If it’s spring, it must be time for our fancy to turn to thoughts of basketball and, of course, March Madness—an interesting term, if we’ve ever heard one. Would you be surprised to find out the term March Madness didn’t originate with basketball? The phrase seems to date back to the 1800s and is thought to be connected to the much older expression mad as a March hare. But …
March 17 marks the annual celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day, or Lá Fhéile Pádraig in Irish. The holiday honors its fifth-century namesake, Saint Patrick, Ireland’s shamrock-loving patron saint, who is believed to have died on this date in 461 CE. For those curious about the origin of the holiday, the basic facts we have gathered here—from the lowdown on Saint Patrick to the official language …
March 15 is known as the ides of March. But why do we need to “beware” of them? What’s so inauspicious about this otherwise normal day? Why has this humdrum mid-month point become a harbinger of ill fortune? Where did the phrase ides of March come from? First, let’s talk calendars—specifically, the ancient Roman calendar. Unlike today, the ancient Romans didn’t simply number their calendar days in …
What is the origin of pi? Pi is the Latin name of the sixteenth Greek letter, π. (Mathematic notation borrows from a multitude of alphabets and typefaces.) The first recorded use of π as a mathematical symbol comes from the Welsh mathematician William Jones in a 1706 work called Synopsis Palmariorum Matheseos, in which he abbreviated the Greek περιϕέρεια, (meaning “circumference,” or “periphery”) to its first letter: π. What does pi mean in mathematics? The mathematical …
Aries is the astrological sign for people who are born from around March 21–April 19. Although this star sign starts well into the calendar year, Aries is actually the first sign in the zodiac, which is probably why Aries season is always thought to bring on the beginning of turbulent and wild times. It falls directly between Pisces and Taurus on the zodiac calendar. A fire …
Every year, Muslims around the world observe Ramadan by fasting during the daylight hours for 30 days. It’s a tradition written into the Qur’an itself, and Ramadan is one of the most important months for followers of Islam. From when it starts (the date changes every year with respect to the Gregorian calendar) to the strict set of dietary rules for the month, here’s what …
The world of movies delivers a lot of memorable words in the form of classic quotes and witty one-liners. Sometimes, though, the big screen also debuts entirely new words or casts an existing word in an entirely new role. Some words, of course, were created with certain movies in mind. For this article, we put out a casting call for words that got their big …
It’s common knowledge that there are 50 states in the United States of America—and you might even be able to name them all—but did you know that four of them are technically considered commonwealths? You might even live in one of these four and not even know it. Read on to find out if you do, and if so, what that means for how your …
Movies are remembered for their soundtracks, cinematography, costume design, and special effects. But most of all, it’s the dialogue that people love (and love to quote). Sometimes, even one- or two-word quotes become emblematic of the whole movie—plus they’re, like, the easiest to remember. Or, are they? Read these iconic words, then see if you can correctly pick the flick that they’re from!
Held on March 8, International Women’s Day celebrates the progress women have made over the last century, and the inspiring women who helped make that progress happen. Likewise, the entire month of March celebrates Women’s History Month. From the suffragist movement of the 1800s to the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, women have used the power of language and oration to inspire countless people. Early …
Even though the standard calendar year is 365 days, Earth actually takes 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds to go completely around the sun. (This is called a solar year.) In order to keep the calendar cycle synchronized with the seasons, one extra day is (usually) added every four years as February 29. Where did this practice come from? Who came up …
You don’t need us to tell you that emoji are popular. 😂 Like, really popular. For most of us, a text or social media post just feels empty without an emoji (or 10). Interestingly, even in the world of emoji, though, you have trends and fads that result in some emoji getting more attention than others. So we wondered: which emoji are currently trendy—and why? …
