I know, I know. Five days of one consecutive topic is a wee bit redundant, but after today, we will chat about something else. I figure at least the material I am sharing is educational, even if it is repetitive, and, honestly, there are far worse subjects to beat senselessly.
I’ve genuinely gained some interesting insight into random historical facts by composing these posts, and I hope the same can be said for you. With the exception you’re a history guru, I’m willing to bet that there have been facts you have comes across in these posts that you were, until quite recently, entirely ignorant of.
Again, this information comes from parade.com.
“26. In 18th century England, pineapples were a status symbol. Those rich enough to own a pineapple would carry them around to signify their personal wealth and high-class status. In that day and age, everything from clothing to houseware was decorated with the tropical fruit.
“27. In Ancient Greece, they believed redheads became vampires after death! This was partly because redheaded people are very pale-skinned and sensitive to sunlight—unlike the Mediterranean Greeks, who had olive skin and dark features.
“28. Ferrets, dogs, and monkeys were the most popular pets in the Roman Empire. Instead of cats, Ancient Romans used ferrets to hunt mice and rats. They used dogs as guards and monkeys as entertainment.
“29. Tablecloths were originally designed to be used as one big, communal napkin. When they were first invented, guests were meant to wipe off their hands and faces on a tablecloth after a messy dinner party.
“30. Before alarm clocks and way before smartphone alarms, there were people called knocker-uppers who would literally knock on people’s windows to wake them up in time for work. Up until the 1970s, knocker-uppers used a long stick, soft hammers, rattles or even pea shooters to reach their clients’ windows!” the web page states.
Thanks for coming along on this ride, my friends.
Photo by Stephany Williams on Unsplash
