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Issue 780
SNIPPETZ INVESTIGATES THE MYSTERY OF THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT by Lindsey Harrison 
“The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets.”
– Al McGuire, American coach If you believe in what Coach McGuire said that life is not really a mystery, you might as well stop reading this story right here. Because the truth is that this story is about one particular mystery that has yet to be clarified. That mystery is what is known as the Voynich manuscript. Many of you have probably never heard of it and there’s a good reason for that. Basically nothing is known about its author, its purpose, and even the contents inside it. Sure, there are pictures and writing, however the writing is all but indecipherable and the pictures are equally puzzling. When the topic of books comes up, it’s unlikely that someone is going to bring up the Voynich manuscript because there is just not enough known about it to really make for great discussion. The good news is that we at Snippetz know how to make such topics interesting to read about by uncovering new angles and even positing our own theories of what the manuscript is really all about. Come with us as we peruse one of the true mysteries left in the world: the Voynich manuscript. WHAT’S IN A NAME? You might be asking yourself that if so little is known about the Voynich manuscript, how did it even get its name? Well, as with many discoveries, it gets its name from the man that supposedly unearthed it in the first place. Wilfried Voynich, an American antique dealer, found the manuscript while browsing other books and such at an Italian Jesuit College in 1912. The small manuscript was covered in a light brown vellum that was not titled and had no hint of who its author was. There was no way for Voynich to know when it had been written and what exactly the manuscript actually was, like whether it was a journal, a text book of sorts, or something else. Even an experienced antiquarian like Voynich couldn’t make heads or tails of his discovery. While Voynich may be the manuscript’s namesake, he was not the first documented owner of the book. The earliest known owner was Georg Baresch from Prague, who lived from 1585 to 1662. Baresch couldn’t decipher the text any more than anyone else who tried after him and attempted to have Athanasius Kircher, a Jesuit scholar from the Collegio Romano who had published an Egyptian dictionary that decoded the hieroglyphs, help him figure out the mysterious text. The manuscript changed hands many times since then, finally landing in the lap of Voynich who “discovered” it just over a century ago. INSIDE THE MYSTERIOUS MANUSCRIPT So what was inside the manuscript that baffled Voynich and essentially everyone else since he found it in 1912? Well, contained within the roughly 230-page bound manuscript was a variety of drawings and hand-written text that appeared to be divided into six sections, each with a different area of focus. Voynich described the sections as such: a botanical section with drawings of strange, unidentifiable plants; an astronomical section featuring drawings of the sun, moon, stars, zodiac symbols and – oddly enough – various naked nymphs bathing in bathtubs; an anatomical or biological section featuring drawings of organs with the same nymphs swimming through their inner chambers; a random section best described as a cosmological section, which features mostly just circular drawings; a section that appears to be pharmacological, with drawings of plant parts, like the leaves and roots, next to glass containers; and a “recipe” section that features short paragraphs but no illustrations. Cryptologists from around the world have attempted to decipher the manuscript to determine what exactly the author was trying to communicate through the random drawings and text. Even some of the most talented code-breakers from both World War I and World War II have taken a crack at it and not had much (if any) success. Although no one has yet to decode the entire manuscript, a very small – and we mean, very small – amount of words within the text have been identified as Latin and a High German language. However, there’s just not enough of those identifiable words to construct a workable context to decipher the rest. It has been suggested more than once that perhaps the language is simply a made up one. To determine the nature of the paper on which the manuscript was written, protein testing was done and proved that the paper was made from calf skin. The papermaker’s abilities are not exactly spectacular, though and the quality has been categorized as average. Perhaps that indicates that the manuscript was created by an Average Joe of sorts . . .? The binding is made from goat skin and was taken from another book, although it is unmarked so it’s unclear what book it originated from. However, there are insect holes on the first and last pages of the manuscript, which indicates that it may have been covered in wood at one point in time. Carbon-dating of the pages indicates that it was written sometime in the early 1400s. SNIPPETZ UNOFFICIAL THEORY OF ORIGIN OK, there have been lots of people looking at the Voynich manuscript as some mysterious book that could possibly hold some really great information about subject matter that is, well, a mystery to the rest of us. But consider this: what if it’s all just a big joke? Here’s the scenario: a smart-alecky person from ancient times decides it would be a kick to write this manuscript, including cryptic drawings of naked nymphs and plants that don’t truly exist, and then leave it for future generations to discover. This person might be in Heaven right now, having a great laugh at all the people who are stumped by the indecipherable contents of the fake book. Not convinced by our theory? Consider this then: in 2004, Dr. Gordon Rugg, a computer scientist from Keele University, claimed to have replicated the manuscript using a device called a Cardan grille. His determination was that, if he could recreate it, it was most likely a hoax. He theorized that the text was complete gibberish and was constructed as an attempt to con money from Emperor Rudolph II. A MORE EDUCATED ASSESSMENT OF THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT Although it is a pretty interesting theory that perhaps the manuscript is one big hoax, it’s just not a reasonable one. Researchers over the years have been astounded at the very regular structure of the words in the text, lending credence to the idea that the manuscript is written in a newly-created (at least, new back in the 1400s) language or perhaps a language that has long since been dead. A thorough examination of the characters that make up the manuscript’s text indicate that a script containing between 20 and 25 characters was used to create nearly all of the manuscript. In total, there are 170,000 text characters in the manuscript. They are divided into groups of varying lengths that suggest words or word groups like you would find in any other established language. Additionally, the words seem to follow phonological rules that dictate that certain characters must be contained in each word. In English, each word has to contain at least one vowel, for example. We may never know the truth about the Voynich manuscript but inquiring minds like ours at Snippetz would love to see more research done to finally settle the score, once and for all! Issue 781
SNIPPETZ ASKS, "HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW MANSA MUSA?" by Lindsey Harrison “If a man has wealth, he has to make a choice, because there is the money heaping up. He can keep it together in a bunch and then leave it for others to administer after he is dead. Or he can get into action and have fun, while he is still alive.” – George Eastman, American inventor It is certain that George Eastman’s philosophy has been shared been men and women alike for ages. People have often justified their irresponsible spending habits by declaring that you “can’t take it with you” when you die. Of course, not everyone who takes this idea to heart spends their money irresponsibly. Many people know what to do to make the most of their money and enjoy it while they can. The man we are featuring in this article was not one of those super responsible spenders. But he sure did know how to have a good time with his riches. We’re talking about Mansa Musa, the king of the Mali Empire during the mid-1300s. And while he may not have been the most frugal ruler of all times, he was certainly innovative in how he managed to obtain his riches. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Snippetz invites you to buckle up and come along with us as we journey back in time to the 14th century and follow the life of Mansa Musa! WHO WAS MANSA MUSA? Mansa Musa, also known as Musa Keita, was born in 1280 and died in 1337. He was the 10th sultan or king (which is what mansa translates to in English) of the affluent West African Mali Empire. Musa was a strong leader who conquered cities surrounding his empire and managed to grow his realm in wonderful fashion during his reign. But that’s not what Musa is most known for; his “claim to fame” really came from his pilgrimage to Mecca. But again, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s back up. Musa came to power in 1312 and ruled until his death in 1337. As we mentioned before, Musa was extremely successful in expanding his empire and thus, his power. His realm extended from the Atlantic coast across Africa and into western Sudan. Because of his empire’s ever-expanding boundaries, Musa found himself in control of the trans-Sahara trade routes, which netted him a massive amount of wealth. The trade routes passed directly through Timbuktu, and sort of by default, the city became the center of much of the commerce happening in northwest Africa. In all, Musa’s empire covered about 2,000 miles. One Italian scholar of art and architecture, Sergio Domian, said, “At the height of its power, Mali had at least 400 cities, and the interior of the Niger Delta was very densely populated.” Besides becoming a nexus of the trade industry, Musa also helped morph the ancient city of Timbuktu into one of the greatest centers for Islamic education and culture. He trekked in Arab scholars from Mecca to assist in building libraries, mosques, and universities, eventually transforming Timbuktu into a haven for Muslim writers, artists, and the like from all across Africa and the Middle East. In fact, the Sankore mosque and university in the city was built by Musa and still stands as a main point of interest today. THE PILGRIMAGE THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK According to history records, Musa embarked on his obligatory hajj, a pilgrimage of sorts that each devout Muslim must make at least on in their life. If the hajj is something that each Muslim has in common with each other, Musa’s certainly set him apart from the masses. Why, you ask? Because Musa did his hajj in crazy emperor style. Accompanying him on his 4,000 mile journey was a caravan of courtiers and various subjects, each dressed in expensive Persian silk. Among them were 12,000 personal servants for Musa himself. Yes, 12,000 servants for ONE MAN. In all, about 60,000 people total made the trek with Musa to Mecca. Aside from the ridiculous amount of people he brought with him, Musa also decided it was necessary to drag along 4,000 pounds of gold. It took a caravan of 80 camels each carrying 300 pounds of gold to cart the majority of the hoard, with an additional 500 servants carrying 4-pound solid gold staffs. Now, you might be wondering where Musa happened to get his hands on two tons of gold. Remember how he so skillfully expanded his empire across Africa? Well, as part of that expansion, Musa acquired the Taghaza salt deposits in the north and the Wangara gold mines to the south. Those mines actually produced half of the world’s gold that was in circulation at the time. So since Musa was the king and all, he could basically do whatever he wanted with anything that was considered part of his empire and that included dragging 4,000 pounds of gold with him on his hajj to Mecca. When one travels with an entourage of 60,000 people and various assorted animals, the food bill is not going to be a small one. Musa paid for all the food and necessities his caravan needed during their travels. But he didn’t stop there. Now, the next bit of history can be seen as both good and bad and here’s why: Musa, feeling especially generous during his trek, handed out gold alms to just about anyone that he encountered on his journey who asked for it. Each Friday, wherever the caravan ended up, Musa left behind a stash of gold to pay for the construction of a mosque. That all sounds well and good, right? But the truth is that Musa basically single-handedly caused the value of gold to plummet to the point that it would be more than a decade before it achieved its former value. No place was this devaluation felt more harshly than Cairo, Medina and Mecca. Literally no one but the pharaohs had thrown around their wealth to the same degree as Musa. The price for typical goods skyrocketed and essentially devastated the economy in those three cities. By the time Musa had reached Mecca and was headed back home, he had spent or given away every last bit of gold he had taken with him. He found himself with no money to get back home! However, it’s said that Musa got wind of the inadvertent distress he caused the cities of Cairo, Medina and Mecca during his travels and decided he wanted to attempt to rectify the situation. He borrowed as much gold as he could possibly carry from the money lenders in Cairo, at a crazy-high interest rate. Musa’s expedition soon gained a certain level of notoriety, earning him a prominent place on the 1375 Catalan Atlas. It’s considered one of the most important world maps of Medieval Europe. On the map, Musa is depicted as a black African king with a gold crown on his head, holding a golden scepter in his left hand and a golden nugget in his right. Although Musa’s likeness is most obviously placed on the Catalan Atlas, cartographers began using it in various ways as early as 1339, just two years after his death. Issue 782
HOW DEAD IS DEAD? by Lindsey Harrison “Don’t kid yourself that you’re going to live again after you’re dead; you’re not. Make the most of the one life you’ve got. Live it to the full.” – Richard Dawkins, English scientist Unless you happen to believe in reincarnation, most of us can agree with Richard Dawkins’ assertion that we each only live once and should live our lives to the fullest. But if there’s one thing we at Snippetz have learned throughout our years of researching just about every topic imaginable, there is always an exception to the rule. And that includes the rule that people just don’t come back from the dead. We are just days away from Halloween, or what is also known as All Hallows’ Eve, and legend has it that this one evening is the time when the spirits of the dead can return to earth to mingle amongst the living. But we wanted to know more about those times when someone has died and didn’t wait until Halloween to come back. We wanted to know about those times when someone has died and their whole being – body, spirit, everything – actually came back to life. It’s a creepy journey for sure, but Snippetz thinks there’s no better time than Halloween time for such a journey! IT’S A GHOST! In 2011, a 60-year-old man from South African passed out after suffering an asthma attack. Grief-stricken, his family called a private funeral company instead of the paramedics, assuming he was dead and there was nothing that could be done to revive him. The funeral company took the man to their refrigerated morgue where he spent 21 hours among the corpses of other dead morgue residents. But after those 21 hours, the man awoke, looked around and started screaming in fear and shock from seeing all the dead bodies surrounding him. The mortuary team fled the building, thinking the sound was a ghost. Eventually, they returned and freed the man. THE UNBEARABLE PAIN Carlos Camejo, a Venezuelan man, was in a horrible car accident in 2007 and declared dead at the scene. His body was taken to the morgue where the coroner began the autopsy. As the doctor began cutting into Camejo’s face, the supposedly dead man started to bleed. Naturally, the doctor was shocked to find that Camejo was still alive and began to stitch up the man’s face. That’s when Camejo woke up, apparently because the pain from the incision and the subsequent stitches was too much to bear, according to the account he gave reporters. SECOND CHANCE In 1650, Anne Greene, a young servant girl from Oxford, England, was convicted in the death of her newborn child after it was stillborn. Her sentence was to be hanged, which she was, and her supposedly lifeless body was cut down and transferred to Oxford University to be used in anatomy classes. During the lessons, however, Greene began to make noise and eventually regained consciousness. Luckily for her, the students in the class knew a bit about anatomy and managed to treat her injuries and stabilize her condition. Following her ordeal, Greene was given a pardon for the crime she had been hanged for and went on to live a full life, including getting married and having several children. CRIME DOESN’T PAY Marjorie Erskine, a woman who lived in Chirnside Scotland in 1674, died and was set to be buried in a cemetery. However, the gravedigger noticed the fancy jewelry with which she was to be buried and instead of digging the standard 6-foot hole, he dug a shallow grave and place her into it. He went back to the grave some time later, dug up Erskine’s body and attempted to remove her rings by cutting off her fingers. However, he didn’t expect her to wake up, which she did and he was unsuccessful in his robbery attempt. WHERE’S THE PARTY? After suffering a heart attack, a 65-year old Yemeni man’s body was prepared in the traditional Muslim way by being washed and wrapped in a special cloth. He had already been placed in his grave but before the first shovelful of dirt could be tossed down upon him, he awoke . . . and he was not pleased. He yelled, “You want to kill me and bury me alive!” As the mourners came to terms with the man’s revival, they decided to give him some fresh clothes and held a party rather than a funeral. OLD MAN’S DAY In the 1500s, a man named Matthew Wall died unexpectedly in his village of Braughing, England. He was placed in his coffin, mourners gathered for his funeral, and as the pallbearers were carrying his coffin to the cemetery, one man stumbled and they all dropped the coffin. Apparently the crash was enough to startle Wall back to life and he actually lived a good, long life after that. We he did finally die, once and for all, one of the stipulations of Wall’s will was that the village celebrate Old Man’s Day on October 2 of every year, which marked the anniversary of the day he came back from the dead. DEAD BUT NOT GONE Cardinal Somaglia, a high-ranking church official who lived in the 1800s, fell ill and passed away. Because of his status within the church, the embalming process was begun immediately so that he could lie in state, which was customary at the time. The surgeon began the process by cutting into the cardinal’s chest at which point he realized the man’s heart was still beating. The cardinal awoke and pushed the surgeon’s hands away, but apparently not soon enough. Thanks to the expedited embalming process, the undead cardinal died . . . again. THROW MUD IN THE MOUTH OF ST. ORAN St. Oran began his life as just Oran in the 500s on the island of Iona, off the coast of Scotland. He grew up to become a monk and because of his devout faith, he decided he wanted to be buried alive to sanctify the island. Three days following his burial, he was dug up and found alive and relatively well. Oran claimed to have seen heaven and hell, stating that neither place was as it had always been described. Thanks to that declaration, the head monk named Columba ordered Oran to be reburied immediately, calling him a heretic. A saying was created about the scenario and whenever anyone brings up an uncomfortable topic, people tell that person to “throw mud in the mouth of St. Oran.” GOTTA MAKE LUNCH A Chinese woman named Li Xiufeng suffered a head injury after a bad fall and was found lying motionless on the floor of her home. At 95, people weren’t surprised that she didn’t survive the injury. They placed her in a coffin and, according to local custom, left her to rest there for several days prior to her funeral. However, the day before her funeral, a neighbor went to check on the deceased woman but didn’t find her in her coffin. Instead, she was making something to eat. “I slept for a long time,” she told her neighbors. “After waking up, I felt so hungry and wanted to cook something to eat.” If she had been buried immediately, she most certainly wouldn’t have been able to make that last meal . . . but she probably wouldn’t have needed it, either. Issue 783
SNIPPETZ HAS DUG UP SOME SCARY STORIES OF BEING BURIED ALIVE by Lindsey Harrison 
“My grandmother was a very tough woman. She buried three husbands and two of them were just napping.”
– Rita Rudner, American comedian Halloween is upon us. Tonight is the night. Once the sun has set, thoughts turn from admiring the beautiful fall colors to wondering what spooky thing we’ll encounter. For some, it may be that awful clown costume that the creepy neighbor down the street always wears. For others, it might be the idea that tonight represents the night where the barrier between the living and the dead can, allegedly, be breached. Maybe it’s the idea that somehow, the dead can rise up from their graves and come after us. That is definitely a scary thought! But what about the concept that someone in one of those graves wasn’t dead when they were put there? How spooky to think that six feet under, your great-grandma might be trying to claw her way out! Most of us don’t have to really worry about that scenario, but it has happened more than once and because of that, Snippetz has decided to dig up some of the most interesting (and terrifying) instances of people being buried alive. Enjoy! PHILOMELE JONETRE A young Frenchwoman named Philomèle Jonetre had the unfortunate luck to contract cholera in 1867. As with many people of that time, Jonetre did not survive the disease, was pronounced dead and laid to rest in her coffin, which was placed in her grave 16 hours after she died. However, shortly after the gravedigger began reburying her, he heard light tapping on the coffin lid. He swiftly removed her, but was not sure she was still alive. Jonetre was examined again and slight breath could be perceived from her nose when a lit candle was placed beneath it, it sounded as though her heart was still beating, and every now and then, a muscle would contract. Unfortunately (again), the signs of life were not actually that, and she was declared dead the next day. ESSIE DUNBAR After suffering what was believed to be a fatal epilepsy attack in 1915, Essie Dunbar from South Carolina, was placed in her coffin at the tender age of 30. Her funeral was scheduled for the following day because her sister, who lived out of town, wanted to attend and pay her respects. Essie’s sister didn’t make it to the funeral in time and the gravedigger was already tossing on the last of the dirt by the time she arrived. Her sister was devastated that she couldn’t say goodbye one last time and insisted that Essie be dug up so she could do just that. Good thing she did because when the coffin lid was lifted, Essie sat up and looked around, smiling. She went on to live another 47 years, apparently none the worse for wear. SIPHO WILLIAM MDLETSHE You may think that being buried alive is only something that happened in that centuries prior to this one; you’d be wrong. Well, technically this story is from last century but 1993 is still pretty darn recent. Anyway, in 1993, Sipho William Mdletshe, a 24-year-old South African man was in a car accident with his fiancée and both were badly hurt. Sipho was actually declared dead at the scene and taken to the Johannesburg morgue where he was placed in a metal vault prior to burial. But Sipho wasn’t dead; he was just unconscious (something you’d think rescue personnel would be trained to recognize . . .). He woke up two days later and of course, screamed in confusion and fright. The workers at the morgue heard him and let him out. Sipho headed home to his fiancée who wouldn’t have anything to do with him because she thought he was a zombie. LAWRENCE CAWTHORN AND “THE MOST LAMENTABLE AND DEPLORABLE ACCIDENT Although it has not definitively been confirmed as a true story, that of Lawrence Cawthorn was dubbed “The Most Lamentable and Deplorable Accident” in a pamphlet from 1661. As the story goes, Lawrence, a butcher in London, became gravely ill. His landlady supposedly saw his imminent death as an opportunity to inherit everything he owned so she declared him dead, without consulting a doctor, and had Lawrence buried at a chapel nearby. For some time after that, visitors and mourners to the chapel and the graveyard associated with it claimed they heard screams coming from his grave. Lawrence was quickly exhumed but not quickly enough; he was indeed dead but it was clear that he hadn’t been when he was initially buried. His landlady was accused of having him buried alive but it’s unclear if she ever received any punishment for her actions. ANGELO HAYS What do you do when you find yourself buried alive? Well, assuming you survive the ordeal and have the gumption like Angelo Hays, you invent safeguards against premature burial. As it happens, Hays was just 19 years old when he was thrown from his motorcycle in his hometown of St. Quentin de Chalais, France in 1937. The extent of his injuries caused doctors to immediately pronounce him dead and Angelo was buried three days later. But something didn’t add up; in a town close by, an insurance company heard of the accident and became suspicious because Angelo’s father had just taken out a life insurance policy on his son for 200,000 francs shortly before the incident. After two days in his grave, Angelo was exhumed to confirm the cause of death but, to everyone’s surprise, he wasn’t dead. His body was still warm and his heart was beating faintly. Angelo was rushed to the hospital where he received multiple operations and rehabilitative efforts. Luckily, he pulled through and made a full recovery, having apparently only been unconscious after the accident. Angelo spent many years thereafter designing safety coffins that would allow someone to survive and accidental burial. BURIED ALIVE, NO MORE! Although it’s unlikely to happen, there are some safeguards that were invented to keep someone from dying if they are buried alive. Here are a few of them:
Issue 784
SNIPPETZ CHECKS OUT THE HISTORY OF LIBRARIES by Lindsey Harrison “A library is the delivery room for the birth of ideas, a place where history comes to life.” – Norman Cousins, American author For some people, libraries are simply a place where they are obligated to go during high school or college to research term papers they don’t really want to write. Sure, there’s a wealth of knowledge packed between the four walls that make up the library facility itself, but that knowledge can be difficult to find. Honestly, how many people even know how to use the Dewey Decimal System anymore? You have to speak in a low voice and might find that one stickler for the rules who glares at you every time you volume rises above a whisper. There are others of us that absolutely love everything about libraries. The unique smell when you first walk through the doors, the sound of pages being turned as people explore different topics or read an exciting new book, even the unnatural quiet can be peaceful and calming. As you’ve probably guessed, libraries weren’t always the way they are today. In even the short time we have all been on this earth, libraries have shifted from having massive card catalogs to rows upon rows of computers that we use to find our books. So it stands to reason that libraries have probably changed a bit since their inception, and in reasoning that, you would be correct. How do we know? Well, Snippetz did some research and learned all about libraries, from their humble beginnings to their current states and we’ve compiled it all here for you! THE FIRST LIBRARIES As you can probably imagine, the first libraries did not have massive shelves packed full of books that people could browse and check out to read in the comfort of their own homes. Do we really need to mention they didn’t have computers, printers or copy machines, either? We didn’t think so. Anyway, the first libraries were not really libraries in the typical modern sense. They were more like archives that housed important government and public records which people felt needed to be preserved for future generations. Truly, the first libraries were really only libraries in the sense that the required “classification, presentation and staff (librarians and many others),” according to Cairo University professor Dr. Abdel-Halim Nureddin. Scientists have determined that the first libraries were built in ancient Egypt. Inside those libraries were thousands of clay tablets, stored in various rooms. Inscribed on those clay tablets were bits of information that were deemed important enough to go through the process of creating the tablet. Many of us probably get the image of an old man sitting hunched over a piece of stone, chisel in hand, tapping away as he makes an inscription that could literally take days (if not months) to complete. The fact is that the clay tablets that were actually used were made in the same way we make anything out of clay today. The tablets were formed and inscribed while the clay was wet and when it hardened, the final product was sturdy enough to transport. Eventually, clay tablets gave way to papyrus scrolls which were determined to be much easier to make, not to mention easier to store. One scroll probably took up about one quarter of the amount of space that a clay tablet occupied, if that! So as knowledge was being obtained and recorded, the need to store it became greater and space became a valuable commodity. Papyrus was a durable, lightweight, slim option to the clay tablets of the past. Eventually, everyone transitioned away from clay tablets to papyrus, which is actually how we modern folks came to use paper (the English term for papyrus) as our standard writing tool. LET’S GET ORGANIZED! As you can probably imagine, with more and more information being recorded onto papyrus scrolls, it became increasingly necessary to have some form of organization to keep everything straight. In fact, things began piling up so much by as early as 700 B.C. that the first classification system known to exist, came about when clay tablets were still in common usage. How do we know this, you ask? Well, in 1850, a group of workers employed by Sir Austen Henry Layard, uncovered some clay tablets at Nineveh, an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, in the ruins of the palace of Assur-bani-pal. The tablets had fallen from shelves on which they had been placed; but they had been arranged in order and when they fell, remained as such. Scientists at that library in Nineveh recovered more than 30,000 clay tablets as time passed and eventually formed a collection called the Royal Library of Ashurbanipal, which is now housed in the British Museum. Elsewhere, in places like Greece and Rome, where libraries were beginning to develop and mature in their own ways, another form of organization took shape. By about 296 B.C., the Greek poet and scholar Callimachus designed a type of categorization that amounts to what we use today, which is alphabetization. BROADENING THE HORIZONS Around the 5th century B.C. in Greece, private libraries began to include both non-fiction and fiction books, rather than just public records or governmental documents. Of course, it was typically only the wealthy that could afford to have private libraries to call their own. But, not to be outdone, the Romans soon pursued a new a new concept of a public library, which was essentially a community-based facility in which “learned men” could gather to share their ideas. In fact, Julius Caesar desperately wanted to build a public library in Rome, but was murdered before his dream could be realized. Following Julius Caesar’s death, Emperor Augustus took it upon himself to build two such libraries and several others were constructed by his successor, Tiberius. All over the world, information-storing and information-sharing was becoming more and more important. Places like the Middle East and North Africa, where Islam prevailed as the most popular religion, saw the first libraries constructed inside mosques. In fact, while Roman libraries were busy adding more books made mostly of paper, Islamic libraries were expanding in overall size. During that time, the largest library was the Sufiya, found in Aleppo inside a mosque, which held about 10,000 volumes of books. BUILDING THE BUILDING Libraries were no longer feasible to house inside churches, mosques or any other such facility and were finally deemed important enough to construct a designated facility all their own. These stand-alone libraries were often constructed to highlight the scenery around them and to display the beautiful architectural features of which they were made. They were often surrounded by lavish gardens or gorgeous lakes and waterways, while inside, large seating areas, complete with translators and copyists were at a visitor’s disposal. LENDING LIBRARIES For much of their existence, libraries did not lend out their holdings. With usually only one copy of any one text, it was incredibly risky to allow anyone to leave with that document. Additionally, imagine taking a clay tablet in your bag back to your house to study. It wasn’t feasible; however the quest for knowledge soon persuaded libraries to begin lending amongst themselves. After that, and after the advent of paper books, the next logical step was to allow the public to borrow books as well. And with more than one copy available, thanks to the printing press which was developed in 1440, libraries could finally (reasonably) lend to individuals. And really, that about sums up the history of the modern library! Issue 785
SNIPPETZ HAS TO ASK: ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT? by Lindsey Harrison “I believe that life is chaotic, a jumble of accidents, ambitions, misconceptions, bold intentions, lazy happenstances, and unintended consequences, yet I also believe that there are connections that illuminate our world, revealing its endless mystery and wonder.” – David Maraniss, American journalist In a world where information can be obtained with a few simple keystrokes on your computer’s keyboard, it can be difficult to know what is fact and what is fiction. Contrary to what some people may believe, not everything you find on the Internet is true. But what happens when something that isn’t quite true, that might be just a misconception or misinterpretation of the truth, turns into a traditional, widely believed “fact?” It would be considered lazy and irresponsible journalism if we at Snippetz didn’t at least try to set the record straight on some of these supposed facts, and that’s exactly what we have done! Get ready to have your mind blown as we debunk these traditional misconceptions! LIFE ISN’T A SPRINT, IT’S A MARATHON Most people have probably heard some version of the above statement. The comparison between a sprint and a marathon is based on the premise that a marathon is a really long distance, while a sprint is not. You may have also heard that a marathon is 26.2 miles, or to be more exact 26 miles and 385 yards. The general consensus behind that rather awkward distance is based on the story about a Greek messenger called Pheidippides. According to the story, in 490 B.C. Pheidippides ran that 26.2 miles, the distance from Marathon, Greece to Athens, Greece, to relay the information that the Athenians had defeated the Persians. Also according to the legend, right after delivering that fateful message, Pheidippides dropped dead. First off, we have to consider how that legend came to be. It actually appears to be a conglomeration of a couple different stories, told by at least two different men. Typically, the story is accredited to Plutarch, a Roman historian who lived from 45-125 A.D. For those of you who aren’t good at math, that’s more than 500 years after the epic battle between the Athenians and Persians took place. So there’s that. Plutarch also tells the tale with Eucles as the running man. Lastly, he claims the epic journey was from Marathon to Athens. Even if that were true, (which it’s not), that distance isn’t 26.2 miles; it’s 24.85 miles. So, what’s the true story of the history behind the marathon? We can actually find that story more reliably told by Herodotus, who was born just six short years after the event took place. We’re guessing he probably got more accurate information that his counterpart some 500 years later. Anyway, Herodotus credits Pheidippides with the run, which was actually from Marathon to Sparta, a distance of about 153 miles. That sounds like a crazy-long run but for Greek couriers of that time period, it was pretty standard. Pheidippides wasn’t running to relay the news of an Athenian victory; he was actually running to Sparta to ask for help in defeating the Persians. Unfortunately, the Spartans were busy celebrating a religious festival and couldn’t participate, so Pheidippides ran the 153 miles back. Oh, and he didn’t die following his run either. Now that we have the true story behind the run, let’s clear up the whole 26.2-miles thing. Back in three first Olympic Games of the modern era, the marathon was run over a distance of about 26 miles, although it varied from one Olympics to another. However, in 1908, the games were held in London, with the marathon’s starting line right outside a window of Windsor Castle. Part of the royal family situated themselves there to see the event’s beginning, while the rest of the royals waited in the royal box at the White City Stadium where the event’s finish line was located. That distance was (you guessed it) 26.2 miles, and for no other reason than to accommodate the British royal family. IN 1492, COLUMBUS SAILED THE OCEAN BLUE . . . Yes, Christopher Columbus did set sail on his oceanic journey in 1492. However, many history books claim that Columbus was way ahead of his time in believing that the world was round, as opposed to flat as many had thought for years (supposedly . . . but more on that later). Legend says that he set sail in the hopes of discovering a new land and to prove everyone wrong that he would simply fall off the face of the earth. But, as you’ve probably guessed, most of that is flat wrong. Christopher Columbus never actually indicated that he thought the world was round. He actually thought it was pear-shaped. Why? Good question. We don’t really know. What we do know is that Columbus was not interested in finding a “new land” but proving to everyone that he could find a faster way to Asia. He insisted it was closer than previously believed. The part of the story that is true is why Columbus called the native people he encountered “Indians.” He thought he had reached India. Well, that’s not exactly true, either. Columbus made his crew swear an oath that, if anyone asked where they had landed, they would say “India.” Whether he actually believed he had landed there or not is debatable and likely an unsolvable mystery. FALLING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH Remember how Christopher Columbus thought the earth was pear-shaped? His assertion was more in keeping with the standard way of thinking for that time period than the idea that the earth was flat. Even the legends about how legends were started can be wrong sometimes! Anyway, the funny thing is that people had been fairly certain of the earth’s true shape since about the 4th century B.C. So, where in the round world did the idea that the earth was flat come from? Interestingly enough, that has a two-fold answer. In 1828, Washington Irving wrote “The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus,” intended as a “based-on-a-true-story-but-not-necessarily-true” piece of writing. In it, he posed the theory that Columbus made his journey to prove that the world was round, which we now know is not the case. Secondly, the flat earth idea was supported by Englishman Samuel Birley Rowbotham, who wrote a 16-page paper in 1838 called “Zetetic Astronomy: A Description of Several Experiments Which Prove That the Surface of the Sea Is a Perfect Plane and That the Earth Is Not a Globe.” Because of these two writings, people began to assume that everyone thought the world was flat. Way to go, Irving and Rowbotham. AND NOW, ANOTHER MISCONCEPTION DEBUNKED! You’ve probably heard the theory that one human year is equivalent to 7 dog years. Wrong. There is really no way to make a reliable cross-species comparison in such simple terms. For instance, different breeds have different levels of activity in their later years, much more so than humans do in theirs. A 12-year-old dog isn’t necessarily spritely, but depending on the breed, they don’t always appear to be elderly at all. Now consider an 84-year-old person. There is really no doubt about their advanced age. The formula just doesn’t equate. But the general idea, that young animals (dogs in particular because they are man’s best friend after all) mature more quickly than humans, is completely accurate. However, that rate of maturation slows down significantly after the first two years. Issue 786
SNIPPETZ SAYS BYE BYE TO CURSE OF THE BILLY GOAT "THE CUBBIES' CURSE" by Lindsey Harrison 
“The last time the Cubs won the World Series was 1908.
The last time they were in one was 1945. Hey, any team can have a bad century.” – Tom Trebelhorn, former Chicago Cubs manager At the time Tom Trebelhorn said those somewhat insulting words, he had no idea how badly the Chicago Cubs would want (and need) a World Series win. Cubs fans across the nation have spent decades waiting for another appearance in the World Series and have been denied time and again. Some say it’s due to a curse placed on the team many, many years ago. Others blame players that have come to the team but then left to play for another team, with whom they ultimately won the World Series. Talk about a slap in the face, right? But 2016 would turn out to be the Cubs’ year to finally break the curse and put to rest any concerns about bad joo-joo hanging over the team’s heads. After 108 years, it’s about time! So given that very long “dry spell” and the sensational way the Cubs managed to grab the title this season, Snippetz decided it was only fair to celebrate their win with an article dedicated entirely to them! ORIGINS OF THE CURSE Now, for those of us who aren’t die-hard Cubs fans, there may be some confusion about the supposed curse that kept the team from walking away victorious for over a century. But it isn’t as simple as saying, “The Cubs were officially cursed on this day, at this time, by this person.” When you’ve had a hard time being a winning team for 108 years, there are plenty of chances for a curse to sneak in and mess things up. The most popular curse is known as the Curse of the Billy Goat. That particular curse originated in the 1945 World Series when the Cubs faced down the Detroit Tigers. Of course, there were issues from the start, stemming from the fact that World War II was just coming to a close. The biggest concern was the travel restrictions placed on the teams, which resulted in the first three games of that year’s series taking place in Detroit and the remaining four were held at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Now, initially, that restriction didn’t appear to cause a problem for the Cubs; they won two of the first three games. However, at the fourth game, held at Wrigley Field, a man named Billy Sianis supposedly placed the Curse of the Billy Goat on the team. Sianis had purchased two box seat tickets for that infamous game, one of which he occupied and the other was occupied by his goat, Murphy. Yep, he brought a goat to game four of the World Series. Anyway, Sianis had a great time for a few innings, showing off his goat and generally having a good time. But soon, other spectators felt the display lost all its novelty, especially as the goat’s pungent odor became stronger and stronger. To appease the unhappy fans, Sianis and his goat were ejected from the game. Naturally, Sianis was a little upset and exclaimed, “The Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.” One little phrase like that wouldn’t normally mean much but when the Cubs lost game four and then the series, people became concerned. Likely, that concern had much to do with the fact that the 1945 season was the first time since 1908 that the team had made it to the World Series. That 37-year dry spell would worry any true fan, but couple that with an ominous “curse” and you have all the trappings of a real threat to a team’s success. But let’s not forget, regardless of the true origin of the supposed curse, the Cubs officially, finally, once-and-for-all put that superstition to rest by defeating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in seven games of the 2016 World Series. Take that, Billy! OTHER CURSED INCIDENTS If you believe the whole curse thing, you may wonder what happened during the 37 years between 1908 and 1945. After all, that’s not exactly a short time period and let’s not forget that the Cubs had won the series the year before, as well. They were the first team in history to win back-to-back World Series and the first franchise ever to appear in three consecutive series. Rumor has it that the Cubs displeased the baseball gods and had sealed their losing fate by playing underhanded baseball. What that means exactly, isn’t quite known, but it was a supposed cause of the curse nonetheless. Throughout the remaining 71 years, various incidents occurred that many fans claimed contributed to the curse’s efficacy. For instance, on Sept. 9, 1969 at Shea Stadium, the Cubs were playing the New York Mets. Allegedly, a random black cat strolled between the Cubs’ captain Ron Santo and the Cubs dugout. As you can probably imagine, the Cubs lost and the Mets actually went on to claim victory at the 1969 World Series. During the postseason series of 1984, the Cubs appeared to be on the road to breaking the curse. They defeated the San Diego Padres at both of the first two games, with only one game standing between then and ultimate postseason victory, since it was a best-of-five series. But, no surprises here, the Cubs lost in game five when first baseman Leon Durham failed to snag a groundball, claiming his glove was wet, during the bottom of the seventh inning. Following Durham’s snafu, the Padres scored four runs and walked away the champions of both that game and the series. Now this one is a bit round-about but stick with us. Bill Buckner played seven seasons with the Cubs before being traded to the Boston Red Sox in 1984. He and the Red Sox made it to the 1986 World Series and were leading the New York Mets 3-2 in the series. On Oct. 25, 1986, during game six, Buckner missed a ball that went between his legs while at first base, resulting in the Mets scoring the winning run of the game in the 10th inning. Subsequently, a photo emerged of Buckner walking off the field after his mishap, and in that photo, he was shown wearing a Cubs batting glove under his glove, reaffirming the curse’s existence. Probably the worst, and most remembered “cursed” incident involved a fan named Steve Bartman. On Oct. 14, 2003, the Cubs were leading the Florida Marlins 3-0 when Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo hit a foul ball. Bartman reached out to either catch or deflect the ball, which prevented Cubs outfielder Moisés Alou from catching the ball. If Alou had actually caught the ball, the Cubs would have only needed four more outs to win their first National League pennant since 1945. However, Bartman’s fateful reach and the eight subsequent runs the Cubs gave up in that inning cost them the game and the series. Lucky for Bartman, the Cubs are no longer cursed and hopefully he can safely venture to a Cubs game next season with no potential repercussions. BOTTOM LINE FOR THE CUBS Say all you want about the unfortunate 108 years of the Cubs’ previous franchise history, there is no denying the fact that they are THE 2016 WORLD SERIES WINNERS, and no curse can ever change that! Issue 787
SNIPPETZ CAUTIONS: BEWARE OF TELEPHONE SCAMS! by Lindsey Harrison “But I’m acutely aware that the possibility of fraud is even more prevalent in today’s world because of the Internet and cell phones and the opportunity for instant communication with strangers.” – Armistead Maupin, American novelist As we steadily move into an era where just about everything is digitized, securing your personal information is becoming more and more important. We all know that we should use various passwords to protect our email, bank and credit card accounts. We know that we need to be careful at the grocery store when we input our debit card pin number so that the sneaky person behind us doesn’t decide to take a peek. We are steadily moving away from carrying paper money to having all of our important financial information stored on our phones. In many instances, we have taken for granted that safety and security measures have been taken on the part of our financial institutions to prevent stolen information. No one wants to log in to their bank account and see that it’s been drained by a cyber thief in Las Vegas. But crooks have also become bolder and are reaching out to people through their telephones, attempting to intimidate and persuade these innocent people into giving up valuable personal information, all in an attempt to steal whatever money they can get their hands on. We at Snippetz would be remiss if we didn’t give you, our wonderful readers, some pointers on how to avoid getting victimized by a telephone scam . . . so here they are! HOW TO SPOT A SCAM The Federal Trade Commission has some really great ways to spot a telephone scam, although it is important to note that this is by no means a comprehensive list. Scammers have a practically unlimited amount of ways to try to get you to give them your money and they are coming up with new, innovative ways all the time. Here are some of the more classic ways:
If you have any doubt about the legitimacy of the phone call you’ve received, you can ask a few simple questions and you’ll likely be able to make a confident determination. For instance, if they are with a legitimate company, they won’t have any issues telling you who that company is. Also, if they say you’ve won something but then need a bunch of information to verify it, especially if they’re asking for credit card information, you can ask why they would need that information in the first place. Often, a scammer will try to get you to commit to something right then and there; you can always put on the brakes and ask them why they’re in such a rush. Another very good way to decide if a call is legitimate or not is simply to ask yourself: Is it too good to be true? Sure, people win the lottery all the time and sometimes a long-lost aunt has passed away and left their niece or nephew with a windfall they weren’t expecting. But those are the exceptions, not the rule. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. WHY THESE SCAMS ARE SO EFFECTIVE Most people are aware enough that they wouldn’t just give up their personal or financial information to some random person on the phone. When a phone call comes in from a number that isn’t the full 10 digits or is an international number, you can generally safely assume it’s a scam. But scammers have gotten smart and now often do one of a few things: they use burner phones which are prepaid cell phones, with real numbers, but that they can literally throw away to keep from being connected to it; they spoof a real phone number so when you attempt to trace it, it goes to an unsuspecting (and unrelated) person or business; or they simply block the number so you can’t trace it or determine where the call has originated. Recently, a very effective scam has made the rounds through our county involving scammers claiming to be the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. The caller would say that the person has outstanding tickets or fines of some sort and that if the person didn’t pay the designated amount right then and there, a sheriff’s deputy would be sent to that person’s home to arrest him or her. Even worse, these scammers have also made calls under the guise of a sheriff’s deputy, telling the person that a family member had been in a crash. In that instance, the caller would ask for the recipient’s personal information so they could verify their identity. The sheriff’s department put out a statement recently that stated, “If you receive a call and are unsure of the validity, do NOT give the caller any information. If the caller is valid, they will not avoid telling you their agency and name. You can also ask for the caller’s phone number that you can call back to verify their agency.” Remember, in many scamming attempts, if you try to call back the number that has called you, it either won’t go through or it will go to an unaffiliated person or business. THE IRS DOESN’T CALL YOU A big scam that has been in the news lately is that of callers impersonating IRS employees who are calling to collect unpaid taxes. According to the US Treasury inspector general, about 9,000-12,000 complaints PER WEEK of this nature are being reported. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said, “If someone calls unexpectedly claiming to be from the IRS with aggressive threats if you don’t pay immediately, it’s a scam artist calling. The first IRS contact with taxpayers is usually through the mail. Taxpayers have rights, and this is not how we do business.” Additionally, the IRS will not use email, text messages or any form of social media to contact you. However, if you are unsure about the status of your potential debt, you can call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to verify. TIPS TO AVOID BEING SCAMMED
Issue 788
SNIPPETZ SAYS, DON'T BE UNKIND... THEY'RE JUST RAVENS by Lindsey Harrison 
“Birds are the most popular group in the animal kingdom. We feed them and tame them and think we know them. And yet they inhabit a world which is really rather mysterious.” – David Attenborough, British journalist
“Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.” A familiar line from a famous poem about a mysterious black bird, a raven. With so many different types of birds that are black (notice the difference between birds that are black and blackbirds) it may be hard to distinguish between all those other birds and ravens. But the truth of the matter is that ravens are probably one of the most intelligent animals on the planet, aside from humans, apes and dolphins. Sure, they seem sort of ominous and can be a bit obnoxious as well, but let’s be honest. Humans can be pretty obnoxious too, and we’re generally considered intelligent. Anyway, with the fact that ravens are so unlike the other types of birds that are black, we at Snippetz decided it was about time we did some pecking around to see what we could learn about these incredible creatures. So come join our unkindness (which is what a group of ravens is called) and we’ll see what we can find! RAVEN BASICS Ravens are large black birds and when we say black, we don’t mean just the feathers. They have black eyes, beaks, feathers and even black legs. They are not terribly social birds and typically hang out alone or with one other birdy buddy. Ravens are opportunistic birds that find food wherever they can. They can often be seen hanging around landfills where there’s plenty to choose from to suit their eclectic tastes. Ravens, being omnivorous, feed on berries, nuts, seeds, small animals, insects and food waste. They’re nothing if not versatile. Speaking of versatility, ravens have essentially found a way to survive in just about any habitat. They are found in dusty, dry deserts, cold snowy mountains and practically everywhere in between. Thanks to their superior intelligence and their seemingly unshakeable adaptability, ravens have been known to live up to 17 years in the wild and 40 years in captivity. SMARTY PANTS One very notable characteristic of ravens is that they are very (ridiculously, in fact) smart. Not only can they mimic human speech (we’ll go into that later) but they can use logic to solve problems. For example, one particular test required a raven to get a piece of food hanging from a string by pulling up on the string, anchoring it to the post or branch on which it was standing, and then repeating the process until it finally reached the food. Most of the ravens tested got the hang of it on the first try and some even finished the test in 30 seconds. But their crafty ways don’t stop there. Ravens have been known to actually play dead next to the carcass of another animal in an attempt to scare away other raven competition for the food. They have stolen food from fishermen, even going so far as to pull up a fisherman’s line out of an ice hole. And what about protecting their young? Ravens have literally pushed rocks down onto people or other animals to keep them from getting to their nests. NOT SMARTY PANTS, BUT ANTS IN YOUR PANTS Alright, we know, ravens don’t have pants. But they do have a pretty unusual ritual they perform with ants and it has an actual scientific name: “anting.” When a raven decides to go anting, it will hunt out an anthill and roll around on it so the ants literally swarm onto its body. Once it is sufficiently covered, it may just let the ants cruise around its body or it may decide to chew them up and squish the bug guts all over its feathers. Why in the world would a raven do that? One theory is that the ants secrete a substance that is soothing to a molting raven. Another is that the bug guts act as an insecticide or fungicide. Truth be told, no one knows. For all we know, they might just like the way it feels! SAY WHAT? OK, now it’s time to talk about talking. Yes, ravens can talk. Not exactly the way that humans do, but they can mimic human speech to such a degree that, in captivity, they can rival even the smartest, most talkative parrot. They also mimic other noises besides speech, like toilets flushing or car engines. Remember how we said that ravens would sometimes play dead near a carcass to scare away other ravens? Well, if they find that said carcass doesn’t easily give up the tasty bits the raven is looking for, the raven may just well mimic the call of a wolf or fox so that new predator will break into the meal, leaving the bits it can’t finish for the raven to pick through. HEY, LOOK OVER HERE! OK, we’ve established that ravens can essentially talk, or at least effectively communicate with a large array of other animals using vocal noises. But ravens also have non-vocal ways that they communicate and it turns out, it’s basically using gestures. Their lovely black beaks are perfect pointing tools and they use them in just such a manner to point out something for another raven to see. Additionally, they have been known to hold up an item with their beak to get another raven’s attention. STOP, THIEF! Ravens are also very curious animals and love to steal anything they seem particularly interested in, especially if it’s shiny. Some believe they steal these shiny objects in an attempt to impress other ravens. But don’t try to go digging into a raven’s stash of goodies . . . you might have a tough time finding it in the first place. Aside from all the other smart things we’ve discussed so far, ravens have also been known to make fake stashes, acting like they have deposited a valuable item in it but without doing so, presumably to thwart anyone interested in a bit of theft. IT’S PLAY TIME In case you’re concerned that ravens might be too freaky to handle, rest assured they are also quite playful. In Alaska and Canada, ravens have been seen using steep snow-covered roofs as slides for a bit of wintertime fun. Or they may decide a hill looks interesting and roll down it like a child might. They are often seen messing with other animals, playing keep away with larger animals like wolves and dogs. They make toys, which is something very uncommon to animals, by finding a stick and using it to push around a ball or pinecone. And they hold hands. Isn’t that sweet? Well, actually they hold talons, since they don’t have hands. But yes, ravens have been seen holding talons with one another midflight, for no really apparent reason. AWWW, SO SORRY Ravens also have the incredible ability to feel empathy. They have been seen consoling one another after losing a fight and apparently even make friends with birds they apparently like. They will respond in a friendly manner to those particular birds for up to three years from that initial meeting, even though, as we mentioned before, ravens are relatively solitary animals. Likewise, however, they often respond in a negative manner repeatedly to a bird they don’t seem to like for a similar amount of time. Issue 789
SNIPPETZ SHARES SOME TASTY TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY SWEETS by Lindsey Harrison 
“Every year, like a good Catholic, I wait for Christmas. Putting up the lights, decorating the tree, making sweets and then unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning . . . it’s a tradition my family has followed since I was very little.”
– Malaika Arora Khan, Indian actress For many people, Christmas means gift-giving, lots of family time, snow (although in Colorado, that’s never a given), and tons of yummy things to eat. Regardless of whether or not you actually celebrate Christmas, it’s likely that you have become to associate certain desserts or treats with this time of year. Candy canes, gingerbread men, and even fruitcakes all suddenly appear in massive quantities in stores across the nation. Not that we’re complaining or anything, but have you ever stopped to wonder why those particular tasty treats were the “chosen ones?” Perhaps you’ve heard a rumor of two but we at Snippetz don’t deal in the business of rumors; we strive for accuracy. With that in mind, join us as we delve into the wonderful world of traditional holiday sweets! CANDY CANES Truly, there is probably no more iconic Christmas holiday candy than the candy cane. The red and white twisted hook is so popular that you could probably ask any child over the age of two what a candy cane is and they’ll likely be able to tell you (or at least pick it out of a candy line-up). That said, this is also one of the most lied-about inaccurately-represented treats on the planet. How, you ask? Read on! For years, a legend has been circulated that claims the candy cane was made by a candy maker in Indiana who wanted to make some sort of candy that would be a reminder of Jesus Christ, considering Christmas is supposed to be the day Jesus was born. The legend states that this candy maker started off with a stick of pure white candy, which is supposed to represent Jesus’s birth by the Virgin Mary and his completely sinless nature. The candy was then hardened to represent the rock-solid foundation on which the church is built and the strength of God’s promises. Then, said candy maker supposedly shaped his new confection in a “J” shape to represent Jesus’s name and the staff of the shepherd. Lastly, the candy maker added red stripes to remind us of the beating Jesus took during his crucifixion and all the blood he shed for our sins. That is a beautiful story, don’t you think? It’s not true, but it sure is a good one! First off, how come there is no documentation of this candy maker’s name? Why wouldn’t someone who created such a spectacular piece of sugary goodness want to claim their invention? Second off, there have been several documented cases of the existence of striped, colored sugar candy sticks since at least as far back as 1844. The idea of a striped candy stick was not a new one. Also, what about that peppermint flavor? What does that have to do with anything? The bottom line is that the origin of the candy cane is unclear but it almost certainly did not start out as a religious representation. More likely, it was a confection that became popular around Christmastime and thus, various Christmas-y rumors arose. GINGERBREAD, GINGERBREAD MEN AND GINGERBREAD HOUSES Gingerbread itself has been around for centuries. There are references that indicate Swedish nuns baked and ate gingerbread to ease indigestion as early as the mid-1400s. It became widely available by the 1700s and has been a favorite at different times of the year since then, but especially around the holidays. Although it may also be the stuff of legends, the story goes that gingerbread was brought to Europe by an Armenian monk in 992. This monk, named Gregory Makar, would go on to become St. Gregory of Nicopolis. Anyway, legend says that Gregory spent seven years teaching priests to make gingerbread near the town of Pithiviers. Queen Elizabeth I actually made men out of gingerbread, you know, gingerbread men, and gave them as treats when entertaining foreign dignitaries. However, Germans have been cutting gingerbread into various shapes for a long, long time. They also appear to have created the tradition of using icing to decorate their creations, which were often dunked in port wine the same way you might dunk an Oreo in milk today. Did you know that the world’s largest gingerbread man was made in November 2009 by the staff of the IKEA furniture store in Oslo, Norway. It tipped the scales at 1,435 pounds. We’re guessing that could feed a lot of foreign dignitaries. Speaking of gingerbread and it various forms, the craft of constructing houses out of gingerbread came about in the early 1800s in Germany. Supposedly, these houses were inspired by the edible house in “Hansel and Gretel,” which the pair happens upon in the forest. After the story was published, German bakers jumped on the bandwagon and began making ornately-decorated gingerbread houses, which became popular around Christmas. FRUITCAKE Of all the holiday treats in the world, you’re probably wondering why fruitcake even made the list. The funny thing is, even though it’s got a bad rap, fruitcake (in various forms) has been around since ancient Roman times. The fruitcake we are all familiar with has been around since the Middle Ages when it became easier to access dried fruits and nuts. As with the two other treats we’ve already covered, there is no clear-cut reason why fruitcakes became so closely associated with Christmas, but there’s no denying that they have. But have you ever wondered why people hate them so much? Like, hate them to the point that every year in January, the City of Manitou Springs holds a fruitcake toss on the football field next to their high school? It probably didn’t help the fruitcake’s case that at the start of the 1900s, mass-produced mail-order fruitcakes became readily available and for some reason, popular as a gift. Imagine getting a fruitcake in the mail . . . honestly, it’s no wonder people hate them. The mail wasn’t exactly the two-day-shipping stuff we can get from Amazon today and it’s likely these treats were less treat-like after several days (possibly even weeks) en route to their final destination. But again, if these things weren’t popular somewhere, somehow, wouldn’t they have just died out? Who knows. Today’s traditional fruitcake is made from lots and lots of sugar. That’s what helps it stay edible for such a long time. Add to that various preserved fruits, spices and nuts and you’ve got yourself a fruitcake! Often alcohol is poured over it to give it another flavor component and the average fruitcake weighs in at two pounds. Although you may never end up cooking a fruitcake, if you ever do, the widely agreed-upon timeline is to bake the dessert at least a month prior to consuming. It’s not uncommon to make it even a year before! Supposedly, this allows the fruitcake flavors to develop and deepen. Fun fruitcake fact: a fruitcake is edible for up to 26 years if stored properly in an airtight tin. Yummmm. Those flavors must be pretty deep! It’s true that not everyone loves a fruitcake but just as with any other holiday treat, just saying the name “fruitcake” can put even the grumpiest Scrooge in a festive mood! |
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