r>1. "Yankee Doodle" Was Originally a Song Mocking Americans
Most Americans know the tune of "Yankee Doodle," but few know the song's origins. The melody was actually used by British soldiers during the Revolutionary War to mock the untrained and disorganized American soldiers, whom they called "Yankee Doodles." The old lyrics were crude and derogatory, but the Americans soon turned the joke back on their oppressors by adopting the tune and reworking the lyrics to celebrate their own independence and resilience. Now "Yankee Doodle" is a beloved patriotic tune, and few realize its complicated history.
2. The Punctuation Mark That Isn't Used Anymore
Do you know what an interrobang is? It's a punctuation mark that combines the functions of a question mark and an exclamation point‽ It looks like a question mark with a straight line through the middle, and was invented in the 1960s as a way to convey excitement and surprise in writing. However, it never caught on in mainstream usage, and is now relegated to obscurity. Some writers still use it for effect, but don't expect to see it in your everyday reading materials.
3. The First Computer Programmer Was a Woman
Who invented the first computer program? Most people would assume it was a man, but in fact, it was a woman named Ada Lovelace. Lovelace was a 19th-century mathematician and the daughter of the poet Lord Byron. She worked with the inventor Charles Babbage on his "analytical engine," a predecessor to the modern computer, and penned the first algorithm designed to be processed by the machine. Unfortunately, Babbage never completed the device, and Lovelace's contributions were largely forgotten. It wasn't until the 1950s that her work was rediscovered and she was recognized as a pioneer of computer science.
4. The Word "Girl" Used to Mean "Child"
Today, we use the word "girl" to refer to young females, usually below the age of 18. But in the past, the term was much broader, and could refer to any child, male or female. In Middle English, "girl" meant "a young person of either sex," and it wasn't until the 15th century that it began to be associated specifically with females. Even then, it was used to refer to young women in general, not just those who were unmarried or were still considered children. It wasn't until the 20th century that the word began to take on its current meaning.
5. The Statue of Liberty Was Made in France
Most Americans associate the Statue of Liberty with New York City, but did you know that it was actually made in France? The towering copper monument was designed by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, and was constructed in sections in his Paris studio. The finished pieces were shipped to America and assembled on a pedestal in New York Harbor, where they were unveiled in 1886. The statue was a gift from the French government to the United States to commemorate the alliance between the two nations during the American Revolution.
6. The Letter "E" Is the Most Commonly Used Letter in English
If you had to guess which letter was the most commonly used in the English language, would you say "E"? Good job! According to some estimates, "E" appears in around 11% of English words, making it the most frequently used letter by far. Why is this? Well, "E" is a versatile letter that appears in all sorts of words, from "the" to "coffee" to "telephone." Additionally, many common prefixes and suffixes contain "E," such as "pre-" and "-able," which further boost its usage. So the next time you're playing Scrabble, be sure to save some tiles for this essential vowel.
