kill people (the electric chair was becoming a common form of execution). That was all he needed to know - he didn't want anything more to do with it. Throughout his entire term, he and his wife refused to turn the lights on and off themselves. If there were no servants around to turn off the lights when they went to bed, the Harrisons slept with them on.

THE HISTORY OF EXPRESSIONS Everyday Phrases: Their Origins and Meanings. by Neil Ewart

Saved by the bell means to be spared from a difficult situation at the last possible moment. In England in the late 17th century, a sentry at Windsor Castle was accused of being asleep on duty. His defense at his court-martial was that since he had heard the clock of St. Paul's in London, 20 miles away, strike 13 at midnight, he could not have been asleep.

The court ridiculed the idea that the bells of St. Paul's could carry between London and Windsor, and sentenced him to death. It was later verified, however, that the clock did strike 13 times instead of 12 on that particular night. Saved by the bell, the sentry was released and lived to a ripe old age of 102.

Get up on the wrong side of the bed is based on the old superstition that it is unlucky to get out of bed on the left side - this because the left-hand side was associated with the west, where the sun sets, symbolizing death.

A white elephant or an expensive item that turns out to be useless. The phrase relates to the kings of Siam who gave a white elephant to any courtier who annoyed them. The animals were regarded as sacred. But their upkeep was so costly that anyone who received one was apt to be ruined.

Some historians theorize that the ancient Greek, Egyptian and Roman generals ordered their chariots to be driven, and their armies to march on the left side of the road so that their men could more readily draw their swords if attacked by opposing traffic on the right. It was Napoleon, some say, who arbitrarily broke with tradition and decreed that his armies would march on the right side and that a traffic in France would do the same. Each county he conquered was compelled to adopt his drive-right rule. The British, however, continue to drive on the left - as do drivers in most former British Empire countries - and their steering wheels are on the right.

In the U.S., according to one theory, we drive on the right because Henry Ford refused to build his popular Model T with anything but left-hand drive, and by 1915 most US auto makers had followed suit. Others say the practice began with the covered wagons of our pioneer days, whose drivers sat on the left on a perch called the "lazy board."

HOW TO CHECK FRESH EGGS - R. Digest 4/81, p.33

Sellers of eggs at many African street markets keep a clay pot full of water close at hand. Buyers are expected to pick out the eggs that they want and then put them in water. Eggs that sink are fresh. Those that float are stale.

WOMEN'S CLOTHES Andy Rooney as quoted in Reader's Digest 6/84 p.49

Women's clothes are always "versatile." An evening gown converts into a sleeping bag or a poncho or maybe a mountain climbing ensemble. And they're always inventing new names for colors: cranberry; nutmeg; sea foam; celery; cinnamon; taupe (whatever taupe is); stone; brick... Fine, but what color is it?

And it seems to me we're mixed up about the way we designate the size of things. Clothes sizes are the worst ones of all. I wear a size 8 1/2 shoe but wear a size 11 sock. Does this make sense?

Why do I wear a size 7 1/2 hat but a size 16 1/2 collar? Doesn't that sound as though I could put my shirt on over my hat with the collar buttoned?

Why is the average suit size for a man a 40 and the average dress size for a woman a 12? We're not that much bigger.

SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES R. Digest 2/81 p. 122 The New (and Still Hidden) Persuaders

Subliminal seduction has a been banned by most broadcasters, but nothing prevents its use in stores, movies and salesrooms. Several dozen department stores use it to reduce shoplifting. Such messages as "I am honest, I will not steal" are mixed with background music and continually repeated. One East Coast retail chain reported a 1/3 drop in theft in a nine month period.

PERCENTAGES R.Digest 1/86 p.171

American preferences

- % of Americans who claim Monday as their favorite day: 3

- # of Americans who drink Coca-Cola for breakfast: 965,000

- % of American adults who can't swim: 47.

- # of people on Pan Am's waiting list for a trip to the moon: 92,003.

- # of Americans who are currently frozen in the hope of one day coming back to life: 12

- Potholes in the U.S.: 55,961,000

- Amount the U.S. government spent on paper shredders in 1984: $4,327,266.

- Rank of Mother's Day among holidays in the number of Americans eating out: 1.

- % of American parents who spank their children: 83

- Longest recorded flight by a chicken: 302 feet, 8 inches.

DIMPLES ON GOLF BALLS R.Digest 4/83 p. 39ff.

Today, at least two sporting goods companies employ aerodynamics engineers to work on the design of dimples. The answer to why dimpled balls travel up to 50% farther than smooth ones lies in the realm of physics. When a golf ball is driven off a tee, it leaps forward with a backspin of about 3500 r.p.m. As the ball rotates, it drags a whirlpool of around with it, an effect greatly magnified by the dimples, which act as miniature air scoops.

As the ball speeds forward, the whirlpool at its top merges with the oncoming air. Due to the rotation's direction, the air thrown off at the bottom of the ball crashes into the oncoming air, creating an area of increased pressure that pushes the ball upward. Thus the ball experiences an aerodynamic lift.

BASEBALL FACTS R.Digest 4/83

Hitting a baseball is often said to be the most difficult of sports. A good fast ball comes to the plate at 90 to 100 m.p.h., a mere 0.4 of a second after it leaves the hand of the pitcher.

Lynn Ebert, professor of metallurgy and materials science at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, explains that it takes a batter roughly 0.1 second to see the ball, and another 0.1 second to get his muscles moving. This leaves only 0.2 second to decide whether to swing. As if this weren't enough, a timing error of merely 0.1 second could turn a single up the middle into a foul ball. And a swing barely one millimeter too low could transform a homerun into a routine fly ball.

Does a curve ball really curve? You bet it does. As long ago as 1852, Heinrich Gustav Magnus, a German physicist and chemist, published the results of his studies on spinning bodies. It is the so-called Magnus effect that causes baseballs to curve, tennis balls to dip and Ping-Pong balls to dive.

Lyman Briggs of the National Bureau of Standards in 1959 found that a major-league curve ball, spinning at 1600 rpm could deflect up to 14 1/2 inches on its way to the plate. Interestingly, the ball's seams account for much of the curve. This is why some pitchers are given to scuffing the baseball surreptitiously. A scuff acts like an additional seam, magnifying the rotational effect and causing the ball to break more sharply.

As for the collision of the bat and ball, it is over before the eye can see it, lasting only .005 second. The baseball is squashed in by about an inch; then as it springs back to its original shape it pushes off the bat and heads out for the field.

The hollow tennis ball, under the force of the serve, is squashed like a sheet of rubber; then it opens and partially flattens again several times as it moves down toward the net. This greatly increases wind resistance. The fuzz also acts as an aerodynamic drag. By the time the ball bounces and gets to the opponent's baseline it has slowed to 40 m.p.h. (from 150 m.p.h.). A golf ball is still going at close to its original speed after traveling "the same distance (also 150 m.p.h.).

NOT WHAT THEY SEEM R.Digest 5/80 p.33

A firefly is not a fly - it's a beetle

A prairie dog isn't a dog - it's a rodent

A Douglas fir isn't a fir - it's a pine

An English horn is not English and not a horn - it's an alto oboe from France.

A Panda Bear isn't a bear - it's relative of the raccoon

A banana tree is not a tree - it's an herb

A cucumber is not a vegetable - it's a fruit

A horned toad isn't a toad - it's a lizard

METICULOUS MEASUREMENT Same source as above

"By a hairbreadth" - it's 1/48 inch

"High as a Kite"- the greatest height attained by a single kite is 23,000 feet

Average human male brain - 3.1 pounds

COLOR AND FEELINGS R.Digest 7/82 p.96

According to Swiss psychologist Max Luscher, lecturer at the University for Artistic and Industrial Design in Linz, Austria, and an expert widely consulted by manufacturers and advertisers, colors arouse specific feelings in people. Blue conveys peace and contentment, but those who favor dark blue are motivated by a need for security. Blue is widely used, in the symbols of banks and automobile manufacturers.

Yellow, says Luscher, is associated by most people with modernity, achievement and the future. Red conjures up power, an urge to win, vitality; it is the color chosen by many cigarette and soft-drink makers to wrap their products. Green and Red together stir feelings of strength, reliability and incorruptibility. Greenish-blue invokes a sense of security and self-esteem, according to Luscher. Children, he finds prefer bright primary colors that prompt immediate emotions. Adults prefer subdued colors.

In numerous tests where violent prisoners were put in pink cells the results proved that a particular pink color has power to tranquilize, to replace aggressive impulses with passivity.... One researcher has done experiments showing that even a brief dose of the pink can cause a measurable weakening of the body's muscles that lasts for about 30 minutes. But he has also found an antidote: a few seconds exposure to blue can restore the power drained by exposure to pink.... pink detention cells have the same tranquilizing effects on color blind prisoners...

In laboratory experiments scientists have raised generations of mice under colored lights. Different colors caused the organs of their bodies to grow at different rates.... mice living under green light were least active; those under red light were most active.

Light and color cause startling changes in many living things. A single flash of red light can alter the biological clocks of algae, and prolonged exposure to such light can arouse the mating impulse in birds and raise the hormone levels in mice, for example.

Scientist have found that people, likewise, can be profoundly influenced by exposure to colors. Not surprisingly, exposure to what interior decorators call the "hot" color red makes people perceive their environment as warmer than measured by a thermometer. Soviet studies have shown that people working under red illumination tend to react more quickly than others, but their efficiency in performing tasks is greatly reduced. Even brief exposure to red, American scientists discovered, causes an immediate change in the way electricity travels through human skin.

A BILLION? R.Digest 12/86 p.124

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into perspective in one of its releases:

A billion seconds ago it was 1952.

A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

A billion dollars ago was only 10 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate that Washington spends it.

HOBO ETCHINGS Reminisce, Premiere Issue 1991 p. 20

The hobo code consisted of at least ten separate signals one hobo would leave for another regarding possible treatment at people's homes:

A plus - Good place for a handout

checkerboard marks - Bad bull, stay out

Two Circles with smile underneath- You can sleep in this farmer's barn.

Two parallel lines with squiggly line in between- poor water.

A cross- Religious people, be sanctimonious.

A crude medical staff (with snake) - These people help the sick.

Arrow thru circle with hobo' name underneath- denotes to buddy which direction one is traveling and who it is.

#- Police officer lives here.

Dagger- Dishonest man, don't ask for work.

Looks like cot from end view with two circles on either side- Good jungle. Make yourself at home.

WORLD POPULATION Marilyn vos Savant in Parade

If the world population of about 5.4 billion people were gathered together in one spot, with each person standing on a generous 2 * 2 foot patch of ground, we'd cover an area of less than 800 square miles - only about the size of Jacksonville, Fla.

THE HAIR FACTS R.Digest 4/91 p.88

While it may look vibrant in any color, hair is actually dead matter made up of the same keratin proteins found in fingernails. Three months before birth you possessed all the hair follicles you will ever have - about 140,000 for a blond, 108,000 for a brunet and 90,000 for a redhead. At the base of each follicle sits a hair bulb drawing nutrients from the second layer of skin, the dermis. In this bulb a cone of tissue - the papilla and matrix - assembles the chemicals that will send up a hair.

YES, WE HAVE NO BOLOGNA R.Digest 3/92 p.16

In Denmark, there is no Danish pastry. It's called Viennese bread. And in Bologna, there is no bologna.

Order a frankfurter in Frankfurt and you'll get tiny, smoked sausages and a slice of bread. Order a hamburger in Hamburg and you might be told "Ich bin ein Hamburger!" (Everyone who lives there is a Hamburger!)

The English do not have English muffins, they have crumpets. In China there is no chop suey; turkeys are scarce as hen's teeth in Turkey; and Spanish rice is not served in Spain.

THE BODY FANTASTIC Marc McCuthcheon from "The Compass in Your Nose and Other Astonishing Facts about Humans." R.Digest 1/93 p.171 ff.

More than 100,000 chemical reactions occur in the brain each second... by electrically stimulating the temporal lobe, a surgeon can probe a patient's memories, bringing vivid recollections back to life.

Nasal mucus is the 1st line of defense against millions of bacteria that constantly try to invade the body. Those that survive the strong chemicals found in mucus are expelled or swallowed and finished off by stomach acid.

Pollen grains face a different defense system. In their reaction with nasal mucus, they form chemicals that cause a prickly sensation, triggering a sneeze that can eject particles at speeds exceeding 100 miles an hour.

In 1977 an 8 year old boy in S. Africa was found to have a flower seed sprouting in his left eye, possibly a marigold or a daisy (It was removed surgically, and the boy's eye healed). Apparently, the eyes provide all the conditions necessary for the germination of seeds: warmth, oxygen, protection from sunlight, and moisture.

Your tears are wonders in themselves. With every blink, the eyes are bathed in a bacteria fighting, fluid secreted by the lacrimal glands. The tears caused by irritants differ from tears of sadness, which contain 24% more proteins. Both contain prolactin, the same hormone that stimulates milk production. This may explain why women cry more often than men.

Stomach acid is one of the most powerful corrosives: it can even dissolve razor blades. In fact, to avoid digesting itself, the stomach must produce a new lining every 3 days.

The human body is an incredibly efficient machine. To ride a bicycle for an hour at 10 miles per hour, the body needs only 350 calories from food - the energy equivalent of only 3 tablespoons of gasoline.

The body is many things - a temple, warehouse, pharmacy, electric company, library and sewage treatment plant - a system, as the essayist Joseph Addison said, put together in "so wonderful a manner as to make it a proper engine for the soul."

CHINESE INSTRUCTIONS on child's "My First Mic" box April 1993

How to play: it does not use battery, it is operated with "ECHO." A super-light megaphone with a lot of enjoyments such as "FIRST MIC" needs not to use the power source which the real megaphone requires. Not it use Loud Speaker and Amplifier, etc. With it, we can easily have good time with the interesting megaphone with "ECHO."

"We can play with its echo." One's mouth makes close to its main body for speaking loudly or singing songs. The skill for one is to speak loudly and then the better echo we can have.

"It can be used for achieving good effect of voice." Except that it is used as megaphone, shake the main body lightly and you can get the magic voice to meet the occasional use.

BEARD OF BEES Dayton Daily News 5/10/93

Cincinnati Zoo entomologist, Randy Morgan displayed a beard made entirely of live bees. The beard is made by strapping a queen bee to the wearer's chin in a small box. The swarm follows. The 4000 bee beard weighs 3 1/2 lbs..

THE WHOLE DOUGHNUT Michael Lasky in "Junk Food"

They originated in 16th century Holland, cooked in oil and were so greasy that the Dutch called them "olykoeks," or "oily cakes."

The Pilgrims, who'd lived in Holland, brought the cakes with them when the came to America. Their version: a round doughy ball about the size of a nut - a doughnut.

The origin of the doughnut hole: Captain Hanson Gregory, a 19th century Maine sea captain, was eating a doughnut while sailing through a storm. Suddenly the ship was rocked violently and threw him against the ship's wheel - impaling his cake on one of its spokes. Seeing how well the spoke held his cake, Gregory began ordering all of his cakes with holes in them.

Doughnuts were popularized in the U.S. after the Salvation Army fed doughnuts - cooked in garbage pails and served on bayonets - to troops during WWI. Soldiers got so hooked on them that they were called "doughboys."

The glazed doughnut is almost 3 times as popular as any other type of doughnut.

STATISTIC: The cracks in a piece of breaking glass travel faster than 3000 miles an hour.

SOURCE OF NUMBERS Uncle John's 4th Bathroom Reader, p. 205

5280 feet (a mile) The term mile come from the Latin word "mille" - meaning 1000. To the Romans it was the distance a soldier could cover in 1000 paces - about 5000 feet. But British farmers measured their fields in "furlongs", which were 660 feet long and they didn't want to change. So when the mile was introduced to England, it was changed to 5280 feet - or exactly 8 furlongs.

60 feet, 6 inches (the distance between the pitcher's mound and home plate in baseball) The pitching distance was 50 feet until 1893 - when some baseball executives changed it to 60 feet. But the surveyor they hired to remap their infield misread their instruction - he thought 60 feet 0 inches was 60 feet 6 inches. The extra 6 inches have been there ever since.

26 miles 385 yards (the length of a marathon) The distance of a marathon was first standardized at 25 miles in 1896. During the 1908 London Olympics, however, Queen Alexandra wanted her grandchildren to see the start of the race. So, the starting line was moved back 1 mile and 385 yards - onto the front lawn of Windsor Castle. Marathons are still that length today.

Age 65 (when Americans can qualify for Social Security) German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck established the world's 1st Social Security program in 1881 to undercut the popularity of the socialist movement. he set the retirement age at 65 because he wouldn't have to pay out many benefits - in the 1880's living to age 65 was as likely as living to 105 today. When FDR set up Social Security in the U.S., he copied the German retirement age - not realizing why it had been chosen to begin with.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ODDITIES R.Digest 4/79 p.168

We'll begin with a box and the plural is boxes

But the plural of ox should be oxen not oxes;

We speak of a brother and also of brethren,

But though we say mother, we never say methern.

Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,

But imagine the feminine she, shis and shim.

So English, I fancy you all will agree,

Is the silliest language you ever did see.

CHINESE TYPEWRITERS R.Digest 2/79 p. 32

Chinese typewriters have more than 7000 characters, positioned on a keyboard which may be more than one and one half feet wide. The fastest anyone can type on these machines is 11 words per minute.

SAND OF THE DESERT? 11/75 p. 148

And English company, based in Sussex, disclosed that it has been selling hundreds of tons of sand to Middle Eastern countries. Apparently, desert sand is not suitable for filtering swimming pools, but English sand is ideal for this purpose. There is a boom in the construction of swimming pools in the oil rich Arab states.

A REAL WATER HAZARD R.Digest 3/79 p. 36

A golf course in New Zealand gobbles up golf balls and digests them in its 240 degree mud craters called dongas, on the 6th, 9th and 13th holes. The rules at this club require that you drop a new ball (with a 1 stroke penalty) if you land in one of these steaming hell holes. A golfer is not encouraged to try retrieving his errant ball, lest too many foursomes boil down to instant threesomes.

DECEPTIVE MAPS R.Digest 7/70 p. 40

Did you know that often a road map has a town or place on it that doesn't exist? Travel expert Les Dill says the imaginary locations are put on the maps to foil copyright infringements. This is no small matter to the oil companies, which turn out some 300 million maps every year, with each new edition requiring about 18 months to produce.

WHAT A HEEL - UNCLE JOHN'S 4TH BATHROOM READER

In the 1600's, Louis XIV of France added a few inches to the heels of his boots because he was so short. To his annoyance, he started a fad in the royal court-soon everyone was wearing elevated heels. So he made his even higher. And so did everyone else. This went on until it got ridiculous. Eventually men's heels got smaller but women's stayed high. In the 1800's, American women copied the styles of Paris, and the high heels-called "French heels" at first became part of American fashion.

AND SO FOURTH... UNCLE JOHN'S 4TH BATHROOM READER

The Myth... American independence was declared on July 4th.

The Background: Because the Declaration of Independence is dated July 4th, people associate that date with American independence. In fact, independence was declared first...and was confirmed with the document a few days later.

The Truth: The Continental Congress declared independence on July 2nd. One of the Founding Fathers, John Adams is quoted as having written his wife on July 3rd: The 2nd of July, 1776, will be the most memorable...in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary festival.

ROAD KILL - UNCLE JOHN'S 2ND BATHROOM READER

One of the stranger studies in human behavior we've ever heard of was a recent experiment to find out how people react to animals on the highway. Here's what they found out.

THE TEST

David Shepherd, a biology professor at Southeastern Louisiana University, put rubber reptiles on or near reads and watched how 22,000 motorists reacted to them. His conclusion: "There are apparently very few animals hit accidentally on the highway.

WHAT THEY DID

To find out how drivers would respond to reptiles on the road, Shepherd and his crew put fake snakes and turtles in places where the drivers would hit them if they kept driving straight; they also put the rubber reptiles where drivers had to go out of their way to hit them. Sheperd's comment: We found that while eighty-seven percent of drivers tried to avoid the animals, six percent went our of their way to hit them - with snakes getting squashed twice as often as turtles.

WEIRD REACTIONS

Apparently there's something about a reptile on the road that makes some drivers bloodthirsty. A few examples Shepherd witnessed:

A truck driver crossed the center line, went into the opposite lane of traffic, and drove onto the shoulder of the road to run over a turtle.

A normal housewife who saw what she thought was a snake in the road swerved to kill it, then turned around and ran over it five more times.

A policeman crushed a snake with his tires, then stopped and pulled his gun. I quickly jumped from the bushes and explained how it was a fake.

HIS CONCLUSION: Some people just have a mean streak toward animals.

TIPPING YOUR HAT, BOWING, CURTSYING, ETC.- UNCLE JOHN'S 2ND BATHROOM READER

The gentlemanly practice of tipping one's hat goes back in principle to ancient Assyrian times, when captives were required to strip naked to demonstrate subjugation to their conquerors. The Greeks required new servants to strip from the waist up. Removing an article of clothing became a standard act of respect. Romans approached a holy shrine only after taking their sandals off. And a person of low rank removed his shoes before entering a superior's home - a custom the Japanese have brought, somewhat modified, into modern times. In England women took off their gloves when presented to royalty. In fact, two other gestures, one male, one female, are remnants of acts of subjugation or respect: the bow and the curtsy; the latter was at one time a full genuflection.

By the Middle Ages in Europe, the symbol of serfdom to a feudal lord was restricted to baring the head. The implicit message was the same as in earlier days: I am your obedient servant. So persuasive was the gesture that the Christian Church adopted it, requiring that men remove their hats on entering a church.

Eventually it became standard etiquette for a man to show respect for an equal by merely tipping his hat.

This phrase is said to have been originated by the devout Pontiff St. Gregory the Great, who in the year 750 appointed a form of prayer to be said by persons sneezing. At that time it was believed that the air was filled with great impurities and many who sneezed violently were in danger of expelling their souls and that this danger could be counteracted by a proper prayer or phrase.