Interesting Facts....

*Did You Know?*


*Q. Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes
have buttons on the left? *

A. When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily
by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push
buttons on the right through holes on the left. Because wealthy women were
dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right! And
that's where women's buttons have remained since.

*Q. Why do ships and aircraft use 'mayday' as their call for help?*

A. This comes from the French word m'aidez - meaning 'help me' - and is
pronounced approximately, 'mayday.'

*Q. Why are zero scores in tennis called 'love'?*

A. In France , where tennis became popular, round zero on the scoreboard
looked like an egg and was called 'l'oeuf,' which is French for 'egg.' When
tennis was introduced in the US , Americans (mis)pronounced it 'love.'

*Q. Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?*

A. In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write,
documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath
to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss
eventually became synonymous.

*Q. Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called 'passing the
buck'?*

A. In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck,
from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. If a player
did not wish to assume the responsibility of dealing, he would 'pass the
buck' to the next player.

*Q. Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?*

A. It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him
a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became
customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of
the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his
host, he would only touch or clink the host's glass with his own.

*Q. Why are people in the public eye said to be 'in the limelight'?*

A. Invented in 1825,limelight was used in lighthouses and theatres by
burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the
theatre, a performer 'in the limelight' was the center of attention.

*Q. Why is someone who is feeling great 'on cloud nine'?*

A. Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain,
with nine being the highest cloud If someone is said to be on cloud nine,
that person is floating well above worldly cares.

*Q. In golf, where did the term 'Caddie' come from?*

A. When Mary Queen of Scots went to France as a young girl, Louis, King of
France, learned that she loved the Scots game 'golf.' So he had the first
course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment. To make sure she was
properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from
a military school to accompany her.

Mary liked this a lot and when returned to Scotland (not a very good idea
in the long run), she took the practice with her. In French, the word cadet
is pronounced 'ca-day' and the Scots changed it into 'caddie.

*Q. Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?*

A. Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense orange clay
called 'pygg'. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars
became known as 'pygg banks.' When an English potter misunderstood the
word, he made a container that resembled a pig. And it caught on.

*Q. Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notches
(milling), while pennies and nickels do not?*

A. The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold
and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the
precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched because they
used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren't notched because the
metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave.