The fascinating and funny origins of everyday objects-bliss for history hounds, language lovers and trivia buffs. In this delightful volume, Harry Oliver reveals the most unusual and unexpected stories behind the household necessities, toys, common objects, technological advances, and everyday items we all take for granted. Who hasn't wondered: ?Whether Thomas Crapper really invented the toilet ?What accident led to the invention of the microwave ?Why it took nearly twenty years for someone to finally decide to slice bread ?How laziness resulted in the invention of the dishwasher ?Which discovery made the milkshake possible ?Which king's fancy for his mistress inspired the first elevator
Covering significant historical and cultural moments, public figures and celebrities, art and entertainment, and technology that influenced life during the decade, this book documents the 1950s through the lens of popular culture. On the surface, the 1950s was a time of post-war prosperity and abundance. However, in spite of a relaxation of immigration policies, the "good life" in the 50s was mainly confined to white non-ethnic Americans. A new Cold War with the Soviet Union intended to contain the threat of Communism, and the resulting red scare tinged the experience of all U.S. citizens during the decade. This book examines the key trends, people, and movements of the 1950s and inspects them within a larger cultural and social context. By highlighting controversies in the decade, readers will gain a better understanding of the social values and thinking of the time. The examination of the individuals who influenced American culture in the 1950s enables students to gauge the tension between established norms of conformity and those figures that used pop culture as a broad avenue for change—either intentionally, or by accident.
Who loves young teens more than they could ever imagine? Who longs to give them self confidence and a strong identity, to help them be what they were meant to be? Jesus. Help youth workers introduce young teens to the radical messages of Jesus. This study points students to the supernatural power of Jesus Christ and the lessons He taught, which still ring true today for young people. From the miracle of raising Lazarus to Christ's own resurrection and ascension, students will be filled with awe and amazement that the eternally powerful Christ wants a personal relationship with them. Key themes throughout show the balance Christ showed between His power to heal and to cast out demons, and His tenderness to love and care for His disciples and followers, and for us. His parables communicate a spiritual truth or religious principle through simple, but powerful, stories that students can relate to. The three four-week modules explain who Christ is, and how each of us can follow His example to a fruitful and fulfilled life.
From fads, crazes, and manias to collective delusions, scares, panics, and mass hysterias, history is replete with examples of remarkable social behavior. Many are fueled by fear and uncertainty; others are driven by hope and expectation. For others still, the causes are more obscure. This massive collection of extraordinary social behaviors spans more than two millennia, and attempts to place many of the episodes within their greater historical and cultural context. Perhaps the most well known example of unusual collective behavior occurred in 1938, when a million or more Americans were frightened or panicked after listening to a realistic radio drama about a Martian invasion of New Jersey, based on an adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel "War of the Worlds." Less known but equally remarkable scares based on Wells' book occurred in Chile in 1944 (when Army units were mobilized), in Ecuador in 1949 (when riots broke out, leaving more than a dozen dead), as well as in Buffalo in 1968, Rhode Island in 1974, and Europe in 1988 and 1998. The modern civilized world is by no means immune to such peculiar episodes. In the late 20th century, scores of people in the U.S. and Europe were wrongly incarcerated following claims of Satanic ritual abuse by authorities untutored in False Memory Syndrome. This episode recalls the European witch terror of the late Middle Ages, when innocent people were tortured and executed for consorting with the Devil based on the flimsiest of evidence. OUTBREAK! THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EXTRAORDINARY SOCIAL BEHAVIOR is an authoritative reference on a broad range of topics: collective behavior, deviance, social and perceptual psychology, sociology, history, folklore, religious studies, political science, social anthropology, gender studies, critical thinking, and mental health. Never before have so many sources been brought together on the mesmerizing topic of collective behavior.
Cheeks, Bubble Gum Boy, and Stuart sat on Dizzy’s couch, their faces expressionless. They had been sitting there, motionless for over an hour. It was now 7:00 pm. Cheeks was starting to get hungry, and Stuart’s mole was starting to itch. Bubble Gum Boy’s gum had lost its flavor. When would Dizzy’s grandmother get there?
Nosetalgia is the first and only book of its kind in the world. And it literally stinks! It has 14 nostalgic scratch-and-sniff spots to take you back.In the hyper-protective, safety-conscious world we live in, we can consider it a badge of honor that as kids we breathed in the deliciously noxious smells of damp mimeograph paper, model airplane glue, Wite-Out, rubber cement, Magic Markers, and Superelastic Bubble Plastic and lived to tell about it. Very few things transport you in time like your sense of smell. It is the oldest, most primal sense and the one most tied to memory. And while we can identify over 10,000 individual smells, it is still the most underappreciated of all our senses. The authors of Nosetalgia: The Smells That Take You Back present a way to help release stored and oft-forgotten childhood memories. This unique book features 96 pages of vibrant, full-color photos of a wide variety of items from the '50s, '60s, '70s, and '80s, from Lip Smackers to Odorama memorabilia. To complete the experience, there are 14 scratch-and-sniff scent spots, from menthol (recalling Vick's VapoRub) to coconut (Coppertone suntan lotion and the smell of piña coladas) and a variety of bubblegums, perfumes, and colognes to help trigger smell memories for the reader. It is a scratch-and-sniff book for grownups who want to relive the glory days of their childhoods. People the world over continue to ride the wave of nostalgia that has swept the entire globe. Nosetalgia will be a coffee-table must-have. It is something people will flip through again and again and will tell their friends about.
Winner Trinity Schools Book Award 2018 Winner Gateshead YA Book Prize 'I love reading Sarah Govett - she's whip-smart, funny and by plugging into the hope and energy of the youth makes me feel better about these dark times.' Dame Emma Thompson Noa Blake is just another normal 15 year old with exams looming. Except in The Territory normal isn't normal. The richest children have a node on the back of their necks and can download information, bypassing the need to study. In a flooded world of dwindling resources, Noa and the other 'Norms' have their work cut out even to compete. And competing is everything - because anybody who fails the exams will be shipped off to the Wetlands, which means a life of misery, if not certain death. But how to focus when your heart is being torn in two directions at once? 'Truly heart wrenching! ... the 1984 of our time' The Guardian online 'Gripping dystopia with a keen political edge' Imogen Russell Williams, Metro 'This is a truly exceptional novel, exciting, gripping and intense' BookTrust 'pacy dystopian fantasy thriller' Telegraph's Best YA Books of 2015 'thrilling and thought-provoking' The Times 'powerful and shocking' Children's Books Ireland 'a terrific book. It simply is.' Bookwitch 'brilliant' Teen Librarian 'Brilliantly plotted, utterly gripping' Gemma Malley (The Declaration) One of The Telegraph's best YA books of 2015
“Who knew the humble pocket could hold so much history? In this enthralling and always surprising account, Hannah Carlson turns the pocket inside out and out tumble pocket watches, coins, pistols, and a riveting centuries-long social and political history.” ―Jill Lepore, author of These Truths: A History of the United States Pockets "showcases the best features of cultural history: a lively combination of visual, literary and documentary evidence. As sumptuously illustrated as it is learned … this highly inventive and original book demands a pocket sequel.” ―Jane Kamensky, Wall Street Journal Who gets pockets, and why? It’s a subject that stirs up plenty of passion: Why do men’s clothes have so many pockets and women’s so few? And why are the pockets on women’s clothes often too small to fit phones, if they even open at all? In her captivating book, Hannah Carlson, a lecturer in dress history at the Rhode Island School of Design, reveals the issues of gender politics, security, sexuality, power, and privilege tucked inside our pockets. Throughout the medieval era in Europe, the purse was an almost universal dress feature. But when tailors stitched the first pockets into men’s trousers five hundred years ago, it ignited controversy and introduced a range of social issues that we continue to wrestle with today, from concealed pistols to gender inequality. See: #GiveMePocketsOrGiveMeDeath. Filled with incredible images, this microhistory of the humble pocket uncovers what pockets tell us about ourselves: How is it that putting your hands in your pockets can be seen as a sign of laziness, arrogance, confidence, or perversion? Walt Whitman’s author photograph, hand in pocket, for Leaves of Grass seemed like an affront to middle-class respectability. When W.E.B. Du Bois posed for a portrait, his pocketed hands signaled defiant coolness. And what else might be hiding in the history of our pockets? (There’s a reason that the contents of Abraham Lincoln’s pockets are the most popular exhibit at the Library of Congress.) Thinking about the future, Carlson asks whether we will still want pockets when our clothes contain “smart” textiles that incorporate our IDs and credit cards. Pockets is for the legions of people obsessed with pockets and their absence, and for anyone interested in how our clothes influence the way we navigate the world.
Cross your fingers, knock on wood, and clutch your rabbit's foot a little tighter. In this charming and endlessly diverting book, Harry Oliver delves into the stories behind the traditions and superstitions that permeate our everyday lives, unearthing the fascinating histories of these weird and wonderful notions. So before you search for any more four-leaf clovers, worry about the next Friday the 13th, or avoid walking under any ladders, dip into this amazing tome and discover: *Why breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. *The best day of the week to ask for a favor. *Why you should never jump over a child in Turkey.
