Some interesting History ...

aspeck

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The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500's:

These are interesting...

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly Bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water.

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat..

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination Would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a ...dead ringer.

And that's the truth (at least as emailed to me and I am too lazy to check them out ... anyway, they were entertaining just they way they are) ...Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !
 

TommyA

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Re: Some interesting History ...

You know most of that makes sense!:) I have heard all of the terms but I've never heard of some of these explanations. I believe recently there was something on the news about the tomatos once being considered poisionus but the poor would eat them. That would make sense in the poor wouldn't have the money for the pewter plates.:cool:
 

TommyA

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Re: Some interesting History ...

That stuff is hard to believe,,,,,,,,,,,,,wut have you been smokin?

Which one do you find so hard to believe? Raining cats and dogs has to be the true.:rolleyes:

Do some research and see where the word cocktail came from and then come back and tell if you find it is so hard to believe some these!:D

I'm sure that most are simple urban legends.
 

BMOLCHANY

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Re: Some interesting History ...

Well seeing that I am getting married in March of next year....if it was back then I would not be too happy on the wedding night.......That is unless ............nevermind.
 

wildmaninal

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Re: Some interesting History ...

Very interesting Aspeck. Thanks for sharing.

I do recall hearing about the bell being used on the graves to tell if they had a live one or not.

The worst thing is some people still get buried alive in these modern days.

I am a history nut though, I normally have the TV turned to the history channel on a regular basis. Every once in a while I watch a movie, when they show a bunch of reruns on the history channel or run a bunch of these stupid shows/episodes that have nothing to do with history.
 

BMOLCHANY

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Re: Some interesting History ...

Wait a minute...................you mean to tell me thast there are other channels other than the History channel? Wow I would not know since my tv only works on that channel....At least that is what I tell my kids..
 

JB

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Re: Some interesting History ...

Yes, BMOL.There are other channels. Discovery, Learning, History International, Military are just a few. I don't recognize any others.
 

BMOLCHANY

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Re: Some interesting History ...

Wow, I guess that after my "5 min of fun" tonight in bed I can change the channel and discover so much more.
 

triumphrick

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Re: Some interesting History ...

Wow, I guess that after my "5 min of fun" tonight in bed I can change the channel and discover so much more.

Hope you don't find yourself alone.....If so, please don't share that with us. :D
 

Limited-Time

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Re: Some interesting History ...

Once again Aspeck comes through with a entertaining and enlightening post. A far cry form the ''post padding" post he is so wrongly accused of. Thank you Art........................FWIW....................it's been here before........:p;):D

As for BMOLCHANY's "5 min of fun" tonight in bed................................................well thats just TMI...........................thats To Much Information.............in case your wondering.............:p:D:D
 

puddle jumper

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Re: Some interesting History ...

The bath water one. I remember doing that with my bothers and sister. One after another we would go. Mom would say im only going to do this once. Then off we would go and watch Disney. If i tried to do that with my kids i would probably get arrested for child abuse and thay would be the ones charging me.:eek:
 
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