Why Circus Acts Are Performed In Rings?

The modern circus was first conceived in 1793 by
an ex-calvary officer named Philip Astley, and the main
attraction in Astley's circus was riding on horseback. Astley
discovered very quickly that his riders could stay on their
horses with much greater ease when the horses were made to gallop
in a tight circle. To guide the horses in the circles, Astley
placed round structures or rings on the circus floor, where they
remained during the entire circus performance. It was another
circus owner, Antonio Franconi, who determined that the optimum
diameter of the circus rings was 42 feet, the size used today .

Why Is It Unlucky To Light Three
Cigarettes On One Match?

The origin of this superstition goes
back to the time when soldiers fought in the trenches. In those
days lighting "three on a match" could indeed prove very unlucky on
the battlefield. If a match stayed lit long enough to light three
cigarettes, it would give a snipertime enough to take aim and fire
at the lighted target.

Why Pianos Have Black And White Keys?

The white keys, of course, are the
result of a decision made long ago to cover the regular keys on the
piano with ivory. Ivory was chosen because of it's beauty, it's
durability, and it's high susceptibilty to polish.When it came to
constructing the remaining keys-the sharps and flats- it was decided
that these should be made from a substance very close to ivory in
feel and appearance and as visually distinguishable from the white
keys as possible. It was found thatthese requirements could be met
by ebony wood. It was hard, heavy, very durable andeasily to polished,
and as black as pitch. Ebony, therfore became the choice for sharps
and flats.

Why rice is thrown at weddings

Since early Roman times some grain-usually wheat- has
been associated with the wedding ceremony. Wheat ,a symbol of fertility,
was carried in the bride's hand or worn by her in the form of a garland.
As the bride left the church grains of wheat were tossed at her, and the
young girls rushed to pick up the grains that had actually touched the
bride. These were assumed to have the power to ensure the young girl a
wedding of her own in the near future. During the reign of
Queen Elizabeth I, Wheat was no longer tossed at the brides but was
instead baked into small cakes that were then crumbled and tossed over
the bride's head.
Later the small cakes were replaced by a large wedding cake, which was
cooked and eaten. The last change in ceremony left the guests feeling
deprived, since they had nothing to toss at the bride. Since at the time
rice was cheap, clean and white, it seemed a good substitute for the
more expensive wheat cakes.

Why The Color Red Angers Bulls?

Actually, the color red does not anger a bull since bulls
are colored-blind and can't tell red from any other color. In a bullfight
it is the move-ment of the bullfighter's cape that makes the bull charge,
not it's color. This is why the bullfighter has to shake his cape to make
the bull charge. The idea that the color red angers the bull came from the
custom in Spain of using red bullfighter capes. But this color was chosen
to excite the spectators, not the bull. The color red has always had an
exciting effect on humans, often causing an increase in blood
pressure, a quickened pulse rate, and heightened anxiety. It had been
suggested that this
reaction to red may be due to it's being the color of blood.