Chewing on The Bark of White Willow Tree Alleviates Fever and Pain

Text Version: Before aspirin was introduced, people would chew on the bark of the white willow tree to reduce fever and inflammation. White willow contains salicin, a chemical similar to acetylsalicylic acid  found in today’s aspirin. In fact, in the early 1800s salicin was used to make Aspirin. The tree has anti-inflammatory effects and although it may be slower acting, the effects […]

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Cheerleading Started As An All-Male Activity

  Text Version: Organized cheerleading started as an all-male activity. On the 2nd of November 1898, student Johnny Campbell of the University of Minnesota, directed a crowd at a football game into cheering “Rah, Rah, Rah! Ski-u-mah, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!”, making Campbell the very first cheerleader. From then, the University of Minnesota organized a “yell leader” squad […]

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“Ye” in Names Like “Ye Olde Coffee Shoppe” Should Be Pronounced “The”, Not “Yee”

Today I found out the “ye” as in “Ye Olde Coffee Shoppe” should be pronounced “the”. The “Ye” here is not the “ye” as in “Judge not, that ye (you) be not judged”, but is rather a remnant of the letter “thorn” or “þorn” (Þ, þ).  The letter thorn was used in Old Norse, Old English-Middle English, Gothic, and Icelandic […]

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Listerine Popularized the Phrase “Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride”

Text Version: The phrase “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” first originated in a music tune by Fred W. Leigh which had a line in it stating, “Why Am I Always A Bridesmaid?”. However, the mouthwash brand Listerine is responsible for the phrase’s widespread popularity. In 1924, Listerine launched a series of advertisements with slogan “Often a bridesmaid, never a […]

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