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In the year 1582, October 4 was followed directly by October 15.

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October 15th date
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Author Michael Nordine

February 14, 2024

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If you’ve ever had trouble understanding the phrase “time doesn’t exist; clocks exist,” consider this example of time as a construct: In 1582, the day after October 4 was October 15. This curious leap occurred when the Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian calendar at the behest of Pope Gregory XIII, who felt the need to do something about the latter’s inaccuracy. Under the Julian calendar, a solar year was measured as exactly 365.25 days — a slight overestimate that, over the 1,600 years it was used throughout the Christian world, led to a discrepancy of several days.

As far as the Catholic Church was concerned, this was a problem not only for accuracy’s sake but also because it led to confusion over when Easter should be celebrated. The Council of Nicaea decreed in 325 CE that the holiday should be observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, but calendar drift created a discrepancy between when the equinox actually took place and when the calendar said it did. Hence the jump in time. The decision to solve the issue by reforming the calendar came during the Council of Trent, a conference held by Catholic clergy between 1562 and 1563 in response to the Reformation. Pope Gregory chose October as the time to “lose” 10 days because there were no major Christian holidays during that period.

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One time it took nearly three years to elect a new pope.

Papal conclaves are serious business, in which the College of Cardinals convenes to name a new leader of the Catholic Church whenever the need arises. It now usually takes about a month for white smoke (fumata bianca) to emerge from the Sistine Chapel, signifying that a new pope has been chosen. But the pre-conclave process took much longer — one time, it took almost three years. That particular election took place in Viterbo, Italy (at the time, elections were held wherever the pope being replaced had died), between 1268 and 1271, more than 200 years before the Sistine Chapel was even built. The cardinals just couldn’t decide on a successor to Pope Clement IV. They eventually picked Gregory X, but not before the townspeople got so angry and impatient, they tore the roof off the building the cardinals were staying in. Determined not to have that happen again, Pope Gregory established the conclave system still in use today.

George Washington opened a whiskey distillery after his presidency.

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George Washington whiskey
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Author Bennett Kleinman

February 6, 2024

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Shortly after departing the presidency in March 1797, George Washington set out on an entirely new endeavor. The founding father was encouraged by his farm manager James Anderson to use the vast expanse of the Washington family estate, Mount Vernon, to open a whiskey distillery. Anderson believed that the estate’s extant gristmill and plentiful water supply would make for a thriving operation. Sure enough, the prediction came true, and the distillery blossomed into a highly profitable business venture for Washington.

In October 1797, construction began on a stone house large enough to contain five whiskey stills, and 50 mash tubs were added over the next two years. By 1799, the distillery was producing nearly 11,000 gallons of alcohol annually, valued at $7,500 (roughly $185,000 today). Other Virginia-based distilleries, by comparison, produced an average of around 650 gallons each year. The Mount Vernon distillery was known for its cinnamon whiskies as well as apple and peach brandies, and rather than bottle, brand, or age its whiskey, the distillery quickly delivered its product to local merchants in 30-gallon wooden barrels, which meant a rapid influx of cash. Washington died on December 14, 1799, just as the business reached its apex. The former President’s nephew Lawrence Lewis inherited the operation and ran it until around 1808; six years later, the original distillery burned down in a fire.

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Alcohol was the first domestic product taxed by the new U.S. government.

In 1791, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed taxing domestic-made alcoholic spirits in an attempt to pay off debts incurred during the American Revolution. The resulting tax marked the first time that the U.S. government imposed a levy on domestic goods. Though the tax charged a modest 6 cents per gallon for large producers and 9 cents for smaller operations, it was met with extreme backlash, especially among the small distilleries in Western Pennsylvania. This furor led to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, which saw violence between American citizens and tax collectors. In response, President George Washington assembled a militia to quell what many now consider the first uprising against the U.S. federal government. The militia captured approximately 150 people and tried the group for treason, though those convicted were later pardoned by Washington. The whiskey tax was ultimately repealed in 1802 by President Thomas Jefferson.

The Romans had a version of fast-food restaurants.

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Ancient shop in Pompeii
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Author Rachel Gresh

January 31, 2024

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Recent excavations of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii reveal that some aspects of society haven’t changed much during the last 2,000 years, including our eating habits. The Romans also had what were essentially fast-food restaurants. Known as thermopolia (or singularly as a thermopolium), these establishments sold a variety of ready-to-eat hot food. They were essential to daily life in ancient Rome, because not all citizens had kitchens. In the region around Pompeii, only around 40% of low-income households and 66% of middle-class households had a kitchen at home. Those who didn’t typically lived in insulae (apartment buildings) and relied on thermopolia for many of their meals.

Thermopolia were low-cost food joints, offering a selection of meats (such as chicken, pork, duck, goat, and snails), cheeses, fish, bread, and legumes, washed down with calida (a type of mulled wine) — there were no burgers or fries here. The food was held in dolia (large terracotta pots) on buffet-style counters. The more upscale restaurants had frescoes adorning the walls, depicting food that was eaten there (such as ducks or chickens) or deities (such as Mercury, the god of commerce, and Bacchus, the god of wine). Thermopolia weren’t without controversy, however. Roman Emperor Claudius once tried to have them shut down because of their poor reputation. Criminals, thieves, and other dishonorable members of society often gathered and drank wine at thermopolia, earning the establishments a bad rap.

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Ancient Romans put cabbage juice in their ears for healing purposes.

Cabbage was considered a miracle drug in ancient Rome. Statesman Cato the Elder championed the leafy crop in his work “De Agri Cultura,” in which he wrote extensively about farming, agriculture, and cabbage, proclaiming that its medicinal value “surpasses all other vegetables.” Cato dedicated an entire section to cabbage, and one of his most outlandish claims was that it could reduce hearing loss or treat deafness. He explained, “In case of deafness, macerate cabbage with wine, press out the juice, and instil warm water into the ear, and you will soon know that your hearing is improved.” Although cabbage is rich in vitamins and minerals, it is doubtful that it improved anyone’s hearing. Cato also outlined many other questionable cabbage remedies, asserting that it could heal all sores without pain and cure a swollen spleen, a painful heart, and “all the internal organs which are suffering.”

Canned food was invented for military use, but soldiers had to cut cans open with bayonets.

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Military canned food
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Author Nicole Villeneuve

January 31, 2024

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In the late 18th century, the French army was looking for a way to keep food edible long enough to get it to soldiers on the front lines throughout Europe and beyond. Napoleon’s government offered a payment to whoever could develop a proper food preservation system, and in 1795, Nicolas Appert, a French chef, candymaker, and brewer, began experimenting with different techniques. He eventually discovered that sealing food in airtight containers and then heating them could prevent spoilage. At first, he packed a variety of foods such as soups, fruits, and vegetables into empty champagne bottles, sealed the cork with a mixture made of cheese and lime, and placed the bottles in boiling water. He then moved from bottles to jars and, eventually, also experimented with tin cans.

In 1810, Appert’s method of canning food was officially recognized by the French government; he was awarded the prize money and published his methods in a book called The Art of Preserving Animal and Vegetable Substances for Many Years. The same year, the process for using tin-coated iron cans for preserved food was patented, and by 1813, England was supplying canned food to the Royal Navy. While the problem of properly preserving food was solved, another issue presented itself: opening the cans. Soldiers resorted to using their weapons to get to their food, trying to cut them open with their bayonets or knives. It wasn’t until decades later, in the 1850s, that the can opener was finally invented.

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Canned bread is a New England tradition.

Brown bread is a New England staple widely believed to date back to the colonial era. The regional favorite has some unique traits: It’s steamed, instead of baked, and since the late 1920s, B&M, a company also known for its canned baked beans, has been selling it in cans. The pantry staple consists primarily of rye and wheat flours and cornmeal, and is sweetened with molasses. The round loaf is anything but dry — its texture has been likened to a muffin. Available in plain or raisin flavor, canned brown bread is most commonly served warmed and buttered with baked beans and hot dogs. B&M can still be found in much of New England, and occasionally in other parts of the U.S. — or, like most things, it can also be ordered online.

A con artist ‘sold’ the Eiffel Tower for scrap metal — twice.

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The Eiffel Tower
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Author Bennett Kleinman

January 30, 2024

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Victor Lustig is among the most skilled con artists in history. The notorious scammer even went so far as to convince someone to buy the Eiffel Tower for scrap — not once, but on two separate occasions. Lustig was born in Austria-Hungary in 1890, and spent the first several decades of his life swindling people for modest sums of money. In 1925, he took his conning to a whole new level, as he arrived in Paris with eyes set on the Eiffel Tower. Lustig assumed the identity of a French government official and even created fake stationery with a government emblem. He then invited several scrap metal dealers to the Hôtel de Crillon, where he announced that the Eiffel Tower was too expensive to repair and would instead be sold for scrap to the highest bidder.

Lustig’s story convinced a man named André Poisson to pay 70,000 francs (upwards of $250,000 today) for the scrap. The con artist then fled to Austria with the money, and Poisson was so embarrassed that he never contacted the police. In the ensuing weeks, Lustig kept a close eye on Parisian newspapers and realized that his scheme was never reported, so he decided to attempt the scam once more. While he successfully convinced another buyer to close the deal, suspicions grew and police were finally alerted. By the time law enforcement attempted to capture Lustig, however, he had fled to America, where he continued conning people. He was ultimately captured by U.S. federal officials in 1935, and sentenced to 20 years in Alcatraz prison.

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A con artist made his living by repeatedly selling the Brooklyn Bridge.

Con artist George C. Parker famously claimed to have “sold” the Brooklyn Bridge twice a week for years. Parker began his scheme in the 1880s, preying on naive immigrants seeking investment opportunities. His well-rehearsed spiel claimed the bridge was for sale and that buyers could make a fortune by charging tolls. Parker then negotiated whatever price the mark was willing to pay, with average sales reportedly totaling around $5,000 (roughly $150,000 today). Many victims later attempted to erect a tollbooth, but were always stopped by police and informed they’d been scammed. Parker continued selling off the bridge as well as other notable New York City landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and even Ulysses S. Grant’s tomb. In 1928, he was finally busted once and for all after trying to cash a bad check. 

George Washington had reddish hair.

  • George Washington
George Washington
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Author Bennett Kleinman

January 18, 2024

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Despite all the familiar portraits depicting George Washington with white hair, America’s first President was closer to a natural redhead than many people realize. Though physical evidence is sparse, biographers have noted that the founding father boasted a reddish-brown mane. These darker locks can be seen in portraits of Washington as a young man, including paintings by artists Jean Leon Gerome Ferris and John C. McRae. There’s also a locket at Washington’s Mount Vernon estate containing a lock of reddish hair that was presented to Treasury Secretary Oliver Wolcott Jr. in 1797.

Another misconception about Washington’s hair is that he wore a white wig, which was a common style choice at the time. But Washington was blessed with a full head of hair as he aged, which he powdered to look like the popular wigs of the time (his natural hair color eventually faded from reddish-brown to gray). The white color was favored by military men, and Washington often kept his hair at shoulder length and would tie it behind his head in a ponytail or with a ribbon. He would then fluff out the sides to give the appearance of a wig, and grease the hair with pomade to add firmness to his fluffy curls. Lastly, Washington sprinkled a fine white powder over his scalp for color, and often bunched his ponytail into a silk bag to prevent the powder from dusting onto his back and shoulders. 

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Theodore Roosevelt owned a lock of Abraham Lincoln’s hair.

Theodore Roosevelt felt a lifelong admiration for Abraham Lincoln, a fondness that began when 6-year-old Roosevelt watched Lincoln’s funeral train pass by the window of his family’s New York City apartment on April 25, 1865. During Roosevelt’s own presidency, John Hay, Lincoln’s former private secretary and Roosevelt’s secretary of state, presented Teddy with an unusual gift: a gold ring containing six strands of Lincoln’s hair. (Hay had previously gifted rings containing George Washington’s hair to Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley.) At the time of Lincoln’s death, it was common tradition to remove some hair to be kept as mementos, and Hay acquired some of the late President’s locks for $100 (roughly $2,500 today). Roosevelt was so grateful for the gesture that he proudly wore the ring during his second presidential inauguration in 1905.

George Washington didn’t know that dinosaurs existed.

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Washington with generals
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Author Darren Orf

June 2, 2023

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Did George Washington know about dinosaurs? Most likely, no. Today, the existence of dinosaurs may seem like an immutable fact, but our knowledge of these ancient creatures is a relatively modern development. In fact, the very concept of dinosaurs is so recent that many of the founders of the United States lived most if not all of their lives without knowing that dinos existed. English naturalist Robert Plot described the very first fossilized evidence of dinosaurs, what we now know to be the femur of a megalosaurus, in 1677. But with no concept of dinosaurs in the mid-17th century, Plot theorized that the bone must have belonged to some ancient forgotten race of giant humans. 

It’s likely that George Washington died in 1799 believing that such giant humans existed in the distant past. It wasn’t until the 1820s that geologists began to reexamine this theory and proposed that the mysterious bones belonged to an ancient reptile rather than a mammal. Even then, it took until 1842 for English paleontologist Richard Owen to offer up the word “dinosaur,” based on the Greek words for “terrible lizard,” to describe the ancient beasts (not entirely accurate, but close enough). This etymological creation arrived a full decade after Charles Carroll, the longest-surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, died at the age of 95. The story of the dinosaurs is long and ancient, but our knowledge of them certainly isn’t.  

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The T. rex lived closer to humans than to the stegosaurus.

When placed in context of Earth’s 4.54 billion years of existence, the entirety of recorded history is less than a blink of an eye; even Homo sapiens’ most distant ancestors lived only around 5 million to 7 million years ago. The age of dinosaurs, on the other hand, covers 165 million years, so long that the T. rex — the Cretaceous Period apex predator who went extinct around 65 million years ago ― is chronologically closer to humans than to the stegosaurus, the uniquely plated dino that roamed Earth during the late Jurassic, some 155 million to 145 million years ago. (And don’t even get us started on the chronological distance from the T. rex to the Triassic dinos.) Despite the stark differences between their respective moments in history, humans and dinosaurs still occupy the same 541 million-year-long Phanerozoic Eon, itself only a fraction of Earth’s entire geologic story.

Teddy Roosevelt’s son snuck the family’s first Christmas tree into the White House.

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National Christmas Tree
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Author Anne T. Donahue

December 13, 2023

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In 1901, early on in Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, putting a Christmas tree in the home was still a relatively new trend in the United States — Benjamin Harrison was the first President to put up a tree in the White House only 12 years before, in 1889. Roosevelt had no such plans, but his wishes were thwarted when his 8-year-old son Archie secretly “rigged up” a tree in a large closet with the help of one of the White House carpenters. Archie adorned the tree with lights and presents for his family (and pets), thus beginning a new Roosevelt family tradition.

According to a common myth, President Roosevelt had gone so far as to ban Christmas trees in the White House because he was a staunch conservationist. Some reports at the time claimed Roosevelt was so dedicated to preserving America’s forests, he saw cutting down trees for the holidays as a contributor to deforestation. In 1901, The Baltimore Sun reported what is likely the actual reason that President Roosevelt and his family would not have a Christmas tree: because they’d never had one before. This isn’t altogether surprising: The Christmas tree was a German tradition that was popularized by Queen Victoria and her German husband Prince Albert in 1848. By the early 20th century, the holiday tradition was on the rise, but trimming a tree wasn’t yet a given in the United States.

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Conservationists hoped to replace live Christmas trees with tree-shaped wires.

In 1899, with the Christmas tree trend picking up steam, conservationists pushed President William McKinley to promote artificial trees in lieu of their living counterparts. They proposed substitute trees made of wire, arguing that children could grow up using the same trees for years instead of “stripping” forests for what the Hartford Courant described as an “absurd fad.” That, and wire trees were also fireproof — a definite plus considering the candles traditionally placed on branches were proving to be a considerable fire hazard.

It’s a tradition in Sweden to watch Donald Duck cartoons on Christmas Eve.

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Donald Duck cartoon
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Author Michael Nordine

December 13, 2023

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Disney devotees may be familiar with the 1958 Donald Duck Christmas special From All of Us to All of You, but they probably haven’t seen it as many times as the average Swede. The special first aired in Sweden at 3 p.m. on December 24, 1959, and celebrating Christmas Eve with the temperamental waterfowl quickly became one of the country’s signature holiday traditions. Known in Sweden as Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul (which translates to Donald Duck and His Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas), the special airs on SVT1, the main public television channel, and is presented by a host playing Walt Disney. It’s also slightly different each year, as a contractual obligation requires SVT1 to include a snippet from the Mouse House’s latest film.

If you’re wondering how Kalle Anka became so popular in the first place, it’s partially explained by the fact that Sweden had only two TV channels at the time, and Christmas was the only time Swedes could get a dose of Disney. Traditions have a way of sticking, and Kalle Anka is frequently the most-watched program of the year — 40% of the country tunes in during an average year, and in 1997 more than half the population did. They also tend to do so sans distractions: In 2016, cellphone data usage dropped by 28% while the show was on.

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Donald Duck has a middle name.

It’s Fauntleroy, as revealed in 1942’s Donald Gets Drafted. The name has rarely been alluded to outside of that wartime short, and its origins have been a matter of speculation ever since. The most popular theory has always been that it traces back to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1886 book Little Lord Fauntleroy, as the name itself refers to a suit quite similar to the one worn by Donald, and the eponymous character is something of a spoiled brat. At an April 9, 1941, meeting about Donald Gets Drafted, Walt Disney himself suggested that Donald’s draft paper say “something funny.” Harry Reeves, one of the writers in attendance, suggested “Swansdown” as the cartoon duck’s middle name, which wasn’t up to snuff for Disney: “It ought to be some dopey, silly name,” he responded. Donald’s eventual middle name fit the bill, much to the chagrin of anyone actually named Fauntleroy.

“Jingle Bells” wasn’t written for Christmas.

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"Jingle Bells" sheet music
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Author Nicole Villeneuve

December 7, 2023

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“Jingle Bells” is one of the most recognizable songs in American history, and the jaunty tune is as much a part of the Christmas season as twinkling lights and shiny ornaments. Take a closer look at the lyrics, though, and an interesting detail emerges: The song doesn’t mention the holiday at all. That’s because “Jingle Bells” wasn’t actually written for Christmas.

Even with its undeniable ubiquity, “Jingle Bells” has a rather murky history. We know that in 1857, the song’s composer, James Pierpont, copyrighted the tune under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh” while living in Savannah, Georgia. But various theories about the song’s meaning have surfaced over the years: One suggests it was simply written in the style of other popular sleighing songs at the time; another says the song was written for Thanksgiving. A plaque in Pierpont’s childhood hometown of Medford, Massachusetts, even claims “Jingle Bells” was composed in a local tavern, years before its copyright date. (Research into the latter two claims has concluded that neither origin story is likely.) 

“Jingle Bells” features no direct mention of any holiday, nor even the month of December, but the song nonetheless became a Christmas staple following its release. In December 1943, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters released a record featuring renditions of “Jingle Bells” and “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” cementing the song’s status as an inescapable Christmas classic.

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“Jingle Bells” was the first song played in space.

On December 16, 1965, astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford, aboard NASA’s Gemini 6 spacecraft, reported seeing a mysterious object in space. "We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably in polar orbit,” they told mission control. “I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit.” What came next was a groundbreaking, if not slightly absurd, moment: The astronauts launched into a musical rendition of "Jingle Bells," using a mini harmonica and small sleigh bells. Schirra and Stafford had rehearsed the Santa bit before even boarding the Gemini 6, and their smuggled instruments provided the first live music broadcast from space.

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