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Issue 590
WHAT'S IN A NAME? SNIPPETZ INVESTIGATES THE ORIGINS OF BRAND NAMES by Lindsey Harrison “The quality of your work, in the long run, is the deciding factor on how much your services are valued by the world.” – Orison Swett Marden In our overly materialistic world, brand name items are becoming a ridiculous necessity in order to fit in. In high school, it’s likely that you felt the judging eyes of your fellow students when you were found wearing (gasp!) an off-brand pair of shoes or jacket. And even now, certain coffee cups are even sold sans coffee in grocery stores, indicating the picture on the cup is more important than what the cup holds. Which begs the question: Is the name the most important part of the product? If so, is there some magical formula that makes certain brand names successful while others simply fall flat? Snippetz looks into where some of these brand names came from and maybe a flash of brilliance will hit you while reading this and you’ll come up with the next big brand name! Nike Anyone who’s studied Greek mythology, however briefly, will find this one easy. Nike is the Greek goddess of victory so it’s easy to see why a sporting goods company would choose the name. But did you know that the company, established in 1964 by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, was originally called Blue Ribbon Sports? After about 14 years of operation, the company went to its employees and asked them to make suggestions for a new name. Jeff Johnson suggested Nike and (obviously) it was chosen. So on May 30, 1978, Blue Ribbon Sports became Nike, Inc. Adidas This one isn’t quite as obvious. Some have suggested that the name is the acronym for “All Day I Dream About Soccer.” Others have said it really stands for “All Day I Dream About Sport.” But operating under those assumptions (which are incorrect, by the way) could lead to some other interesting statements such as “All Day I Dream About Sasquatches” or “All Day I Dream About Shoplifting.” The truth of the matter is that the name is a mash-up of one of the original founder’s first and last names. But we need to start from the beginning. Adolf and Rudolf Dassler were German brothers who followed in their father’s footsteps in the shoe manufacturing career path in the early 1920s. Adolf started up his own company and shortly after, Rudolf joined him in the business. By the 1930s, the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory was doing well and was the brand of choice for American Jesse Owens when he won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Both Dassler men joined the Nazi Party as World War II loomed in the not-so-distant future. After living together with their wives during the war, the brothers’ relationship became strained. Perhaps it had to do with Rudolf’s belief that his brother had something to do with his being drafted into the German army. Or maybe it was that Rudolf was captured by the Americans and accused of being an SS member, and he again assumed that Adolf was behind the whole thing. It could also have been a remark Adolf made when the two families were once again cooped up together in Adolf’s bomb shelter in 1943; apparently, he was remarking about the bombings in Berlin and said, “The dirty bastards are back again.” Either way, the brothers parted ways on shaky ground, splitting the company in half. Adolf turned his half into Adidas in 1949, taking the nickname from Adolf (Adi) and putting it with the first three letters of his last name. And so Adi Dassler became Adidas. Rudolf took his half and formed Ruda using the same concept with his names. He changed the name to Puma shortly after and his company also found a large amount of success. Reebok Reebok’s story isn’t nearly as complicated. In 1890 in a small village in England, Joseph William Foster was manufacturing running shoes and had the idea to create a spiked running shoe. His business grew and he brought his sons to work with him, founding the J.W. Foster and Sons Company in 1895. Skip ahead about 63 years to Foster’s grandsons Joe and Jeff. The pair was running the company by then and decided to rename it Reebok, after a type of African gazelle. The Afrikaan spelling is actually rhebok, but the dictionary in which they found the name was a South African edition and spelled it differently…and thus, Reebok was born. Pepsi Drugstore owner Caleb Bradham originally called Pepsi “Brad’s Drink” when he introduced it in 1893. Hoping to have created a fountain drink that tasted good, increased energy and helped the digestive process, Bradham later renamed it Pepsi Cola. He was referencing the digestive enzyme pepsin and the kola nuts that he used in the recipe. It was advertised as a delicious and healthful drink, which is not exactly how healthcare professionals would describe it today. Gap Once again, rumors abound about the origin of this brand name. One suggestion was that it stands for “Gay And Proud.” It doesn’t. The company was founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher and was then known as The Gap, Inc. Donald Fisher was 40 when he first thought of a store that sold records and jeans; he named the store The Gap as a reference to bridging the generation gap between himself and the target population he hoped to attract, namely the “disaffected” youth in America. Cheerios Cheerios was originally introduced as “CheeriOats,” the first ready-to-eat oats cereal, in 1941 by General Mills. Due to a dispute over the name, which closely paralleled Quaker Oats, the company changed the name to Cheerios. It was quite fortuitous that the shape of the cereal fit this new name perfectly. Not everything about Cheerios is cheery, though. In 2009, after a marketing campaign that touted certain health benefits, the Federal Drug Administration labeled it an “unapproved new drug.” Starbucks The team of English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegl and writer Gordon Bowker came together to form the brainchild that became Starbucks. Originally opened as a company that sold roasted coffee rather than brewing it on-site, the trio had hoped to follow in the footsteps of their friend and coffee bean roasting guru Alfred Peet. The three had planned to name the company Pequod, the whaling ship featured in Moby-Dick but after a disagreement over that particular name, the founders settled on Starbuck after the chief mate of the Pequod. It’s pretty hard to imagine someone asking if you want to grab a coffee at Pequods… Lego The name Lego is probably easy to remember, especially for anyone who has had children that have left those nasty little buggers on the floor for you to step on. The company from which these fun little toys originated is The Lego Group which is based in Billund, Denmark and was developed by carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen who began making wooden toys in 1932. He developed a company that he called “Lego” taken from the Danish phrase leg godt which means “play well.” In 1947, the company now known as The Lego Group ventured into the world of plastic toys and in 1949, they began making an early version of Legos called “Automatic Binding Bricks.” Doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? The modern Lego brick was developed in 1958 and five years later, the final ideal material was found. In 1958 however, the Lego brick was patented and those original bricks are said to be compatible with bricks from modern sets. Issue 591
SNIPPETZ SAYS, IF YOU'RE NOT FIRST, YOU'RE LAST! by Lindsey Harrison “No one can possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time.” – James A. Baldwin Sometimes being first is a wonderful achievement. Sometimes being first really isn’t that great. But one thing remains the same: first is always first and everything else just isn’t. History is full of firsts, like the first President of the United States or the first person to weigh more than 600 pounds. Everything that has ever happened, every place that has ever been, every person that ever was, can all be linked to a first of that kind. To hunt down all those firsts would take a very long time. So naturally Snippetz decided to do a little bit of the work for you and collect a few of those firsts all in one place…maybe this is a first! You’re welcome. First Flight Attendants Flight attendants are usually associated with perky female “air hostesses” asking if you would like a $15 soda and a bag of peanuts. In actuality, the first flight attendants were male and the very first was Heinrich Kubis. Kubis started his career as a flight attendant (then called an air steward) in March 1912 at the age of 23. He cared for and served food to passengers aboard the DELAG zeppelin LZ-10 Schwaben. Kubis also had the distinction of being a steward aboard the Hindenburg when the zeppelin caught fire at Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6, 1937. Kubis and several other passengers and crew members were able to jump to safety when the sinking ship was close enough to the ground to make a relatively safe departure. He walked away from the incident without injury. Ellen Church (see picture above) earned the title of first female flight attendant when she was hired by United Airlines in 1930. She was 25 years old and a registered nurse. Her certification as a nurse became a trend among airlines other than United Airlines for whom she worked. Given the time, more specifically The Great Depression, a job such as this held a lot of appeal for women since it was one of the only industries to actually hire them. It’s said that 2,000 women applied for 43 positions offered by Transcontinental and Western Airlines in December 1935. First Immigrant to Pass Through Ellis Island A young girl named Annie Moore received the title of first person to pass through Ellis Island as an immigrant to the United States. She was 15 at the time and was accompanied by her two brothers. The siblings were leaving Cork, Ireland to meet up with their parents in New York, who had moved there two years prior. It’s said that the Ellis Island officials greeted her with a $10 gold piece, which was the most money she had ever owned up to that point. First Fast Food Restaurant Is it any surprise that the fast food concept originated in the U.S.? Looking at the average American’s diet today, it probably isn’t. But who was behind the first of these “quick service” restaurants? Well, that depends on who you talk to. Some will attribute fast food to Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart, who opened the first Horn & Hardart Automat restaurant in Philadelphia in 1902. The Automat idea was as such: the food was presented behind small glass windows in a cafeteria-type setting. Patrons would feed coins into slots to obtain whatever food they were after. The Philadelphia location was not as instantly popular as the New York Automat so it’s often said that the latter location, which opened on July 7, 1912, is the first fast food restaurant. Others argue that A&W holds that distinction when it opened the doors to its first location in 1916. However, the A&W website states that the name A&W wasn’t formed until 1922 and that the first permanent location in Lodi, Calif. came shortly after that, making it obvious that this argument is inaccurate. First Female NASCAR Driver This title is held by Janet Guthrie, a physics major who graduated from the University of Michigan in 1960. After college, Guthrie spent time working as an aerospace engineer but found she had a love for sports car racing in the early 1970s. In 1976, Guthrie, who was in her late 30s at the time, officially became the first woman to compete in a National Association of Stock Car Racing Winston Cup superspeedway race. One year later, Guthrie became the first woman to compete in the Daytona 500, held in Daytona Beach, Fla. She placed 12th and was given the Top Rookie title. That same year, Guthrie became the first woman to ever qualify for and compete in the Indianapolis 500. She wasn’t able to finish the race due to mechanical issues that arose on lap 27. First Female College Graduate Even though it might come as a surprise, the first woman graduated from college in 1678. Elena Cornaro Piscopia of Venice, Italy was born on June 5, 1646. She received her Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Padua on June 25, 1678. When she graduated, Piscopia was fluent in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, French and Arabic. Makes our high school foreign language requirements look a little skimpy, huh? First Text Message Long before the days of LOL, OMG and BRB, people actually communicated over the phone by speaking to each other or (gasp!) by talking face-to-face. Dec. 3, 1992 changed all that. Neil Papworth, an engineer working for the Sema Group (now Airwide Solutions) in the United Kingdom used his computer to send the first text message to Richard Jarvis’s phone. It read: “Merry Christmas.” In June 2012, CTIA, a mobile trade group reported that 184.3 billion text messages were sent per month in the U.S. alone. First Insane Asylum In The U.S. Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, Va. officially opened its doors in 1773 as the first sanctioned institution built exclusively for the care and treatment of the mentally ill. Treatment of the mentally ill consisted mainly of restraint and certain procedures thought to dissuade a patient from exhibiting undesirable traits because it was thought that mental illnesses were conscious choices. Treatments such as cold plunge baths, bloodletting, hot candle “cupping glasses,” intimidation, blistering salves and an electrostatic machine were routinely used. First Person To Be Executed By Electric Chair William Kemmler was put to death on Aug. 6, 1890 in New York’s Auburn Prison. Kemmler was sentenced to death after he was found guilty of murdering his common-law wife, Matilda Ziegler with a hatchet on March 29, 1889. The execution wasn’t as successful as was anticipated; the 1,000 volt electric current coursed through his body for a full 17 seconds but only knocked Kemmler unconscious without stopping his heart. Upon this realization, a second attempt at 2,000 volts was made. By the time Kemmler was actually pronounced dead, the execution had lasted eight minutes. First Trip Of The Pikes Peak Cog Railway In 1889, construction on the track for the Pikes Peak Cog Railway began after Zalmon Simmons, owner and founder of the Simmons Beautyrest Mattress Company offered up the money to fund the project. Workers earned 25 cents per hour for their labor on the track. Six engines were set to operate on the railway and of those six, only No. 4 is still in operation today. Upon completion in the spring of 1891, the railway was set to open, but a particularly snowy spring delayed the first trip until June. On June 30, 1891, the first passenger train carrying a church choir from Denver, reached the summit. Originally a group of dignitaries were to be the first group to ride the railway, but a rock slide forced the train back down at around 12,000 feet. Issue 592
SNIPPETZ KNOWS ALL THINGS MUST COME TO AN END: FAMOUS LASTS by Lindsey Harrison “It is the end. But of what? The end of France? No. The end of kings? Yes.” – Victor Hugo What goes up must come down. There is always an end to every beginning. Wow. Heavy stuff, but true. The end might not be in sight; in fact it might not really even be fathomable. But rest assured, everything will come to an end sometime. And with an end comes a last. The last breath of a dying man, the last episode of your favorite television show, “The Last of the Mohicans.” And this just wouldn’t be a proper Snippetz topic if we didn’t do a little hunting and find some obscure lasts. So, enjoy reading this because eventually it’ll come to the last word of this piece and we’ll have created yet another last. Last Prisoner To Leave Alcatraz (Photo Above) Arguably the most famous prison in the United States, Alcatraz Island (see photo above) and the jail located on it initially operated to house Civil War prisoners as early as 1861. It started its life as a federal penitentiary in 1934 and remained so for just under 30 years. Over the years, prisoners came and went. On Dec. 14, 1962 Frank Clay Weatherman began his short-lived stint as a prisoner in Alcatraz after being convicted of armed robbery. He was the last in a line of prisoners to leave the island when the prison closed on March 21, 1963. There isn’t much known about Weatherman after he left; in fact, in 2003, his daughter Megan posted on http://www.flickr.com that she was looking for anyone who had more information about her very secretive father. The one piece of information Megan Weatherman was able to add was that her father died on Jan. 28, 1999. Last Person To Pass Through Ellis Island Ellis Island opened on Jan. 1, 1892 and became the nation’s penultimate federal immigration station. At its highest point on April 17, 1907, the station processed 11,747 immigrants, adding to the total of 1,004,756 immigrants processed that year. It operated until 1954, admitting 12 million immigrants into the U.S., the last of whom was a Norwegian merchant seaman named Arne Peterssen. Over one third of the American population can trace their ancestry to immigrants that arrived via Ellis Island. Last Stagecoach Robbery In The U.S. With the advent of automobiles, stagecoaches eventually became obsolete. However, before the last stagecoach made its trip (whenever that was…anyone out there know?), one last robbery occurred. On Dec. 5, 1916, mail stage wagon driver Fred M. Searcy was killed when Ben E. Kuhl and two other suspects who remain unnamed, ambushed him as he was riding to Jarbridge, Nev. Kuhl made off with $4,000 and was eventually caught, although the money was never recovered. In his trial in Sept. 1917, the prosecution entered into evidence a palm print that matched Kuhl’s. This marked the first time that a palm print was used as evidence in a U.S. courtroom. That evidence helped convict Kuhl of murder, adding another first to the list: the first time in U.S. history that a person was convicted and sent to prison using palm print evidence. Latest Snowfall in Colorado Sometimes lasts aren’t the last forever, just the last for a specific period of time. Take weather for instance. Meteorologists refer to firsts all the time, when considering the first weather event of a season. However, they can’t really go about saying “The last snow of the season will be on this day.” Instead, they look back and are able to state with certainty when the latest particular weather event for that season occurred. Results such as this are compiled, allowing for comparison throughout a wide range of years. So you might be wondering, when exactly WAS the latest snowfall in Colorado history? The answer: June 10, 1975. It snowed 1.1 inches. Now you know. Last President With Facial Hair Yes, you read that right. Initially, the men elected to the office of president did not wear facial hair, preferring the clean-shaven look instead. In 1860, that all changed. Between that year and 1913, all but two presidents sported either beards or mustaches during their stay in the White House. William Howard Taft was the most recent president to wear facial hair. His preference? A mustache. Interestingly enough, the last major party candidates who wore either a beard or a mustache were both defeated; Charles Evans Hughes in 1916 and Thomas E. Dewey in 1948. Maybe both President Barak Obama and his opposition Senator Mitt Romney did a little research as neither showed off any facial hair during the campaign for the November 2012 election. Last Gladiator Fight There are two competing stories about the details of the last gladiator fight. The first account comes from church historian Theodoret who said that a monk named Telemachus (now known as Saint Telemachus; you’ll find out why in a minute) tried to stop a gladiator fight in a Roman amphitheater and the crowd stoned him to death. This same story claims that Christian Emperor Honorius was in such awe of Telemachus’ journey into martyrdom that he placed a ban on all gladiator fights. While there’s no solid evidence to support it, this fight is thought to have been the fight that occurred on Jan. 1, 404 AD since it was the last one on record. The other story claims that Telemachus stood up during a gladiator fight and told the crowd to stop worshiping idols and offering sacrifices to the gods. In response, the prefect of the city ordered the gladiators to kill Telemachus, so they did. Either way, the result is the same: Jan. 1 404 AD was the last gladiator fight and Telemachus achieved sainthood. Last Play At The Globe Theater Built in 1599, the Globe Theater in London is most closely associated with William Shakespeare. During a performance of Henry VIII, the theatre caught fire on June 29, 1613. The fire was caused by a prop cannon that misfired during the performance and ignited the wooden beams and thatching that made up the structure and roofing of the theater. It’s thought that no one was injured during the fire, although there is very little documentation that remains to confirm that claim. The Globe Theater was rebuilt in 1614 on the same site as the original structure and hosted plays until 1642. In 1997, a modern version of the Globe opened about 750 feet from the site of the original theater and is called “Shakespeare’s Globe.” Last Queen of Hawaii Born Lydia Lili’u loloku Walania WewehiKamaka’eha, which roughly translates to smarting, tearful, burning pain, sore eyes; Queen Lili’uokalani was the last monarch of Hawaii. She was given the title of Crown Princess in 1877 by her brother Kalākaua who was elected king after the previous king died and left no successor to the throne. Lili’uokalani inherited the throne on Jan. 29, 1891. Just two years later, a group of Americans and Europeans formed a Committee of Safety which sought to overthrow the Hawaiian Kingdom, depose the Queen and push for annexation to the U.S. Queen Lili’uokalani was officially deposed on Jan. 17, 1893, and gave up her throne (temporarily) to “the superior military forces of the United States.” Her hope, it’s said, was that the U.S. would restore the Kingdom of Hawaii to the rightful sovereign, namely her. That was not to be. A provisional government was formed until the U.S. finalized Hawaii’s annexation. On Feb. 1, 1893, Hawaii was proclaimed a protectorate of the U.S. Not without opposition, Hawaii became an incorporated territory of the U.S. in 1898. Lili’uokalani died in 1917 long before the Aug. 21, 1959 date when Hawaii was officially declared a state of the United States of America. Besides being the last Queen of Hawaii, Lili’uokalani was also the author of the popular song “Aloha Oe.” Issue 593 - 3/11/2013
SNIPPETZ THINKS LIFE'S A CIRCUS... LIVE IT UP! by Lindsey Harrison 
“I will always remember this summer day in Paris, when I was to perform a great acrobatic move. I can still see myself stepping on the ring of a packed circus along real performers.”
-Tony Curtis What comes to mind when you hear the word “circus?” Maybe you think of elephants and peanuts. Or maybe you picture acrobats flying through the air on trapezes. Or perhaps the word brings to mind the kind of creepy Pennywise-like clown only that Stephen King could create. Whatever images the word conjures up for you, be it fun, fear or even a frenzy (as in media circus…get it?) the circus has found its way into each and every one of our lives. But naturally, Snippetz had to wonder: what created the circuses of today? How did they evolve, what did they look like and perhaps, what will they become? Read on circus-lovers and you’ll find out! Not Your Grandmother’s Circus It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that the first circuses originated in Greece and Rome. In fact, an early Christian writer from Carthage named Tertullian wrote that the first circus was held by the Greek goddess Circe to honor her father Helios, the Sun god. Absent were the big tents and mobile structures. Instead, permanent buildings were erected. The word circus in those ancient times referred more to the building in which the event was held, rather than the event itself. The circus building was the stage for horse exhibitions, chariot races, staged battles, trained animals, acrobats and jugglers, among other things. In Rome, the circus building was structured in tiers of seats that encircled all but one side of the course in which the performances were held. The open end allowed for performers, animals and the like to enter and exit. Rome’s first circus, the Circus Maximus, was constructed during the first monarchy in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills. Built entirely of wood, the circus had to be reconstructed several times before the final stone version was built. This circus could hold up to 250,000 people. Three other circuses of import were constructed in Rome: the Circus Flaminius, the Circus Neronis, and the Circus of Maxentius. After the fall of Rome, circus buildings such as these were no longer used to hold performances. The performers, animals, trainers and other such circus folk began trekking from town to town, holding performances across Europe in smaller venues like fairs. Lord Of The Ring? British equestrian Philip Astley was the first to bring trick horse-riding to the circus ring and his first performance is said to have been held on Jan. 9, 1768. Thanks to the popularity of equestrian acts such as his, the diameter of the actual ring inside which the horses performed was set at 42 feet, the smallest the ring could be for a horse to still comfortably gallop inside it. Astley eventually added tight-rope walkers, jugglers, acrobats, performing dogs and even a (yikes!) clown to help entertain attendees in between his demonstrations, thus creating the first modern circus. However, he didn’t create the title “circus.” That is said to have been coined by his rival Charles Hughes’ business partner, Charles Dibdin when the pair opened the Royal Circus on Nov. 4, 1782 in London. Coming to America John Bill Ricketts, an Englishman who was originally part of the Royal Circus in London, broke away and headed to the United States in 1792, bringing with him the circus. His first circus (and America’s first, too) was opened in Philadelphia on Apr. 3, 1793. It’s said that later that same year, George Washington attended one of Ricketts’ circus performances. From the late 18th century into the early part of the 19th century, circuses were enhanced, upgraded and improved. It was truly revolutionized by P.T. Barnum and William Cameron Coup with the development of P.T. Barnum’s Museum, Menagerie & Circus. This show was a portable array of animal and human “oddities,” advertising such exhibitions as freak shows. America could officially boast that the freak show was all their idea. Coup also introduced the use of circus trains as a means of transportation for the performers. Thanks to this practice, circuses had the space to drag with them several rings to use in the performance space. While the first animals used in circuses were used more for display rather than performance, clearly that practice has morphed into full-on trained animal acts. In 1833, Isaac A. Van Amburgh was the first American performer to enter a cage with live wild animals. He is widely considered the first wild animal trainer in American circus history. On The Road Again Travelling circuses were truly the way of the world by the 1840s, especially in Britain. Circus groups erected temporary circus tents for the performances and broke them back down for easy portability when they needed to move on. After Barnum died on Apr. 7, 1891, his circus partnered with the James Anthony Bailey’s circus and was known as The Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth. It toured from 1897 to 1902 throughout Europe and paved the way for other circus owners to adopt its portable tent and circus train travelling practices. The constitution of the performances also changed around this same time. They generally included the same elements: circus acts, an animal exhibit and a freak show in some combination to keep the audience entertained. Ever-increasing acts of daring and feats of strength were incorporated along with the standard elements, requiring a higher number of performers. Naturally, all this came at a cost since everyone and everything had to be transported from venue to venue. Circuses Of Today While some circuses still use the big tents and circus trains to travel from city to city, others have opted to forgo the tents and use existing venues to hold their performances. They often still use animals, however another form of circus has emerged that largely eliminates the use of animals and instead focuses on human feats of aerial acrobatics, contortionists and strength. The most popular production is that of the Cirque Du Soleil (meaning “circus of the sun”), which travels around the world performing in large venues, all without the use of animals. The Cirque Du Soleil concept was first pitched to the general public in 1984. They were group of street performers calling themselves “Le Club des Talons Hauts” (meaning the high-heels club), led by Guy Laliberté who was a fire-breathing musician (he didn’t perform both acts at the same time), who now serves as the Founding President of Cirque Du Soleil. Initially the Cirque shows entertained about 270,000 people per year from 1984 to 1989. By 2003, the group was performing shows on three different continents and had entertained almost 7,000,000 audience members. Incorporated into the Cirque type of performance are elements such as the Chinese Pole, the Russian Bar and the teeterboard known also as the Korean Plank. The Chinese Pole is just how it sounds: a vertical pole that performers use to climb, slide down or pose. Sometimes performers will leap from pole to pole or hold a pose called “the flag” where the performer pushes straight out in a horizontal position and keeps their whole body aligned, resembling a flag. The Russian Bar is a flexible vaulting bar situated on the shoulders of the porters who stand at either end of the bar and help fling the flyer into the air. The porters must be able not only to support and fling the flyer, but they must be able to reposition themselves in order to ensure the flyer lands back on the bar rather than on the ground. The Korean Plank is basically a seesaw. One performer stands on the end and one or sometimes two performers leap onto the other end, sending the lone performer flying into the air. The acrobatics often don’t end when the performer lands because often he or she will land on a human ladder of other performers or a stack of chairs. The possibilities are endless! Other Circus Snippetz
Issue 594
SNIPPETZ TIPTOES THROUGH THE TULIPS: SPRING HAS SPRUNG! by Lindsey Harrison “Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach Spring brings with it thunderstorms brewing on the horizon with lightning illuminating darkened rooms; buds peeking out on the trees that are reawakening to the world; and un-tanned legs freed from their pant prisons and threatening to blind anyone who happens to glance at them. But if you’ve lived in Colorado longer than a day, you know that scenario could change in the blink of an eye. Peaceful rainstorms could be replaced with a blizzard that piles feet of snow on the newly opened tulips you planted in the fall, and plummeting temperatures could freeze every last bud off the trees. Such is spring in the Rockies. And with the weather comes traditions, both in celebration of and in preparation for the beginning of a new season. Naturally, Snippetz had to find out: How do people celebrate spring? Read on to find out how people around the world usher in this season of renewal! General Rituals And Traditions Some traditions are specific to one country or region, while others are more all-encompassing. Spring cleaning tends to be a ritual or tradition that many use to symbolize a rebirth of themselves and their home lives. It’s a time to regroup, reorganize, reprioritize and generally start fresh. Spring cleaning doesn’t come with a specific set of rules. Some people use it as a way to get rid of everything they don’t need any more, from old clothes to old hobby materials. Others use spring as a way to reinvest in their health by clearing out junk food and beginning an exercise routine to get ready for summer swimsuits. Daylight Saving Time Daylight Saving Time, which occurs in the spring and was proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, essentially takes an hour of daylight and moves it from the morning to the evening. The idea was to make better use of the daylight during the summer days. However, DST can cause confusion and in some instances, even create total chaos. It’s said that during the Vietnam War draft, a man born just after 12:00 a.m. DST was able to avoid being drafted because of a “time loophole.” His argument was that standard time was used in recording the time of his birth in his home state of Delaware the year he was born. According to standard time, he was actually born the day prior to what DST designated as his birthday for that draft year. And that earlier birthday actually meant a higher draft lottery number, meaning he was able to avoid being drafted. Another DST mix-up occurred in September 1999 when Israeli terrorists planned a bombing attack on the West Bank in Palestine. The West Bank was still one hour ahead thanks to DST, but the terrorists (and their time bombs) had already switched back to Standard Time. When the terrorists smuggled in the bombs, intent on killing two busloads of people, the bombs went off one hour early. Three of the terrorists were killed. Easter Traditions Other spring traditions revolve around religious holidays, like Easter. Easter is celebrated by Christians three days after Good Friday as a way to remember Jesus’ rise from his tomb following his crucifixion. The usual celebratory activities often include dying eggs. This tradition is said to come from early Christians who dyed eggs red to symbolize the blood Jesus shed during His crucifixion. The Christian Church officially adopted the custom and designated the egg as a symbol of His resurrection since the egg is a universal symbol of rebirth. The egg shell symbolizes the tomb in which Jesus was placed when He was taken down from the cross. Different countries include other activities in celebration of Easter. Because Easter follows Lent, a time in which tradition requires that nothing considered either meat or dairy could be eaten, many of these activities revolve around eating eggs. Why? Well, chickens don’t stop making eggs just because no one is eating them. So many cultures would often hard-boil the eggs so they would keep longer and be edible once Lent was over. Hornazo, a traditional Spanish dish made with hard-boiled eggs, is often eaten on or around Easter so as not to waste the eggs produced during Lent. In Hungary, potato casseroles made for Easter are usually dressed with hard-boiled eggs as well. Other egg-centered traditions from around the world include egg rolling; Easter egg hunts; the egg dance (which involves dancing around eggs placed on the floor with the aim of not breaking any of them); throwing eggs at another family’s eggs to see whose eggs break; and breaking confetti-filled eggs over each other’s heads. But let’s not forget the tradition of whipping the women in the village with fresh willow branches and splashing them with water in return for an egg (Czech Republic and Slovakia). Perhaps that’s one tradition our culture is better to do without. Spring Traditions From Other Countries
Issue 595 - 3/25/2013
SNIPPETZ SAYS, GIT ALONG LITTLE DOGIES: IT'S A COWBOY/COWGIRL'S LIFE... OR VACATION by Deborah Stumpf 
There never was a horse that couldn't be rode;
Never was a cowboy who couldn't be throwed. -Unknown Dude ranches or guest ranches have been popular draws to the west since the late 1800s. There are now hundreds sprinkled among the western states of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona and others. In the early days, the west was glamorized among the easterners and many of the more prosperous “dudes” would come for hunting trips and guided sightseeing tours. Today, the guest or dude ranch can be quite different with most offering more luxurious accommodations and plentiful activities for adults and children alike. Way Way Back Visiting dude ranches became even more popular in the 1920s and 1930s, particularly after World War I. Teddy Roosevelt helped popularized dude ranching, as these hunting trips to the west were considered to be one of his favorite pastimes. The industrial revolution of the east left folks longing for the beauty and serenity of the great outdoors, something they could still find in the west. It’s hard to imagine Colorado without its suburbs and many cities. What a sight it must have been! The dude ranches of long ago were usually working ranches where visitors could spend their days on horseback participating in cattle drives, hunting and fishing – everything ranchers would do in their daily lives. According to dude ranch owner Bayard Fox, the classic dude ranch embodied the following characteristics:
The New Age of Dude Ranches Nowadays, the typical dude ranch caters to the needs of just about everyone. You can still find the more traditional working ranch complete with cattle drives, hunting and fishing. You’ll more likely find equestrian activities, swimming pools, hot tubs, hayrides, hiking, target shooting, rock climbing, tennis, golf, river rafting and gourmet cooking classes. There are activities for adults and those catering to their children – all to provide a happy vacation for the whole family. Colorado boasts numerous dude ranches. Web sites such as that of the Colorado Dude and Guest Ranch Association offers a way to find a dude ranch customized to fit the traveler’s needs. Http://top50ranches.com is another great resource for finding the perfect dude ranch getaway. Here are a few in Colorado that offer a variety of packages. Working Ranches Badger Creek Ranch is located 40 miles northwest of Canon City near the Royal Gorge. This ranch is the place to go if you want to experience a real working ranch with bed and breakfast type accommodations; the ranch can only accommodate six people at a time. Cattle driving, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, bird watching and just plain old relaxation is plentiful and completely planned by the individual adult guests of this ranch. This is the real deal. http://badgercreekranch.com Chico Basin Ranch is located only 35 miles southeast of Colorado Springs. The facility is owned by the State of Colorado and leased to Duke and Janet Phillips. The ranch offers cattle ranching activities, horseback riding, hiking and bird watching on the high plains. This 87,000-acre cattle ranch strives for sustainability and operates solely to enhance and preserve the environment. Visitors typically purchase a six-day package with meals included. http://chicobasinranch.com Lost Valley Ranch is about a 90-minute drive from Colorado Springs, just west of Deckers. There is something for everyone here – adults, families, business groups – for most of the year. However, in September, they have Cattle Roundup week for the wannabe cowboy. Other times of the year, there are horsemanship programs, cattle penning, fishing, hiking, trap shooting, river rafting, hayrides, tennis, crafts and square dancing. This ranch also boasts an AAA four-star rating for more than three decades. http://lostvalleyranch.com More Family Spots If you like local, grass-fed beef, then the Sylvan Dale Ranch in Loveland next to the Big Thompson River might be the place for you. Sylvan has a plethora of meeting spots for family reunions and business folk. This is a sprawling place with cabins, bunkhouses and guest houses of all shapes and sizes. There are pools, hot tubs, tennis courts, ping pong and billiards, as well as the more typical adventures available – round-ups, team penning, cattle drives, fishing and hiking. http://sylvandale.com Latigo Ranch is located in Kremmling, Colo., about 65 miles outside of Steamboat Springs, the closest “big city.” Just like most of the others, this ranch also offers horsemanship programs, cattle penning, square dancing, trail rides, hiking and fishing as well as overnight campouts. Special programs are available to keep the kids active and happy, all in picturesque surroundings. Their log cabins come in different sizes to house up to six people in the largest one. Full capacity for this ranch is only 35. http://latigotrails.com For the Dude Who Likes Roughin’ It In Luxury Vista Verde in Steamboat Springs provides luxury accommodations and programs for up to 60 people in guest cabins and lodge rooms. All the usual activities are available – horseback riding, hiking, swimming, mountain biking, fishing, rafting, cross country skiing and horsemanship clinics. Add to that a culinary program where the chef holds cooking classes for interested guests. Anything your little heart desires is available here with all the luxury you can stand. Vista Verde also enjoys hosting family reunions, weddings and business retreats. http://vistaverde.com Located in Granby, 95 miles from DIA, the C Lazy U Ranch has been named one of the top 25 spas in Colorado. That’s right, pardner, we said SPA! After you go horseback riding or fishing (if you even get there), you can enjoy some pampering with a facial, massage or a “cowboy soak” – think copper tub with champagne and strawberries. And, as one would expect, fine dining and the best wine around. The C Lazy U also offers ropes courses and zip lines on top of the usual ranch activities. http://clazyu.com If these aren’t enough, there are scores more ranches in Colorado with truly something for everyone. A little bit of internet research will yield so many choices that you may feel inclined to become a dude ranch connoisseur! Getting the Language Right
Issue 596
CHUPACABRA SIGHTINGS ON FRONT RANGE, AND SNIPPETZ HAS THE INSIDE TRACK! by Lindsey Harrison 
“It’s almost as if we each have a vampire inside us. Controlling that beast, that dark side, is what fascinates me.”
– Sheryl Lee Normally we at Snippetz don’t get the inside scoop on big news stories, but this is a major exception. The not-so-mythical beast, the chupacabra, has been spotted in several locations throughout the Tri-Lakes area. The local government has worked hard to keep the public in the dark, but we can be very persuasive and managed to get a top El Paso County official (who prefers to remain anonymous) to confirm the reported sightings. In an effort to adequately inform our readers, we decided to give you a complete picture of this creature so you know what you may be up against should you happen to encounter one! What Is A Chupacabra? The name chupacabra literally translates to “goat sucker” in Spanish. A rather silly name, however, it is extremely concise given that the first reports of chupacabra attacks were on goats. The earliest known reports of attacks were in Puerto Rico in 1995. The first eyewitness, Madelyne Tolentino, claimed to have seen the creature in the Puerto Rican town of Canóvanas where as many as 150 animals were attacked and killed, suggesting the presence of more than one chupacabra in the area. Since then, attacks have been reported in the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, the United States, Brazil, Russia, The Philippines and Mexico. It is said that the creature favors goats, which were the initial victims, but acquired a taste for other animals such as cats, rabbits, dogs and chickens. Victims are said to be completely drained of blood, reminiscent of a vampire. The difference is that the chupacabra is real. All victims of the chupacabra are reported to have at least two puncture wounds to their neck or throat region. The holes are about as large as a man’s finger, suggesting the teeth or fangs on these creatures are extremely large. Some Theories Several theories about the origin of the chupacabra have cropped up since its first appearances. Some believe the creatures are simply coyotes or dogs inflicted with mange. Such claims rely on the works of an American biologist who claimed in 2010 that the parasite Sarcoptes scabiei was behind the unusual appearance of these common animals. The parasite causes extreme loss of fur, thickened skin and severe offensive odor. However, his theory doesn’t address the long spines on the back of the creature, or the fact that they drain the blood of their victims rather than killing and eating it like an average coyote would. Others claim the creature doesn’t exist at all and is the product of an over-active imagination, spurred on by a science-fiction movie that was released about the same time as the initial sightings. But the theories can’t explain the mass animal killings through a method that no other animal uses to feed. And eyewitness accounts, while unreliable as they sometimes prove to be, can’t be denied when they are corroborated by other eyewitness accounts from across the globe. In fact, on the popular reality television show “Duck Dynasty,” which follows the activities of the Robertson family, Si Robertson admitted that he has seen the chupacabra. It’s hard to deny the existence of such a creature when a person of his social status will openly admit to seeing it. Still another theory claims that these creatures are actually the offspring of some rhesus monkeys held in Puerto Rico about the time of the first chupacabra sightings. These monkeys were being used in blood experiments and reportedly a large group managed to escape. It isn’t known what happened to them or what particular type of experiments these monkeys underwent. The bottom line is that no one knows for sure how the chupacabra came to be but the evidence indicates that this creature is very real and very dangerous. And the residents of Monument better beware. Characteristics Of The Chupacabra
What To Do In Case Of A Chupacabra Sighting Or Attack Our source with the county said an attack by the chupacabra would be completely impossible to predict and therefore suggested residents of the Monument area take extra precautions. Don’t leave animals outside at night if possible. Lock up any livestock in a well-reinforced pen/stable/hutch to deter an attack. Try to avoid going out at night unless you have a flashlight with you. The chupacabra is said to be afraid of bright lights, whether the light hurts the eyes and flesh of the creature or simply because it doesn’t like it. Either way, they are said to avoid such lights at all costs. Should you find yourself face-to-face with a chupacabra in the midst of a meal, our county official said the best course of action would be to leave it alone and let it finish. There’s really no way to avoid death once the creature has locked its jaws on its dinner. The county indicated they would very much welcome any further proof of the chupacabra’s residence in the area. Send pictures or video to Snippetz, if possible. Please do not put yourself or anyone else in danger in an attempt to get any pictures or videos. BY THE WAY... HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY! Issue 597
MONARCHY: SNIPPETZ INVESTIGATES THE OBSESSION WITH ROYALTY by Lindsey Harrison “A family on the throne is an interesting idea. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life.” – Walter Bagehot It’s no secret that we as a society have an obsession with royalty. Whether it be our version of royalty (actors, singers, football players, reality T.V. stars), or the actual royal family of the United Kingdom, people want to know every move they make. For centuries we commoners have long looked up to the royals for fashion, religion and even a lifestyle that leaves plenty to envy. But why? Does it really matter that Kate Middleton, now Princess Catherine, wore the same dress in public twice? In the grand scheme of things, why do we care so much about what the royals are up to? Well, read on. If history has anything to do with it (and it would be hard to argue that it doesn’t), those crazy royals have been providing years of entertainment for the rest of us! All a-Twitter (and a-Facebook) Let’s start off with something fairly recent: the wedding of Prince William of Cambridge and Kate Middleton. This ceremony-turned-spectacle was watched by millions of people the world over. But people weren’t just watching the wedding, they were talking about it. People who have never met the couple were tweeting and posting as if the couple were close family friends. In fact, Facebook is said to have counted 2.8 million people in the U.K. and the United States alone who wrote status updates about the wedding in the 24 hours before the ceremony. In that same time period, Twitter is said to have had 237 tweets every second about the wedding. Bahamas Mama Quick, name the royal who earned this title in the 1980s. If you said Princess Diana, then you are correct. Why, you might ask did such a classy woman get dubbed Bahamas Mama? Well, she did something that women around the world do every day but in her case, people actually cared! While vacationing in the Bahamas with her husband Prince Charles, Princess Diana donned a bikini even though she was six months pregnant at the time. What a scandal! Well, not really. But since she was royalty, the paparazzi were able to capitalize on the photo. Who’s The Real Queen? The current monarch is Queen Elizabeth II and she has a sister named Princess Margaret. Princess Margaret married Antony Armstrong-Jones. It might not come as a huge surprise that their marriage failed, especially when you consider that the princess had long been claiming that her husband was gay. It might surprise you, however, to find out that a woman with royal blood, who many would likely assume was held to a higher standard regarding privacy and tact, would answer the question, “How is the Queen?” with “Do you mean my sister or my husband?” Honestly, who wouldn’t want to keep an eye on the royal family after hearing that? One Fish, Two Fish… It’s one thing for a queen to own a few horses or some cattle. Perhaps she even owns a couple jaguars, sloths and beavers (which Queen II actually does, although they reside in the London Zoo, not Buckingham Palace). It’s another thing altogether to own every sturgeon, whale and dolphin within a three-mile radius of the ocean surrounding the U.K. No, that’s not a joke. These water-dwellers are dubbed “Fishes Royal.” Perhaps they should look up the definition of a fish because neither dolphins nor whales are fish. The royals are nothing if not completely perplexing. That’s For Babies Forget that the nursery rhyme “Ring Around the Rosie” was really about the plague. There was actually a royal named Coel who inspired the rhyme “Old King Cole.” Pretty cool, right? Well, at least it’s cooler than singing about dying from the plague. Prince Coel was a British ruler during the 4th century and is said to have been the father of St. Helen, the mother of Constantine, the Roman emperor. It’s also said that Coel loved music, which could be the reason for the lyrics “his fiddlers three” in the rhyme. Could this possibly be the start of our obsession, our idolization of the royals? You be the judge. Rub A Dub Dub, No King In A Tub While many royals are looked up to for their fashion sense or their charisma, it’s unlikely that anyone would have lumped King Louis XIV of France in that group. In fact, it was probably hard to get close enough to notice. It’s said that he hated washing up, detested it, to the point that he rarely bathed at all. One estimate claimed he only bathed three times from the time he was born in 1638 to 1715 when he died. Speaking of stinky royalty, Queen Elizabeth I is said to have only bathed four times per year. In addition, she loved the white makeup used at the time to cover one’s face and hands. It’s said she didn’t ever actually wash it off; she just slathered on a new layer every day to keep makeup looking fresh. It’s doubtful that new layer did anything to stave off the smell, though. But image is everything after all… Unsigned, Sealed and Delivered One of the most important documents in English history, the Magna Carta, was written in 1215. This document was key in setting up a legal system in the U.K. and was a template for other countries as they tried to establish their own systems. The Bill of Rights is to the U.S. what the Magna Carta was to the England. Naturally, a document of this importance would require the signature of the country’s most powerful person – the monarch, King John. But King John didn’t actually sign the Magna Carta. Instead he placed his royal seal on it, which at the time would have to suffice since he was illiterate and literally couldn’t sign his name. I’m Henry the Eighth I am, Henry the Eighth I am, I am You were wondering when we’d get around to mentioning this particular royal, weren’t you? So let’s just get right to it. Henry VIII had six wives: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr. There’s a great way to remember how their marriages to the king ended; simply follow this pattern: “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.” It is important to mention that the king did not believe in divorce and those marriages labeled as such in the pattern above should actually be termed “annulled” but it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. As if all those marriages and break-ups (in whatever form) aren’t enough to rival any Hollywood couple of modern times, Henry VIII also had several affairs on the side. One important one to include was with the sister of his second wife. Mary Boleyn became his mistress when he was still married to Catherine of Aragon but he dismissed Mary and never made any attempt to take her as his queen after he had his marriage to Catherine annulled. Instead, he took her sister Anne Boleyn as his wife five days after his annulment from Catherine was declared. It all seems quite romantic…right up until the time when he had Anne beheaded. He was said to have been playing tennis at the time she was executed. Imagine the media frenzy something like that would have created today! But it gets even better. Jane Seymour, his third wife, served as a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn and is speculated to be the motivation behind Anne’s execution. Why? Well, less than two weeks following the execution, Henry VIII married Jane Seymour. Issue 598
SNIPPETZ GOES WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME by Lindsey Harrison “Women. Can’t live with ‘em…pass the beer nuts.” – George Wendt as Norm Peterson If you were alive and owned a T.V. during the years 1982 to 1993, chances are that you saw at least one episode of the wildly popular NBC sitcom “Cheers.” The cast of quirky characters, the witty dialog and the memorable theme song were a staple of many viewers’ “Must See T.V.” Thursday nights. So what was it about the show that kept people coming back to it week after week for 11 years? Snippetz looks into the show, the actors and especially the little-known tidbits that helped a show about a little bar in Boston, Mass. become more than just another name for a toast… Cast And Characters The original “Cheers” script followed the lives of four employees of the Cheers bar. It was soon decided that the show needed more depth and several other regular “locals” joined the cast, each with a unique niche that arguably led to the success of the show. Ted Danson played the bar’s owner, Sam Malone. Sam was a former baseball player and alcoholic whose addiction ultimately cost him his athletic career. For the first five seasons, Sam pursued Diane Chambers (played by Shelley Long), a sophisticated college student who, during the pilot episode, was shunned by her fiancé, forcing her to take a job at Cheers as a cocktail waitress. The couple was on-again, off-again until Diane set off to Los Angeles to begin a career as a writer and the relationship was officially over. Following Diane’s departure, Rebecca Howe (played by Kirstie Alley) came on the scene as a manager for the bar. Initially, Sam was attracted to her and attempted to begin a relationship with her, with no success. But after watching her many failed relationships with other, often richer men, he lost interest. Naturally, the turmoil surrounding the romantic life of one character was not what made the show a hit. Other key players, like Carla Tortelli (played by Rhea Perlman), the saucy, promiscuous waitress; Norm Peterson (George Wendt), the barfly with the memorable one-liners; and Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger), the local know-it-all postal worker, completed the cast. Carla provided a wealth of entertainment by treating the customers poorly, having many failed romances, including the one that left her divorced with four children at the beginning of the series, and saying things that perhaps most people only have the guts to think. Over the lifetime of the series, Carla had four more children, adding to the chaos in her home life. While she secretly pined for Sam, she eventually married a hockey player only to lose him to a Zamboni accident. Norm: It is a little-known requirement that every bar must have a patron who has permanently etched his or her backside onto their favorite barstool. For “Cheers,” that patron is Norm. Norm was frequently unemployed as an accountant and then eventually transitioned to a house painter. Many of his hilarious lines centered around his rocky marriage to Vera, a character that never showed her face onscreen. Cliff could always be counted on to stir the pot. Whether he was saying something completely inaccurate, confusing people with random information, or just annoying everyone within earshot, Cliff kept the hilarity coming. Initially, the Cliff character was written as a security guard but the producers changed it after the pilot episode, apparently assuming a postal worker would be a better know-it-all. Not sure what that says about postal workers but hey, it worked for “Cheers” and Cliff and his “Little Known Facts” became one of the show’s mainstays. Coach Ernie Pantusso (played by Nicholas Colasanto) started the series as a retired coach turned co-bartender. He was the typical bartender in that he lent his patrons an ear and offered up advice for the problems they presented. Coach didn’t make it past season three, however, because Colasanto suffered a sudden heart attack on Feb. 12, 1985 and died. The character was written out of season four although the details of Coach’s death were never explained. Woody Boyd (played by Woody Harrelson) came on the scene as a naive, not-the-brightest-bulb-in-the-pack young man trying to reconnect with his “pen pal” Coach. And by pen pal, Woody meant he and Coach had exchanged pens…see? Not so bright, right? When he learned that Coach had passed away, he was hired as bartender in Coach’s place. His dimwittedness was a constant source of comedic situations in the show, adding to the already entertaining cast of characters. Other characters to appear in later seasons included Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) and Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth). The pair started out their “Cheers” careers as psychiatrists who are set up on a very unsuccessful date. The pair eventually put their differences (or similarities, in this instance) aside and got married. By the 11th season, the couple had a son and decided to call it quits. Thanks to “Cheers,” though, the spin-off “Frasier” was born and the dysfunction between Frasier and Lilith continued. Cheers Snippetz And now the part you’ve all been waiting for…
Issue 599
IF ANYTHING CAN GO WRONG, IT WILL: MURPHY'S LAW by Lindsey Harrison 
When you have an important meeting first thing in the morning, your alarm clock will stop working in the middle of the night. Your husband or wife will have used all the hot water so your shower is ice cold. The kids will have used all the milk so instead of cereal, you’ll have a bagel but there won’t be any more cream cheese either. Your car won’t start or you’ll run out of gas. There will be a huge pile-up on the highway and you’ll get stuck in gridlock traffic on your way to work. The scenarios could go on and on. It’s a universal belief that whenever you need everything to go right, everything will go wrong. That’s Murphy’s Law for you. So who was this Murphy who created a law that causes so much grief? Well, that’s where Snippetz comes in. Read on to find out!
THE ORIGINAL MURPHY'S LAW It might come as a surprise but Murphy’s Law is an actual law describing a universal truth. It states: “If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it.” Now, whether or not that is a fact is debatable. Here’s how the law came to be: In 1949, Captain Edward A. Murphy Jr., an engineer in the United States Air Force, was working on a project called MX981 to definitively show how many Gs (the force of gravity) the human body could handle. He and the other project team members working at Edwards Air Force Base in California designed a rocket sled they affectionately named “Gee Whiz” which they used to simulate the force of an airplane crash. Going more than 200 miles per hour, the sled cruised down a half-mile track and slammed to a stop in less than one second. Naturally, in order to see how this would affect a human being, the team needed a human test subject. This is where Colonel John Paul Stapp comes into play. As a physician with the Air Force, Stapp decided he would volunteer to take the terrifying (and apparently painful) ride in the name of science. He withstood months of rides in which he suffered broken bones and blood vessels in his eyes and concussion after concussion. In order to more accurately measure the amount of G-force applied when the sled came to a stop, Murphy supplied a set of sensors that were attached to the harness holding Stapp to the sled. Each sensor had two ways to be connected, only one of which would provide results. The team sent a chimpanzee on a test run after applying the sensors, but the data came back blank. Each sensor had been connected incorrectly. It’s said that at about this time, Murphy made a comment along the lines of what was to be considered his law, blaming the technician that applied the sensors for the mishap. Apparently, Stapp thought Murphy’s observation was pretty astute and in a subsequent press conference, he commented that the research team’s (relatively) good safety track record was due to their understanding of Murphy’s Law. Obviously no one had ever heard of this law so he elaborated by saying, “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” And with that, Murphy’s Law was born. IS MURPHY'S LAW REALLY TRUE? The universality of Murphy’s Law in part relies on the fact that, in a situation such as the sensor one the Murphy encountered, there is a chance that something will go wrong. And often that chance is as likely as having everything go right. Some people have even gone as far as to attempt to predict or explain Murphy’s Law in actual definitive terms. For example, Joel Pel, a biological engineer at the University of British Columbia decided he wanted to predict the occurrence of Murphy’s Law, so he created a mathematical formula that did just that. We won’t bore you with the details of the formula but rest assured, his formula works. Murphy’s Law is also said to be supported by the natural law of entropy. This particular law, known as the second law of thermodynamics, the study of how energy changes from one form to another, states the following: In the universe, systems tend to end up in disorder and disarray. Basically, if it can go wrong, it will. Perhaps you believe that Murphy’s Law is the reason behind your bad hair day when you have a date planned for that night or why it rains the day you are moving into your new house. Or maybe you just happen to notice the bad things more than the good because, let’s be honest, how often do we actually pay attention to the days when our hair does what it’s supposed to do or our alarm clock goes off when it should or the commute to and from work is uneventful. Probably not as often as we should. Bottom line: Murphy’s Law works if you believe it works, but it is also just as likely that things won’t go wrong so maybe, in those situations, we can say that anti-Murphy’s Law was at work. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Keeping Murphy’s Law in mind is actually rather useful, especially in situations where failure could be extremely dangerous or costly. It serves as a reminder that things can and will go wrong so thinking and planning ahead is the best chance we have of avoiding a catastrophe. The best way to counteract Murphy’s Law is to construct fail-safes, or idiot-proof it. For example, have you ever wondered why one prong on a plug is bigger than the other? It ensures that you plug the cord into the outlet on your wall correctly. But what if your fail-safe fails? That’s the idea behind Grave’s Law, an off-shoot of Murphy’s Law. That law states: “If you make something idiot-proof, the world will create a better idiot.” There is so much we could say here but at the risk of offending someone, we won’t. VARIATIONS OF MURPHY'S LAW
OTHER RELATED LAWS (and one paradox)
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