Panati's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things

For lovers of facts, students of popular culture, history buffs, and science enthusiasts, the foremost specialist on everything tells how and why hundreds of the everyday items, expressions, and customs we take for granted came into existence. Learn the fascinating discovery stories behind over 500 phenomena, including:

-How chewing gum and Silly Putty began as substitutes for rubber.
-How the potato chip emerged from an act of pique on the part of an Indian named Crum.
-How a socialite invented the dishwasher because servants too frequently broke her expensive china.
-Why April Fool's Day started out as New Year's Eve, a joke in itself.
-How the song 'Happy Birthday to You' began as a kindergarten jingle titled 'Good Morning to All.'
-How the zipper was one man's attempt to make obsolete, not buttons... but shoelaces.
-How the newlywed husband came to the aid of his accident-prone bride with the invention of the Band-Aid.
-How the hot dog began as an outlawed Roman sausage and received its name at a New York baseball game.
-How a pot-and-pan salesman who baited customers with soapy steel wool pads launched the S.O.S empire.
-How Drs. Fallopius and Condom made strides in inventing and popularizing a male means of birth control.
-How the original Goldilocks was a disgruntled, gray-haired crone, tortured by the three bears.

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• The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know
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• An Uncommon History of Common Things
• Why Do We Say It?: The Stories Behind the Words, Expressions, and Cliches We Use
• Panati's Extraordinary Endings of Practically Everything & Everybody
• One-Night Stands with American History (Revised and Updated Edition): Odd, Amusing, and Little-Known Incidents
• Panati's Parade of Fads, Follies, and Manias: The Origins of Our Most Cherished Obsessions