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GETTING PELTED. Pelt warriors that fought with Alexander the Great actually threw rocks with what would be considered an elaborate slingshot. They were very effective and deadly. To this day, people still say "I got pelted!" Many dictionaries don't even list the origin because this piece of trivia is a little known fact. THE BATTLE OF ARBELA is where this term was imortalized. Alexander fought Darious on the Persian front in 331 B.C. - 2
THOMAS CRAPPER - TOILET INVENTOR. Every time you use a toilet you owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Thomas Crapper, the inventor to what is now the modern day toilet. It is the reason people say "I have to take a crap." (Click image to enlarge the original Thomas Crapper Toilet) - 3
GOING BERSERK. When someone goes crazy, it isn't at all uncommon for someone to say they went "berserk" (often misspelled as berzerk). The Berserkers where a band of ancient Viking warriors that were legendary for their savagery and reckless frenzy in battle. Once again, many dictionaries don't even mention this as an origin. (Click image to enlarge) - 4
THE WHOLE NINE YARDS. This is a hotly debated item. Many "experts" agree the most likely source of this was from the battlefield. A machine gun operator would call to his partner for more bullets, which came in a 9 yard belt. - 5
SANTA CLAUS AND THE STOCKING. It is a little known fact that the Dutch first created the idea of the stocking. The Dutch actually used a wooden clog (often called a wooden shoe) to leave treats for Santa. True to American form, retailers shifted the use of a clog to a stocking because it was more practical. More importantly, it could fit more treats. Viola! Billions of dollars more per year in sales. - 6
VALENTINE'S DAY. While it can't be proved historically, there were seven men named Valentine who were honored with feasts on February 14th. Of these men, two stories link incidents that could have given our present day meaning to St. Valentine's Day.
One of these men named Valentine was a priest during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Valentine was revered by the young and old, rich and poor, with people of all walks of life attending his services. At this time Emperor Claudius was heavily recruiting men to serve as soldiers for his wars without much success. The men preferred not to leave their wives, families and sweethearts to fight in foreign lands. Claudius became angry and declared that no more marriages could be performed and all engagements were cancelled.
Valentine thought this to be unfair and secretly married several couples. When Claudius found out, he threw Valentine in prison where he died. Friends of the priest retrieved his body and buried it in a churchyard in Rome.
Another version had St. Valentine jailed for helping Christians. While Valentine was in prison he cured a jailer's daughter of blindness. Claudius became enraged and had Valentine clubbed and beheaded on February 14, 269 A.D.
Once again, retailers love to keep these things going because it makes billions!!! - 7
HALLOWEEN. This holiday has become as commercialized more than any other. Candy manufactures sell 75% of their annual allotment in one month, October. Once again, old traditions kept alive because it makes money. In actuality, the things we do on Halloween (costumes, apple bobbing, etc.) are a melding of several different traditions, mostly Celtic. One American company back in the early 1900's is single handedly responsible for Halloween as we know it today. They came out with a catalog that had pre-manufactured kids' costumes and it was a big hit. The rest is history. The reason bats and black cats are popular is little known. The Celtics would have big bon fires to scare away the evil spirits. Bats would come out and eat the insects that were attracted to the light. Cats would come out to eat the bats that accidentally crashed to the ground. - 8
DRACULA WAS A REAL PERSON. Very few people know that Count Dracula (the order of the Dracul, son of the dragon) was a real person. His name was Vlad the Impaler. He was properly named "The Impaler" because he impaled his defeated victims on spikes and then drank their blood. He lived in the Transylvania area and his ruined castle still stands to this day. Don't believe it, just look it up. There's plenty of support from scholars and historians. Bram Stoker got his story for Dracula directly from Vlad the Impaler. Literally, hundreds of movies have been done on Dracula. In fact, more movies than any other in history. The ONLY VERSION that's actually true to the book is the one done by Francis Ford Coppola in 1992. (Click the image of Vlad Dracula to enlarge)
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