July 2012 - FSMS

IF YOU EVER WONDERED WHY . . . ASK MIKE! Mike Whitling, PSM
Why when we give in to something do we “knuckle under?”
Today the knuckles are the joints of the fingers, but in Anglo-Saxon and
Medieval English it also referred to the elbow and knee joints (and in
1944 to the cranial knuckle, giving us the ‘knucklehead.’) As a token of
submission a person would fall to his knees before his conqueror. So to
knuckle under meant to put the knuckles of one’s knees to the ground, ‘to
bend the knee before,’ ‘to bow down to.’
Why is a penny called a “penny?”
In the US, the term “penny” is technically an incorrect slang usage. The
official name for the US coin is a "cent", but when it was first issued it
was very similar to the one-penny coins that had been in use in British
colonial days, so most people called the new coins pennies. The old
name persisted even when the coin was downsized to its current 19 mm
diameter in 1856, and we all continue to call them "pennies" even today.
It's a bit like using the word "dial" for a telephone even though phones
haven't had dials for decades.
Why is a nickel called a “nickel?”
Nickel metal is heavily used for coins today because it's inexpensive and
is very hard, so nickel coins don't wear out quickly. But when the Mint first
starting making coins, nickel couldn't be used because it was so hard it
damaged the relatively primitive coin presses then in use. By the middle
of the 19th century metallurgy had improved enough that the Mint started
experimenting with making low-denomination coins out of an alloy of 25%
nickel and 75% copper. The first coins to use that alloy were a 3¢ piece
in 1865 and a 5¢ piece the next year. At the same time the Mint also
issued smaller coins with the same denominations but made of a silver
alloy. To distinguish them, people started referring to them by their denominations
and metal; e.g. "three cents silver", "three cents nickel", and
so on. By 1873 the nickel coins had proven to be successful so the silver
versions were discontinued, but people still talked about "three cents
nickel" and "five cents nickel". The nickel 3¢ piece was discontinued 16
years later, leaving "five cents nickel" as the only coin remaining of the
original four. The name morphed into "five cent nickels" and was eventually
shortened to just "nickel".
Why is a dime called a “dime?”
The word "Dime" derives from Latin decima (pars), meaning "a tenth."
The dime was briefly called a "disme" which was a version of the French
word "dixième", again deriving from the Latin decima. Its spelling and
pronunciation quickly simplified to the familiar "dime" within a year or two
of the coin's introduction.
Why is a dollar called a “dollar?”
The word "dollar" has a long history dating back to central Europe in the
15th century. Some of the first large-size silver coins were minted from
metal mined in what is now the southeastern part of Germany. Most of
the silver veins were found in valleys. The word for valley in old-style
German was "Thal", pronounced roughly "tohl". The coins soon became
known as Thalers ("tohllers") meaning "from the valley". Thalers proved
to be so popular that similar coins were eventually used all over Europe
as a common exchange medium. Each region adapted the name to its
local language and spelling; by the time the coins were used in the Netherlands
they had become "dalers", still pronounced with a short 'a'. To
those of us accustomed to English spelling that looked too much like it
should be pronounced "dayler", so the spelling gradually changed to
something closer to its pronunciation, giving the familiar word “dollar.”
Section 20 of Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution provided, "That the money
of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars, or units...
and that all accounts in the public offices and all proceedings in the
courts of the United States shall be kept and had in conformity to this
regulation." In other words, this act designated the United States dollar as
the unit of currency of the United States.
Quick Facts:
♦ In the 1950's Wheaties stopped using athletes on their
boxes and started using Disney figurines. Sales went
down 15%. General Mills had a meeting and decided
to recall their sports stars. The Disney boxes are valuable
today.
♦ Researchers have discovered that events such as pleasant family
celebrations or evenings with friends boost the immune system for
the following two days. Unpleasant moments had the opposite effect.
♦ Robot comes from the Czech word 'robota' which means 'forced
work or labor.' The first known case of robot homicide occurred in
1981, when a robotic arm crushed a Japanese Kawasaki factory
worker.
♦ The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world when it was
completed in 1889. It was built for the World's Fair to demonstrate
that iron could be as strong as stone while being infinitely lighter.
♦ The most played song on American radio during the twentieth century
was “You've Lost That Loving Feeling” which was written by
Barry Mann, Phil Spector, and Cynthia Weil. Although recorded by
different artists, the song is the only one in history to be played over
8 million times on the radio.
♦ "Weird" Al Yankovic received a Bachelor's degree in Architecture in
1981. He also served as valedictorian of his high school at age 16.
♦ The oldest business in the United States of America is the cymbal
company Zildjian, which was founded in Constantinople in 1623.
♦ The five most stolen items in a drugstore are batteries, cosmetics,
film, sunglasses, and Preparation H. One of Preparation H's main
ingredients is shark liver oil. The oil not only helps shrink hemorrhoids,
but will shrink any tissue.
♦ The phrase "often a bridesmaid but never a bride" actually comes
from an advertisement for Listerine mouthwash. The text was written
by Milton Feasley and first appeared in 1925. The advertisement
was so successful that it ran for more than ten years.
♦ The official name of the St. Louis Gateway Arch is "The Jefferson
National Expansion Memorial." The Gateway Arch looks taller than it
is wider, but it is exactly 630 feet by 630 feet.
♦ An adult bedbug can survive up to one year without feeding.
♦ Worker ants may live seven years and the queen may live as long
as 15 years.
♦ People are more likely to be a target for mosquitoes if you consume
bananas.
♦ The venom of a female black widow spider is more potent than that
of a rattlesnake.
♦ The buzz that you hear when a bee approaches is the sound of its
four wings moving at 11,400 strokes per minute. Bees fly an average
of 15 miles per hour.
♦ The underside of a horse's hoof is called a frog. The frog peels off
several times a year with new growth.
♦ The intestines of a newborn are about 11 feet long. The length will
double by the time the baby grows to adulthood.
♦ Running the tap while waiting for water to get hot or cold can waste
5 gallons per minute.
♦ The top of the tower of the Empire State Building was originally intended
(though never used) as a mooring place for dirigibles.
♦ Pumpernickel, the dark bread made from coarsely ground rye gets
its name from its supposed effect on those who consume it. Pumpernickel
is composed of the German words pumpen, "to fart," and
Nickel, "devil."
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