Why are stop signs red?
While the color yellow is the most visible color in the color spectrum, the color red is the most exciting. The color red elevates the blood pressure, increases a person’s pulse rate, and heightens the nervous system and tension. This makes the color red the most likely to attract human attention, which is what a person would want in a stop sign.
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We have a lot of people reading this blog on their Kindle’s, and I am going to set this message up to send out approximately once a month: if you’ve seen it before and know what I’m talking about, or if you’re just plain ‘ole tired of seeing it don’t worry – I’ll be back with a new post soon.
There seems to be a slight Kindle problem for a lot of folks – that is, what do you need to do if (a) this or any other blog all of a sudden stops updating each day on the Kindle, and (b) you can see it in the to be downloaded list of the “Manage Your Kindle” section of the Amazon website.
You will need to write this down, or try to memorize it, because if it happens to you I’m willing to bet you won’t remember unless you’ve reset your Kindle a few times!
If you would like to print this out, click here to read a post from the Free Kindle Books Plus a Few Other Tips blog on how to capture screen shots on your Kindle.
If this happens to you, you will need to reboot your Kindle. Here is how you do it:
Once you do that, it will take about 1-2 minutes to reboot. Make sure your wireless is on, and the Kindle will go look in the Amazon store to see what is pending to be downloaded and viola! You should be back in business. If you ever need to restart your Kindle, I hope this helps!
Want to have this blog sent wirelessly to your Kindle vs. reading it on your computer? Click Here for the Trivia of the Day
Don’t have a Kindle? Click Here to learn more!
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Thomas Paine, the author of “Commen Sense” and the creator of the name “United States of America” died in obscurity on June 8, 1809. Six people went to his funeral.
The geographical center of Ohio is Delaware – a town 25 miles northeast of Columbus.
When Joseph Gayetty invented toilet paper in 1857, he had his name printed on each sheet.
The average caterpillar has sixteen legs.
Before 1814, Congressmen in the US House of Representatives were paid six dollars per diem when they were in session. They weren’t paid on those other days.
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Why is the governmental process sometimes referred to as “red tape?”
The term “red tape” was made famous in the 1900’s by a fellow named Thomas Carlyle, who charged the English government with “red tapism.”
He referred to the government’s practice at the time of binding official papers in red ribbon. As matter going through the government had a habit of slowing down by the tying and untying of stacks of these bound documents, the process became known as “going through the red tape.”
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Each time you laugh you burn up, on average, 3.5 calories.
Rats can not vomit. I know, it’s weird stuff, but I’ll be willing to bet most of you will remember this fact for the rest of your life.
There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
When asked to name a color, 60% of any sample will name the color “red.”
In 1915, a telephone call from New York to San Francisco cost $20.70 for the first three minutes.
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Why are stuffed eggs called “deviled eggs?”
That’s an easy one: when stuffed eggs were first introduced, they were covered with pepper so hot that one bite borught to mind the fires of hell (if not a few tears in your eyes, as well).
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Why do barber shops have a red and white pole as their symbol?
As late as the 1700’s, barbers served not only as giving haircuts and shaves (and they certainly don’t give shaves these days) but also pulled teeth, performed minor surgery, and performed bloodletting. During the bloodletting, patients were instructed to hold on to a pole in such a way as to cause the veins in their arms to swell and the blood to flow freely. This pole was typically painted red in order to hide the blood spatters, and when not in use, it was left outside to air out.
Around the pole white bandages were usually wrapped around it which were used to allegedly put out air. This red and white combination soon came to symbolize barber shops. After barbers no longer performed bloodletting, someone got the bright idea of using painted red and white poles as the barber’s symbol. The color blue was added to poles in America around 1900, more likely than not to match the colors of the flag.
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Why is doing something thoroughly or all the way called “going whole hog?”
A definition of “hog” is a young sheep not yet shorn. Many moons ago (that means a long time ago), many farmers chose not to shear their hogs completely because the fleece was very short and difficult to get to. Other farmers, thinking differently, chose to “go whole hog” and shar the entire sheep. According to many popular theories, this is where we got the expression.
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Where did the phrase “Peeping Tom” come from?
Before Lady Godiva made her infamous ride through the streets of Coventry, England, she issued an order that all of the townspeople remain indoors and keep their shutters closed during her ride. Everyone complied with this request except for Tom, the tailor. Mr. Tom bored a small hole through his shutter so he could take a peek; ever since that day has been known as Peeping Tom of Coventry.
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Why are playing cards made up of hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds?
Although playing cards were invented in China centuries ago, in their present form they only go back to 14th century France. It has been speculated the four standard suits represent the four major classes of 14th century French society.
Hearts, shaped like a shield, represented the nobility and the church. Spades, shaped like a spear tip, represented the military. Clubs, shaped like a clover, represented the rural peasant. Diamonds, shaped like the tiles associated with merchants’ shops, represented the middle class.
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Trivia of the Day 