Daylight Saving Time (Sommerzeit in German) was introduced during The Great War by the German Empire in 1916. Although other governments had talked about introducing Daylight Savings Time, nothing had become law before this time.
Germany and its WW I allies started using Daylight Savings Time on April 30, 1916 to conserve coal. Britain and many European nations adopted it soon afterwards, Russia in 1917, and America in 1918.
Observation of Daylight Savings Time ended with the war in November 1918, but was reintroduced in Germany by the Nazis in 1940 to save energy for the war economy.
Showing posts with label Trivia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trivia. Show all posts
November 4, 2012
March 17, 2011
Paddy Wagon
'Paddy wagon' is a slang term for a police car or van. The term's used in the US, Britain, and many former British Commonwealth countries, and its origins are uncertain.
While most sources agree that the 'paddy' in paddy wagon is reference to the Irish (Paddy/Patty/Patrick/St Patrick), there's a question as to whether they rode in the front or the back of the vehicle.
One school of thought suggests the term arose because many American policemen were of Irish descent, the police cars they drove were nicknamed paddy wagons. This school claims an American origin, although this interpretation doesn't explain why the term is used throughout the English-speaking world.
Another school suggests just the opposite: the term arose because so many Irish rode in the back of police vans, having been picked up for drunk and disorderly conduct. This is the most commonly-accepted interpretation, and explains its almost world-wide usage (the Irish having a reputation - deserved or not - for drinking and brawling).
A third school hardly bears mentioning. Some suggest that the paddy is a reference to the padded interior of some early vehicles. Yah, right ....
While most sources agree that the 'paddy' in paddy wagon is reference to the Irish (Paddy/Patty/Patrick/St Patrick), there's a question as to whether they rode in the front or the back of the vehicle.
One school of thought suggests the term arose because many American policemen were of Irish descent, the police cars they drove were nicknamed paddy wagons. This school claims an American origin, although this interpretation doesn't explain why the term is used throughout the English-speaking world.
Another school suggests just the opposite: the term arose because so many Irish rode in the back of police vans, having been picked up for drunk and disorderly conduct. This is the most commonly-accepted interpretation, and explains its almost world-wide usage (the Irish having a reputation - deserved or not - for drinking and brawling).
'You riding in the front or back, Paddy?'
December 21, 2010
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree we think of as traditional in Britain and North America is really a pretty modern phenomenon. Even in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol there is no Christmas tree (nor Christmas turkey, for that matter).
The Christmas tree has its roots in Germany where decorated evergreens had been a part of winter solstice celebrations for generations.
When Queen Victoria married her German cousin Prince Albert in 1840, he brought with him to England various German traditions, including the decorated Christmas tree, which became the centerpiece of the royal family's holiday celebrations.
In 1846 the London Illustrated News pictured the popular royal couple with their children standing before the first Christmas tree most Englishmen had ever seen.
In just a few years the 'pretty German toy' became fashionable in England as society copied them, and soon a little decorated fir tree could be found in virtually every English home at Christmas.
The Christmas tree has its roots in Germany where decorated evergreens had been a part of winter solstice celebrations for generations.
When Queen Victoria married her German cousin Prince Albert in 1840, he brought with him to England various German traditions, including the decorated Christmas tree, which became the centerpiece of the royal family's holiday celebrations.
In 1846 the London Illustrated News pictured the popular royal couple with their children standing before the first Christmas tree most Englishmen had ever seen.
"I'll be Hun for Christmas"
In just a few years the 'pretty German toy' became fashionable in England as society copied them, and soon a little decorated fir tree could be found in virtually every English home at Christmas.
As they often do, Americans copied their British cousins, and, as they often do, enlarged the tradition to room-sized ornaments.
December 7, 2010
Sam Browne belt
In British and Canadian parlance, the Sam Browne belt is a wide pistol or garrison belt supported by a strap usually worn diagonally from the left side over the right shoulder and attached to the belt. Americans typically refer to just the shoulder strap alone as the Same Browne belt for reasons best known to them.
The belt was named for General Sir Samuel J. Browne (1824-1901). During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, (then Captain) Sam Browne received two sword cuts, one on the left knee and one that severed his left arm at the shoulder. He survived these injuries, but without a left hand, was unable to control or draw his sword.
Captain Browne used a second belt looped over his right shoulder to support the weight of a sword's scabbard on his left hip. He may have gotten the idea from infantry officers who wore two suspender-like straps over their shoulders instead of the single cross-belt, but there's no way of knowing for sure.
Other cavalry officers in the Indian Army copied Browne's gear and eventually it became part of their standard uniform. The belt was worn by Imperial and Commonwealth troops during the Boer War, and was officially adopted in the British service by 1900.
The Sam Browne is traditionally worn only by those to whom swords would historically have been issued - that is, officers. It was literally a status symbol.
For most of the Twentieth Century, however, its main function has been to carry a pistol.
At one time the belt was often worn as part of a military or police uniform, but has fallen out of favour with most police forces. However, you can still find some Sam Browne belts on active duty officers. For example:
The heyday of the Sam Browne belt was the 40s and 50s when it was popular with civilian police agencies around the world.
The Sam Browne belt also featured prominently in many uniforms used by the German Nazi Party, including Hitler, leading Nazis, and members of the Sturmabteilung.
Right or left shoulder?
Some organizations specify which shoulder the strap should be worn over, or establish informal consensus, but for most users it's a matter of personal preference.
If you're right-handed, you probably carry your weapon or heaviest gear on the left for easy access, which means the strap would attach at the left hip and go over the right shoulder. If you carry your weapon or heaviest gear on the right, than you'd probably use the left shoulder. For most wearers, there's not correct shoulder. Your gear, your choice.
The Sam Browne belt remains popular today with leathermen on both sides of the Atlantic.
Sarge D
The belt was named for General Sir Samuel J. Browne (1824-1901). During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, (then Captain) Sam Browne received two sword cuts, one on the left knee and one that severed his left arm at the shoulder. He survived these injuries, but without a left hand, was unable to control or draw his sword.
 |
| General Sir Samuel J. Browne |
Other cavalry officers in the Indian Army copied Browne's gear and eventually it became part of their standard uniform. The belt was worn by Imperial and Commonwealth troops during the Boer War, and was officially adopted in the British service by 1900.
The Sam Browne is traditionally worn only by those to whom swords would historically have been issued - that is, officers. It was literally a status symbol.
For most of the Twentieth Century, however, its main function has been to carry a pistol.
At one time the belt was often worn as part of a military or police uniform, but has fallen out of favour with most police forces. However, you can still find some Sam Browne belts on active duty officers. For example:
- British officers and Warrant Officers (WO1 & WO2) such as Regimental Sergeants Major and other Warrant Officers Class 1 & 2 of the British Army and Royal Marines still wear the Sam Browne belt in formal (No.2) dress and in some versions of full (No.1) dress.
- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) still wear the belt with their traditional red serge full-dress formal uniform for ceremonial duties (but not on patrol).
- The belt is also occasionally worn by Marine Corps officers, and some American police forces, including the New Jersey State Police duty uniform. Some American state police forces wear a Sam Browne with their full-dress formal uniforms, including the Kansas Highway Patrol, Missouri State Highway Patrol, NYPD Highway Patrols, NYPD Ceremonial and NYPD Auxiliary Ceremonial Units' dress uniform.
The heyday of the Sam Browne belt was the 40s and 50s when it was popular with civilian police agencies around the world.
The Sam Browne belt also featured prominently in many uniforms used by the German Nazi Party, including Hitler, leading Nazis, and members of the Sturmabteilung.
Right or left shoulder?
Some organizations specify which shoulder the strap should be worn over, or establish informal consensus, but for most users it's a matter of personal preference.
 |
| Both right and left |
The Sam Browne belt remains popular today with leathermen on both sides of the Atlantic.
Sarge D
November 30, 2010
Cop
Policemen have been called cops or coppers in the English-speaking world at least since the 1850s, and perhaps even earlier than that.
Some claim that the term arose from the copper badges or copper buttons on their uniforms, or perhaps as an acronym of 'Constable on Patrol' or 'Chief of Police', but these claims should be dismissed as fanciful.
Cop is an old English term for a policeman and is probably derived from the verb 'to cop' as in to seize or catch (from the Latin capere – to take).
To cop is to seize or catch, and a copper is a person who seizes or catches.
I cop:
He cops:
They cop:
Sarge D
Some claim that the term arose from the copper badges or copper buttons on their uniforms, or perhaps as an acronym of 'Constable on Patrol' or 'Chief of Police', but these claims should be dismissed as fanciful.
Cop is an old English term for a policeman and is probably derived from the verb 'to cop' as in to seize or catch (from the Latin capere – to take).
To cop is to seize or catch, and a copper is a person who seizes or catches.
I cop:
He cops:
They cop:
November 16, 2010
In the clink
Possibly the oldest prison in England, The Clink was located in London's Southwark district, for many years an extremely unsavory part of the city.
The prision was originally used for religious prisoners sentenced by the court of the Bishop of Winchester, and probably got its name from the 'clink' sound of metal on metal.
By the seventeenth century the prison had become a local jail for debtors, heretics and other offenders (both male and female). The prision was in continuous use from 1151 through 1780 when it was burned in a riot.
It was not rebuilt after the 1780 fire, and the modern building on the site is a recreation in the basement of a former warehouse.
Clink came to mean any prison or prison cell, and to be 'in the Clink' meant to be in prison.
Sarge D
The prision was originally used for religious prisoners sentenced by the court of the Bishop of Winchester, and probably got its name from the 'clink' sound of metal on metal.
It was not rebuilt after the 1780 fire, and the modern building on the site is a recreation in the basement of a former warehouse.
Clink came to mean any prison or prison cell, and to be 'in the Clink' meant to be in prison.
November 9, 2010
Up the river
The maximum security Sing Sing Prison was built in Ossining, New York in 1828, approximately 30 miles 'up the [Hudson] river' from New York City.
Hence a felon convicted of a crime in New York City from 1828 on might be sent 'up the river' to serve his time at Sing Sing.
Being sent up the river has since come to mean serving time in any prison.
("Down the river' on the other hand comes from the days of the American slave trade when troublesome slaves might be sold 'down the [Mississippi] river' to cotton plantations in the Deep South.)
Sarge D
Hence a felon convicted of a crime in New York City from 1828 on might be sent 'up the river' to serve his time at Sing Sing.
 |
| Sing Sing Prison 1855 |
Being sent up the river has since come to mean serving time in any prison.
("Down the river' on the other hand comes from the days of the American slave trade when troublesome slaves might be sold 'down the [Mississippi] river' to cotton plantations in the Deep South.)
Sarge D
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