The Navy’s bell-bottom trousers , are commonly believed to be introduced in 1817 to permit men to roll them above the knee when washing down the decks and to make it easier to remove them in a hurry when forced to abandon ship or when washed overboard. In addition the trousers may be used as a life preserver by knotting the legs and swinging them over your head to fill the legs with air.
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Bourbon was first made by a Baptist minsister from Bourbon County in Kentucky in 1789. That is where it got its name
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Happy Hogmanay - New Year's Eve in Scotland.
Although some of the Hogmanay Traditions are ancient, the Winter Solstice holiday which became the Hogmanay celebrations were elevated in importance after the banning of Christmas in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Under Oliver Cromwell, Parliament banned Christmas celebrations in 1647.
The ban was lifted after Cromwell's downfall in 1660. But in Scotland, the stricter Scottish Presbyterian Church had been discouraging Christmas celebrations - as having no basis in the Bible, from as early as 1583. After the Cromwellian ban was lifted elsewhere, Christmas festivities continued to be discouraged in Scotland. In fact, Christmas remained a normal working day in Scotland until 1958 and Boxing Day did not become a National Holiday until much later.
Another old Scottish custom is redding. This is the act of cleaning the house before the bells to get the New Year off to a fresh start.
In years gone by it was particularly important to ensure that all fires were cleared of ashes so new ones could be started.
Juniper was also burned to help ward off any evil spirits that had accumulated throughout the year.
Many Scots still use Hogmanay to practice the tradition of first footing, when it is customary to visit a friend or neighbour just after midnight to celebrate the New Year.
While the traditional gift of a lump of coal for the host's fire may not be as common as it once was,
it's still bad luck to show up empty handed.
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The Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific Ocean.
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Contrary to popular belief, ostriches do not bury their heads in sand.
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A Saudi Arabian woman can get a divorce if her husband doesn't give her coffee.
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The reason the ice floats is actually because it’s a lot less dense than the water. The ice is made of water but it’s pushing a bigger volume of water out of the way, than the ice itself weighs. For that reason, it’s actually feeling a big push up from the water underneath it which makes it float.
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Captain Kirk never said "Beam me up, Scotty".
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There wasn't a single pony in the Pony Express, just horses!
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