The Did You Ever Wonder? Files p1

Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notched edges, while pennies and nickels do not? 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 recious 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 were not valuable enough to shave. 

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

Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses? 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 to each other. 

Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called "passing the buck"? 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,
he would "pass the buck" to the next player. 

Today's Reflection:

The latest survey's show that 3 out of 4 people in the world make up 3/4's of earths populatiion.

 

Live Long and Prosper...