History
The Curious Beginnings of Our Everyday Customs
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You cross your fingers for good luck or to excuse yourself from lying, but do you ever wonder how customs like that originated?
The History of Ordinary Things: Cracker Jack
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- Written by Doris Montag Doris Montag
Cracker Jack is an American brand of snack consisting of molasses-flavored, caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts, well known for being packaged with a prize of trivial value. Some food historians consider it the first junk food!
Fodder for Mother’s Day Chats
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If you’re trying to make conversation at your Mother’s Day dinner (or Zoom celebration) this year, try sprinkling some of these facts into the discussion:
Sixties Flashback: Ben and Fillmore: Two ‘Hippie Bus’ Dudes
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- Written by Randal C. Hill Randal C. Hill
In 1949, Dutch businessman Ben Pon became responsible for putting the first Volkswagen Beetle on America’s roads.
Most Stressful Year Ever? 2020 Ranks High; 1862 Highest
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The year that just ended may have been the most traumatic that most of us can remember, but it is not the most stressful year ever, according to an international panel of historians asked to judge the matter.
‘Whence Proceeds the Custom of Making April Fools?’
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The April Fools’ Day tradition has been around since at least the 15th century (with a possible reference to it appearing in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales), and the question of how it began has been asked almost as long.
Inventive Women from History
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Some of the most common things we use every day were invented by creative women.
From Hare to Eternity: Origins of the Easter Bunny
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Next to Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny is probably the most beloved bringer of gifts to small children.
