-
Gold Records: Marking a Milestone
On this date in 1942, the first gold record was awarded to Glenn Miller and his Orchestra. Here are some things you may not have known about certification of record sales. The record given to Miller was from his record company, RCA Victor, to celebrate the sales of 1.2 million copies of the single “Chattanooga…
-
Daylight Saving Time
On this date in 1942, year-round Daylight Saving Time was reinstated in the United States during World War II. Here are some things you may not have known about Daylight saving time. It was not originally proposed by Benjamin Franklin. Despite his enthusiasm for working in the early morning, most of the world did not…
-
NASDAQ: Taking Stock of its History
On this date in 1971, trading began on the NASDAQ stock market. Here are some things you may not have known about what is now the second-largest stock exchange in the world. Originally, NASDAQ was an acronym that stood for “National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations.” It was the first electronic stock market, but…
-
Bananas: America’s Second Most Popular Fruit
Apropos of nothing, we’re going bananas today. Here are some things you may not have known about the second most popular fresh fruit in America. Bananas are technically berries which grow on large herbaceous plants, not trees. Herbs differ from trees in that they have no persistent woody stem above ground. The species of banana…
-
Queen Elizabeth II: Reigning for 65 Years
On this date in 1952, Elizabeth II became queen regnant of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms when her father, George VI, died. Here are some things you may not have known about Queen Elizabeth II. She was born by cesarean section on April 21, 1926, at her maternal grandfather’s home in Mayfair, London.…
-
Wedding Rings: A Long History
Today is unofficially National Wedding Ring Day in the United States. Here are some things you may not have known about wedding rings. Experts believe the tradition of exchanging rings during a wedding dates back to ancient Egypt. Evidence shows braided rings of hemp and reeds were exchanged by marrying couples. Ancient Egyptians saw…
-
Groundhog Day: A Repeat of History Repeating
Yes. This is a re-run of last year’s episode. It seemed appropriate. Enjoy, we’ll be back on Friday.
-
Oxford English Dictionary
Today is the 133rd anniversary of the publication of the first volume of the Oxford English Dictionary. Here are some things you may not have known about the dictionary. It’s a descriptive dictionary, meaning it describes word usage and variations. Descriptivism is the opposite of prescriptivism, which aims to establish a standard of usage. The…