On the domestic front, a few years ago I visited a depression era glass museum in Lancaster, Ohio. I thought that special, but it turns out there are 232 glass museums just in the United States and Canada! And as for my other “unusual museum” experiences? They are far from unique. Torture museums: at least 25, including 4 in North America. Sex museums: at least 33 (7 of them in North America), plus 2 virtual ones. Even leprosy has 8 museums across the globe.
What Makes a Museum?
Humans have been curating and displaying interesting collections for thousands of years.
Among the displays at the Icelandic Phallological Museum are specimens from elves and trolls. However, because elves and trolls are invisible, those display cases appear empty.
In Greek mythology, the Muses were sister goddesses who inspired science, literature, and the arts. The first museums (mouseion) were shrines to these divine sources of inspiration.
In the 6th century BCE, Princess Ennigaldi of the Neo-Babylonian Empire curated a collection of Mesopotamian artifacts with origins spanning 1,500 years. The Capitoline Museums in Rome have housed Roman art and antiquities since 1471. Alongside collections of Mauritian art and history, the Blue Penny Museum in Port Louis, Mauritius, showcases the Blue Penny and Red Penny, two of the rarest and most valuable stamps in the world.
Some museums exist entirely in the cyberworld. Rock harpist Deborah Henson-Conant proudly curates an online Burnt Food Museum, showcasing her own culinary disasters. Minecraft players have created several replicas of real-world museums in online servers, making them accessible to players around the globe.
Strangest Museums
Recently, The Wall Street Journal (8-28-25) featured an article about a jellyfish museum in Kyiv, Ukraine. And that led to an online search for off-beat museums around the world. Here is a non-comprehensive list of those I found. Feel free to explore any of these:
The Baku Museum of Miniature Books began as the personal collection of Zarifa Salahova and has grown to more than 6,500 tiny tomes in the heart of Azerbaijan.
Railroads (Too many to count! So far as I can tell, Antarctica is the only continent without a railroad museum.)
And then I came across 1160 Unusual Museums in the United States – Atlas Obscura Discover 1160 unusual museums in the United States. · The Whale Museum · Karpeles Manuscript Library Mini Museum · The Lagoda · Dauer Museum of Classic Cars.
Clearly there are more weird museums that I can list here!
Bottom Line: If you’re interested in it, there’s no doubt a museum for it somewhere!
One of my favorite books is Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) and in one famous scene, Sir William is extolling dance as an exemplar of culture and elegance. Darcy observes that every savage can dance.
10,000 year old painting of dancers, Bhimbetka, India
To put it more elegantly: Dancing has always been a part of human culture, rituals, and celebrations. It promotes creativity, as well as healthy minds and bodies.
Many belly dancers perform in restaurants and at parties.
According to a friend of mine who belly dances, that form of dancing does all of the above. “Belly dancing has historic roots in fertility rites or celebrations in some areas. I’ve performed at baby showers and bachelorette parties. It’s so much fun, and I’ve met so many friends through dancing. It also helps me stay in shape and keep flexible. I get to design costumes, learn music, and create choreography while learning this amazing art form!”
Obviously, any given dance might serve multiple purposes. For this blog, I’ll focus on three categories.
Ceremonial Dance
Since humans formed societies, social groups have created or performed ceremonial dances for rituals or celebrations. People use ceremonial dances all over the world for worship, or to celebrate life events. The unique British tradition of Morris dancing, for example, is performed at seasonal festivals and holidays to banish the dark of winter, celebrate the warmth and fertility of summer, and bring in autumn’s golden harvest. The category of ceremonial dance also includes classical Indian dances, war dances, corroboree, Căluşari, and dances of Native American and West African culture.
Adumu, the Maasai jumping dance, forms an important part of coming of age ceremonies, weddings, and celebration rituals. Participants dress in colorful garments and traditional jewelry and often carry spears. Individual dancers compete with each other to jump as high as possible while maintaining a straight and upright posture. Dancers are judged on the height of their jumps as well as their grace.
Marinera Paso is a Mestizo dance that mimics courtship rituals in Peru. The female dancer, accompanied by Spanish, African, and Creole instruments, marks the rhythm and leads her partner on horseback.
Dancing the Haka involves a combination of stamping, chanting, showing the whites of the eyes, and rhythmically slapping body parts with the hands. Maori people perform various Haka forms to welcome guests, issue challenges, and mourn loved ones. Recently, the Te Pāti Māori party went viral for performing a Haka in the New Zealand Parliament to express their opposition to a proposed bill.
Young women in Bali perform the Rejang Adat to welcome the gods during Kunnigan. They do not train or practice before the ceremony. Instead, they rely on their ngayah (dedication) to allow the gods to inspire their movement and harmony.
Rain Dances
Many agricultural societies have a tradition of rain dances. These dances ask the gods or spirits to send water for crops during the planting season. Other rain dances ask for rain during long periods of dry, hot weather. In Romania and Moldova, a young girl dresses in a skirt made of corn husks and dances through the village streets while people splash water on her. In 2022, the Dumagat tribe performed a rain dance during a drought in the Philippines. They claimed success as it rained three days later.
In the Southwestern United States, many tribes, including the Pueblo, Hopi, Zuni, and Apache, have elaborate rain dance traditions. The specifics of the dances vary from tribe to tribe. Most tribes have unique rituals and costumes, with some tribes wearing headdresses and others wearing masks.
In the early 19th century, the United States government banned certain ceremonial dances. To bypass these strict laws, tribal members would mask their ceremonial performances as “rain dances.”
Dance for Recreation and Community
This is any form of dancing that is for entertainment, fitness, fun, or strengthening community ties. Also known as social dancing, it uses dance without too much structure, as a way to let loose and express one’s own individual personality. Dancers focus less on form and technique and more on the joy they feel from dancing. Examples of recreational dancing include ballroom, line dancing, aerobic dance, or dance as a hobby.
Gumboot Dance evolved from mines in South Africa.Workers unable to communicate verbally developed a system of stomping signals to pass messages.
Ballroom Dance
Like many forms of dance, dancesport has been adapted for a range of abilities.
Historians trace the history of ballroom dance back to the 16th century in Europe, where it was primarily a social activity for the upper classes. However, it wasn’t until the 19th century that participants began to formalize and standardize ballroom.
Commonly used as shorthand for any partner dance, ballroom has today evolved into two main sub-genres: standard/smooth and Latin/rhythm. Dances within these categories include the waltz, tango and foxtrot, and the pasodoble, bolero, and samba.
Ballroom is a popular form of competitive dance, or dancesport, with dancers participating in competitions all over the world.
Who can think of ballroom dancing without envisioning Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers? Well, certainly not people of a certain age or old movie buffs.
The duo made 10 movies together in the 1930s and ‘40s. Their unique style was graceful and complex, while looking effortless. Perhaps the clearest legacy today are Fred Astaire Dance Studios, such as this one near Richmond, VA.
Community dancing often requires no formal training, choreography, or practice. It is sometimes completely spontaneous, such as mosh pits at rock and heavy metal concerts. Though communities often dance together at celebrations, such as weddings or birthdays, the dancing is not necessarily part of the ceremony.
There are many benefits to dancing in a group. Dancing together creates the same sense of group identity as singing or chanting in unison. Participants experience a reduction in stress and a release of endorphins.
In some instances, a Master of Ceremonies calls out steps for the group to follow. A dancemaster sometimes calls Irish céilí steps at social dances. The Electric Slide and the Cha-Cha Slide, popular at American weddings, feature a singer directing the participants in a simple choreography.
Some dances, like the Macarena, permeate society so thoroughly that it seems everyone knows the choreography. Other dances, like Armenian group dances, are simple and repetitive enough for beginners to follow the steps of more experiences dancers.
At Drag On Ball, 2018
Within marginalized communities, dancing is often a way of finding community and demonstrating belonging. Ballroom culture (not to be confused with ballroom dancing) in the United States grew from the gatherings of LGBT+ African Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Participants combine recreational, community dancing with dancing for artistic expression. Dancers vogue, strut, and catwalk in elaborate choreographies and costumes to represent their “houses” and found families. Depending on one’s definition of ceremony and ritual, participating in these events could also be seen as modern cultural rites for people who have been denied acceptance in the cultures they were born into.
Dance for Artistic Expression
Shosagatsu, a form of Japanese Kabuki, blurs the line between dance and narrative theater.
Many artists dance with the primary intent to express or communicate emotion, feelings, and/or ideas. These dancers, including ballet, tap, and modern dancers, often perform in a concert or theatrical setting to an audience. Using rhythmic, patterned, or improvised body movement, it’s one of the oldest art forms found in every culture around the world.
For many people, artistic expression conjures images of ballet. Ballet developed during the Italian Renaissance, before evolving in France and Russia into concert dancing meant for public performance. Ballet choreographers often use classical music.
Harlequin Floors—a purveyor of dance floors—lists what they call popular types of dance on their blog. Ballroom and ballet are perennial favorites, but dancing doesn’t stop there!
Contemporary Dance
Developed during the mid-twentieth century, contemporary dance is now one of the most popular and technical forms of dancing studied and performed professionally, especially in the US and Europe. Drawing on classical, modern and jazz dance styles, contemporary dance has evolved to incorporate many characteristics of a broader range of dance forms. Known for its emphasis on strong torso and legwork, contract and release, fall and recovery, and floor work, it often features unpredictable and disordered changes in speed and rhythm throughout a performance.
As a cultural ambassador, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater showcases a blend of American and traditional dance styles to audiences worldwide.
Hip Hop Dance
B-Boys and B-Girls combine hip hop dancing with acrobatics and rhythmic freezes, as demonstrated by this breakdancer in Union Square.
Hip-hop dancing refers to a range of street dances that developed in relation to hip hop music and culture. Hip-hop dancing dates back to the early 1970s in New York and California, evolving out of Funk and the development of break beat. Main styles of hip-hop dancing include Breaking, Locking and Popping, with derivative styles emerging out of these including Memphis Jookin’, Turfing, Jerkin’ and Krumping. These were often popularized and made mainstream after being featured in music videos of the time.
Today, hip-hop is performed in outdoor spaces, in dance studios, and competitively. Unlike many competitive dance styles, hip-hop is often improvisational with dance crews challenging each other to dance battles.
Jazz
Bollywood dancing (the style often showcased in Bollywood movies) feature a combination of Indian classical and jazz styles to create a uniquely recognizable form.
Jazz dancing has its roots in seventeenth-century African traditions. People brought to the Americas via the Atlantic slave trade continued dancing traditions in Brazil, the US, and elsewhere in North and South America. Known for its improvisational and dramatic body movements, jazz dancing grew in popularity in early twentieth-century jazz clubs.
Today, jazz dancing builds on African American vernacular dance styles that emerged along with jazz music in the United States. Swing, the Lindy Hop, the Shimmy, and the Charleston are popular kinds of jazz dances.
Tap
Zapateado dancers in Mexico combine Spanish and Indigenous South American dance elements with percussive shoe rhythms.
Tap dancing is a type of percussive dance characterized by the “tap” of shoes hitting the floor as the person dances. Tap dancers often wear metal “taps” on the heel and toe of a shoe to accentuate the sound. Frequently performed as part of musical theater, tap dancing often focuses on choreography and formations, with more than one tap dancer performing at once.
Tap dancing characterizes a range of dances including flamenco, rhythm, classical, Broadway, and postmodern tap.
Folk
Modern Samoan knife dancers often wrap their knives in burning cloth for extra pizzazz when performing Siva Afi, the traditional victory dance.
Folk dancing is celebrated worldwide. People of different cultures and religions use various forms of folk dance to portray emotions, stories, historical events or even aspects of daily life. Some well known types of folk dance include: Bharatanatyam (India), Samba (Brazil) and Hula (Hawaii). Some cultures may even perform multiple variations of folk dances, with countries like South Korea performing individual dances for key events such as victories in war, farming, music and religion. Folk dances are commonly held at public events, where people can participate regardless of whether they are professional or complete beginners. Such dances are often accompanied by traditional music to further enhance the cultural experience.
Irish
Irish dancing features jumps and leaps so high that dancers seem to have the temporary ability to ignore gravity.
Traditional Irish folk dance has been popular for hundreds of years amongst Irish people and other countries worldwide. The first recording of the rinnce fada (long dance) in Ireland was in 1689, when James II first came to Ireland. Popularized by shows such as Riverdance, Irish dancing is famously known for its fabulous display of footwork and dance formations. Most Irish dancing events are traditionally accompanied by signing and music. During festivals, dancers compete for trophies or medals to showcase their talents. While most people may recognize Irish dancing as being a group performance, there are many well-known forms of solo Irish dances, such as the stepdance.
Modern
Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” was such a departure from the formal ballets of the time that it caused a riot in the audience at its premiere in 1913.
Modern dance, a broad genre of dance, primarily arose from western countries such as the USA and Germany during the late 1900s. While most forms of dance feature set steps and formalized structure, the purpose of modern dance is to rely on the dancer’s interpretation of the music and feeling to guide movements. Modern dance was initially born out of dislike for the limitations of traditional dances such as ballet, which enforced rigid rules and techniques. Currently, modern dance is enjoyed across the world with participants having the ability to practice ballet-like dancing without having to place strict focus on their techniques or turnout. Instead, dancers can choose a piece of music and use unconventional movements to convey emotions or to tell a meaningful story.
Swing
“Jitterbug” was originally a derogatory term for a swing dancer, in the 1930s. As Big Band music and swing dancing became more popular, people came to use jitterbug interchangeably with swing dancing and Lindy Hop.
Swing is a variation of jazz dance. It developed during the 1920s to the 1940s as a response to the growing popularity of swing jazz music in America, encouraging faster, more rigorous movements. The Lindy Hop was the first form of swing, stemming from variations of the Charleston perfected by Black dancers in Harlem. Other popular forms of swing dance include the Lindy Charleston, the Jitterbug, and the Balboa, many of which are still performed today. Big Band music, whether live or on a recording, commonly accompanied swing dancing events.
Swing dance gained huge popularity in England thanks to the influence of American servicemen stationed there during World War II.
Pacu Jalur
And then there’s an annual dance event reported on in the Wall Street Journal (8/19/25). Where would you include this dance?
Team Panglima Rimbo Piako
Kuantan Singingi, Indonesia holds an annual boat race, called Pacu Jalur, dating back to a 17th century celebration commemorating Queen Wilhelmina’s birthday during the Dutch rule. Today, it coincides with Indonesia’s Independence Day. Some 200 boats compete in a series of races, culminating in the main event, six-tenths of a mile long and lasting approximately two minutes. The hull of the jalur (boat) is usually 100 feet long, made from a single tree. Each boat is powered by 40 to 75 male rowers.
So where does the dancing come in? Each boat also has one dancer (anak joki)—always a boy for minimal weight and ability to balance while dancing on the bow, which is less than 1 foot wide! He wears traditional Malay outfits, cheers on the rowers, and performs 20-second dances to signal to bystanders when his boat is ahead. Each boat dancer has his own routine.
Today the most famous dancer is Dikha, whose dance—appearing effortlessly cool, smooth, and easy to copy—has been mimicked in celebratory dances by a football star, a soccer player, an F1 driver, as well as miscellaneous people at the office, on their cars, and inside Costco. Dikha’s dance mimics fanning air, flying, and shooting guns.
Bottom Line: “Dance”—for a plethora of reasons—has always been with us. Dare I predict it always will be? Enjoy!
Fun fact: About 95% of your total skin area is covered in hair. Who knew you were so, well, hairy?! (wella.com)
But when speaking of someone’s “hair” the usual meaning is hair growing from the scalp, although less frequently facial, pubic, and other body hair. This blog will focus on head hair.
Hair care routines differ according to an individual’s culture and the physical characteristics of one’s hair. In the United States, my search for “ethnic hairstyles” turned up only Black hairstyles. Here are a few examples:
Shamefully (in my opinion) these and many other distinctive hairstyles have been forbidden in schools and work settings—historically, but still today. Even when not dealing with outright bans, people wearing these hairstyles often still face discrimination at work, when seeking medical care, at school, while shopping, even while seeking housing.
Although Black people, especially women, are aware of hair styles as part of their self-concepts, I venture to suggest that many women (and some men) are deeply committed to their hair as an expression of their unique identities.
Hairy Length
Some people don’t ever cut their hair, for religious, fashion, or cultural reasons.
One of the most obvious and most noticeable hair variations is length.
Fun fact: According to Wella, when you add up how much each hair on your head grows over a year’s time, you get 10 miles worth of hair!
Hair can be any length, of course. For the average person, growing waist-length hair would take about 7 years, 3 years to grow to your shoulders.
As of 2024, the Guiness record for hair length is 8 ft. 5.3 in. (257.33 cm) in length, officially the longest hair on a living person (female). The record holder is Aliia Nasyrova of Ukraine.
The Beatles illustrating several hair lengths (Valisk)
Shaved – hair that is completely shaved down to the scalp Buzz – hair that is extremely short and hardly there Cropped – hair that is a little longer than a buzz Short back and sides – hair that is longer than a crop, but does not yet hit the ears, with the top being left longer Ear-length – hair reaching one’s ears Bob – reaching to one’s chin Shoulder-length – brushing the tops of one’s shoulders Princess-length – reaching between the shoulder blades and the tailbone, depending on the speaker
In short, anything goes for hair cuts, but by and large, it seems to me that the longer the hair, the more time, effort, and possibly money go into taking care of it.
A 2024 CNN report found the average cost of a women’s haircut ranging between $45 and $75 across the country, while men’s toggled between $25 and $50. Besides sexism, what might account for this?
Enhancing Nature’s Hairy Bounty
If you are naturally less hairy or differently hairy than you would like, fear not! There are a variety of ways you can change the appearance of the hair on your head.
Wigs
Hair pieces
Extensions
Dyes
Texture changes (straightening or curling)
Transplants
Removal
Changing Color
Specialized colorists can achieve pretty amazing results!
Fun fact: According to Wella, in 1950, about 7% of American women dyed their hair. Today, 60% of American women dye their hair.
Hair coloring, technically, can be either adding pigment to or removing pigment from the hair shaft, commonly referred to as coloring or bleaching, respectively.
—Among the best-known products for men are Just For Men shampoos and comb in color to cover gray hair or beard.
—Temporary hair tints simply coat the shaft with pigments that later wash off.
—Most permanent color changes require that the hair shaft be opened so the color change can take place within. This process can leave hair dry, weak, prone to breakage, or coarse, or cause an accelerated loss of pigment. Generally, the lighter the chosen color from one’s initial hair color, the more damaging the process may be.
—Other options for applying color to hair besides chemical dyes include the use of such herbs as henna and indigo, or choosing ammonia-free solutions.
There is growing demand for natural and non-toxic hair dyes. Various natural pigments, like melanin in animals and curcumin in plants, are used for coloring and dyeing. These alternatives to conventional dyes are bio-friendly and less irritating. Despite the proposed benefits of these dyes, such as antistatic, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties, their complex pigmentation mechanisms remain largely unexplored.
Curling and Straightening
Before and after a chemical perm
You can temporarily change the texture of your hair with curling irons, foam rollers, blow dryers, flat irons, hot combs, and many other implements of heat and pressure. However, time and moisture will return hair to its natural state.
Perms (curling) and relaxing (straightening) using relaxer or thermal reconditioning involve chemical alteration of the internal structure of the hair in order to affect its curliness or straightness. Hair that has been subjected to the use of a permanent is weaker due to the application of chemicals and should be treated gently and with greater care than hair that isn’t chemically altered.
Research shows that hair becomes drier with age. This makes it less able to take and maintain a change in shape.
Hair Transplants
Sew-in hair extensions
Those who are not hairy enough for their personal tastes have a variety of options, some more permanent than others.
One can purchase clip-in hair extensions for a quick boost of hirsute-ness. They need to be taken out before sleeping, washing, or restyling.
For a longer solution, one can visit a hairdresser to have someone else’s hair taped, glued, or sewn onto one’s own tresses. These hair extensions can last from a few weeks to several months, depending on type and care.
For a more permanent change, one might turn to a surgical hair transplant. In this procedure, a doctor surgically moves bits of skin or individual follicles from a hairy area of the head (typically the back or sides) to a less hairy area of the head (typically the top or front). After a few weeks of healing, the newly located hair follicles should behave like any other follicles, giving the patient the appearance of a full head of hair.
Hair Removal
Threading to shape eyebrows
Alternatively, one may feel too hairy. In that case, a variety of methods can help remove unwanted hair.
Hair may be shaved, plucked, or otherwise removed with treatments such as waxing, sugaring, or threading.
Laser hair removal and electrolysis are also available, though these are provided (in the US) by licensed professionals in medical offices or specialty spas.
Hair Loss
Alopecia (baldness) on a man
Alopecia is the blanket term for a range of conditions that cause hair to fall out in up to half of all Americans. It may be temporary or permanent and can have a range of causes, including autoimmune disorder, genetics, and medical treatments.
For it to be apparent that you’re balding, you would have to lose 50% of your hair, according to dermatologists. Most of the factual information in this section comes from The Cleveland Clinic.
On average, you can expect to lose between 50 and 150 hairs daily. On the other hand, you have around 100,000 (or more) hair follicles on your head. So, routine hair shedding is just a drop in the bucket. (This will also depend on the length and thickness of your hair. For example, you’ll appear to shed less if you have shorter or thinner hair.)
Things like stress, heated styling and other health conditions or treatments may cause you to lose more hair than normal. Everyone is aware that chemotherapy often leads to hair loss, but other medications, such as some antidepressants or anticoagulants (blood thinners), might have a side effect of hair loss.
Men vs. Women
Female pattern baldness
“Studies have shown that, in general, men are more likely to experience hair loss than women. On the other hand, women are more likely to experience higher levels of shedding during pregnancy and menopause. Over half of all women will experience noticeable hair loss over time.”
In addition, a study in 2017 showed that women tend to shed more hair due to styling practices. Anyone who uses heavy styling or tight hairstyles can experience increased shedding, which can lead to permanent hair loss if it becomes chronic (called traction alopecia).
The Norwood-Hamilton scale illustrating types of male pattern baldness
Relatively few men are totally bald –i.e., have no hair at all on their heads. Male pattern baldness is common worldwide. However, rates vary by country; in the U.S., the percentage is 42.69, number four after Spain, Italy, and France. According to World Population, Indonesia is the country with the lowest percentage on the list with 26.96%.
Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) affects approximately 40% of women by age 50. Estrogen is related to hair growth and hair loss for women. When estrogen levels are high, hair appears thicker and healthier.
Growing, tending, and arranging hair often strengthens community bonds
Fun fact: According to Wella, in the 16th century, a doctor claimed applying a blend of boiled slugs, olive oil, honey, saffron, soap, and cumin on the scalp could restore hair.
Today, one common treatment to regrow hair is Minoxidil. It is available OTC as liquid or foam to be massaged into the scalp. Tablets in various strengths are available by prescription.
In addition, you can find various nutritional supplements, shampoos, and topical applications on line and in drugstores. Recently, I’ve noticed lots of TV commercials for Nutripol.
And then there is regrowth equipment featuring laser treatments. You can easily find $199 lasercombs or a laser hair growth helmet $995.
Hairstyling Equipment
I didn’t find statistics on the most used hair equipment, but the most popular tools seem to be hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons, and hair brushes. (Good Morning America, missamericanmade.com) Below is a more comprehensive list, although certainly not exhaustive. How many do you use? Others in your household?
“Daenggi” and “Binyeo” used to create traditional Korean “Jjok” hairstyle (by Glimja)
Dryer Brushes Clips Combs Ornamental combs Curling/straightening iron Rollers Clippers Pins and barrettes Beads Headbands Kanzashi (hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles) Ribbons Hair ties Scissors Shower cap Sleeping cap
In 2022, American consumers spent around $85.53 on hair care products. (Statista) The average spending per month on hair products is $31, according to Advanced Dermatology. Frankly, I’m surprised it isn’t more, given all the products in use:
Spikes this high require glue rather than gel
Coloring agents
Conditioners
Gel
Glue
Mask
Mousse
Scalp scrubs
Serum
Spray
Sonic
Wax
Pomade
Shampoo
As of Feb 22, 2025, according to Brainly, the number of shampoo options available to Americans is estimated to be at least 600 different products.
Looking at the big picture, “Hair care boasts one of the largest shares in the global beauty market, about 22 percent as of 2022, second only to the skin care segment. In the United States, forecasts show that revenues for hair care will increase up to 14.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2028.” (Statista)
Assorted Hairy Information
A geisha chooses every element of her hair style and hair ornaments very carefully to indicate her rank, age, mentor, and specialties as well as to complement her outfit and the season.
And to end this blog, a few fun facts from Wella that don’t fit anywhere else:
A single strand of hair can support up to 6.5 pounds of weight. That means a whole head of hair can support up to 2 tons (though the owner’s neck and spine might protest)!
The major cause of dandruff is a fungus called Malassezia globosa, which pushes dead skin cells to the surface quicker than normal.
Believe it or not, humans have the same amount of hair follicles per square inch as a chimpanzee!
Less than 4% of the world’s population has natural red hair.
The color of hair depends on how much melanin each strand has. Or which hair dye you use!
Someone purchased a lock of Elvis’ hair at an auction for $15,000.
Stories have circulated for generations that women encoded secret messages or escape maps in the patterns of their braids or cornrows. Alternatively, people have claimed Black women may have been able to smuggle gold, seeds, keys, or other small items in their hair. Though there is little concrete evidence to support these claims, they illustrate the versatility and cultural importance of hair.
Bottom Line: Hair is virtually everywhere, and hair issues are virtually innumerable.
Studies suggest that about 10% of one’s nervous system is dedicated to sensing pain. Given what else the nervous system does—sight, smell, taste, hearing, thinking, moving, digestion, etc., etc., etc.—that’s a lot!
Why so much attention to pain? As it turns out, there are benefits to feeling poorly.
Pain for Gain
Foremost is survival: without unpleasant sensations, we wouldn’t know to avoid fire, allow injuries to heal, attend wounds such as broken bones or cuts, etc.
There are additional ways in which negative feelings lead to have positive consequences.
Pain facilitates pleasure by providing an important contrast for pleasurable experiences, increasing sensitivity to sensory input, and facilitating self-rewarding behavior.
In many communities, the ability to withstand pain or physical endurance marks a child’s elevation to adult status.
Pain augments self-regulation and enhancement by increasing cognitive control, reducing rumination, and demonstrating virtue.
Pain promotes affiliation by arousing empathy from others, motivating social connection, and enhancing group formation.
Pain Reduction
Mesopotamian goddess Nisaba, with opium poppies growing from her shoulders. c 2430 BCE
But for all of that, we try to avoid or minimize feeling bad. Indeed, pain is the most common reason why people seek medical care. Seeking relief is not a new phenomenon, but getting it is.
Surgeons have been using general anesthesia in the Islamic world for nearly two thousand years. In the 1600s, many European doctors gave their patients opium to relieve pain.
The earliest European surgeons operated while keeping patients wide awake and physically restrained. By the 1800s, the nicest surgeons introduced ether and chloroform anesthetics for surgery. And why was this controversial?
Several major religions view physical suffering as intrinsically linked with atonement or moral goodness. Some, such as Buddhism and Taoism, hold that it is caused by an imbalance within the individual and can only be resolved through personal effort. Others, such as Christianity, have historically believed that suffering brings one closer to an ideal spiritual state.
Surgeons operating on patient under ether anesthesia, 1847
Some doctors questioned the ethics of operating on unconscious patients. Others were concerned that relieving pain might hamper healing. “But the surgeons could not long resist their new power to perform longer and more complex procedures, and most patients thought anesthesia a divine blessing,” wrote Marcia Meldrum, an associate researcher in the department of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles.
By the 1900s, people were using morphine and heroin as pain medications. At first, doctors thought these “safe.” However, over time, it became clear that these treatments also made people vulnerable to addictions.
Until this time, the medical field considered pain to be primarily a problem to manage in acute care (related to injury, for example, or surgery) or during a painful death from cancer.
“Flavors” of Pain
Acute pain is what you feel when you become hurt or injured. You may have experienced acute pain from an injury such as a cut or a broken limb or from disease or inflammation in the body. Acute pain can be intense and severe, but it typically resolves as your body heals from whatever caused it.
Nociceptive pain is caused by tissue damage. Most acute pain is nociceptive.
According to NIH, chronic pain is a sensation that lasts much longer than acute pain―usually months and sometimes years. Chronic pain sometimes has a clear cause, such as an acute injury, a long illness, or damage to and dysfunction of your nervous system. However, it sometimes happens without any obvious reason. Medical providers have often assumed that patients complaining of on-going pain are delusional, hypchrondiacal, malingering, or addicts. Patients often turn to psychotherapy, or sometimes neurosurgery.
Neuropathic pain is caused by nerve damage or dysfunction. You can experience neuropathic pain from injuries or illness that affect the spinal cord and brain (for example, a slipped disc in your spine) or the peripheral nervous system (the nerves throughout the rest of your body). This kind of discomfort often feels similar to burning, shooting, or stabbing.
Inflammatory pain happens when your immune system activates in response to injury or infection. In addition to causing redness or swelling, it can also make you more sensitive to feelings of pain.
Everyone’s pain feels differently, and the only way to know whether someone is hurting is to ask. Has a medical practitioner asked you to rate your discomfort on a scale from 1 to 10? They may also ask you to describe what you feel: dull, throbbing, aching, shooting, stabbing, etc.
Just as there isn’t a way to measure it objectively, there isn’t one single treatment that will work for everyone. It often involves a combination of treatments, which may include:
Over-the-counter and prescription medications (such as pain relievers and drugs that reduce inflammation)
More than 1 in 5 adults in the United States experience chronic pain. Chronic conditions, such as low back pain and migraine, are the leading causes of disability around the world.
Not surprisingly, rates of chronic pain, including conditions that severely limit work or life activities, are highest among adults ages 65 and older.
Advertisement for treatment to cure morphine addiction, c 1900
In the 1980s, several prominent pain specialists suggested that opiods had a “low incidence of addictive behavior.” They pushed for increased use of the drugs to treat long-term, non-cancer pain, as Meldrum noted in her paper “The Ongoing Opioid Prescription Epidemic: Historical Context.” Today we all know how wrong they were, and we are still trying to undo the opioid crisis.
Where Does Aspirin Come From?
1923 advertisement
Apart from prescription medications, over-the-counter options are popular. Aspirin, as it is known today, was first developed in 1895 in Germany. By 1915, Bayer Pharmaceuticals developed the first tablet form, which they then sold throughout the world as a medicine.
The active ingredient in aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, which is formed by the acetylation of salicylic acid, which is derived from natural plant sources such as jasmine, willow and poplar trees, as well as certain species of legumes.
This gives credence to the efficacy of willow bark tea for minor aches and pains, as long claimed by folk medicine practitioners.
Aspirin molecule, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)
However, aspirin is no longer made from willow bark. Today, pharmaceutical companies derive aspirin from plants of the Spiraea genus. Compounders then convert the salicylic acid into acetylsalicylic acid via acetylation.
Aspirin is very useful in many ways besides pain relief. Indeed, doctors use it as a blood thinner to treat clots. At a daily dose of 81mg, it is helpful in preventing future heart attacks.
But beware: You should not use aspirin if you have a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia, a recent history of stomach or intestinal bleeding, or if you are allergic to an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Orudis, Indocin, Lodine, Voltaren, Toradol, Mobic, Relafen, Feldene, and others.
OTC Alternatives
A common alternative to aspirin is Tylenol. Acetaminophen, commonly sold under this brand name, is a non-opioid analgesic that relieves pain and reduces fever. Acetaminophen regulates the body’s temperature and alters its perception of pain.
Tylenol is generally safe at recommended doses. For adults weighing more than 110 pounds (50 kg), the recommended acetaminophen dosage is 1000 mg every six hours or 650 mg every four hours.
Risks
However, elderly individuals may face higher risks of certain side effects due to physiological changes, including:
Liver Damage: Aging decreases liver efficiency. This raises the risk of liver damage from acetaminophen, especially if taken in high doses or with alcohol.
Kidney Damage: As kidney function naturally declines with age, long-term or high-dose use of acetaminophen may lead to kidney damage in the elderly, particularly if their kidneys are already compromised.
Gastrointestinal Issues: Although Tylenol is easier on the stomach than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), it can still cause gastrointestinal discomfort. This may include nausea, constipation, or diarrhea.
Acetaminophen toxicity occurs when a person takes more than the recommended dosage of this medicine. Tylenol overdose leads to 56,000 emergency department visits, 2,600 hospitalizations, and 500 deaths each year in the United States, making it one of the most common poisonings. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing!
Apart from any hedonistic motives to “just feel good,” pain is an economic drain: the estimated yearly national cost of pain, including medical treatments, disability, and lost productivity, is $560 billion to $635 billion in the U.S. alone!
Bottom Line: Pain is universal, and treating it is only human. But proceed with caution!
I love freshly ground black pepper! Those who know me know my favorite flavor so well that a friend gave me my personal pepper grinder, with a black bag to carry it with me virtually anywhere.
Pepper loses its flavor and aroma through evaporation, so keep it in an airtight container and out of the sun. For the best flavor, grind whole peppercorns just before eating. But beware: whipping out your personal pepper grinder at McDonald’s might earn you some stares and side-eyed looks.
And I’m not alone in liking pepper. Black pepper represents about 50% of a typical restaurant’s spice usage. The United States is currently the world’s biggest consumer of pepper. As of 2024, the United States imported US$325.6 million (19% of total black pepper imports).
Nor is pepper only recently appreciated. People have used pepper in cooking for over 4,000 years. Ancient Egyptians placed pepper in the nostrils of mummies to accompany the pharaohs over 2,500 years before Christ.
Long before “black gold” came to mean oil in some places, in the “Old World” it was a synonym for pepper. Pepper was so valuable in ancient times that people used it to pay taxes, tributes, dowries, and rent. It was weighed like gold and used as a common medium of exchange.
In ancient Greece, priests offered pepper to the gods in sacred rituals and even used it in place of gold.
Pliny the Elder complained in 77 C.E. about the price of peppercorns and the amount of money Rome paid to India every year for black pepper. When Alaric, king of the Visigoths, captured Rome in AD 410, he demanded 3,000 pounds of pepper (in addition to gold and silver) as ransom.
There are some arguments that black pepper may have been available in China as early as the Second Century B.C.E., during the Han Dynasty. However, historians generally agree that the hujiao (胡椒, foreign pepper) described in Chinese records in the Third Century C.E., was piper nigrum, black pepper.
I am black on the outside, clad in a wrinkled cover, Yet within I bear a burning marrow. I season delicacies, the banquets of kings, and the luxuries of the table, Both the sauces and the tenderized meats of the kitchen. But you will find in me no quality of any worth, Unless your bowels have been rattled by my gleaming marrow.
In the Middle Ages in Europe, pepper was an acceptable form of currency in some regions. Indeed, at times, peppercorns were worth more by weight than silver. A scornful term for wealthy merchants in medieval Germany was pfeffersack or “pepper sack.” The value of peppercorns, among other spices, made ventures like that of Christopher Columbus a worthwhile financial prospect.
Is Black Pepper Good for Anything but Flavor?
All indications are “Yes.” And here’s an overview!
Like many spices, pepper was historically both a seasoning and a medicine. Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani medicines in India all mention black peppercorns. The Buddhist Samaññaphala Sutta lists pepper as one of the few medicines monks may carry. The 5th century Syriac Book of Medicines prescribes pepper for many illnesses:
Constipation
Diarrhea
Earache
Gangrene
Heart disease
Hernia
Hoarseness
Indigestion
Insect bites
Insomnia
Joint pain
Liver problems
Lung disease
Oral abscesses
Sunburn
Tooth decay
Toothaches
Various sources from the 5th century onward also say pepper is good to treat eye problems. Sometimes, physicians applied special ointments containing pepper directly to the eye. There is no current medical evidence that any of these treatments has any benefit; pepper applied directly to the eye would be quite uncomfortable and possibly damaging.
What Modern Research Reveals
Black pepper on its own provides some of the minerals needed in a healthy diet. One tablespoon (6 grams) of ground black pepper contains moderate amounts of vitamin K (13% of the daily value or DV), iron (10% DV), and manganese (18% DV), with trace amounts of other essential nutrients, protein, and dietary fiber.
Scientists at the Royal Society of Medicine and Sabinsa Corporation are studying piperine’s potential to increase absorption of selenium, vitamin B12, beta-carotene, and curcumin, as well as other compounds.
Black pepper and its active compound piperine may have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Isolated piperine crystals
Laboratory studies suggest that black pepper may improve cholesterol levels, blood sugar control, and brain and gut health.
Despite these promising findings, more studies in humans are needed to better understand the exact health benefits of black pepper and its concentrated extracts.
Pepper can irritate the intestines. Doctors encourage patients having abdominal surgery or ulcers to eliminate black pepper from their diets.
Components of black pepper are often added to commercial mouthwashes and breath fresheners to treat sore throats.
Piperine molecular formula: C17H19NO3
The caffeine content level of black pepper, as far as I could find, is negligible.
Pepper contains small amounts of safrole, a carcinogenic compound. I found no evidence that this is problematic.
How Many Kinds of Black Pepper are There?
Excluding sweet bell peppers, chili peppers, etc., which are entirely different plants, there’s only one pepper.
Black Pepper comes from the dried fruit peppercorn (piper nigrum). It grows on a perennial flowering vine. When the plants reach maturity, peppercorns are stripped from the stem and then boiled for a few minutes before drying in the sun for several days. They are then flash dried. Black peppercorns are green when harvested and change color while drying.
Commercial pepper comes in many colors—green, black, red, and white—but all come from the same plant, the color determined by how ripe it is and how it has been processed.
White peppercorns are black pepper without skin. Ground table pepper is typically 70% black and 30% white. However, the good stuff is 50/50.
While black pepper is a staple in most American kitchens, white pepper is more popular in French, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Swedish cooking. White pepper, though similar to black, has a sharper and mustier flavor. Use care when substituting one for the other!
Because the berries remain on the vine longer than normal before harvest, red peppercorns are the most expensive available.
Growers classify pepper as either garbled or un-garbled. The garbled variety is black and nearly globular, with a wrinkled surface. The ungarbled variety also has a wrinkled surface, but the color varies from dark brown to black.
Once the peppercorns are dried, pepper spirit and oil can be extracted from the berries by crushing them. Many medicinal and beauty products include pepper spirit. Pepper oil is also popular in ayurvedic massage oil and in certain beauty and herbal treatments.
Note: A completely unrelated species (chili peppers from the Capsicum family) is referred to as “red pepper.” Chili peppers, which are native to the Americas, were originally introduced to Europe as a substitute for black pepper due to their pungent flavor.
And a Few More Pepper Facts
People have long believed pepper is the cause for sneezing. Some sources say that piperine irritates the nostrils, which will cause the sneezing. Others say that it is just the effect of the fine dust in ground pepper. Still others say that pepper is not in fact a very effective sneeze-producer at all. Few if any controlled studies have been carried out to answer the question.
The plant is particular about soil conditions and thrives in soil that is “just right,” not too dry and not too wet.
Pepper is cultivated in tropical regions and is native to the Malabar region of southern India, where it grows as a tall vine with the peppercorns as flowering drupes.
Traders formed spice routes from India to Europe and often fought over them. One source maintains that, in an attempt to establish direct trade with Indian pepper plantations, Christopher Columbus inadvertently stumbled upon the Americas and consequently mislabeled the native inhabitants as “Indians.”
In the past, the expense of pepper limited its consumption to the extremely wealthy classes in India. For the first time, India is now a net pepper importer because of rising consumption among the growing middle class.
Accounting for about 20% of the monetary value of the world’s spice trade, black pepper is now produced mainly in India, Vietnam, Brazil, and Indonesia.
Pastry chefs in fine dining restaurants include black pepper in all kinds of desserts. It’s an especially delicious surprise in chocolate sweets, from fudge brownies and chocolate layer cake to chocolate truffles.
What Pepper isn’t Good For
A commonly held myth claims that cooks in the Middle Ages used pepper to conceal the taste of partially rotten meat. There is no evidence to support this claim, and historians view it as highly unlikely: in the Middle Ages, pepper was a luxury item, affordable only to the very wealthy, who certainly had unspoiled meat available. In addition, at that time, people certainly knew that eating spoiled food would make them sick. In fact, a law in York, England required butchers to sell meat within 24 hours of slaughtering or face a fine!
A similar belief that pepper was in wide use as a preservative is also questionable. It is true that piperine, the compound that gives pepper its spiciness, has some antimicrobial properties. However, at the concentrations present when pepper is used as a spice, the effect is small.
Bottom Line: Given possible health effects, and no evidence of possible “overdose,” this amazing flavor-enhancer is worth adding to your daily cooking: its bold flavor is a great addition to almost any dish, savory or sweet.
Because April is Dog Appreciation Month AND Canine Fitness Month, I’ve been posting about dogs on FaceBook almost daily. But there are dozens more—different—fun facts about dogs out there, and not enough April days left to share them. So, for your reading pleasure, from across the web:
There are over 75 million pet dogs in the U.S.—more than in any other country—and a third of ALL households around the world have a dog.
Part of the Family
Forty-five percent of dogs sleep in their owner’s beds. Here’s hoping they share the blanket!
Seventy percent of people sign their dog’s name on their holiday cards. If you want your dog to actually sign, use a nose print. Dog (and cat) nose prints are unique.
A study at UCSD claims that your dog can genuinely get jealous when they see you display affection for another creature.
Dogs can experience separation anxiety. If this is true of your dog, try leaving some clothing you’ve worn with your pet. It’s been proven that the scent you leave behind on your clothes can help ease your dog’s separation anxiety.
Yawning is contagious — even for dogs. Research shows that the sound of a human yawn can trigger a yawn from a dog. And it’s four times as likely to happen when it’s the yawn of a person the pet knows.
Dog Sensitivity
Dogs have wet noses for a few reasons. The moisture helps to absorb scent chemicals, sweat glands on the snout help regulate temperature, and many dogs lick their noses to clean them or taste dirt that may be there.
A dog’s sense of smell is legendary, but did you know that their nose has as many as 300 million scent receptors? In comparison, a human nose has about 5 million. Your dog can smell 40 times better than you can.
The Bloodhound ’s sense of smell is so accurate that law enforcement agents can use the results of its tracking as evidence in some courts of law. An old Scottish word for this type of dog was “sleuth-hound” from which we derive the word “sleuth” for a detective.
Your dog can smell your feelings. In fact, your dog’s sense of smell is approximately 100,000 times better than yours. So it shouldn’t be shocking that they can in fact, smell things such as fear. When a human is fearful, they perspire, and a dog is easily able to pick up on this change.
Dogs can be trained to detect cancer and other diseases in humans. Cancerous cells release different metabolic waste products than healthy cells in the human body. Dogs may even be able to sniff out cancer cells simply through smelling someone’s breath.
All puppies are born deaf. As they get older, they can hear 4 times better than humans.
Adult dogs have fantastic hearing! They can detect high-pitched noises and spot sounds from much further away than humans can.
Dogs are not color-blind. They can see blue and yellow.
Dogs don’t see in as much detail as humans. Perfect sight for a human is 20:20, but for a dog, it’s 20:70 or 20:80. However, dogs track movement better than people because of a structure in their eye called a visual streak, which humans don’t have. So they’re very good at seeing horizontal movement and tracking it, even if visually they might not be able to make out what, precisely, is moving.
Dogs have about 1,700 taste buds. (We humans have between 2,000 and 10,000.) However, dogs are more sensitive to impurities in water than humans are, making it very important to ensure your dog always has access to clean, fresh water.
Dog Intelligence
Dogs have a sense of time. They have proven in multiple studies that they know the difference between one hour and five. Often they can predict future events, such as regular walk times.
Dogs can also “tell time” from scent. Your dog will start getting excited or more active around the time you come home from work each day. They do this because we are creatures of habit and are typically gone the same amount of time every day. When we leave our scent in the house, it fades over time; when we get home, that scent is at a certain level. Dogs become conditioned that we will return when our scents hit that lower level.
Your dog is as smart as a two-year old! Ever wonder why children around this age seem to have a special bond with the family dog? It could be because they speak the same language, roughly 250 words and gestures.
Not all mammals understand pointing but dogs and humans do. Dogs even understand pointing when you do it with your eyes and not your hands.
Stray dogs in Russia have learned how to ride the subway system, and get off at specific stops in search of food.
From their ears to their eyebrows, shoulders, and tail, dogs use signals and smells, as well as sound, to communicate! Their posture makes a big difference, too.
Dog Health
Dogs mostly pant to cool themselves. They have sweat glands between their toes; sweaty paws dogs help to stay cool. This also gives them the added benefit of a better grip.
Dogs have three eyelids. They have upper and lower eyelids, but also a third eyelid underneath, known as the nictitating membrane. This membrane serves multiple functions, including clearing the cornea of any particles or debris, producing tears, and acting similarly to a lymph node to battle potential infections.
A majority of strays that end up in shelters are pets who are lost simply because they don’t have any identification. Additionally, Fourth of July is the busiest time of year for animal shelters: many pets are so frightened of loud fireworks that they run away.
Chocolate can be deadly to dogs due to containing the ingredient theobromine. Dogs cannot metabolize theobromine, and ingesting chocolate could cause a severely toxic buildup in their system, which could become fatal. American chocolate is bad but not typically lethal.
Xylitol is super poisonous. This includes gum, toothpaste and rarely peanut butter. A stick of gum is usually an ER visit, a handful of Hershey’s kisses is usually not deadly.
Health Benefits of Dogs for Humans
Petting a dog can actually benefit your physical and mental health. Studies have shown that petting a dog for 15 minutes can lower blood pressure by 10%, combat loneliness, and help lower feelings of stress and depression.
Children living in a home with a pet dog tend to develop stronger immune systems and have lower incidences of asthma. Scientists speculate this is a result of being exposed at an early age to allergens and bacteria that a dog introduces to the home.
Human blood pressure goes down when petting a dog. And so does the dog’s.
The average dog sleeps for about half of every day, or around 12–14 hours. That figure is higher for puppies, older dogs, and larger breeds.
A dog’s sleeping patterns are nearly identical to a human’s. Like us, they go through three phases during NREM sleep and also experience REM sleep. However, a dog’s sleep cycle is a lot shorter than ours: while we go through an average of five cycles a night, a dog can go through 15-20 cycles.
All dogs dream, but puppies and senior dogs dream more frequently than adult dogs.
Dogs can be unpredictable if they’re woken suddenly. They may bite or nip purely as a reactive response to being startled, so it’s always better to let your sleeping dog lie. If you really have to rouse them, do it with a gentle voice – not a hand. But don’t wake them from a bad dream, as they may react badly.
One reason for your dog snoozing on their back, paws in the air may be because s/he feels safe and secure, showing total trust. There’s also a possibility that your dog is too hot, particularly in the summer. There’s less hair on their belly, so heat can leave their body more easily. Plus, as dogs sweat through their paws, in this position they’re catching a breeze.
A dog sleeping on its side also indicates they are feeling relaxed and comfortable. It’s another sign of trust, and a dog will often enter REM sleep and dream in this position.
Dogs curl up in a ball when sleeping to protect their organs — a holdover from their days in the wild, when they were vulnerable to predator attacks—but it is also a way to conserve heat.
Special Dogs
Rin Tin Tin, the famous German Shepherd, was rescued from a bombed-out dog kennel in France during World War I. After the war, he was brought back to the U.S., where he (and his offspring) starred in 27 movies. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1929.
Three dogs survived the historical sinking of the Titanic in 1912: a Pekingese named Sun Yat Sen, a Pomeranian named Lady, and another unnamed Pomeranian. All three sailed in First Class cabins.
The Guinness Book of World Records names Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, as the oldest dog to ever live. Bluey lived to be 29 years 5 months old and lived from 1910 to 1939.
The town of Idyllwild, California elected their first mayor in 2012, Mayor Max. But Max wasn’t just any regular mayor, he’s a Golden Retriever! Although Mayor Max passed away in 2013, the town elected Mayor Max II in 2013, and Mayor Max III in 2022. Way to go, Mayor Max!
According to Guinness World Records, a Great Dane named Zeus was the world’s tallest male dog ever. Zeus was 3 feet, 5.18 inches tall. He could drink from the kitchen sink, and his family has to buy a larger vehicle to fit him better.
What about the shortest dog? Guinness World Records gives that title to Pearl the Chihuahua. She measures 3.59 inches tall.
Interesting Breeds
Dachshunds were originally bred to fight badgers. In fact, their name means “badger dog” in German!
Newfoundlands make great lifeguards because they have water-resistant coats and webbed feet. They can also swim for unusually long distances, even while pulling a would-be drowning victim to safety.
Dalmatian puppies are born completely white; they develop their spots as they get older.
Maltese dogs have hair instead of fur. This means that, although their hair falls out like a human’s does, they do not shed fur and dander. Thus, they are ideal pets for allergy sufferers.
The Labrador Retriever has been on the AKC’s top 10 most popular breeds list for longer than any other breed. It is originally from Newfoundland, descending from the St. John’s Water Dog.
It may stem from the black-faced mountain sheep common in Scotland, called “coollies.”
A Northern English dialectal term for coal is coaley, possibly referring to the breed’s black patches.
In Old Gaelic, collie was a rural description of anything useful, which Collie dogs assuredly are. Collies are still among the most popular herding dogs today!
Another potential Gaelic root, cuilein, means a puppy or cub.
The Scandinavian name Colle was often used to refer to any dog in Medieval English, as seen in Chaucer’s works.
Chow Chow and Shar-Pei are the only two dog breeds with fully black tongues. I couldn’t find any explanation for why this trait was bred into these dogs. According to one legend, the Chow Chow’s tongue turned blue while it was helping a monk paint the night sky.
The Australian Shepherd is not actually from Australia. In fact, they are an American breed.
A person who hunts with a Beagle is known as a “Beagler.” (Not to be confused with a “Beaglier” dog, which is a cross between a Beagle and a Cavalier spaniel!)
Basenjis don’t bark. Instead they yodel (called a “barroo”), whine, and occasionally scream as a means of communicating. Their barkless traits have earned them a nickname: “The African Barkless Dog.”
The Norwegian Lundehund is the only dog breed created for the job of puffin hunting.
Greyhounds can beat cheetahs in an extended race. While cheetahs can run twice as fast as Greyhounds, they can only maintain that 70 mph speed for about thirty seconds. A Greyhound can maintain a 35 mph speed for about seven miles. The cheetah may start out first, but the Greyhound would soon overtake them.
And then there are working dogs: sled dogs, herders, trackers, search and rescue specialists, drug (or other) sniffers at airports, hunters, racers….
Dog Miscellany
When your dog is carefully choosing the perfect place to do their business, they may be leaving a message for other dogs, finding a surface they prefer, looking for a safe spot, or simply prolonging their time outside. They may even prefer to poop in alignment with the Earth’s magnetic field!
When dogs kick backward after they go to the bathroom, it’s not to cover it up, but to mark their territory, using the scent glands in their feet.
Dogs share 99.9% of their DNA with wolves. The Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky may have the closest DNA to their wild cousins.
Like right-handed and left-handed humans, most dogs have a dominant paw. To figure out which one it is, note which paw your dog most often starts with when getting up and walking.
A study shows that dogs are among a small group of animals who show voluntary, unselfish kindness towards others without any reward.
Dogs are able to breathe out through their mouth and nose at the same time. Their noses can separate air for sniffing and air for breathing. A dog’s nostrils are also able to move air out of their lungs while simultaneously moving air in across their scent receptors!
More than half of U.S. presidents have had at least one dog during their time at the White House. And then there’s Calvin Coolidge, who had at least 12!
The term “man’s best friend” was coined for a hound dog named Old Drum. A neighbor shot him, and his owner took the neighbor to court and proceeded to give one of the finest speeches defending the relationship of humans and dogs. This speech is forever immortalized on a plaque in front of a hound statue, located in front of the court house in Warrensburg, Missouri. The speech is available online. If you want to know more, look up “Burden vs Hornsby Old Drum”.
So, while I searched broadly, being totally comprehensive wasn’t possible. There are always more things to learn about dogs. Enjoy exploring!
Bottom Line: Dogs are useful, complex, fascinating, and—dare I say decorative? There’s lots to appreciate about dogs, all through the year!
I’m not talking about old family recipes here. I’m talking about “bought foods” some from hundreds of years ago, still consumed today. These brands are still popular in the United States; people in other countries are no doubt eating and drinking like their own great grandparents, but I am focusing on the brands I know.
Breakfast
You may be starting your day off by eating (and caffeinating) just like your ancestors!
In 1850, William H. Bovee, the owner of the Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills in San Francisco, built a mill that allowed him to sell pre-roasted, ground coffee. In 1865, A. Folger became a full partner, going on to buy out the other partners and rename the company J.A. Folger & Co. in 1872. Folger’s Coffee was born.
Farther east, in 1873, Joel Cheek left Kentucky to seek a new life in Nashville, Tennessee. Eventually he launched the Nashville Coffee and Manufacturing Company. In 1892, Cheek created a special blend of coffee that he named after the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, which was one of his biggest customers. Legend has it that in 1907 President Teddy Roosevelt visited Maxwell House, the prestigious Nashville hotel and after finishing a cup of their namesake coffee, he declared it was, “good to the last drop.”
Ferdinand Schumacher founded the German Mills American Oatmeal Company in the 1850s in Akron, Ohio. With Robert Stuart of Ontario, he opened the Quaker Mill Company in 1877 in Ravenna, Ohio. In 1881, Henry Crowell bought the company and launched a national advertising campaign for Quaker Oats.
John Harvey Kellogg/W.K. Kellogg created Kellogg’s Corn Flakes at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan in 1894. Kellogg was supporting good health through a vegetarian diet. Accidentally invented as a breakfast food to counter indigestion, Corn Flakes, the first dry, flaked breakfast cereal, became the most popular dry breakfast cereal in the world.
Lunch
You can take a break at lunchtime by eating the same lunch your great grandparents enjoyed!
Wonder Bread is an American brand of sliced bread. Established in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1921, it was one of the first companies to sell sliced bread nationwide by 1930. Elmer Cline named the company after the wonder he felt witnessing the launch of hundreds of hot air balloons at the International Balloon Race in Indianapolis.
After working for many years in a Chicago sausage factory, Oscar Mayer opened his first hot dog shop in 1883. Events like the Chicago World Fair in 1893, World War I, the release of the Wienermobiles, and the Oscar Mayer Wiener song made these hot dogs a cultural phenomenon.
In 1898, a LeRoy, New York-based carpenter and cough syrup manufacturer named Pearle Bixby Wait trademarked a combination of granulated gelatin, sugar, and flavoring called Jell-O. The first flavors were strawberry, raspberry, orange, and lemon.
Baking
Many of the brands modern bakers use have not changed substantially in generations. Even when baking at home, you may be eating the same cake as your great-grandparents!
In 1790, Henry Wood launched a company specializing in importing and distributing English-milled flour in Boston. Henry Wood & Co started milling and selling American-grown flour in 1825, when the Erie Canal made distribution faster and more reliable. They launched a new product in 1895 called King Arthur Flour (the name inspired by the hit musical of the day, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table).
In 1764, John Hannon and Dr. James Baker started importing cacao beans and producing chocolate in Dorcester, Massachusetts. For 15 years, the duo produced chocolate under the company name Hannon’s Best Chocolate. Hannon went on a cacao-gathering trip to the West Indies in 1779, and never returned. Baker changed the company name to Baker Chocolate Company.
Charles Alfred Pillsbury founded C.A. Pillsbury and Company along with his uncle, John Pillsbury, in Minneapolis in 1872. Pillsbury was the second company in the United States to use steel rollers for grain processing. The Doughboy didn’t come around until 1965.
Carnation is now a brand of food products, but Elbridge Amos Stuart began as a dairy farmer in 1908. In addition to selective breeding, Carnation Farms aimed to increase milk production through keeping their cows happy and stress-free. The brand was especially known for its evaporated milk product created in 1899, first called Carnation Sterilized Cream and later called Carnation Evaporated Milk.
In 1912, a group of California raisin growers created the California Associated Raisin Company, which became Sun-Maid Growers of California. So, while not as old as some, Sun-Maid Raisins have still been around longer than today’s consumers.
Sauces
Even if the other ingredients change, the flavors of what you’re eating may not be very different from what your great-grandparents ate.
When Edmund McIlhenny and his wife Mary Eliza first settled Avery Island, Louisiana, in 1859, they made a mint harvesting salt and selling it to the Confederates. The Union Army ransacked his entire operation. When McIlhenny inspected his land after the war was over, he noticed something growing: a spicy pepper native to the Mexican state of Tabasco. McIlhenny planted tabasco peppers all over the island, and started selling his Tabasco Hot Sauce, made with those peppers and Avery Island salt, in 1868.
The story of Heinz Ketchup began in 1876 when it was first marketed as “catsup” by Henry J. Heinz. In the Unites States, many assume ketchup is always tomato-based, but that is an American invention. Around the world, people have made ketchups with all sorts of main ingredients, for example, mushrooms or bananas.
Drinks
In addition to eating like your ancestors, there is a very good chance you’re drinking like them!
Johannes “Reginald” Beam, a Kentucky farmer, began producing whiskey in the style that would eventually become known as bourbon, and sold his first barrel of corn whiskey, which he called Old Jake Beam Sour Mash, in 1795. Today this is Jim Beam Bourbon, of course.
On May 8, 1886, Dr. John Pemberton poured the world’s first glass of Coca-Cola at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in Atlanta, Ga. He served about nine drinks. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it didn’t catch on immediately. The first recipe for Coke contained both wine and cocaine, and was marketed toward upper class intellectuals.
Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist in New Bern, North Carolina, invented a concoction that he originally called Brad’s Drink in 1893. He changed the name in 1898 to Pepsi-Cola, to advertise that his drink got its flavoring from kola nuts and could treat dyspepsia. Though the original recipe did not have any pepsin, it did contain vanilla and sugar, which Bradham claimed would aid in digestion and boost energy.
Yuengling Beer is a product of D. G. Yuengling & Son, established in 1829, is the oldest operating brewing company in the United States. In 2018, by volume of sales, it was the largest craft brewery, sixth largest overall brewery, and largest wholly American-owned brewery in the United States. Its headquarters are in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
Thomas Lipton opened a small grocery shop in 1871 in Glasgow, Scotland. While traveling to source new stock for his store, he purchased tea gardens in modern-day Sri Lanka in 1890. He was able to control the entire supply chain, selling Lipton Tea in packets with the slogan “Direct from the tea gardens to the teapot.”
Snacks
Between meals, there’s a good chance you’re eating the same snacks as your great-grandparents. Though the recipes have no doubt changed, you may be reaching for the same brands and labels.
“The invention of the potato chip is attributed to George Crum, who was born George Speck in 1824, the son of an African American father and a Native American mother who was a member of the Huron people. In 1853 he was a cook at Moon’s Lake House restaurant in Saratoga Springs, New York. A customer sent back his order of fried potatoes, stating that the slices were too thick. Supposedly, Crum cut thinner slices of potato, but the customer was still dissatisfied. An annoyed Crum then decided to cut thin sections of potato and fry them in oil until they resembled crispy disks that could not be eaten with a fork. The customer, instead of being irritated, was delighted by the crunchy potatoes. Other restaurant patrons then requested the dish, leading the establishment to offer its special Saratoga chips.”
According to a taste test by Bon Appetit, the best potato chips today are Lay’s Classic.
The Rueckheim Brothers of Chicago, Il. trademarked the Cracker Jack label in 1896. However, coated popcorn and peanut mixtures had been around since at least the late 1850s and people were described eating them in articles dating from about 1857 to the 1880s. The contribution of the Rueckheim Brothers was largely to make the product less messy to eat by means of a carefully guarded process of processing. Circa 1899, Henry Eckstein joined Frederick Rueckheim & Bro, adding the packaging that would be familiar to anyone who bought Cracker Jacks well into the 1960s and beyond.
Not so old, but the Hershey Company is one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. The name of the company has changed over time: Hershey Chocolate Co. (1894–1927), Hershey Chocolate Corporation (1927–68), Hershey Foods Corporation (1968–2005). Whatever the name, Hershey chocolates are classic.
Tootsie Rolls are a chocolate caramel candy that has been manufactured in the United States since 1907. It was the first penny candy to be individually wrapped in America. According to the company, they make over 65 million Tootsie Rolls daily.
Bottom Line: If the original product is good, subsequent iterations can go on indefinitely.
For many the mention of February immediately brings thoughts of Valentine’s Day, Valentine cards, whether to send them, and to whom.
A Hallmark History
For many Americans, Hallmark has become synonymous with Valentines. Founded by 18-year-old Joyce Clyde Hall in 1910, Hallmark Cards is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the U.S. They got into the Valentine act in 1913, and began producing their own designs in 1916.
Hallmark offers approximately 1,400 Valentine designs in their catalogue. Valentines are their second biggest seller, after Christmas cards. Before Valentine cards, there were Valentine love letters.
Saint Valentine
The Catholic Church has sainted at least three men named Valentine or Valentinus, two executed on February 14 of different years. I prefer the Saint Valentine who was a 3rd-century Roman priest executed for performing secret weddings in defiance of the emperor’s orders. (Claudius II believed that unmarried men made better soldiers because they had nothing to lose, so he outlawed marriage for young men.) Legend says this St. Valentine wrote a farewell note to his jailer’s daughter, signing it “Love, from your Valentine.”
Writing Valentines
Subsequently, the imprisoned Duke Charles of Orleans wrote the earliest existing Valentine love letter to his wife in 1415. Then followed, in 1477, love letters from Margery Brews to her future husband, John Paston, which contain the first known use of the term “Valentine” in written English.
People exchanged formal messages of affection in the 1500s. Sending handmade cards was popular throughout the 1700s and continued through the 1800s. Europeans exchanged love notes, often decorated with lace and ribbons.
In 1797 London, printed Valentine’s Day cards, to be hand-colored by the buyer, appeared. They featured hearts (the traditional seat of emotions), flowers, Cupids (the Roman god of love), and lace. Because popular science of the day held that the avian mating season began in mid-February, many cards also featured birds as a symbol of the day.
Today, the holiday has expanded beyond romantic partners to expressions of affection among relatives and friends. Even schoolchildren exchange Valentines now.
The latter is a relatively new development. As best I could find, around the 1950s school children began exchanging Valentine’s Day cards in large numbers in the United States. It has since become a popular school tradition. When I was in elementary school, each student brought a cardboard shoe box, cut a slit in the top, decorated it, and hoped to find cards from classmates, the more the better.
My Funny Valentine
A current Hallmark ad reads, “Shop Valentine cards for all the people you love— spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, and best friends. Find funny Valentines…”
Unlike Valentines for classmates, humorous Valentine’s Day cards are nothing new. “Vinegar Valentines” originated in the Victorian era (the last 65 years before 1900) as mocking or comic Valentines. These cards were often insulting and could be sent to anyone the sender disliked, including landlords, salespeople, employers, and adversaries. The tone ranged from gentle to aggressive. They typically insulted a recipient’s physical appearance, character traits, or lack of a romantic partner. They sometimes mocked specific professions. These “comic” Valentines often included grotesque drawings that caricatured common stereotypes. As with all things Valentine, they have evolved.
Valentines by the Numbers
To the annoyance of many, Valentine’s Day has become highly commercialized. According to an article in Business Insider, Hallmark is among nine companies that turned Valentine’s Day into a national economic engine. (Others include sellers of jewelry, flowers, and chocolate.) According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans were expected to spend approximately $25.8 billion on Valentine’s Day in 2024. Though not all that money goes for cards, according to a 2023 National Retail Association survey, 40% of Americans planned to send cards.
Valentine’s Day celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Valentine’s Day is popular in at least 24 countries. Worldwide, the Greeting Card Association estimates that about one billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year. Guatemalans celebrate many varieties of love on Valentine’s Day, exchanging cards with friends and family. Many Germans exchange heart-shaped gingerbread cookies. The Japanese split the celebration into two days: women give Valentines to men on February 14th, and men return the favor on March 14th.
In the Philippines, February 14 is the most common wedding anniversary, and mass weddings of hundreds of couples are common on that day. Are cards for these celebrations two-fers, wedding and Valentine? Heads up, Hallmark!
Bottom Line: Giving Valentines may be a centuries-old tradition, but it’s still going strong!
I’m a confirmed chocolate lover. And I’m not alone here! Great taste, a reward after a tough day, a favorite holiday gift…
Chocolate is the preferred choice of sweets for many. Which is what makes chocolate big business. The chocolate industry is worth over £100 billion. Chocolate is the most popular U.S. candy product, favored by 90% of consumers. Nearly half (47%) spend $5-$10 a few times a month buying chocolate at the grocery store. (FYI: Switzerland is the world’s top consumer of chocolate per capita.)
Consumers buy an incredible 90 million pounds of chocolate candy during Halloween week, giving it a strong lead compared to other holidays. Retailers sell almost 65 million pounds during the week leading up to Easter. Although 57% of Valentine’s Day gift-givers give candy, only 48 million pounds of chocolate are sold during Valentine’s week. This includes more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate every year for Valentine’s Day.
Of the $1.9 billion sold on Halloween candy each year, $1.2 billion was for chocolate candy and only $680 million for sugar candy.
And then there is the impact of the chocolate industry on other products! U.S. chocolate manufacturers currently use 40 percent of the almonds produced in the United States and 25 percent of domestic peanuts.
Chocolatey Celebrations
Chocolate is so popular that many days of the year are designated for its celebration in various ways.
People originally consumed chocolate as a beverage. Thomas Jefferson was a big fan of a drink using stone-roasted cacao, sugar and spices.
2/25 National Chocolate Covered Nut Day
5/15 National Chocolate Chip Day
6/16 National Fudge Day
Chocolate is only one option for fudge flavors!
7/7 International World Chocolate Day
7/25 National Hot Fudge Sundae Day
8/4 National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day
Ruth Wakefield invented the chocolate chip cookie in the 1930s. In 1939 she sold her recipe and the Toll House name to Nestlé, reputedly in return for a lifetime supply of chocolate!
8/20 National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day
9/27 National Chocolate Milk Day
According to the Smithsonian, an Irish botanist, Sir Hans Sloane, in Jamaica in the early 1700s, drank a cocoa drink that he found so bitter he added milk, thus creating the first chocolate milk mixture. He then left Jamaica and returned to England, where he sold the chocolatey concoction as medicine.
10/13 National M&M Day
11/7 National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
The popularity of chocolate is reflected in chocolate-themed Hershey Park, the largest amusement park in Pennsylvania, as well as Hersheytown. A huge new park is scheduled to open in 2027. In addition, there are more than 60 chocolate museums around the world, including in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Spain, and the United States.
Keep in mind that chocolate and cocoa are not the same thing. Essentially, chocolate is a processed version of cocoa that includes added ingredients like sugar and cocoa butter to achieve its smooth texture and appealing flavor.
A Little Chocolate History
From the Codex Tudela, an Aztec woman pouring chocolate from one vessel to another
Historians credit the Olmec civilization of southern Mexico as being the first to roast the fruit from the cacao tree, then grind it down and mix it with water and other ingredients (but not milk or sugar). Archaeologists have discovered Olmec pottery with trace amounts of chocolate dating back to around 1700 BCE.
During the Revolutionary War, medics would often dole out cups of hot chocolate to wounded and dying soldiers. Military leaders gave out hot chocolate mixes monthly to soldiers, and sometimes offered them in lieu of wages.
Milton Hershey of Lancaster, PA introduced the first Hershey milk chocolate bar in 1900. Foil-wrapped Hershey’s Kisses appeared in 1906. Ever wondered about that little piece of paper hanging out of a Hershey’s Kiss? That was the company’s way of flagging their candy so consumers would know that it was an original Hershey’s Kiss. The little paper tail is known as a plume.
Soldiers’ rations in the Spanish Civil War inspired Forrest Mars, Sr to create M&Ms: plain chocolate candies in a shell of hard sugar. Chocolate melts at 93°F, which is below the average human body temperature. Remember this slogan? “M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand!”
Mars joined Bruce Murrie (son of Hershey executive William Murrie) to produce M&Ms in 1941, marketing them as in response to slack chocolate sales in summer.
During World War II, M&Ms were sold exclusively to the US military because of their durability.
Hershey’s had an exclusive contract with the American military to supply chocolate for soldiers’ rations during World War II. They specifically created the D-Ration Bar to “taste a little better than a boiled potato” to discourage soldiers from eating only their chocolate ration and nothing else. The recipe for these emergency chocolate rations made a viscous liquid so thick that it clogged the regular manufacturing machines and required hand-packing into molds.
Hershey produced a Tropical D-Ration specifically designed to withstand the high temperatures in the Pacific Theater.
M&Ms were the first candies to go into space, sent with the crew of the NASA shuttle Columbia in 1981.
Chocolate Medicine
Chocolates are a popular form of self-medication.
In the 1800’s, physicians commonly advised their broken-hearted patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining.
Chocolate has been shown to improve depression and anxiety symptoms and to help enhance feelings of calmness and contentedness. Both the flavanols and methylxanthines are believed to play a role in chocolate’s mood-enhancing effects. The presence of compounds like phenylethylamine in cocoa can contribute to feelings of happiness and well-being as well.
Even the smell of chocolate can help you relax and reduce stress! A study conducted by psychologist Neil Martin at Middlesex University in Enfield, England concluded that the aroma of chocolate reduced attentiveness. Also, there are at least six varieties of flowers that naturally smell like chocolate: Carolina Allspice, Columbine-Chocolate Soldier, Chocolate Daisy, Chocolate Vine, Cosmos -Chocolate, and the Oncidium Orchid. A chocolate alternative for aromatherapy, perhaps!
Approximately 70% of people in a cross-sectional survey were less like to report depressive symptoms if they had eaten dark chocolate within the last 24 hours.
Chocolate can’t replace traditional treatment options for depressive feelings with mood disorders, but science may support its role in your diet.
Other cocoa benefits, maximized by choosing minimally processed cocoa powder or dark chocolate with high cocoa content:
Cacao pods in varying states of ripeness
Antioxidant power: cocoa is packed with antioxidants, particularly flavanols, which combat free radical damage in the body and may protect against chronic diseases.
Cardiovascular health: studies suggest cocoa can help lower blood pressure, improve blood vessel function, and potentially reduce the risk of heart disease due to its impact on blood flow.
Improved cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Brain function: cocoa may enhance cognitive abilities like memory and focus due to its influence on neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
Potential anti-inflammatory effects: cocoa’s polyphenols may help reduce inflammation in the body.
Chocolatey “Perks”
Chocolate’s reputation as a pick-me-up is greatly aided by the fact that chocolate is sweetened, so there’s a sugar boost along with the caffeine.
A one-ounce piece of milk chocolate contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of decaffeinated coffee.
Although a bar of dark chocolate has about 29 milligrams of caffeine, a small cup of regular coffee has about 94.
Dark chocolate has more caffeine than any other type of chocolate. Cocoa solids contain the caffeine. Cocoa beans harvested during a dry season contain more caffeine. The method of processing and roasting the beans also affects the caffeine content.
Chocolate type matters! Dark chocolate, with higher cocoa content, generally has more health benefits compared to milk chocolate, which contains more sugar and fat. In fact, more than half of people in a recent survey from the National Confectioners Association described dark chocolate as a “better for you” candy.
Over-Indulgence
Beware too much chocolate! Addiction to chocolate is called “chocoholism.” It is not a scientifically recognized term.
Cocoa powder is naturally bitter, no sugar at all. The effects of added sugar intake from chocolate— higher blood pressure, inflammation, diabetes, and fatty liver disease — are all linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.
Weight Gain High calorie intake from chocolate can lead to weight gain if consumed excessively, especially when replacing healthier food options.
Dental Issues The sugar in chocolate can contribute to tooth decay if not properly brushed after consumption.
Digestive Problems Some people might experience stomach upset, bloating, or diarrhea due to the fat and sugar content in chocolate, especially milk chocolate.
Cardiovascular Concerns Regularly consuming large amounts of chocolate, particularly with high saturated fat content, might contribute to elevated cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease.
Blood Sugar Fluctuations The sugar in chocolate can cause blood sugar spikes, potentially contributing to diabetes risk in susceptible individuals.
Caffeine Overdose While the caffeine content in dark chocolate is lower than coffee, consuming excessive amounts can lead to sleep disturbances, anxiety, and jitters.
Skin Issues Some people experience acne breakouts after consuming large quantities of chocolate.
Individual Sensitivities People with specific allergies or digestive sensitivities should be cautious with chocolate consumption and consult a healthcare professional if needed.
Chocolate Dangers
And then there are heavy metals. Cadmium and lead—two heavy metals linked to a host of health problems in children and adults—are virtually unavoidable in dark chocolate. Consumer Reports scientists recently measured the amount of heavy metals in 28 dark chocolate bars, including Dove, Ghirardelli, Lindt, and Hershey’s, for lead and cadmium. All of them contained both metals. For 23 of them, just an ounce of chocolate violates California’s maximum allowable dose levels (MADL) for lead or cadmium.
Significant exposure to cadmium can cause lung cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm. Significant exposure to lead can slow children’s growth growth and development and damage the brain and nervous system.
The good news is that it’s possible for dark chocolate to maintain low levels of heavy metals: five of the 28 bars tested had levels of lead and cadmium within the California limitations.
Johns Hopkins Medicine toxicologist Andrew Stolbach told NPR “The [MADL] safety levels for lead and cadmium are set to be very protective, and going above them by a modest amount isn’t something to be concerned about,” he said. “If you make sure that the rest of your diet is good and sufficient in calcium and iron, you protect yourself even more by preventing absorption of some lead and cadmium in your diet.”
Note: Chocolate can be toxic to cats and dogs because they can’t metabolize theobromine, a component in chocolate.
Bottom Line: Moderation is key. Enjoying chocolate in moderation as part of a balanced diet is key to reaping potential benefits without experiencing negative effects.
There’s no denying that clothes are important. They are (arguably) the first thing people see when they see you—front, back, or sideways. People may infer a lot from your clothes, everything from socio-economic class to what you like. Are they accurate?
Sometimes. In my opinion, there are multiple factors that determine what one wears at any given time. Our clothing choices are not static; rather, they adapt to different circumstances. The way you dress for a job interview will likely differ from how you dress for a casual weekend with friends. Adaptability reflects our ability to navigate social situations effectively. We use clothing as a tool to project the desired image.
Factors Outside Yourself That Affect Clothing Choices
Socio-Economic Standing
As a child, I wore whatever my mother made for me, plus hand-me-downs from older cousins. Although places such as resale stores, Goodwill, and Ashland Christian Emergency Services may provide access to clothes one might not be able to afford otherwise, perfect tailoring, high fashion, and accessories such as fur just aren’t available to most working class/blue- or pink-collar people.
Accessibility
Related to socio-economic standing is the issue of what clothes a person is able to obtain and wear. Wealthy people can afford to have clothes tailored or even custom-made to fit, but everyone else is generally limited to what is available on the rack. Even trying to make or alter your own clothes requires skill, time, and materials. People with measurements outside the average often have to settle for what fits rather than what they like.
Though they have improved a bit in recent years, many clothing lines that cater to plus-size women still offer only dark colors, floral prints, boxy silhouettes, and outdated trends. Additionally, many brands simply scale up clothing designed for thinner bodies, making clothes that don’t fit at the shoulders and hips or don’t bend properly at the knees and elbows.
Exceptionally tall or short fashionistas face similar problems when trying to choose clothing. A friend who is very tall hates tunic style tops but often can’t find anything else long enough for her torso. Her equally tall husband generally settles for shirts too large in the shoulders because those are the only ones that don’t bare his navel. Another friend has to shop for footwear exclusively in the children’s section because those are the only shoes small enough for her feet.
Work
Although the line has blurred since the COVID restrictions made work-from-home and on-line-commuting common, most people can still look at their closets/dressers and identify which clothes are specifically for work—at least for Zoom meetings!
The most obvious work place attire is seen where uniforms are required: members of the military, nurses, fast-food workers, flight attendants, athletic teams, and the like.
But beyond such obvious uniforms, think about what you expect to see on a funeral director; priest, minister, rabbi, or mullah; fashion designer; orchestra member; member of Congress, etc. Although these (and many other) professions do not have a single uniform per se, nevertheless informal or even formal dress codes apply. At one time, when part of my job included overseeing secretarial and clerical staff who met the public, I told the employees (all female at the time) no cleavage, no pits, no crotch, and no jeans on the job.
Astronauts must wear clothing to keep them safe aboard a rocket ship or in the cold vacuum of space.
Some jobs require specific clothing styles for safety or convenience. Locksmiths need to wear shoes with steel toe caps and no laces where shards of metal could work their way inside. General contractors often wear cargo pants and utility belts with plenty of pockets to hold tools and materials. Anyone working in a kitchen is going to prefer shirts with closely fitting sleeves. People with particularly messy workplaces, such as auto mechanics and crime scene cleaners, may opt to wear a full-body coverall at work to protect their regular clothing.
Dress for Success
As jobs change, so does one’s clothing. As a college professor I wore tweeds, wool, boots, and almost no jewelry. For over ten years as an executive in association management and academic administration, I wore skirted banker suits, pearls, a moderate amount of gold jewelry, and two-inch heels with matching handbags and briefcase.
In late1970s and early ‘80s, John T. Molloy published many Dress for Success books. I suspect that his advice is outdated: today, I met with a female bank manager who wore slacks and a cable-knit sweater.
Still, the concept remains the same. Although the specifics vary, dressing for success is still a real thing. Proverbial wisdom says, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” And then there is this hint of who is striving: you can tell who’s on the way up by whose shoes are shined.
In Retirement/At Leisure
This is where one is likely to get the clearest insight into personal clothing preferences.
No longer dressing for paid work, I wear flat black shoes, comfortable pants, casual tops, and lots of silver jewelry (usually earrings, necklace, bracelet, watch, and multiple rings on each hand). Even so, I’m a little more formal for symphony, opera, or theater. Society still has expectations about what people ought to wear. Regardless of work status, what one wears to a worship service is very likely different from what one wears to a ballgame. (All of the following factors still apply.)
Geographic Location/ Weather/ Season
Not to belabor the point: what is necessary in upstate New York in winter isn’t appropriate in South Carolina, and what is worn in South Carolina is likely inadequate in upstate New York. And all of America tends to dress more casually than the rest of the world.
Just look at traditional national costumes from countries with varying climates and compare that with what is considered socially acceptable now. Along with lightweight fabrics, society is more likely to accept bared shoulders, shorts, open-toed shoes in hot, humid climates. Going to work in a sleeveless shirt and shorts would likely cause raised eyebrows in Norway. Wearing a fur-lined parka to the beach in Thailand might cause heat stroke!
Ceremonies and Celebrations
Think funeral, wedding, employee party, anniversary, baby shower, Halloween party… Again, this is pretty obvious, although it differs over time and by peer group—and personal preference!
In September of the same year, I attended the weddings of my oldest and youngest daughters. For numerous reasons, including geography, I wasn’t involved in the planning of either event. My husband and I gave each daughter a check (for the same amount of money) and said, “Do what you will.”
The older daughter’s wedding was held in an historic meeting house in New England and involved a white dress and veil, 6 attendants in matching dresses, a sit-down reception, and dancing. I wore a dress suitable for the mother of the bride.
The younger daughter was married in the back yard of the house where she and her soon-to-be-husband were living, with baskets of flowers nailed to railroad ties. He wore a tailored green silk suit and shirt; she wore a white, spaghetti-strap mini-dress, a circle of daisies in her hair, and platform sandals. The reception was an outdoor barbecue. The guests sported leather, chains, denim, and tattoos. I wore casual pants and top.
Note: people who dress to the expected norms tell us much less about themselves than the rebels who defy expectations.
Clothes for Functionality
Sometimes, fashion is the result of function, clothing and accessories that allow the body to move and perform in ways otherwise impossible. Think of a soccer player’s cleats or a fly fisher with a many-pocketed vest and rubber boots.
Medically Adapted Clothes
Some people choose clothes for medical reasons rather than fashionable ones, though the two can sometimes be combined. People who use mobility devices like wheelchairs or crutches might choose clothing that drapes nicely when seated or has no chance of tangling. Those who have attached medical devices, such as chemotherapy ports, insulin pumps, or colostomy bags can buy or adapt clothing that allows easier access these devices. Compression tights can help with circulation issues. Nursing mothers are likely to wear shirts, dresses, and bras designed to allow feeding access.
Eyeglasses straddle the line between accessories and medical devices. Though more than 4 billion people worldwide rely on corrective lenses, it is usually possible to choose frames of a shape, size, and color that reflects one’s personal style preferences.
People with sensitive skin and those who spend a lot of time outside have an increasing range of options for sun protection. Long-sleeved swimsuits and UV protective workout clothes share shelf space with wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses, and sunblock creams.
Hobby Clothes
The clothes you wear for your hobbies are likely very different from those you’d wear to work or an evening out with friends. If those hobbies are active ones, you may choose clothing that makes it easier to enjoy those hobbies.
A gardener wears gloves and sturdy pants for protection rather than fashion. A skier’s suit provides insulation but still allows movement. Leotards, running shorts, rock-climbing gloves, line-dancing shoes, and sweat bands all allow the wearer to move in comfort while enjoying their hobbies.
Clothesthat Enhance
Wearing a dragon’s wings allows small children to take flight, as everyone knows.
And then there are clothes that allow the wearer to surpass their previous athletic or artistic performance. A ballet dancer wears pointe shoes not for the sake of fashion but because they redistribute weight and support her foot while balancing on the tips of her toes. Weight lifters wear friction gloves and intra-abdominal pressure belts, allowing them to lift heavier loads without injury. A marathon runner and a hurdler will choose very different shoes for competition, as shoe designs can provide athletes with different advantages.
Competitive swimmers faced controversy at the 2008 Olympics for wearing Speedo’s LZR Racer suits. These suits provided swimmers with extra buoyancy, reduced drag, and muscle compression. Ultimately, competitive swimming advisory boards banned these suits, claiming they were the equivalent of “technological doping” for athletes.
Artistic Performance
Belly dancers typically perform in costumes that accent their hips.
Performance clothes often mix fashion with functionality, chosen not just for the way they look but for how they enhance the wearer’s movements. A Chinese long-sleeve dancer wears a costume with sleeves extended far past her fingertips to highlight the graceful movements of her hands and arms. Tap dancers and Irish dancers might choose sparkly socks and shoe buckles to draw attention to their fancy footwork. A harpist or flautist might wear sleeves that flutter attractively when they play their instrument.
When Clothes Get Truly Personal
Overall, despite external expectations, clothes can still be a form of self-expression.
Style Choices
Whether you opt for a bohemian maxi dress, a tailored suit, or a vintage band t-shirt, your clothing sends a message about who you are and what you stand for. According to the fashion industry, there are several basic style choices in American clothing, including the following.
Classic/ Traditional
Gabrielle Union
If you would describe your style as classic or traditional, you choose plain fabrics, or maybe a discreet pinstripe at most. You like clean and crisp fabrics that have some structure. You are drawn to timeless fashion, preferring to invest in quality fabrics and timeless styles rather than jumping on trends. A person with a classic style typically has a rather formal wardrobe and always look polished and put together. Matching and co-ordinated looks are your preference over those that incorporate bold colors and prints. Your jewelry and accessory choices are not overbearing; they compliment your outfits without being the focal point.
Natural/ Relaxed
Tilda Swinton
Feeling comfortable in your clothes is most important to you, and your easygoing nature tends towards more casual outfits. Simple lines and designs are your preferred choices over anything too detailed or fussy. In keeping with this carefree attitude, you tend to buy easy care, wash and wear garments. You prefer fabrics such as denim, cotton jersey, and lightweight knits. Your jewelry choices reflect your minimal look, and you tend to wear basic and durable accessories. Your footwear also is chosen for comfort. You are not a pattern lover, but choose a stripe or check and sometimes a tweed. You like some texture and also are attracted to the colors of nature. Lots of denim, khaki, and button-front styling.
Gamine—a smaller/shorter version of sporty/natural. The gamin woman looks great in pixie hairstyles and sporty/natural clothing styles.
Dramatic/ Edgy
Lupita Nyong’o
If you have a dramatic streak, you will like brighter colors, big bold patterns, or high contrast patterns, perhaps fabrics with shine or a more structural appearance. You may also like animal prints, large and spectacular accessories. Wearing the latest fashion takes precedence over comfort, and you are willing to give most new trends a go. This means your wardrobe consists of many different styles and one-off pieces ready to make a statement. Your look is striking and well-thought-out. Details such a lip color and eye-catching shoes provide the finishing touch to your look. Jewelry and accessories in shiny metal finishes or bold one-of-a-kind wearable art pieces compliment your statement-making looks.
Artistic/ Creative
Josephine Baker
If you have a creative personality you may like patterns that are more about ‘wearable art’, abstract prints, or mixtures of prints and patterns all in one garment. Your way of dressing is innovative and individualistic, and you aren’t overly influenced by current trends or traditional rules. You use your clothing choices to reflect your personality and put together unique and interesting outfits with items purchased from varied sources. Different colors, textures, and prints fill your wardrobe, and your jewelry collection is bold while your footwear and accessories are usually statement-making.
Romantic/ Feminine
Zoe Saldaña
Women with this style prefer floral prints, or nature inspired ones (such as butterflies, or plants). If your style leans toward the feminine and romantic, you will choose soft, floaty fabrics that drape over your body. You may like sequins and beading detail on clothes. You have a soft appearance and generally prefer flowing silhouettes and muted colors. Your clothing choices are pretty, and include details such as bows, ruffles, pleats, and lace. Even with simpler styles, you will most likely choose them in pastel colors or with decorative details. Your footwear and accessory choices are delicate and minimal with fine necklaces and ballet flats among your staples.
If you think of yourself as Romantic, you like dressing with lots of fullness and softness. You choose large plaids, large printed designs on fabrics, and large details (Women like large ruffles, lace and bows; men like baggy pants and full cut shirts & sweaters).
“Timeline of Spring Fashions” by a-little-bit-lexical
Your style is much more than clothes or accessories. It includes all the little things that you do to make yourself look and feel good, from hair style and makeup to nail care and grooming.
Bottom Line: Be aware of what you wear. Within situational contexts such as those discussed above, clothes can reflect your personality AND how you want to be perceived. They may reflect social status, current activity, as well as your current mood or mindset.
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