Crazy
“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a
great fall.” I’ll bet you could tell me the rest of that little
ditty, if you remember it. Most people in this country can
without hesitation. It’s one of the great nursery rhymes we
all learned as children, but did you know that almost all our
little nursery rhymes had a real and true beginning?
Like old Humpty for example. It was during the English
Civil War. Humpty Dumpty was the name for a powerful
cannon. It was mounted on top of Saint Mary’s Wall, a
church in Coalchester, to defend the city against siege in the
summer of 1648. The church tower was hit by the enemy
and the top was blown off. Humpty Dumpty fell off and
tumbled to the ground. The king’s men tried to fix him, but
to no avail.
Or how about this one? “Baa baa black sheep, have you
any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.” Well now, this
little ditty isn’t about sheep at all, not originally anyway. It
refers to taxes. During the Middle Ages, peasants were
required to give one third of their income to their “master”
(the king), one third to the “dame” (the nobility), and the
final third was for themselves, (the “little boy”).
But there’s one more that caught my attention because of its
origin. It’s not a rhyme, but rather part of a story.
Remember “Alice in Wonderland?” Of course you do.
And the Mad Hatter? Well, that wasn’t as far fetched as you
might think. You see, mad hatters were more common than
you could ever imagine. In some communities, they were
the rule rather than the exception. It was believed that only
crazy or mad people would go into that line of work. Some
people thought it was having to come up with all the new
and creative designs, and only a crazy could do that. But
that’s just because they didn’t know the real reason. And it
was years and years before we found out what was going
on.
You see, It’s a Little Known Fact that many of the hat
makers of old did go mad, get sick, or well, they just acted a
very contrary way. But the reason? It was the hats! You
see, in order to make the hats stand up and behave in shape
the way you wanted them to, they used mercury to treat
them. Mercury is a potent toxin that can make people go
crazy. The term “mad hatter” is a result of hat makers using
mercury for years and years on hats. Well, I’m glad we
know better now, aren’t you?
Why don't aliens eat clowns? Because they taste funny. 4 Today’s Senior Magazine does not endorse copy of contents of articles, editorials or ads
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