0

Is it possible to send children by parcel post?

If you mail your kids today, that would be human trafficking and you will definitely land in jail!  In the early years of the parcel post service (that’s around 1913) however, at least two incidents of young children being sent thru parcel post were reported. As this photo from the archives of the National Postal Museum show, a young boy was placed in the postal worker’s mailbag as you would any parcel or letter.

With stamps attached to their clothing, the children rode with railway and city carriers to their destination. Upon hearing about and maybe seeing the humorous photograph, the Postmaster General immediately issued a regulation disallowing the sending of children in the mail.

Sounds funny but it’s true!

- The Junkie

0

Why are attractive but dim-witted women called “Bimbos?”

The word “bimbo” is now more associated with women, particularly those who are physically attractive but is perceived to have a low intelligence. The term can also be used to describe a woman who acts in a sexually promiscuous manner.  However, the word refers to unintelligent or brutish male when it was first used in 1919.

The word came from within the immigrant Italian community and is a variant of bambino, meaning “baby” or “child.” It was not until the late 1920s that the term Bimbo began to be associated with females.

(more…)

- The Junkie

0

Why is a stuffed toy bear called a Teddy bear?

It all started with US President Theodore Roosevelt.  He was an avid hunter and according to one story, someone tried to please the president by tethering a bear cub to a tree so Roosevelt could easily kill it during a hunting trip.

However, the president refused to shoot the young bear out of compassion and the incident instantly became a hot topic during conversations. A political cartoon by Clifford Berryman also came out in The Washington Post on November 16, 1902 where Roosevelt was shown with a cuddly bear cub.

(more…)

- The Junkie

0

Where did the names of the months came from?

The ancient Romans are the ones responsible for the names we use for each of the twelve months of the year. During the olden times, March was the first month of the year while February was the last. The Roman calendar underwent several revisions and in 153 B.C., January become the first month of the year.

March was named after the Roman god of war, Mars.

April, being the second month of the year, was derived from a word that meant “second.”

May was named after an earth goddess named Maia.

(more…)

- The Junkie

0

Where did the names of the days of the week came from?

The Greeks named the days week after the sun, the moon and the five known planets, which were in turn named after the gods Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Cronus. The Greeks called the days of the week the Theon hemerai or “days of the Gods.” The Romans substituted their equivalent gods for the Greek gods, Mars, Mercury, Jove (Jupiter), Venus, and Saturn. The Germanic peoples generally substituted roughly similar gods for the Roman gods, Tiu (Twia), Woden, Thor, Freya (Frigge), but did not substitute Saturn.

(more…)

- The Junkie

0

Where did the superstition of spilling salt would lead to bad luck came from?

Being man’s first food seasoning, preservative and even medicine, salt has become a precious commodity since time immemorial.  Hence, spilling valuable salt is like taunting the fates that could lead to bad luck.

Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper where Judas Iscariot was depicted spilling the table salt intensify the connection between salt and tragedy.

(more…)

- The Junkie