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Issue 740 - 1/4/2016
SNIPPETZ WELCOMES THE NEW YEAR BY FIRST GLANCING BACK AT YEARS GONE BY by Lindsey Harrison 
“But we cannot rely on memorials and museums alone. We can tell ourselves that we will never forget and we likely won’t. But we need to make sure that we teach history to those who never had the opportunity to remember in the first place.”
– Dan Rather, American journalist We’ve switched over our calendars and made resolutions for the New Year. We’re looking forward to all the possibilities that 2016 has to offer. We’re all focused on the future. And that’s actually OK, for the most part. But what about the road that got us all to where we are? Our individual and collective histories are integral in shaping who we are and how we’ve achieved all that we have. Truly, you can’t have a 2016 without all the many, many years that came before it. So we at Snippetz decided that, instead of only looking ahead, we’d take a moment and reflect on the past, to honor all those unforgettable moments that many may have actually forgotten, or never even knew about in the first place! IN THE BEGINNING . . . When thinking about history and historical events, it can be difficult to decide where exactly to start. We’ve decided to round up some great events from various times throughout the history of the world, starting from as close to the beginning as we could get! 2500 B.C.: Ski enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that an ancient ski was uncovered in Scandinavia that dates back to this year. 700 B.C.: The first toll roads appeared in Babylon. 1066: William the Conqueror, and every other monarch since then (except for Edward V and Edward VIII) was crowned at Westminster Abbey. 1309: French Pope Clement V, moved the papacy from Rome to Avignon, France, where it stayed for nearly 70 years. 1376: Pope Gregory XI moved the papacy back to Rome, but the French cardinals revolted and instead, elected their own pope, known as the antipope. 1620: The Mayflower ends its 66-day trip from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts. They spent the winter onboard the ship and moved ashore in March of 1621. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving that fall and the celebrations lasted three days. Today, one in every 10 Americans can trace their ancestry to someone that was on the Mayflower. 1842: James Shields, a political rival to Abraham Lincoln, challenged him to a duel because of derogatory letters Lincoln wrote about him to Illinois newspapers. Lincoln accepted the duel and chose swords as the dueling weapon. Shields got news of his 6’5” opponent’s weapon of choice and figured that, since he stood only 5’9” himself, he would likely lose the battle. Shields agreed to accept an apology from Lincoln instead of going through with the duel. 1854: In this year, the HMS Resolute, a British ship, became trapped in the ice in the arctic waters off the shores of Canada. An American whaling ship happened upon the vessel and towed it back to Groton, Connecticut, where the U.S. Congress paid to have the ship repaired. They then sent it back to Britain as a show of goodwill. 1864: It was in this year that the northernmost attack on the United States by the Confederates during the Civil War occurred. It took place in St. Albans, Vermont, where Ben Young and 21 escaped rebel prisoners of war cavalryman raided the town’s three banks and then planned to flee for Canada, which was about 15 miles north. They made off with $208,000 and tried to burn down the town but their plans were thwarted by heavy rains. When they reached Canada, they were arrested and forced to give back what remained of the money they stole. 1864: Apparently, even great presidents like Abraham Lincoln knew how to play the game of politics. He ordered General Sherman to delay his March to the Sea, which took him through Georgia, until after Lincoln was reelected to the presidency. 1879: Remember that British ship that got stuck in the ice? Well, in this year, the British decommissioned it and four desks were made from its timbers. One was presented to President Rutherford Hayes the following year. It became known as the Resolute desk and was featured as part of the plot of the movie, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. 1894: The first steering wheel was invented. Prior to this year, automobiles were steered using a joystick-type handle. 1907: Ellis Island experienced its busiest year. It processed 1,004,756 immigrants. Only 3rd class passengers had to stand in the lines for processing, which often took between three and five hours. First and 2nd class passengers remained onboard their ships while being processed by immigration officials. 1930-1936: Known as the “dirty thirties,” it was during these years that the dust bowl hit the United States. Some dust storms were so large that they blackened the skies over New York City and one that passed over the Great Plains measured 200 miles wide. 1936: This year, England was under the rule of three different kinds – George V, George VI, and George VIII. 1937: To help babies living in apartment or tenement buildings in London get fresh air and sunshine, the Chelsea Baby Club gave out metal cages that hung outside a window. 1940s: Prior to this decade pink was usually considered a color for boys and blue a girl’s color. 1945: Mongolia enters World War II on Aug. 9, just a few days before the war ended. 1952: This is the last year that England had a king. 2004: Keeping a goldfish in a curved bowl was outlawed by the city council of Monza, Italy, because the bent light supposedly gave the fish a distorted view of the outside world. 2005: In a wedding that cost $60 million, Vanisha Mittal, the daughter of a billionaire steel magnate, married investment banker Amit Bhatia. Included in the price were invitations mailed in silver boxes, plane fare, accommodations at 5-star hotels in both Paris and Versailles, and gift bags for the guests that were filled with various jewels. 2008: Taylor Wilson, a 14-year-old American, became the youngest person to build a nuclear fusion reactor. 2011: After weighing in at just 5.7 pounds at birth, a 3-year-old Chinese boy tipped the scales at 132 pounds. 2011: Just six hours after picking it up, a Utah man that won a $380,000 Lamborghini Murciélago roadster in a convenience store contest, totaled it in a car accident. 2012: Joyce Coffey of New Hampshire was arrest four times in 24 hours – three times for playing the AC/DC song “Highway to Hell” too loudly and once for throwing a frying pan at her nephew. 2012: After finding his parents’ savings hidden in the family’s couch, a Ukrainian boy spent nearly $4,000 of it in just a couple of days. 2012: Lori Anne Madison of Virginia became the youngest person to ever qualify for the National Spelling Bee at the ripe old age of 6. OTHER “REMEMBER WHEN” SNIPPETZ Remember when . . .
Issue 741
REAL OR NOT? SNIPPETZ UNCOVERS SOME UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA by Lindsey Harrison “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” – Albert Einstein, German physicist In this day and age, there is not much mystery left in the world. With a few keystrokes and an Internet connection, you can Google just about anything and get an answer, although it may not always be trustworthy. That said, it is definitely rare to find something which cannot be explained. Remember when crop circles were so mysterious and intriguing? People were convinced they were the work of extra-terrestrials. Everyone except those people who had created them. For the rest of us, it was pretty interesting to consider that some other lifeform from another place in the universe had visited our humble planet and delivered us a message. Now, of course, we know better, but there are still mysterious phenomena out there, if you’re willing to look hard enough. Luckily, Snippetz has done the hard work for you and compiled a group of some of the most interesting unexplained phenomena right here for your reading enjoyment! THE PAULDING LIGHT Also known as the “The Dog Meadow Light,” the Paulding Light has been a mysterious phenomenon observed for at least the last 50 years in a valley located just outside of Paulding, Michigan. Witness accounts indicate that a large orb of light can be seen that does not match the appearance of headlights from either passing cars or airplanes. The orb supposedly appears just about every night and is so consistent and well-known that park rangers in the area have placed signs indicating where you can best view the light. So, what’s the story behind the Paulding Light? There are several theories floating around out there, but the most popular one seems go as follows: once upon a time, a set of railroad tracks coursed through this particular valley near Paulding. Working on the railroad tracks was a brakeman, who carried a lantern to light his way. One night, a line of railway cars got stuck on the tracks in the area and it was this brakeman’s job to alert oncoming trains about the obstruction to help prevent a collision. Tragically, as he was standing on the tracks, frantically trying to catch the conductor’s attention in time, the brakeman was killed when the oncoming train hit the stalled railway cars. Or so the legend says. Supposedly, the Paulding Light is his ghost still carrying his lantern. But you can’t have an unexplained phenomenon like this without more than one theory about it. Another claims that the light is the ghost of a mail courier who was slain at the site, and still another claims that it is the lantern of a man who went out one night looking for his lost son and was hit by a train. Believe it or not, it’s your call. But witnesses claim the light will actually appear to move closer to you and then disappear, only to reappear and start its spooky trek all over again. RINGING ROCKS If you happen to see people heading to Ringing Rocks Park in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania holding hammers, you might be a little confused. However, the name says it all. Ringing Rocks Park is a park where the rocks literally ring when struck. The park itself is about 7 acres large and filled with boulders piled up about 10 feet high. Interestingly enough, Ringing Rocks Park isn’t the only park with, well, ringing rocks. Various other locations have been identified around the world, including the Ringing Rocks of Kiandra near Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, and the Bell Rock Range of Western Australia. The Ringing Rocks Park was first identified in 1742 and since then, scientists have been working to determine a credible theory about why these particular rocks can ring. They have since been labeled sonorous or lithophonic for their ability to produce sound. But that still does not explain why they do what they do. Truly, this phenomenon has been under investigation for centuries, without any conclusive determination of what makes these rocks tick (or ring, as the case may be). The most probably theory is the ringing sound is due to a combination of the density of the rock itself and a high degree of internal stress being applied to the rock. Additionally, the iron content of the rocks has been linked to their ringing ability, although it has been concluded it is not a primary factor in that unusual ability. Ultimately, this phenomenon is still unexplained in that there has not been a definitive answer but scientists are much closer to reaching that answer than they are with many other unexplained phenomena. MOODUS NOISES Described as thunder-like booming sounds, the Moodus Noises occur in caves near East Haddam, Connecticut. The Moodus name actually comes from the Native American word machemoodus, meaning “place of noises.” The Wangunk tribe lived in the area long before the first European settlers set foot on the continent. This particular tribe was extremely superstitious and attributed the noises to supernatural sources, most notably the god Hobomoko. When the settlers did finally make their way to East Haddam, they heard the noises and immediately believed the source to be Satan. In more recent times, both theories have been all but abandoned. However, that doesn’t offer any other explanation that seems any more reasonable. Finally, in the 1980s, the powers that be decided they had discovered the true source of the noises. They claim that seismic activity, namely “shallow micro-earthquakes,” were to blame. That became the “official” explanation. So, if the Moodus Noises have been explained, why did we include them on our list of unexplained phenomena? Well, here’s the problem with that official explanation: the noises are often heard with no accompanying seismic activity. Additionally, no known fault line exists in the area, so where is all the supposed seismic activity coming from? That “official” explanation seems to raise more questions than it answers . . . ANIMALS SEALED IN STONE This interesting phenomenon has been documented on multiple occasions and in multiple time periods. Essentially, people have stumbled across seemingly normal rocks or stones that, when broken open, contain living, breathing animals. There are no cracks or gaps to indicate how they may have gotten inside and obviously there is no way for them to find food in their small living spaces. So is this a really, truly unexplained phenomenon? Well, for centuries, documented cases of animals, often reptiles or amphibians, being found sealed inside rocks have been observed. They often indicate that the space in which the animal lives is no bigger than the animal itself, and even bears the imprint of the animal’s features. Strange enough, as it is, right? But that’s not all. Geologists have long told us that rocks are formed over thousands of years. So, how long exactly have these creatures been inside these rocks? Does that make them thousands of years old or are they finding some way into the stones that we humans just haven’t been able to discern yet? Of all the unexplained phenomena out there that we’ve researched, the one claiming that animals have been found sealed inside stone is by far, the most far-reaching and most highly-documented example. Issue 742
SNIPPETZ KNOWS YOU'LL BE IMPRESSED BY THESE INCREDIBLE WOMEN! by Lindsey Harrison “I’m a woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that’s me.” – Maya Angelou, American author, poet, civil rights activist For centuries, women’s contribution to the world was often discounted and frequently overlooked. Sure, there were those who did exceptional things and have gone down in history as remarkable women. Consider the likes of Queen Elizabeth I and Marie Curie, for example. But more often than not, these truly impressive women did not receive the recognition they rightly deserved. Without the contributions of these types of women, computer programming would not be the science it is today. Without these women, radio-controlled torpedoes would be jamming left and right. And without these women, there’s no telling how long it would’ve taken to catalog and classify nearly all the stars in the sky. So who were these women and how did they contribute so influentially, you may ask? Read on, Snippetz fans, as we travel back in time to highlight some of the world’s biggest, baddest, most impressive women you’ve probably never heard of! ADA LOVELACE – WORLD’S FIRST PROGRAMMER Born on December 10, 1815, Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, was a British mathematician and writer. She took an interest in mathematics and other logical-type fields, in part because her mother was afraid she would become like her father, poet George Gordon, Lord Byron. As she grew older, Ada showed a real talent for mathematics and as a teenager, she developed a working relationship, and soon a friendship, with Charles Babbage. Babbage was another British mathematician who is considered “the father of computers.” The pair worked together on Babbage’s mechanical general-purpose computer which he called the Analytical Machine. This machine was the subject of an article written by Italian military engineer Luigi Menabrea, which Ada then translated between 1842 and 1843 in a set of notes she titled (creatively enough) “Notes.” In those notes was an algorithm designed to be carried out by Babbage’s Analytical Machine. Ultimately, it was a computer program, earning her the distinction of having written the first computer program in the history of the world. HEDY LAMARR – INVENTOR Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler was born on November 9, 1914 in Vienna, Austria. She was discovered as an actress in the late 1920s and in 1933, Hedy married Friedrich Mandl. Mandl was a wealthy military arms merchant and munitions manufacturer who took his young wife to conferences and business meetings, at which Hedy was first introduced to the field of applied science. It was this this introduction that would later help her invent a jam-proof radio guidance system for torpedoes. She wanted to do her part to fight the Axis power during World War II and using the knowledge she gained from Mandl (whom she actually fled in 1937), coupled with the help from composer George Antheil, she developed a frequency-hopping spread-spectrum technology that would continually change the radio signals sent to torpedoes to keep the enemy from jamming them. This technology was patented in 1942 and during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, an updated version was used on U.S. Navy ships. THE DAHOMEY AMAZONS – ALL-FEMALE ARMY If you want to talk about some really big bad mamas, look no further than the Dahomey Amazons, an all-female army that fought for the Kingdom of Dahomey, now called the Republic of Benin. The Amazon army was created sometime around 1645 by Dahomey King Ada Honzoo and initially consisted of women who specialized in hunting and taking down elephants. Although it is not known for certain why, King Honzoo declared the women as his new personal bodyguard unit and increased their numbers to 800 women strong. The newly-appointed bodyguards carried spears, bows and arrows, war clubs and eventually grew to a unit of more than 4,000 women warriors. The Amazons went through intensive training, including wrestling, sparring and climbing a 30-foot wall lined with thorny bushes. Thanks to their big bad mama-ness, King Honzoo’s empire grew to encompass most of West Africa. More than 200 years later, the Amazons were still going strong and the king at the time, named Gezo, expanded their numbers to 6,000 soldiers. They fought alongside male soldiers and did remarkably well in defending and even expanding their empire but they were finally defeated in 1894 by the French, in large part because the French had more advanced weaponry that they simply could not defend against. MADAM C.J. WALKER – FIRST BLACK FEMALE MILLIONAIRE Born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867, in Louisiana, Madam C.J. Walker was the first child in her family to be free-born as her parents were recently freed slaves. She suffered a scalp condition that resulted in the loss of her hair and she began to experiment with home and store-bought remedies to see if anything could help. Madam Walker married her husband Charles Walker and was soon hired by Annie Turnbo Malone, a black hair care entrepreneur who found a good measure of success, and moved to Denver in 1905. While there, Charles encouraged his wife to work on her own hair care treatment and, as an advertising agent, helped promote her business under the new name, Madam C.J. Walker. In 1907, the Walkers traveled around the South and Southeast, promoting the products which included a new formula for pomade and the use of heat combs. By 1910, Madam Walker had reached a level of success never before reached by a black female. THE HARVARD COMPUTERS – ALL-FEMALE ASTRONOMY TEAM The system used today to catalog and classify stars is based on a system developed by Edward Charles Pickering and his “Harvard Computers” called the Harvard Classification System. The computers were actually women Pickering had hired to process astronomical data and apparently they did quite a good job. Among the computers were Williamina Fleming, Annie Jump Cannon, Henrietta Swan Leavitt and Antonia Maury. ALICE HUYLER RAMSEY – FIRST WOMAN TO DRIVE ACROSS AMERICA Born on November 11, 1886, Alice Taylor Huyler was the first woman to make the coast-to-coast drive in an automobile. She married her husband John R. Ramsey in 1906 and in 1909, at the age of 22, began her 3,800-mile journey from Hell’s Gate in Manhattan, New York to San Francisco, California. The trip took 59 days and she completed it in a green Maxwell 30 and consisted of only 152 total miles of paved roads. Ramsey was accompanied by three other women but none could drive besides Ramsey. She changed 11 tires during the trip and had to make various repairs to the vehicle. Although the women used the American Automobile Association maps to navigate on their trek, it didn’t always help and they often used telephone poles to help direct them to nearby towns. MURASAKI SHIKIBU – PUBLISHED WORLD’S FIRST NOVEL Serving as a lady-in-waiting to the Imperial court in Japan during the Heian period, Murasaki Shikibu made a name for herself by publishing the first-ever novel. Called The Tale of Genji, Murasaki wrote the novel between about 1000 and 1012. The three-part novel is 1100 pages long and contains 54 chapters. Supposedly, the book took more than a decade to complete, although that assertion is not an undeniable fact. In truth, much of Murasaki’s life story and the surrounding events is entrenched in speculation. The Tale of Genji’s authorship is not; Murasaki Shikibu, a woman, was the author of the first novel ever published. Issue 743
SNIPPETZ SAYS GOODBYE TO THE ZIGGY STARDUST, DAVID BOWIE by Lindsey Harrison “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” – David Bowie, British singer, songwriter, record producer, painter and actor We all know it’s going to happen someday, but it’s still shocking and incredibly sad when someone you love passes away. No, we all didn’t personally know David Bowie. He wasn’t our close friend with whom we shared our deepest, darkest secrets. But he did have his hand in so many aspects of the entertainment industry that his passing has been felt deeply by people all over the world. Some people choose to mourn the loss, while others choose to celebrate his life and accomplishments. Snippetz has chosen the latter, knowing that David Bowie’s life meant so much to so many people. Of course, we can’t highlight every single thing this pop icon ever did in his life and career, so we have narrowed it down to some of the perhaps lesser-known facts about him. And with that, we present a tribute to the Goblin King a.k.a. Ziggy Stardust a.k.a. David Bowie. EARLY LIFE On Jan. 8, 1947, David Bowie was born into this world. But like many entertainers, his given name is not the name by which he is best known. David Bowie was actually born David Robert Jones in Brixton, south London to Margaret Mary and Haywood Stenton Jones. Even as a young child, it was apparent to just about anyone who came into contact with David that he was something special. He was obviously talented and headstrong, which would serve him well later in life. By age eight, he and his family relocated to a suburb of Bromley where he took part in the school choir, although David was not considered outstanding by any means. He did impress his music teachers in his ability to play the recorder, which eventually translated into a talent for just about any musical instrument. But it wasn’t just his talent for music; David was also wildly talented in dance. His teachers often commented that he was “vividly artistic” and possessed a poise that was nothing short of “astonishing,” especially for a child. It’s definitely a fair statement to say that David’s father had an impact on his son’s musical interests; he brought home copies of 45s by artists such as Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, the Platters, Elvis Presley and Little Richard, to name a few. David went on to attend the Bromley Technical High School, where he studied art, music and design, as well as layout and typesetting. Teacher Owen Frampton (yes, Peter Frampton’s father) impacted David as a student there and actually led to the elder Frampton very actively encouraging his son to seek a musical career with David. Additionally, David’s half-brother Terry Burns introduced him to modern jazz, which led to David learning to play the saxophone. He started out on a plastic alto sax, but soon graduated to something a little better and started taking lessons as well. WHAT’S IN A NAME? Remember when we said that David’s last name was not originally Bowie but Jones? Good. Now here’s why he decided to change it: you may have heard of this little band called The Monkees. If so (and yes, that was sarcasm; we fully expect you to know who The Monkees are) then you know how Davy Jones is. Now, consider having a David Jones and a Davy Jones both vying for attention from the public for their musical talents. Not a pleasant scene. To avoid confusion, David Bowie changed his last name to Bowie, after the Bowie knife. Problem solved. THE EYES HAVE IT You may have noticed that David has unusual eyes, and by that we mean one eye in particular is very different than a “normal” eye. This was actually obtained in a fight with his friend, George Underwood. Apparently, the two were fighting over a particular girl they both happened to like and George popped David in the left eye. The injury was so severe that doctors were afraid that David might lose sight in that eye. He endured a series of operations and spent four months in the hospital only to be told that nothing could be done to fully repair the damage. David walked away with faulty depth perception and a permanently dilated pupil. The fight did not negatively impact George and David’s friendship, and they even collaborated on the artwork for one of David’s early album covers. The animators of the cartoon series “SpongeBob Square Pants” took that unique characteristic into consideration when they created “Lord Royal Highness.” David provided the voice for the character and the animators gave Lord Royal Highness two differently colored eyes. A PARTING GIFT Just two days before his death on January 10, David released his “Blackstar” album. His producer Tony Visconti said that David had a sense of his impending death and wanted this album to be his “swan song.” Listening to the lyrics on the album, reporters and critics alike agree that most of the songs seem to revolve around the idea that David knew he was going to die and was trying to come to grips with that reality. In all, David’s career was obviously long and successful, and at last estimation, it’s thought that he sold somewhere in the ballpark of 140 million albums. In England he was awarded 9 Platinum, 11 Gold and 8 Silver albums, while in the United States he received 5 Platinum and 7 Gold albums. DAVID BOWIE SNIPPETZ
Issue 744
SNIPPETZ TALLIES THE COST OF LOOKIN' GOOD... BEAUTY AIN'T CHEAP! by Lindsey Harrison “Most women are dissatisfied with their appearance – it’s the stuff that fuels the beauty and fashion industries.” – Annie Lennox, Scottish musician If you’ve ever walked down the cosmetic aisle in the grocery store, you probably know that beauty products are not cheap – at least, not the good ones. But when we’re talking about the price of beauty, we mean the consequences of the things that people do for the sake of looking good. Perhaps you’ve seen those reality TV shows about people getting plastic surgery (and if you haven’t, don’t worry, you’re not missing much) so you know the lengths to which people will go when they want to feel beautiful. But those are extreme cases, to be sure. What about those things that people do every single day, things that have been done for ages in some cases, just to like what they see in the mirror? That’s the type of thing that interests us at Snippetz and so we have gone back through the history books to answer the question: what is the real price of beauty? HIGH HAIR In the 80s, big hair was the thing. Women used cans upon cans of hairspray like Aqua Net or White Rain to hold their styles in place. But what did women do before the advent of hairspray? Actually, they were pretty ingenious. Often, women used wooden or iron frames around which they built their hairstyle. Lots and lots of extensions created the illusion of more hair and leather horsehair pads were used to protect the head from the frames. They would then use hot irons to curl their hair and applied lard to hold it all in place. Finally, they applied powdered lead to their creation and voila! But considering how long that whole scenario took, women obviously didn’t want to have to wash their hair for some time. The lard would often attract lice and mice and other pests. A scratching stick was necessary for dealing with such nuisances and as a proactive measure, some women took to wearing cages around their hair to keep out the larger vermin while they slept. NO HAIR The literal opposite of high hair is no hair and people have longed to have smooth, hair-free bodies for centuries. In the early 20th century, scientists observed an unintended consequence of exposure to x-rays: loss of hair. They put x-rays to use as a method of removing unwanted body hair and one report even claimed that the treatment lasted for 24 hours to ensure wonderful results. Of course, the hair fell out and that was great, but people also experienced skin thickening, ulcerations, and eventually cancer. RADIOACTIVE, RADIOACTIVE Sure, the song “Radioactive” from Imagine Dragons is pretty catchy. But can you imagine (haha, get it?) using radioactive material to get rid of wrinkles? After the Curies discovered radium, the chemical element made appearances in all kinds of skin creams and was documented as being in use as recently as 1915. The idea was that the radioactive “forces” would send a steady current of energy through wrinkled, tired skin and supposedly, that would do away with wrinkles. In reality, radium is actually extremely dangerous because it causes a variety of nasty health effects including sores, anemia, and bone cancer. But with those issues popping up, you probably aren’t worried about your wrinkles anymore. DON’T BAT AN EYE Eyelash extensions (see photo above) are a fairly popular beauty treatment that women still pay for today. However, the earlier methods are far less pleasant than the more modern versions. In fact, one newspaper article dating back to 1899 described how it was done back then. The article states that a long hair, often taken from the head of the person who is to receive the extensions, is threaded through a needle. The eyelid is cleaned and rubbed with cocaine to dull the pain of the procedure, and then the hair is, well, sewn into the edge of the eyelid. If that doesn’t send shivers down your spine just thinking about it, then we don’t know what will! SPEAKING OF THE EYES . . . Even in modern times, dilated pupils are considered a sign of attraction and are associated with femininity. Leave it to women to pick up on that and find a way to exploit it to the fullest. Prior to the full comprehension of the plant’s dangerous nature, women used deadly nightshade or belladonna as an eye drop to dilate their pupils. While this did serve that purpose, it also often caused visual distortion, sensitivity to light and if taken repeatedly, can cause death. All in the name of looking pretty . . . LONG LIVE THE QUEEN You’ve probably seen paintings (or photos of paintings) of England’s Queen Elizabeth I. Her pasty skin was not naturally that white. She actually used a lead paste to create the desired pale look and thus, inspired generations of women to do the same. After all, if it’s good enough for your queen, it’s good enough for you, right? Over the years, various concoctions have been created using lead powder, including ceruse, which is a combination of lead powder and vinegar. Ceruse worked wonders for hiding imperfections in the skin and in times when sunscreen didn’t exist and diseases like smallpox wreaked havoc on women’s skin, it was widely used. Sure, their complexions were nice and white, but ultimately, users were basically poisoning themselves. You’d think the gray hair, ultra-dry skin and severe abdominal pain might be a good indicator that something wasn’t right . . . but apparently, it took a while for anyone to catch on. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE . . . ACTUALLY, JUST ARSENIC Eventually, people made the connection with the physical ailments and the lead they were using in their makeup. They turned to arsenic as an alternative to achieve that pale-faced look. However, arsenic is far from safe; pale skin is a result of the destruction of red blood cells, complements of the arsenic. This would eventually lead to death. Women did learn about the dangers of arsenic, however abruptly stopping arsenic usage actually made many people’s complexions so bad that they often went back to using it again. FORGET CLEANSING, JUST USE MERCURY! As you’ve already seen, people will do just about anything to achieve clear, even skin. But lead was out because it was deadly. Arsenic was out because it was deadly. What could one use to get rid of unsightly blemishes, then? Well, how about some mercury? It may seem strange but it was a common cure for pimples. That’s all fine and dandy except for the fact that it causes a host of nasty side effects including, birth defects, kidney and liver issues, irritability, fatigue, tremors, depression and death. While all of these beauty treatments are obviously dangerous to us 21st century folks, at one point in time, they were considered safe or at the very least, posed an acceptable threat level to a person’s health. It makes you kind of wonder about the various beauty treatments both women and men undergo in today’s society. Could one of those be the next lead-based face cream? We’ll just deal with the pimples, wrinkles, short eyelashes, flat hair, tiny pupils, and hairy bodies, thank you very much. Issue 745
SNIPPETZ IS COMMITTED TO SHARING THESE SYMBOLS OF COMMITMENT by Lindsey Harrison “Mature love is composed and sustaining; a celebration of commitment, companionship, and trust.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr., American author It’s about that time of year again when people everywhere let their minds wander to thoughts of love and romance. For those lucky couples who have found “the one,” they may be considering how to make an appropriate show of their feelings for each other. Certain gestures, like flowers, candies or even engagement rings are fairly common. Other gestures, not so much. But where did these gestures originate? Who thought of giving someone flowers, especially considering that it is essentially giving your beloved a dying plant? That doesn’t exactly bring thoughts of love and romance to your mind if you think about it that way. But that’s why Snippetz decided this was the perfect time to check out what’s behind these commitment customs, gestures, traditions and symbols. Here’s what we found out! RING-A-DING-DING If you’ve ever been married, there’s a good chance that you wore a ring to symbolize your commitment to your spouse. There’s also a good chance you don’t really know why you wear it other than that it’s a tradition. Other than the obvious symbolism that a ring, which is also a circle (surprised, aren’t you), never ends and ideally neither will your marriage, there are other reasons for this tradition. Although the exact date is unknown, wedding rings are thought to date back to ancient Egypt when rings made from twisted or braided sedges, rushes, reeds and other similar plants were exchanged. But the symbolism in those days went beyond the “never-ending-love” thing. In fact, the space in the center of the ring held a special significance: it symbolized a door or a gateway through which one would be led to encounter things and events together as part of their marriage. Somewhere along the way, people realized that rings made from plants don’t exactly hold up well over time. After some experimentation, rings made from leather, ivory and bone were developed. As you may imagine, the more expensive the material to make the ring was, the more the “beloved” the receiver was . . . supposedly. So why do we wear our wedding rings on our left “ring” fingers? According to a Roman tradition, the ring is worn on that finger because it was believed that a vein in that finger, called the “Vena Amoris” or “Vein of Love,” was connected directly to the heart. While that has since been proven false, the tradition still stands. At least in America it does. Other countries like Norway, Russia, Greece, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Germany wear their wedding rings on their right ring finger. DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND As frustrated as men all over the world may be at having to shell out a pretty penny to buy a diamond engagement ring, they would likely be even more frustrated to learn that there really is no good reason for this. The trend started in 1477, when Archduke Maximillian of Austria had a diamond engagement ring made for his betrothed, Mary of Burgundy. Of course, other aristocracy and nobility just had to keep up with the archduke, lest they angry their soon-to-be-wives. So if you were planning to purchase a ring for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day, just remember: your journey into the expensive world of diamonds is entirely arbitrary and it’s all Archduke Maximillian’s fault. ON BENDED KNEE . . . Speaking of random engagement traditions, who thought up the whole “get down on one knee to propose” thing? It all dates back to medieval times, when knights kneeled on their left knee to be knighted by royalty. The idea is that, by kneeling to propose marriage, you are showing your honor, humility, respect and ultimately surrendering yourself to your loved one. That tradition sounds like one that should definitely continue. MMMM, CHOCOLATE Not that we’re complaining, but it is a curious thing that people give each other chocolates as a display of their affection. No, it’s not necessarily a symbol of one’s commitment to another, but if you’ve ever gotten chocolate from someone, you know how tasty that gesture can be! Anyway, harkening back to medieval times once again, we see the first appearances of a type of courtship that centered greatly around the idea of giving gifts. However, it wasn’t then that chocolates appeared. That was later, in the mid-1800s, when a British chocolate manufacturing family developed a new chocolate-making technique that resulted in super-yummy drinkable chocolate. With this new product on the market, the company, headed by Richard Cadbury, had an excess of cocoa butter on his hands. What to do, what to do? Cadbury, being a savvy businessman, incorporated that excess cocoa butter into the “eating chocolates” his company made, which resulted in a brand new variety. Cadbury packaged those bad boys up in pretty boxes he himself had decorated. And as a way to garner further interest, Cadbury marketed his boxes has having a dual purpose: once your sweetheart had enjoyed all the chocolates, they could use the box as a keepsake for love letters, trinkets and the like. OTHER COMMITMENT CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS Here in America, there aren’t too many different customs and traditions that we utilize to display our commitment to each other. Luckily, there are lots of other countries out there that do some pretty interesting things. For instance, in ancient Celtic wedding ceremonies, the couple engaged in handfasting. This called for the couple symbolically having their wrists tied together, a sort of engagement promise, before the dowry details were hashed out. Supposedly, the phrase “tying the knot” came from this tradition. Perhaps not nearly as serious but certainly a more common form of romantic gesture (and yes, even a display of commitment) is the giving of flowers. Now, you can’t give just any flower in any way and expect the result to be good. The truth is that flowers have come to have distinct meanings attached to them. So, let’s say you have a friend who you truly cherish. You would probably be best giving them a yellow rose, which symbolizes friendship. But do not give a yellow rose to your girlfriend or boyfriend unless you’re hoping to become single very soon. Instead, give them red roses. We all know that, right? Well, sure but did you know that you had better make sure to deliver them right side up. Upside down means that you are angry with that person (wouldn’t it just be easier not to send them anything?). Another common display of commitment is writing one’s name or initials attached to their beloved’s with a “+” symbol. It may sound silly but think about it: on water tanks, billboards, walls, park benches, and trees across the country, young lovers have inscribed their names or initials on just about anything they can to show their affection for each other. Girls in movies are often depicted as writing their names all over their notebooks, but substituting their crush’s last name for their own. Boys, on the other hand, are depicted climbing to the highest point they can and vandalizing it. Accurate or not, it’s a widely-known fact that this display of commitment is understood and possibly even appreciated by our society as an acceptable way for a young couple to make their feelings known. Issue 746
NOT JUST LIP SERVICE... DISCOVER HOW SNIPPETZ MAKES OUT ON RESEARCHING THE KISS by Lindsey Harrison “It’s the passion that is in a kiss that gives to it its sweetness; it is the affection in a kiss that sanctifies it.” – Christian Nestell Bovee, American author Have you ever sat back and really thought about what kissing is? It’s basically just smashing your mouth against someone else’s. If that’s all it truly was, if there was nothing else that went with that mouth-smashing, it’s unlikely anyone would do it more than once. But the thing is, kissing is so much more than mouth-smashing. For most people, it comes with feelings of love, passion, connection and intimacy. It can be the first small step to starting an amazing romance with the person who will eventually become your lifelong partner. So how did it all begin? Well, that’s technically impossible to know. But Snippetz has done some digging to uncover some interesting truths about kissing and here’s what we found. ANATOMY OF A KISS It’s probably surprising to learn that something as second-nature as kissing actually involves much more than we’re aware of. For instance, it actually takes 146 muscles working together to make a kiss happen. You engage 34 facial muscles and 112 postural muscles every time you smooch your sweetie. So how do we humans manage to pull off a decent kiss without having an uncomfortable nose-smash? Well, the reigning theory is that your kissing ability, your ability to maneuver around another person to make the kiss come together, actually originates in utero. A German scientist observed more than 100 couples kissing (awkward . . .) and determined that about two-thirds of the couples lean their heads to the right as they kiss to avoid the nose-smash. The idea is that, while in our mothers’ wombs, we naturally tilted our heads to the right more than to the left, so it feels more natural to the majority of people on the planet. But wait, why do we even kiss each other in the first place? As we mentioned before, kissing really is just smooshing your face against someone else’s. So where did the idea come from? This may sound weird, but scientists at the University of Tokyo believe that kissing was actually started by rats. As unbelievable as that may be to so many of us, the scientists have shown that humans and rats have a common ancestor that existed sometime between 75 and 125 million years ago. This ancient rat, named Eomaia scansoria, which translates roughly to “ancient mother climber,” would rub noses with potential mates to test out his or her pheromones and express desire. That, these scientists claim, was the predecessor to the kiss. And in case you were thinking of a career change, the study of kissing is called philematology, and you would be considered an osculologist (someone who studies kissing). Or perhaps you weren’t thinking of changing careers but were actually wondering why in the world the idea of kissing scares the snot out of you. Well, there may be a psychological reason behind your aversion to kissing called philemaphobia, or fear of kissing. BENDING OVER BACKWARDS FOR A KISS . . . LITERALLY You’ve probably heard of the Blarney Stone near Cork, Ireland, but in case you haven’t, here’s what you need to know: according to the legend, the Blarney Stone rewards those who literally bend over backwards to kiss it by imbuing them with the gift of flattery. Why do you have to bend over backwards to kiss it, you may ask. The reason is simple: you can’t really get to it any other way. But because of the treacherousness of kissing the Blarney Stone, supposedly people have fallen and died trying to accomplish the feat. Oh, and in case you were wondering about the cleanliness of a stone that is kissed by roughly 400,000 tourist each year, the attraction has gained the title of the most unhygienic tourist attraction in the world. Does that answer your question? KISSING CAN BE DANGEROUS Aside from falling to your death trying to kiss the Blarney Stone, the activity has its share of dangers . . . or at least it did in the 1400s. On July 16, 1439, King Henry VI banned kissing in all of England. He reasoned that it would stop the spread of disease. Countries all over the world in various times have also banned kissing but for various other reasons. However, one particular county, Naples, Italy to be exact, was so averse to kissing in the 1500s that kissing in public was actually punishable by death. As unbelievable as this may be, some countries still ban public affection, including kissing. Recently, like in within the last 10 years, university professor Manuel Berumen was arrested in Mexico for kissing his wife in public. Similarly, in 2010, a Saudi Arabian man was arrested for hugging and kissing woman in public. He was subsequently found guilty and received three sets of 30 lashes each and then four years in prison. KISSING RECORDS
KISSING SNIPPETZ
Issue 747
HAIL TO THE CHIEF! SNIPPETZ ELECTS TO FIND SOME INTERESTING PRESIDENT FACTS by Lindsey Harrison “It’s not doing what is right that’s hard for a President; it’s knowing what is right.” – Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States of America All too often, American citizens focus on all the negative things that have happened during a president’s term in office. We criticize and lay blame. But there are also times when we sing the praises of the Commander in Chief, bragging about all the incredible feats accomplished over the years. One angle that many people probably don’t spend time focusing on is the completely random, utterly interesting “snippetz” or fun facts about each president. But who better to present those snippetz than Snippetz? So, we’ll start from the beginning!
Issue 748
SNIPPETZ SAYS, "GO TAKE A LEAP... YEAR" by Lindsey Harrison “Are you aware ‘tis Leap Year, dear! A year of possibilities; And I am here, to rid your fear of terrible anxieties. ‘Tis opportune for us to spoon one short year of this life, And now to “biz” – you dear old quiz – Make me your happy wife! Reject this OFFER from a heart on fire, A pair of Gloves I shall at once require To heal my injured feelings.” – Leap Year Proposal, 1908. We all know that the typical year has 365 days and that Leap Years have 366. Most of us probably even know why that is. If you don’t, that’s OK. We’ll go over that with you in just a bit. But there are so many other interesting facts about Leap Year and Leap Day that we thought, especially on this February 29, 2016, we would delve into some of the history behind Leap Year. We wanted to investigate customs, superstitions and just about anything else that helps that extra day be extra special. So, let’s jump right in! WHAT’S WITH THE EXTRA DAY? As we mentioned before, the typical year lasts 365 days, which is meant to coincide with the amount of time it takes the Earth to travel once around the Sun. However, it doesn’t actually take 365 days; it takes 365.242189 days. That’s about 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds and is known as a tropical year. We pile that extra time together into one day and stick it on the end of the shortest month – February – almost every four years. Without doing so, our calendar would be off by almost six hours each year and after just 100 years, it would be off by something close to 24 days. That one little day makes a huge difference!! WHO THOUGHT UP THE LEAP YEAR? The ancient Egyptians were the first people to notice that the tropical year did not always accurately coincide with the calendar year that humans had created. However, it was Roman general Julius Caesar who introduced the idea of the Leap Year, along with the Julian calendar, almost 2000 years ago. While the idea of the Leap Year was indeed innovative, it had one drawback: the calendar he devised only had one rule for determining which year could be a Leap Year, namely that it had to be evenly divisibly by four. Imagine how many Leap Years you could end up with using just that criterion to determine a Leap Year. Waaaay too many. So when we switched to the Gregorian calendar more than 1500 years later, that problem was solved by the addition of two more criteria a year must meet in order to be a Leap Year. Here are all three:
In case you were wondering, the year 2000 was significant for reasons other than the whole Y2K computer drama that didn’t happen. It turns out, that was the first year the third and final criteria was used to determine a Leap Year since the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. LEAP MONTHS AND LEAP SECONDS Because Leap Years really deal with time, as in the time it takes for the Earth to travel around the Sun (remember?), it stands to reason that other cultures had other ways over accurately accounting for that time. For instance, the ancient Roman calendar added an extra month every few years to keep the seasons changing at the right time. In fact, the Chinese still do this. Similarly, leap seconds are used to account for the gradual slowing of the Earth’s rotation. The Coordinated Universal Time, the time standard by which the time zones across the world are determined, uses the output of multiple highly precise atomic clocks to determine that time. So, for example, a typical day has 86,400 seconds. Using that knowledge, you’d probably assume that one second would be one-86,400th of the time it takes for the Earth to completely rotate around its axis, right? You could, but you’d be wrong. See, the atomic time scale of one second is actually defined as the time it takes a Cesium-133 atom at the ground state to oscillate exactly 9,192,631,770 times. Seriously, who came up with that? Anyway, the atomic time scale is infinitely more accurate than any other way of measuring time and atomic clocks deviate from exact real time by about one second in 20 million years. Pretty accurate, huh? OK, so we know that measuring the Cesium-133 atom is more accurate than measuring the Earth’s rotation, but why? The Earth’s rotation is actually slowing down so each day is very, very slightly longer than the one before it. To compensate for this, one leap second is added every 1.5 years. LEAPLINGS, ASSEMBLE! Babies that were born on Leap Day, February 29, are often referred to as Leaplings. Here is a list of some of the more famous (or infamous) Leaplings: Ja Rule, rapper (born 1976); Antonio Sabato, Jr., actor and model (born 1972); Aileen Wuornos, serial killer (born 1956); Dinah Shore, singer (born 1916); Jimmy Dorsey, bandleader (born 1904); and Gioacchino Rossini, Italian opera composer (born 1792). LEAP YEAR POEM Having trouble remembering how many days each month has and where that special Leap Day falls? Here’s a fancy-dancy poem to help you remember! Thirty days hath September, April, June and November; All the rest have thirty-one Save February, she alone Hath eight days and a score Til leap year gives her one day more. LEAP YEAR SNIPPETZ
Issue 749
SNIPPETZ REMEMBERS "YESTERDAY" AND LOVING THE BEATLES "EIGHT DAYS A WEEK!" by Lindsey Harrison “When you think about rock at its origins, and you think of the Beatles and millions of kids screaming as loud as they can and running as fast as they can towards the Beatles, there’s no one who is that kind of lightning rod, who commands that kind of power and has that kind of creative magma.” – Jack Black, American actor When it comes to a band as iconic as the Beatles, a band that quite literally changed the face of American music (even though they came from England), there’s not a lot of mystery left. People around the world have devoted countless hours to learning everything there is to know about John, Paul, George and Ringo. It kind of makes you wonder if there’s anything left to discover. Luckily, not everyone is a Beatles expert, and while we at Snippetz don’t claim to be experts, either, we have definitely learned a thing or two about the Fab Four. So instead of going through the band’s journey, from their humble beginnings to their unmatched skyrocket to fame, we’ve decided to take the true Snippetz approach. Enjoy! JOHN LENNON SNIPPETZ As with just about every song ever made, fans have picked apart the Beatles’ songs, looking for hidden meanings and messages. “Strawberry Fields Forever” is no exception. The interesting thing is that Strawberry Field was actually a Salvation Army children’s home in Liverpool, England. John Lennon would often visit when he was a teenager and apparently, the name stuck with him. The Beatles weren’t blind to this phenomenon and in case you hadn’t heard before, the guys weren’t above messing with their fans just a bit. For example, the song “I Am the Walrus” was written with the explicit goal of trying to exploit the need to pick apart every song. John wrote the song while dabbling in some rather strong illegal drugs. You gotta hand it to him though; the man could write songs. This particular song owed much of its creation to the Lewis Carrol poem, “The Walrus and the Carpenter” from Through the Looking-Glass. John took his inspiration from many different places, as you can probably already tell. For example, “Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” the group’s song that was released in 1968 got its title from the National Rifle Association slogan that he stumbled upon while reading a magazine. Other song inspirations were gleamed from not-so-pleasant experiences. For instance, John wrote the song “Julia” for his mother, who was hit by a car and killed in 1958. PAUL MCCARTNEY SNIPPETZ It’s probably surprising to find out that Paul McCartney wrote the music for the famous song, “When I’m Sixty-Four” when he was just 15-years-old. The lyrics came later and were actually written for his dad on his 64th birthday. However, it’s probably more surprising to find out that the original lyrics for the song, “Yesterday” were “Scrambled eggs . . . baby, I love scrambled eggs.” Speaking for people everywhere, thank God those lyrics were changed! Anyway, the story goes that Paul woke up one morning and the melody for the song just popped into his head. He walked around humming the tune but to keep from forgetting how it went, he added the scrambled eggs lyrics until something better came along. Sometimes, Paul didn’t have to stretch too far to come up with the lyrics for his songs, though. For instance, “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” was actually a real-life account of when a crazed fan decided to crawl through his bathroom window. Can you imagine if the lyrics to “She Loves You” were “Yes, yes, yes” instead of “Yeah, yeah, yeah?” Well, if Paul’s father had had his way, that’s what they would’ve been. Apparently, he thought the former sounded more dignified than the latter; thankfully, Paul disagreed. The song “Penny Lane” refers to a real bus station of the same name in London where he often met up with John Lennon. They used that station to travel all over London together. That shelter is no longer there, however. It has been converted into a restaurant called “Sgt. Peppers Bistro.” GEORGE HARRISON SNIPPETZ If the music for the song “Taxman” sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because George Harrison used the theme song from Batman as his inspiration. Apparently, he was a very enthusiastic viewer. After his little run-in with the LSD-laced coffee, George reported that he felt he was falling in love with everyone he met that night. If George looked a bit young to be part of a band, he kind of was. He was just 14-years-old when he stunned Paul McCartney with his astounding guitar skills. After the Beatles broke up, George found other ways to spend his time. By the mid-1980s, he was quoted as saying that he considered himself a gardener instead. Although, before he put down his guitar, George released a solo album; he was the first member of the band to do so, and it was actually released while the band was still together. RINGO STARR SNIPPETZ Many people probably know that Ringo Starr’s real name is Richard Starkey. But, did you know that he started playing the drums at 13, when he was stuck in the hospital after battling tuberculosis? And, did you know that his original nickname wasn’t Ringo, but Rings? It was a reference to his habit of lots and lots of jewelry, especially rings. Ringo also garnered inspiration for songs from various, unusual places. For example, he wrote the song “Octopus’s Garden” after taking a boat ride in Sardinia, where the captain regaled him with tales about the octopus. If you didn’t have enough respect for the Beatles’ drummer before, you will after reading this: Ringo preferred to record his drum parts live with the band in the studio playing along. Retakes were not part of his vocabulary, apparently. BEATLES SNIPPETZ
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