Total Trivia

[water_side]

Disconcertingly viscous?

 

[fire_breeze]

Camels feel by far the presence of a fountain or river. They never forget the place where they have found water.

 

[NymphGoddess]

Disconcertingly viscous?

yep...about the consistency of maple syrup

 

[desideratum]

The colours pink & blue for different genders began in the 1920's Funnily enough it was originally pink for boys and blue for girls -- right up until the 1940's when it was inverted. Pink is derivative of red so it was deemed more masculine whilst blue was considered a more dainty & delicate colour.

 

[water_side]

Wow, really? I have to admit that was a complete guess! I will never look at a camel in the same way again. (not that I spend a lot of time looking at camels)

 

[NymphGoddess]

Wow, really? I have to admit that was a complete guess! I will never look at a camel in the same way again. (not that I spend a lot of time looking at camels)

give yourself a brownie button

 

[fire_breeze]

Most of us heard the rhythm :

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And all things nice,
That's what little girls are made of.

But what are the origins?

The rhyme is part of a larger work called "What Folks Are Made Of" or "What All the World Is Made Of", published in England around 1820 by Burton Stevenson. Other stanzas describe what babies, young men, young women, sailors, soldiers, nurses, fathers, mothers, old men, old women, and all folks are made of. The work was attributed to the English poet Robert Southey (1774-1843), but is not mentioned elsewhere in his works or papers. The relevant section in the original versions was:

What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice, and everything nice,
That's what little girls are made of.

 

[NymphGoddess]

Most of us heard the rhythm :

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And all things nice,
That's what little girls are made of.

But what are the origins?

The rhyme is part of a larger work called "What Folks Are Made Of" or "What All the World Is Made Of", published in England around 1820 by Burton Stevenson. Other stanzas describe what babies, young men, young women, sailors, soldiers, nurses, fathers, mothers, old men, old women, and all folks are made of. The work was attributed to the English poet Robert Southey (1774-1843), but is not mentioned elsewhere in his works or papers. The relevant section in the original versions was:

What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice, and everything nice,
That's what little girls are made of.

wow, that was remote....

my mum has a complete OED

 

[desideratum]

Most of us heard the rhythm :

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And all things nice,
That's what little girls are made of.

But what are the origins?

The rhyme is part of a larger work called "What Folks Are Made Of" or "What All the World Is Made Of", published in England around 1820 by Burton Stevenson. Other stanzas describe what babies, young men, young women, sailors, soldiers, nurses, fathers, mothers, old men, old women, and all folks are made of. The work was attributed to the English poet Robert Southey (1774-1843), but is not mentioned elsewhere in his works or papers. The relevant section in the original versions was:

What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice, and everything nice,
That's what little girls are made of.

ohh, I love that! I'm going to go hunt that poem btw - thankyou!

 

[water_side]

Not too sure what a brownie button is, but I'll do my best!

 

[water_side]

In recent times (post WW2), the lines of the nursery rhyme 'Ring a-ring of roses' have been believed to represent the symptoms of Bubonic Plague, but there is no real evidence to support this theory.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The roots of the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill are in France.
Jack and Jill referred to are said to be King Louis XVI - Jack -who was beheaded (lost his crown) followed by his Queen Marie Antoinette - Jill - (who came tumbling after). The words and lyrics to the Jack and Jill poem were made more acceptable as a story for children by providing a happy ending!
The actual beheadings occurred during the Reign of Terror in 1793. The first publication date for the lyrics of Jack and Jill rhyme is 1795 - which ties-in with the history and origins.

 

[MSH2]

In recent times (post WW2), the lines of the nursery rhyme 'Ring a-ring of roses' have been believed to represent the symptoms of Bubonic Plague, but there is no real evidence to support this theory.

On the contrary. The line about sneezing refers to one of the first symptoms of the disease. And we all fall down is the last symptom, usually. And the roses were used commonly at the time to mask bad smells. Incidentally the custom of saying "Bless you," After someone sneezes dates back to the same era and for the same reasons. Sneezing is an early symptom of the black death, and it was a genuine blessing in case the person was in fact carrying, and had a very very small chance of survival. It is generally assumed that the black death is destroyed. but it isnt the case. It is vastly reduced however, and the vast ajority of people are immune to the virus in the same way as we're immune to things like smallpox

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Humpty Dumpty was in fact believed to be a large cannon! It was used during the English Civil War ( 1642 - 1649) in the Siege of Colchester (13 Jun 1648 - 27 Aug 1648). Colchester was strongly fortified by the Royalists and was laid to siege by the Parliamentarians (Roundheads). In 1648 the town of Colchester was a walled town with a castle and several churches and was protected by the city wall. Standing immediately adjacent the city wall, was St Mary's Church. A huge cannon, colloquially called Humpty Dumpty, was strategically placed on the wall next to St Mary's Church. The historical events detailing the siege of Colchester are well documented - references to the cannon ( Humpty Dumpty) are as follows:

* June 15th 1648 - St Mary's Church is fortified and a large cannon is placed on the roof which was fired by ‘One-Eyed Jack Thompson'
* July 14th / July 15th 1648 - The Royalist fort within the walls at St Mary's church is blown to pieces and their main cannon battery ( Humpty Dumpty) is destroyed.
* August 28th 1648 - The Royalists lay down their arms, open the gates of Colchester and surrender to the Parliamentarians

A shot from a Parliamentary cannon succeeded in damaging the wall beneath Humpty Dumpty which caused the cannon to tumble to the ground. The Royalists, or Cavaliers, 'all the King's men' attempted to raise Humpty Dumpty on to another part of the wall. However, because the cannon , or Humpty Dumpty, was so heavy ' All the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again!' This had a drastic consequence for the Royalists as the strategically important town of Colchester fell to the Parliamentarians after a siege lasting eleven weeks. Earliest traceable publication 1810.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

On the contrary. The line about sneezing refers to one of the first symptoms of the disease. And we all fall down is the last symptom, usually. And the roses were used commonly at the time to mask bad smells. Incidentally the custom of saying "Bless you," After someone sneezes dates back to the same era and for the same reasons. Sneezing is an early symptom of the black death, and it was a genuine blessing in case the person was in fact carrying, and had a very very small chance of survival. It is generally assumed that the black death is destroyed. but it isnt the case. It is vastly reduced however, and the vast ajority of people are immune to the virus in the same way as we're immune to things like smallpox

Those with more knowledge of etymology will shake their heads sagely and explain that the plague theory is a well-known falsehood. The idea is usually dismissed for these reasons:

1. The first appearance of the rhyme in print is in Kate Greenaway's Mother Goose, which wasn't published until 1881, suggesting that the rhyme originated far too late for the Great Plague to have been the origin:

Ring-a-ring-a-roses,
A pocket full of posies;
Hush! hush! hush! hush!
We're all tumbled down.

2. The 'atishoo, atishoo, all fall down' lyric isn't present in many of the the numerous versions and neither soreness about the mouth nor sneezing tally with the actual symptoms of people suffering from bubonic plague.

3. The noted folklorists of childhood Iona and Peter Opie have reported that the plague theory didn't appear until the 1950s. If the theory were true then we would expect to see it in circulation much sooner than that.


William Wells Newell, the author of Games and Songs of American Children, 1884, wrote that Ring a Ring a Rosie, with the familiar tune, was in use by children in Bedford, Massachusetts, circa 1790. The version he recorded was:

Ring a ring a rosie
A bottle full of posie,
All the girls in our town,
Ring for little Josie

Newell was a respected folklorist but, unfortunately, he didn't supply documentary evidence for his assertion.

 

[water_side]

In the early 1970's, the heavy rock band Deep Purple endorsed a swirly wallpaper design that was named after them.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Dr, John Gorrie of Appalachicola, Florida, invented mechanical refrigeration in 1851. He patented his device on May 6, 1851. There is a statue which honors this "Father of Modern Day Air Conditioning" in the Statuary Hall of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Javelinas are very noisy animals among each other and squeal, snort, woof, and click their teeth to communicate.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

A stack of $1 dollar bills one-mile high would be worth more than $14 million dollars.

 

[MSH2]

Anoyed with an overly lengthy discussion on the cover art for the Bon Jovi album SLippery when wet, Jon Bon Jovi went down to the kitchen and putting a black bin bag on the floor, sprayed it with a water sprayer and then wrote the words in it. A photographer snapped it and the over art was at last decided.

 

[call_me_Melody]

In New York State a fine of $25 can be levied for flirting.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

In New York State a fine of $25 can be levied for flirting.

LOL! I would be bankrupt!

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

In the vegetable realm, only asparagus and rhubarb can reproduce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year.

 

[desideratum]

I love all those Nursery rhyme facts!

In New York State a fine of $25 can be levied for flirting.

heyyy? lol

mine;
Your brain takes up only 2% of your total body weight, but it uses more than 20% of the energy produced by your body.

Oxygen is the fuel of your brain. The first step to keeping your brain in good condition is to make sure to always monitor your breathing (don't I know that! *deep breaths* lol) By breathing deeply and calmly you supply, through your blood, a rush of oxygen to your brain. Its precisely the blood supply to the brain that allows you to maximise your brains resources.

Snacks for the brain
If you experience hunger pangs during the day, stay away from snacks like chocolate bars. Instead, consume protein-rich foods such as a hard-boiled egg. When you consume proteins on an empty stomach, you quickly increase the effect of your neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and acetylcholine. These chemicals in your body promote better transmission between the neurons.

Still love chocolate though *sighhh* dammit

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

I love all those Nursery rhyme facts!


mine;
Your brain takes up only 2% of your total body weight, but it uses more than 20% of the energy produced by your body.

Oxygen is the fuel of your brain. The first step to keeping your brain in good condition is to make sure to always monitor your breathing (don't I know that! *deep breaths* lol) By breathing deeply and calmly you supply, through your blood, a rush of oxygen to your brain. Its precisely the blood supply to the brain that allows you to maximise your brains resources.

Snacks for the brain
If you experience hunger pangs during the day, stay away from snacks like chocolate bars. Instead, consume protein-rich foods such as a hard-boiled egg. When you consume proteins on an empty stomach, you quickly increase the effect of your neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and acetylcholine. These chemicals in your body promote better transmission between the neurons.

Still love chocolate though *sighhh* dammit

What? No chocolate!