> HISTORY LESSON > > > > Next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water > > temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to > > be.... Here are some facts about the 1500s > > > > Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in > > May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to > > smell so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. > > > > Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house > > had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and > men, > > then the women and finally the children-last of all the babies. By then > > the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it-hence the > > saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water." > > > > Houses had thatched roofs -- thick straw - piled high, with no wood > > underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the > > dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it > > > rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall > off > >the > > roof -- hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs." > > > > There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed > > a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really > > mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet > > hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came > >into > > existence. > > > > The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, > > hence the saying "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get > > slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the > > floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding > >more > > thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. > > > A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway -- hence, a "thresh hold." > > > > In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that > > always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to > > >the > > pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would > > eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold > overnight > > and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that > >had > > been there for quite a while -- hence the rhyme, "peas porridge hot, > > peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old." > > > > Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. > > When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It > was > >a > > sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut > > off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the > > fat." > > > > Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a high acid > > content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead > >poisoning > > and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 > >years > > or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous. > > > > Most people did not have pewter plates, but had trenchers, a piece of > > wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl. Often trenchers were made > >from > > stale bread which was so old and hard that they could be used for quite > > some time. Trenchers were never washed and a lot of times worms and mold > > got into the wood and old bread. After eating off wormy, moldy trenchers, > > one would get "trench mouth." > >! > > Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of > > the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper > > crust." > > > > Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would > > sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the > > road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were > > laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would > > gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up > >-hence > > the custom of holding a "wake." > > > > England is old and small and the local folks started running out of > > places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the > >bones to > > a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of > > > 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they > realized > > they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a > > string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up > >through > > the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the > > graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, > >someone > > could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer." > > > > And that's the truth...(and whoever said that History was boring?!) >