By Janet Spencer Most Christmas customs germinated from traditions connected to or borrowed from other festivals and celebrations, while others were made up on the spot. Here are the stories behind several somewhat perplexing Christmas habits. CHRISTMAS CONFUSION Why the heck is it abbreviated as “Xmas”? • The symbol ‘X’ comes from the Greek letter Chi, the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet, which represents the hard “ch” sound as in “mach.” Chi is the first letter of the Greek word “Christós” meaning “anointed in oil” or “the anointed one,” a translation of the Hebrew term “messiah.” This word morphed […]
November 2023
William Morton – PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING –
– PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING – • Throughout most of human history, surgical procedures were performed only at the cost of incredible pain. It was only in 1846 that effective anesthesia came into use. Until then pain relief was chancy at best, and it came in shots of whiskey or doses of opium or drafts of wine laced with hemp seed. Sometimes partial unconsciousness was attained through hypnotism, or by inhaling either carbon dioxide or nitrous gas. All these means were inadequate, though, and the terror that surgical patients faced was stark. • William Morton’s quest for an […]
Mount Everest
• At 29,035 feet (8,850 m), Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth. Located between Nepal and Tibet in the Himalayan Mountains, the mountain’s Tibetan name is Qomolangma, which means “Mother Goddess of the World.” The Nepalis refer to Everest as Sagarmatha or Deodungha, which translates “Holy Mountain.” The Sherpa people regard Everest as sacred, and in ancient times, believed that gods and demons resided within its peaks. • Although Everest is the highest point on Earth, technically speaking, it’s not the tallest. Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, is about 33,500 feet (10,211 m) tall, measuring from the bottom […]
Tenzing Norgay – PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING –
– PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING – Although his name might not be familiar, the accomplishments of Tenzing Norgay are well known. This week, Tidbits offers the story of this Sherpa mountaineer who was one of the first two documented people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. • Norgay was born in northeastern Nepal, the son of a Tibetan yak herder. Although he started life with the name of Namgyal Wangdi, the founder of a nearby monastery advised his parents to change the name to Tenzing Norgay which translates as “wealthy, fortunate follower of religion” He ran away from home twice […]
TIDBITS® Climbs to some high altitudes
by Kathy Wolfe This week, Tidbits is scaling the heights, bringing facts about high altitude. • Millions of humans live at high altitudes around the world. It’s estimated that 14.4 million people live at greater than 11,500 feet (3,500 m), about 0.19% of the world’s population. About 6.4 million live at altitudes greater than 13,125 feet (4,000 m), 0.084% of the total population. Another 2 million, 0.027% of the population, live above 14,750 feet (4,500 m), with another third of a million at home above 16,400 feet (5,000 m). • Those brave souls who want to conquer the world’s […]
SARDONYX: A Gem
• Sardonyx was the original but unofficial birthstone for August, dating back centuries. When the American Gem Trade Association and Jewelers of America standardized monthly birthstones in 1912, peridot was added as a second August birthstone. Spinel was added as a third August birthstone in 2016 in an effort to modernize and update the birthstone list. • June and December are the only other months with three birthstones, but various other months have two: the traditional, and the modern. • Chalcedony [“cal-SAID-any”] is another type of silica, classified as a “microcrystillane form” of silica because the crystals are too […]
TIDBITS® Eats Thanksgiving Dinner
by Janet Spencer Come along with Tidbits as we eat Thanksgiving dinner! THANKSGIVING FACTS • Historians don’t know much about the first Thanksgiving dinner, held in Massachusetts in 1621 and shared by the Plymouth Colony pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe. The only surviving account of that auspicious day, written by English settler Edward Winslow, describes a week-long harvest celebration. He doesn’t specify the date, which was likely in mid-October. Winslow never mentioned the word “Thanksgiving” or listed what was served. • About 90 Wampanoag men, 50 Pilgrim men, and 4 or 5 Pilgrim women attended the feast. By that time, […]
Sarah Josepha Hale – PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING –
– PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING – • How many people recognize the name Sarah Josepha Hale? Only a few. How many are familiar with “Godey’s Lady’s Book?” Nearly none. How many realize that Thanksgiving is a national holiday? Nearly all. • A common thread ties together those three questions: it was Sarah Josepha Hale, longtime editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, who by 1863 had almost single-handedly convinced President Lincoln to proclaim Thanksgiving as a nationwide observance. • Born in New Hampshire in 1788, Sarah was schooled at her mother’s knee. In 1813, she married David Hale. The […]
iPHONES
You might take your iPhone for granted, or maybe you can’t live without it. But how much do you know about its development and introduction? This week, Tidbits dials up some facts about this revolutionary invention. • Apple started working on its secret project, the iPhone, in 2005 under the code name “Project Purple 2.” Only a very limited number of engineers and employees were privy to the confidential venture. A touchscreen smartphone had been in their minds long before. • Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone to the world in San Francisco on January 9, 2007 […]
TIDBITS® Is…in the pink
by Kathy Wolfe Tidbits is tickled pink to bring you these facts about one of our favorite colors. • Pink is a secondary color, meaning that it’s made by mixing two colors together, (in this case, red and white), as opposed to primary colors, which cannot be created by mixing other colors. There are hundreds of shades of pink, including rose, fuchsia, salmon, hot pink, coral, carnation, bubble gum, and amaranth. • A Greek botanist created the word in the late 17th century, naming it after the ruffle-edged carnations of the genus Dianthus, flowers known as “pinks.” […]
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