Monday, September 25, 2006

You don't say...

Do you ever find yourself wondering how something began? Me neither, nevertheless, today we take a look at the little known origins of some familiar things…


Acupuncture: was accidentally discovered about the year 2800 BC, by a sadistic tailor by the name of Huang, who used his wife as a human pincushion. It is said that he died from disappointment when he realized that this had only made her healthier, and she went on to live another twenty years with the tailor’s handsome young apprentice.


Chewing gum: was invented and promoted by the European aristocracy as a way of placating hungry peasants by giving them something to chew on, thus creating the illusion that they’d actually eaten. The plan seemed to be working until the King of France decided for some reason that all the gum in his country would be sugarless. This of course, enraged the peasants and led to the French Revolution.


Tattoos: tattooing was first practiced during the Stone Age by cannibals in the Amazon, not on themselves, but on their victims and usually indicated whether that person was to be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Some anthropologists believe that the fat ones may also have been tattooed with a “high calorie” warning, but this is mere speculation.


Hypnotism: the first person to be credited with possessing the power to hypnotize people was the ancient Greek mathematician Theoplopolese. A man said to be so mind numbingly dull that just being in the room with him was enough to induce a trance. Although every student at the University of Athens was required to take his class, not one could actually remember it or explain why they would start to cluck like a chicken when anyone snapped their fingers.


So the next time you’re at a social gathering that’s getting a little dull, just whip out a couple of these fascinating tidbits…you should make quite an impression.

5 comments:

Dan said...

The next time I'm at a social gathering that’s getting a little dull, suppose that instead of whipping out a couple of these fascinating tidbits, I start clucking like a chicken.

Then what?

Anonymous said...

Fascinating indeed! And quite plausible to boot.

Raymond Betancourt said...

Dan- If that happens just make sure you avoid anyone who looks like Colonel Sanders.

Joel- Thanks,I do believe the line between fact and fiction is getting hazier all the time...at least it is inside my head.

Anonymous said...

hazy lines in your head, TDB? probably nothing a little Zoloft or a frontal lobotomy couldn't fix.

i laughed out loud on the chewing gum origins... so hard i actually spit my gum onto the computer screen. not a pretty site, but then, neither was the French Revolution, eh? xox

Raymond Betancourt said...

Your quite right Neva, the past was often unsightly...not to mention malodorous, but that's another story.