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Wonder Why!

Wonder Why! Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notches, while pennies and nickels do not.

The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals.

Dimes, quarters and halfdollars are notched because they used to contain silver.

Pennies and nickels aren't notched because the metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave.

Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have buttons on the left?

When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich.

Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right.

Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left.

And that's where women's buttons have remained since.

Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?

In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X.

Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document.

The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.

Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called "passing the buck"?

In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal.

If a player did not wish to assume the responsibility, he would "pass the buck" to the next player.

Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?

It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink.

To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host.

Both men would drink it simultaneously.

When a guest trusted his host, he would then touch -- or clink -- the host's glass with his own.

Why are people in the public eye said to be "in the limelight"?

Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and stage lighting by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light.

In the theater, performers on stage "in the limelight" were seen by the audience to be the center of attention.

Why do ships and aircraft in trouble use "mayday" as their call for help?

This comes from the French word m'aidez -- meaning "help me" --and is pronounced "mayday."

Why is someone who is feeling great "on cloud nine"?

Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.

Why are Zero scores in tennis called "love"?

In France, where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on scoreboard looked like an egg and was called l'oeuf, which is French for "egg." When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans pronounced it "love."

Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?

Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense, orange clay called pygg.

When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as "pygg banks."

When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig. And it caught on.

When Mary, later Queen of Scots, went to France as a young girl (for education & survival), Louis, King of France, learned that she loved the Scot game golf.

So he had the first golf course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment.

To make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played Louis hired cadets from a military school to accompany her.

Mary liked this a lot and when she returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run) she took the practice with her.

In French the word cadet is pronounced 'ca-day' & the Scots changed it into caddie.

What a Difference a Century Makes...

In the summer of 1900...

The average life expectancy in the United States was 47.

Only 14% of the homes in the United States had a bathtub.

Only 8% of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11.

There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.

With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populated state in the Union.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

More than 95% of all births in the United States took place at home.

90% of all US physicians had no college education.

Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were 14 cents a dozen.

Coffee cost 15 cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

The five leading causes of death in the US were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza

2. TB

3. Diarrhea

4. Heart disease

5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30.

The remote desert community was inhabited by only a handful of ranchers and their families.

Plutonium, insulin, and antibiotics hadn't been discovered yet.

Scotch tape, crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

One in 10 US adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores.

According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."