Slurping. Depending on your cultural background, hearing this sound at the dinner table may be interpreted as a compliment or as an annoyance on par with fingernails on a chalkboard. If you […]
End Noodle Harassment With This Technological Marvel
Fistfights, Grudge Matches, and Other Christmas Traditions
December 25 generally puts people in the Christmas spirit (unless you live in Russia or Ukraine). It is a day of praying for and enjoying peace on earth and good will toward […]
Keeping Up on the Rent, Even When the Property is Lost
For 800 years the city of London has been careful to make sure it pays its annual rent for two pieces of land it leases from the Crown. In its determination not […]
Meet the Woman Whose Name is on the Declaration of Independence
Women would not receive the right to vote in the United States until 1920. Ironically, 144 years before this oversight was addressed, it was a woman who played a key role in […]
This Royal Custom Was a Real Slap in the Face
Who hasn’t heard of some unpopular government action and entertained a stray thought about slapping the person who was responsible? In ancient Babylon, that stray thought was actually encouraged to be acted […]
The Coin of the Realm — and Something Extra
Everyone likes money because of the value it has in itself. Coin collectors like certain kinds of money because of rarity or historical value. Every once in a while, currency comes around […]
The Weird, Wonderful Ways of the Nacirema People
In 1956 anthropologist Horace Miner reported his findings of a study of a strange, curious grooming techniques of a group of people from Nacirema, a territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui […]
Forget the Tip — Show Appreciation With a Whoopee Cushion
In some Inuit cultures of Canada, it’s an act of appreciation to fart after an enjoyable meal. Source
Each Year Brings Pain … And Riches
Birthdays in Scotland come with a tradition of being greeted with a soft swat on the backside for every year of age. To make up for any offense, the recipient also […]
I Wonder What They Throw When You Turn 50
In Denmark, if, by the time you turn 25, you’re unmarried, you can expect your friends to ambush you with a cinnamon shower all day. That’s bad enough, but if you’re still […]
