Random Thoughts

We're very nearly finished with the chapter on Customs from The Little Book of Answers by Doug Lennox. And I wouldn't be surprised if most of you already know about this first factoid! (Although after reading it, I can't be certain if it was in the same detail as we learned.)

(image borrowed from Youtube)

By the 6th century BC, the Greeks discovered that poisoning wine was an efficient way of getting rid of their enemies. A host would be the first to drink the wine at parties to assure their guests that the wine was just fine! It was the Romans who added pieces of burnt bread or "tostus" to the custom because the bread absorbed the acid and made the wine more pleasant to drink. Words of flattery were spoken during the toasting ceremony to reassure guests of their safety.

So Sheldon might have missed a few details, but he got the gist of it done! Lol!

(image borrowed from Science ABC)

The act of touching drinking glasses in a toast sort of goes back to the first factoid in that poisoning the wine was a popular way to go in ridding you of your enemies. By clinking glasses together in the friendly ritual, a little bit of wine from each glass went into the other. This would then occur around the whole table and basically reassure guests that their drinks weren't poisoned as everyone--including the host--would have the same wine.

(image borrowed from Youtube)

Rolling out the red carpet for special guests dates back to the 1930s when a red carpet was laid out for passengers getting on a luxury train known as the Twentieth Century Limited. The train ran between New York and Chicago. Since this was a very famous and classy train that had luxury accommodations rolling out a red carpet was the first sign that you were about to be treated like royalty. 

(image borrowed from HappyBirthdayCake2015.com)

Putting candles in the birthday cake has a pretty long winded history. It started with the Greeks who borrowed celebrating birthdays from the Egyptian pharaohs and adding a cake came from the Persians. Early Christians did away with birthday celebrations for awhile until the custom returned with candles in Germany in the 12th century. It's said that the candles were kept lit until after the family meal and the honored child would make a wish that would come true if they were to blow out all the candles with a single breath.

That's a rather interesting history to birthday cakes with candles!

(image borrowed from TipHero)

The British custom of driving on the left side of the road came from the Romans who when driving their chariots stayed to the left in order to meet an enemy with his right sword hand. Americans started driving on the right side of the road because the brakes in covered wagons were built on the left forcing the driver to sit on the same side which then forced them to drive on the right side so they could have a clear view of the road.

That's really interesting! I honestly never knew why we drove on the right side and British drove on the left!