1. Nelson Mandela Before he became South Africa’s first Black president, Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his anti-apartheid activism. He was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to life in prison in 1964 for sabotage and conspiracy against […]
1. Ceylon → Sri Lanka Ceylon was the name given to this island nation by European colonizers, but in 1972, the country decided to reclaim its identity by officially becoming Sri Lanka. The name “Sri Lanka” has deep roots in
1. Rat Catcher Back in the day, cities were crawling with rats, and someone had to take care of the problem. Enter the rat catcher, a person who made a living by hunting and trapping these disease-carrying pests. They used
1. Lobster Believe it or not, lobster was once considered a poor man’s meal. Back in the ’17s and ’18s, these crustaceans were so abundant that they washed up onshore in piles, and people treated them like trash. In colonial
1. Wearing Clothes of the Wrong Color In 14th-century France, the color of your clothing wasn’t just a fashion statement—it was a legal matter. Laws dictated specific colors for different social classes, and wearing the wrong hue could land you
1. The Peace Sign Most people associate the peace sign with anti-war movements and universal harmony, but its origin tells a different story. Designed in 1958 by Gerald Holtom for the British nuclear disarmament movement, the symbol combines the semaphore
1. Clotpole Back in the day, calling someone a “clotpole” was the equivalent of saying they were as useful as a rock. This Shakespearean insult combines “clot,” meaning a lump, with “pole,” implying stiffness or stupidity. Essentially, it meant someone
