How long have we been chewing gum?

The ancient Mayans were the first to chew the sap of the sapodilla tree nearly nine thousand years ago. They called the gum-like substance “chicle” which is what Spanish-speaking people in Meixco call gum today. It took nearly 8,900 years for the recipe to change into what we now think of as chewing gum.

That invention was created by a dentist, William Finley Semple, who patented the softer version of chewing gum (suitable for blowing bubbles) with the thought that it would clean the teeth for those who didn’t like to brush. The gum industry then added enough sugar to the product to make it a major cause of cavities and dental problems. And it was an accountant, Walter Diemer, who cooked up the recipe for the world’s first bubble gum, Double Bubble.

Ahhhh … apparently the road to poor dental hygiene is paved with good intentions … and Bubblicious.

You can learn more about the evolution of gum here.

And for all you gum-lovers out there, just remember to spit it out before you get to the blueberry part …

It’s GROUNDHOG DAY today!

And it’s likely you’ve celebrated this day before – after all, the “holiday” is over 100 years old. Not bad for a rodent-themed, weather-prediction tradition that traces its German roots back to the middle of the 19th century. By the way, the original, the German version of this tradition features a badget – not a groundhog – but when you’re on the frontier, I guess you make due with whatever is at hand.

Good thing this tradition didn’t catch root in the American west …. whose got need for a weather-predicting buffalo?

So, what’s the big deal about February 2nd?

That date isn’t arbitrary. In fact, that early-February date marks the midway point between the winter solstice and the vernal (or spring) equinox.  According to our sources, pagans would celebrate the day with a “festival of light.” That tradition was, eventually, co-opted by medieval Christians who re-branded the pagan celebration as “Candlemas.”

“If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.”

Eventually, Europeans would start looking back for a less supernatural reason to alieve the anxiety brought on by a prolonged winter and started looking out for animals in the woods to see if they were emerging from their dens – a sure sign of a coming spring (or of social anxiety related to missing the Candlemas party on the part of the animals).

The English would be on the lookout for hedghogs (a proper, British rodent not currently serving as an MP), the French went looking for the more refined marmot and the Germans, of course, would rely on the nearest badger to make a long-term weather prediction.

We now count on a bunch of representatives (from what I assume must be the Punxsutawney Chamber of Commerce) to show up at Gobbler’s Knob and ask their favorite rodent to pop out of his heated burrow and predict the weather. Must be a nice gig for Phil, the groundhog, who spends the other 364 days a year munching on dog food and ice cream in a climate-controlled apartment located at the Punxsutawney Public Library.

 

With over 3,000 species of snakes populating the Earth, they’re due for their own day … aren’t they?

Snakes get a bad wrap

While only one out of eight snake species in the world are venomous, they’ve been suffering from bad press (and a damaged reputation) for the past 5,000 years or so.

Help change the tide of popular opinion and celebrate our slithery friends by pushing back against ignorance with knowledge. And if you don’t know anything about snakes, here’s a helpful video tutorial …

Have a great day … in reverse!

Not to be confused with National Opposite Day, International Left Hander’s Day, or Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day, National Backwards Day celebrates doing everyday things a little differently. Go out the “In” door. Say “Goodbye” instead of “Hello.” Confuse your friends and confound your rivals (or visa versa).

Are you looking for something a little more “normal” to do on National Backwards Day?

So, wearing your clothes backwards for the day may attract some unwanted attention (it’s hard for some clients to play along)? I suggest binging JEOPARDY! – the gameshow institution that gives you the answer and then asks contestants to provide the question. 

That’s kind of backwards, right?

Not into gameshows? Then here’s a selection of tunes from a much larger playlist of music with backwards passages in them (referred to as “backmasked messages”) for your listening “tnemyojne”:

1. “Free as a Bird” – by the Beatles
2. “Stormbringer” – Deep Purple
3. “Rocket” – Def Leopard
4. “Fire on High” – Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)
5. “Stimulate” – Eminem
6. “Still Life” – Iron Maiden
7. “Love Bites” – Judas Priest
8. “Tourniquet” – Marilyn Manson
9. “Black Holes” – Bob and Doug McKenzie (eh)
10. “D’You Know What I Mean?” – Oasis
11. “Empty Spaces” – Pink Floyd
12. “Darling Nikki” – Prince
13. “Piggy in the Middle” – The Ruttles
14. “I’ll Sink Manhattan” – They Might Be Giants
15. “Perfect Sense, Part I” – Roger Waters
16. “Hot Poop” – Frank Zappa

Originally intended to be sold as wallpaper when it was invented in the 1950s, bubble wrap is now both a popular packing material and annoying habit enabler for the perpetually-fidgety.

In fact, within minutes of the new wall-covering’s invention by Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes, Fielding’s five year-old son started popping it. (You can read the entire story on The Smithsonian website.) The company founded by Fielding and Chavannes (and built on the success of bubble wrap) is now listed on the Fortune 500 and serves customers in over 120 countries.

Five more ways to use the wrap

Besides packing and protecting your stuff (or annoying friends and family with incessant popping), there are other uses for bubble wrap. (MentalFloss.com, in fact, includes 25 alternative uses) Those include:

1.  Keep your fridge’s drawers clean by using bubble wrap as a drawer liner. You’ll also keep your fresh fruits and veggies from bruising.
2. Taking your food on the go? You can keep your frozen foods extra-frosty (or roasty-toasty) by lining your cloth grocery bags with bubble wrap which will insulate the bag.
3. Keep your toilet from sweating. Those insulating properties of bubble wrap also work when you glue the wrap to line your toilet tank (not the bowl). Be sure to use a waterproof, silicone sealant.
4. Keep your fine china scratch-free by using a little square of bubble wrap between plates and saucers.
5. Wrapping tool handles with bubble wrap can cut down on blisters from over-use. Hiring teenagers to do your yard work will do the same, although may lead to other kinds of irritation.

Puzzles are a great way to stimulate the brain, expand your vocabulary, and humiliate your friends. But all kidding (and frustrations) aside, people’s fascinations with puzzles go back to the dawn of man.

Did you know …

• The Rubik’s Cube was invented by accident.
• In 2011, people playing the online game, Foldit, resolved a complex biological mystery surrounding the structure of an enzyme that caused Aids-like disease in monkeys. Scientists had been working on a solution for over a dozen years. It took the gamers three weeks.
• The word ladder puzzle was invented by Lewis Carroll – author of Alice in Wonderland.
• The “Number Place” game was invented in the United States, but did not become popular until it was shown in Japan under the name “Sudoku.”
• The jigsaw puzzle was invented before the signing of the US Declaration of Independence.
• Jigsaw puzzles help people relax and are often used with autistic children as a kind of therapy.
• The earliest puzzles originate nearly 5,000 years ago. Back then, in the ancient world, labyrinths were popular for both the intellectual and spiritual challenges they presented.

Well, now you do.

Check out more puzzling facts and trivia here, here, and here.

PS. The crossword puzzle (as we know it today) will be 110 years old later this year.  Journalist Arthur Wynne (of England) invented the puzzle format and had his first puzzle printed in the New York World newspaper in December of 1913.

Happy birthday, old friend.

Whether you choose to celebrate National Blueberry Pancake Day today or not, it’s hard to deny that nothing beats a warm stack of flapjacks on a cold, wintery day (like today).

Even if you prefer your ‘cakes au natural (like me, that means sans fruit in the batter), there are ways to make sure your pancakes are primo (from our friends at Williams-Sonoma) …

Use Fresh Ingredients
Baking soda should be no more than six months old.

Don’t Overstir the Batter
Stir the batter only until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated; overbeating will make pancakes tough and chewy instead of fluffy.

No Buttermilk, No Problem! 
For each 1 cup buttermilk, mix 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice with enough milk to equal 1 cup and let stand for 5 minutes.

Cook on a Hot Surface
Cook the pancakes on a flat, heavy-bottomed, preheated and well-greased surface. A good heavy-bottomed griddle or frying pan will help get the job done.

Know When to Flip
Follow the trusty tell-tale signs:

• • • • Bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes and pop
      • Pancake edges are slightly dry

Resist the urge to flip the pancakes more than once! Excessive flipping may lead to hockey puck syndrome.

Serve Warm
Warm plates in a low oven while you cook, then use them to serve pancakes hot from the stovetop. Warmed maple syrup is the ideal finish.