How did they ever think of that?

[Calhoun07]

There are certain things from time to time that I wonder how people came up with the concept in the first place. Like in the "smoking thread," somebody mentioned that if cigarettes hadn't been invented, their grandmother could have had a longer life. It makes me wonder who started to go around drying leaves of various plants and rolling them up in paper and lighting them up to smoke them? Who was sitting there one day picking plants and such, and thought, "Wow, I wonder what this would be like if we lit it up and sucked the smoke it created into our lungs?" And how many failures did they have before they found the tobacco leaves?

Same thing with violin strings. I doubt it's the case now, and it may even be an ancient urban legend, but supposedly violin strings are made from cat guts. CAT GUTS? What sicko musician psycho came up with that idea? "Hey, Fluffy sure makes a funny sound when I step on her tail, I wonder what her guts would sound like if I pulled them out and stretched them over this small guitar I made?"

And glue. Seriously, making glue from horse hooves came from who's mind again? What ever drove somebody to come up with that idea?

I suppose way back in those days, people had a lot of free time on their hands to mess around with this stuff, but some of these inventions make me really wonder who was the person who came up with it in the first place.

[Allen's Nickname.]

I allways wondered about medications. I mean, the body count for med testing must get pretty high somtimes.

[VashTheStampede]

About the smoking subject. People have been smoking since the time of the Ancient Egyptians. Every society has smoked, they may have smoked different things but smoking and drinking have been around forever.

[Jedigreedo]

I think when fire was invented it got onto some tabacco leaves and gave'em a buzz. ;)

[Matt Hazuda]

I always wondered why we drink cow milk. did some guy long ago go up to a cow and look at the udder and go "Hmm I wonder what that stuff in there tastes like" :p

[Sue_Jackson]

Here are some "Little Known Facts" that someone had emailed me. I'm not sure where it came from, but I found these pretty interesting. :D :cool:



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT KNOWING THESE THINGS?
>
> The first couple to be shown in bed together on
> prime time TV were Fred
> and Wilma Flintstones.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than
> the US Treasury.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Men can read smaller print than women can; women can
> hear better.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Coca-Cola was originally green.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> It is impossible to lick your elbow.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> The state with the highest percentage of people who
> walk to work:
> Alaska
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%
> (now get this...)
> The percentage of North America that is wilderness:
> 38%
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of
> eleven: $6,400
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> The average number of people airborne over the US
> any given hour:
> 61,000>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in
> their hair.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived
> in China in 1910.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> The youngest pope was 11 years old.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom
> Sawyer.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Those San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile
> National Monuments.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Each king in a deck ofplaying cards represents a
> great king from
> history:
> Spades - King David, Hearts - Charlemagne, Clubs
> -Alexander, the Great
> Diamonds - Julius Caesar
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has
> both front legs in
> the air, the person died in battle. If the horse
> has one front leg in
> the air the person died as a result of wounds
> received in battle. If
> the horse has all four legs on the ground, the
> person died of natural
> causes.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Only two people signed the Declaration of
> Independence on July 4th, John
> Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest
> signed on August 2, but
> the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine
> that makes them
> looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Q. What occurs more often in December than any
> other month?
> A. Conception. (hence all of those September
> birthdays)
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of
> what?
> A. Their birthplace
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the
> most popular boat
> name requested?
> A. Obsession
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would
> you have to go until
> you would find the letter "A"?
> A. One thousand
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes,
> windshield wipers, and
> laser printers all have in common?
> A. All invented by women. (so did men invent bras
> and tampons)?
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
> A. Honey
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Q. There are more collect calls on this day than
> any other day of the
> year?
> A. Father's Day
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Q. What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs
> Bunny) is the most
> ironic?
> A. He was allergic to carrots.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Q. What is an activity performed by 40% of all
> people at a party?
> A. Snoop in your medicine cabinet.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on
> bed frames by ropes.
> When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened,
> making the bed
> firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight,
> sleep tight".
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years
> ago that for a month
> after the wedding, the bride's father would supply
> his son-in-law with
> all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer
> and because their
> calendar was lunar based, this period was called the
> honey month we know
> today as the honeymoon.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts.
> So in old England,
> when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell
> at them mind their
> own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we
> get the phrase
> "mind your P's and Q's"
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a
> whistle baked into the
> rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they
> needed a refill, they
> used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your
> whistle" is the phrase
> inspired by this practice.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was
> entitled Gentlemen Only
> Ladies Forbidden.... and thus the word GOLF entered
> into the English
> language.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~
> At least 75% of people who read this will try to
> lick their elbow. : )
> Did you try it?
> (Not I)
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Barb Gordon]

lmao! That's some of the most random, and majorly awesome facts ever! I didn't try to lick my elbow, but I glanced at it for a sec and though..wow, you really can't!

~Barb

[Matt Hazuda]

Originally posted by Barb Gordon
lmao! That's some of the most random, and majorly awesome facts ever! I didn't try to lick my elbow, but I glanced at it for a sec and though..wow, you really can't!

~Barb I tried and you can't unless you're Gene Simmons that is :p

[Zechs]

Neat facts yeah I look at my elbow as well and you just can't lick the darn thing but then why would you want to. O.o

[Dark Spider]

Oooh, I have a book just like that at home. Its called "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader" and its chock full of random reading material that is perfect for your lengthy visits to the bathroom...

...and the sad part about this is that I actually tried to lick my elbows and I came up unsuccessful... :(

[Elven Moon]

I've always wondered just how language was invented. Did they sit down and talk - even though they had no words except maybe grunts? Did they scribble something on a rock and point to an object, deciding that would be the name for it? How did they know how to pronounce it? Who came up with vocabulary words? It's just a pure mystery to me.

And who came up with names for people? Sarah, John, Kathy, were did they all come from?

[James]

Originally posted by Deina


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT KNOWING THESE THINGS?
>
> The first couple to be shown in bed together on
> prime time TV were Fred
> and Wilma Flintstones.
> >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I recall them sleeping in seperate beds. Obviously not all the time... :)

[Do-Do]

Originally posted by Elven Moon
I've always wondered just how language was invented. Did they sit down and talk - even though they had no words except maybe grunts? Did they scribble something on a rock and point to an object, deciding that would be the name for it? How did they know how to pronounce it? Who came up with vocabulary words? It's just a pure mystery to me.

I have a theory on how language was invented:

A bunch of cavemen were sitting around grunting, wishing they could communicate with each other, when all of a sudden the Language Fairy appeared. The Language Fairy is actually a man, a businessman to be exact, with a briefcase full of dictionaries. But before they could read the dictionaries to know all their words, the cavemen had to learn to read, but how could they learn to read when they didn't know words?!?!?!?!??!??
So then the Fairy of Everything Cavemen Should Know To Be Civilized appeared and told the Language Fairy to, quote, "take a hike". The FOECSKTBC then magically gave all the cavemen knowledge and left. But since the FOECSKTBC had done what he was created by the Fairy of Fairies to do, he was out of work and had to work at a convenience store.

Just a theory.

[wussiewussie]

Originally posted by MDawg957
I always wondered why we drink cow milk. did some guy long ago go up to a cow and look at the udder and go "Hmm I wonder what that stuff in there tastes like" :p

haha, i remember that from calvin and hobbes.. but if you thought of it on your own then clever observation ;)