*** Ever Wonder ***

Where did the phrase "Pulling Your Leg" come from?

The phrase is derived from the practice in the Middle Ages
of hanging people in such a manner that the victims usually
suffocated slowly and painfully. A relative or a friend of the
would pull the unfortunate person's leg to break their neck,
thereby facilitating a quicker and easier death.

What was the shortest war in history?

The shortest war was between Britian and Zanzibar.
It all started in 1896, when a British ship landed in a Zanzibar
port because the crew wanted to watch a cricket match. The Sultan
of Zanzibar was insulted that they did not ask permission, so he
declared war on Britian. Within 37 minutes, the British had sunk
Zanzibar's only ship and destroyed the sultan's palace.

Why is corned beef called corned beef when it
contains no corn?

The "corned" in corned beef has nothing to
do with the vegetable corn. It means "preserved in salt" The salt
pellets originally used to preserve this type of beef were called
salt "corns" and beef preserved in this way was called corned beef.

Why is the color black used for mourning?

Because our ancestors were afraid of ghosts!
Our ancient forebears believed that ghosts would be lurking about
at the site of a recent burial looking for a living body to invade.
They tried to hide from ghosts by painting their white skins black.
Later, black clothes were used for the same purpose.

Why do a group of seagulls at the beach alway face the
same direction?

Because of the way seagulls are builted-heavy
in the front and light in the back-they experience less wind resistance
when they face into the wind. That is what they are doing when you see
them at the beach on a windy day all facing the same direcrion. They
are facing into the wind to reduce wind resistance.