Useless Information? I'll be the judge of that!

Just because it's winter break, doesn't mean the learning has stopped. According to our mothers and Ms. Austen, accomplished women must continue to better themselves all year round. In an extra step of charity, we OSGers are passing along some of this knowledge to our faithful readers.

Let's start with a warm up topic, shall we? Ponder at will: Whoever named the orange obviously didn't take note of the carrot. Can you say epistemological defamiliarization?

Speaking of the color orange, did you know that in 1784 it was illegal to wear that particular shade in Holland?

This is an interesting fact for all the ladies: women are naturally attracted to men with different immune system genes (by scent). Medication like the pill can shift this attraction, sometimes causing a shift in preference when you go off of it! Ahhh!

Play dough - a personal childhood favorite - used to be wallpaper cleaner.

Siberians used to pay taxes with garlic. Bleh.

"Contranyms" are words that mean opposites in a different context...

EX: To trim can mean to cut off OR to add by decoration

EX: Clip can mean to cut OR to attach

EX: Sanction can mean to punish OR to approve

Crazy, right?

A big shout out to my big bro for giving me The Essential Book of Useless Information for Christmas. I have learned so much, clearly.