Author Archive
“Hip Hip” in “Hip Hip, Hooray” Was Once an Anti-Semitic Phrase
Today I Found Out the “Hip Hip” in “Hip Hip, Hooray” was once anti-Semitic. This phrase is thought to have its origins in the middle-age Latin battle-cry “Hieroslyma est perdita’, which means “Jerusalem is fallen” or “Jerusalem is lost”. This was later shortened by Germanic tribes fighting Jews to “Hep Hep Hu-raj”, meaning loosely “Jerusalem [...]
What the Things You See When You Rub Your Eyes Are Called
Today I found out what the things you see when you close your eyes and rub them hard are called, namely “phosphenes”. A phosphene is characterized by perceiving some form of light when there is little or no light actually entering the eye, making it an entopic phenomenon (meaning the source of the phenomenon is [...]
Why a Baker’s Dozen is 13 Instead of 12
Today I found out why a baker’s dozen is 13 instead of 12. This has its origins in the fact that many societies throughout history have had extremely strict laws concerning baker’s wares, due to the fact that it is fairly easy for bakers to cheat patrons and sell them less than what they think they are [...]
What R.S.V.P. Stands For
Today I found out what R.S.V.P. stands for, namely Répondez S’il Vous Plaît, which translates roughly as “please reply” or “reply if it pleases you”. So how did R.S.V.P. make its way into being used for wedding invitations and the like? This dates all the way back to around the 11th century when French became [...]
Welcome a New Writer to Today I Found Out
Please help me welcome Noreen as a regular contributing writer to Today I Found Out. Noreen is a talented writer from BuzzFactory. Her previous work includes copywriting and blogging for a number of varying sites from travel, fashion, shopping, lifestyle, and more. As before, I’ll be continuing to write articles nearly every weekday for Today I [...]
The Guy Who Invented One of the First Artificial Hearts Was Also the Voice of Gargamel on the Smurfs, Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger Too
Today I found out the guy who invented one of the first artificial hearts was also the voice of Gargamel on the Smurfs; Mr. Owl on the Tootsie Pop commercials; Winnie the Pooh; and Tigger too. The man was Paul Winchell, who is perhaps best remembered for hosting the Winchell-Mahoney Time children’s show in the [...]
Origins of the Jolly Roger
Today I found out the origins of the Jolly Roger flags. Ships throughout history typically stocked a variety of different flags used for sending a message, signaling other ships, and for identifying themselves. For instance, in the 17th and 18th centuries, English privateers were to fly a specific version of the Union Jack, distinguishing themselves [...]
Origin of the Chinese Fire Drill
Today I found out the origin of the Chinese Fire Drill. In World War I, British soldiers came up with the phrase “Chinese Landing” to describe a clumsy or bad landing. It should be noted that this wasn’t originally meant to imply Chinese citizens couldn’t land a plane well or anything of the sort; rather, [...]
Why You Generally Shouldn’t Put Metals in the Microwave
Today I found out why you generally shouldn’t put metals in a microwave. First, it should be noted that it is not unsafe to put all metals in the microwave. Indeed, you often put metals in the microwave anytime you put a hot pocket in the little pouch and place it in the microwave. The [...]
Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine. Today I found out about the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes. This is obviously a sponsored post, don’t worry, a normal Today I Found Out article will also be posted today. But, special thanks to Hampton for [...]
