This belief dates back to ancient Egypt, where, as in many cultures, the triangle was considered a sacred symbol.
A ladder leaning against a wall forms a triangle and to walk underneath it is to defile a sacred space.
Of course, it’s also good to avoid walking under ladders for a practical reason–you could knock them over.
Ever notice that sometimes (in spite of Webster) that the “-tre” version of theater is still used in this country? When referring to the art or live performances it’s usually “theatre”, whereas the building structure is a “theater.”
- Ginger
Here is the one fact I want to share with all of you out there. Two days ago I came to know the actual meaning of “Bless You” when someone sneezes. However, in India, it’s a whole different story. As of Indian traditions, if one sneezes it means someone is missing him or her. It’s a very common sign of being missed by your loved ones.
- MONA
Colonel Massey, who successfully held Gloucester for the parliamentarians for virtually the whole of the English Civil War was probably the modern world’s first true Mercenary. By inclination he was actually a Royalist but had been a professional fighter all his life. So he went to the King and offered to lead his troops and indicated that he expected to be paid. The king refused. So Massey went to parliament and made the same offer. They agreed immediately and Massey held Gloucester against everything the King’s troops could throw against him. One wonders - as one often does in similar circumstances - would there ever have been a Regicide and subsequent Commonwealth if King Charles I had accepted Massey’s offer.
- Brian T.
Ever wondered why Americans spell ‘centre’- center or ‘theatre’- theater?
This was due to an American named Noah Webster, who in 1783 compiled a dictionary with revolutionary changes in English language spellings. He was the one who created words like ‘barbecue’ and omitted ‘u’ from ‘dialog’, and ‘honor’ etc. It’s known as ‘Webster’s Dictionary’ and is still very popular.
- S.Yunus
I’ve always enjoyed telling my overstuffed friends that pigs stop eating when they get full.
Now you could say - I ate like a horse!
A horse will not stop eating. It will actually eat itself to death.
- Woody H.
No doubt you have had many responses on this one but just in case, Tasmania is an island but (probably contrary to the wishes of some Tasmanians) also a state of Australia.
- Michelle A
While it was once thought that virtually all of the pelagic fish (which would include sharks and tuna) never rested; this belief is being shaken. On one side, sleeping sharks, first discovered in the famous sleeping shark caves near the coast of Isla Mujeres and since observed throughout the region proved that at least some species of sharks “slept”. On the other, there are new theories that the large warm-bodied fish (still including sharks and tuna) went into a stupor/sleep state at regular intervals, but still kept swimming slowly as an unconscious movement (the same way humans breath, roll over, cough, etc. in their sleep). It doesn’t help that sharks don’t have eye-lids, so it’s really hard to tell if they’re awake or not.
- Phill G.
Actually, there are several species of shark that do “sleep”. And several species of shark that do rest on the floor of the ocean.
- Andrew K.
Well this fear goes back to Middle Ages,when the world believed in witches and demons.
Many women who were thought be witches kept black cats as their pets. And since people believe that a witch could change into her cat whenever she wanted to.
So they assumed that a black cat was actually a witch in disguise and it’s a bad omen if a black cat crosses their path.
This belief is popular since then.
During the English Civil War the City of Gloucester was being held by one Colonel Massey for the parliamentarians, and they were about to be besieged by the King’s army, approaching from the West.
Now in those days Gloucester was a walled city and bordered on the west by the River Severn, (Great Britain’s longest river) and the King’s army had built two siege towers called - you guessed it - Humpty and Dumpty, which were duly wheeled into the Severn and pushed against the walls of Gloucester.
What the attacking army had forgotten was the Severn Bore, a great tidal wave that rushes UP the Severn. Along came the bore and duly crashed into Humpty and Dumpty, knocking them down and smashing them. Hence the nursery rhyme:
Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall,
All the King’s horses,
And all the King’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
- Brian T.