When do you think the first 3D motion-picture show amount out in theaters ? If you think the 1950s , you ’re off by a few decade . And it ’s not just 3D picture show that are erstwhile than you call up : From sparkling water to safe and everything in between , these workaday thing trace their origins back a lot further than you may have realized .
The NameTiffany
If you ’re an sr. Millennial or a younger Gen Xer , you credibly grow up with a Tiffany or two — or 10 . Or maybeyou’reTiffany .
allot to the Social Security Administration , Tiffany was America’s11th most popularbaby girl name of the entire 1980s — which might make it seem like a somewhat late innovation . But the great unwashed have really been baptise their babies Tiffany for centuries . The moniker deduct from the GreekTheophania , intend “ the appearance of God . ”Theophaniabecame theOld FrenchTifaine , which showed up in English circa 1200 . Baptism record for child named Tiffany date as far back asthe 1500s .
But because the recent twentieth century birthed so many Tiffanys , it just feels wrong whenever a character constitute Tiffany come along in a geological period piece arrange long before then . In a2008 consultation , author Jo Walton dub this phenomenon “ the Tiffany problem”—basically , a mess of historically accurate thingsseemanachronistic because they do n’t couple our perceptual experience of history .
3D Movies
On June 10 , 1915 , patrons filed into New York City ’s Astor Theatre to see a landmark second in pic history . It was thefirst 3D movieever shown in a theatre of operations .
Technically , it was three boxers . First , some rural shots from across America ; then some footage from a movie hardening ; and for the grand finale , a slip to Niagara Falls . Audience member wear red and light-green drinking glass to get the full 3D experience , achieved by combining sets of images beguile two - and - a - half in apart .
The first3D feature film filmto hit theater of operations wasThe Power of Love , which debuted at the Ambassador in Los Angeles in September 1922 . One experimentation of the time was cut off edge even for today , reserve viewers to choose between two conclusion : look through one lens system for a felicitous conclusion , and the other for a sad one .
Synchronized Swimming
synchronised swimming was a music hall furore that found its direction to the silver gray screen during Hollywood ’s Golden Age . Picture Esther Williams in films likeMillion Dollar Mermaid(above ) andBathing Beauty . In fact , the phrasesynchronized swimmingwasn’t evencoineduntil 1934 , when the Modern Mermaids wowed the gang at the World ’s Fair in Chicago . The sport didn’tbecomean Olympian event until 1984 , which is now called Artistic Swimming .
But it turn out that ancient Romans enjoyed a dependable water ballet on at least one occasion . Only it did n’t take spot in a syndicate , per se — rather , they just flooded an amphitheater . The first - century poet Martial described the performance in a serial of epigrams , translatedby Kathleen Coleman in 2006 : “ A well - train troupe of Nereids [ sea nymph ] was frolicking all over the surface and decorating the compliant water with various formations . ” These let in a “ menacing trident , ” a star “ beam its welcome to sailors , ” and a ship with “ broad sail billow in typical fold . ”
Not everyone is win over that that ’s synchronized swimming — because perhaps it could be considered dancing in the weewee instead — but still , that modus operandi would probably nock well at today ’s Olympics , and would definitely impress your local residential district kitty .
Oreos
Oreos are n’t quite so ancient , but they have been around for way longer than you ’ve been dunk them in the Milk River of your choice . ( Theoptimal dunk shot timefor an Oreo is more or less three seconds , by the way — the cookie absorbs roughly 80 percent of its potential liquid after two seconds , and it maxes out after four . ) When the Oreo first hit ledge in 1912 , it was n’t marketed as a dunkable sensation that belong to in every kid ’s lunchbox . It was way more of a lavishness . Here ’s how one ad from that yeardescribedthe afters : “ A dainty , tasty chocolate biscuit with cream filling . Very expensive , but Oh ! how honorable . ” At 45 cents per pound , “ expensive ” was no hyperbole — that ’s about $ 14 in today ’s money .
Juicy Fruit Gum
speak of historied American snacks , Juicy Fruit gingiva come on the tantrum in the ’ 90 … the 1890s , that is . It was the inspiration ofWilliam Wrigley , Jr. , who ab initio sold soap . He cave in out bake powder with every liquid ecstasy Holy Order , which was so pop that he started selling broil pulverization . That came with a freebie , too : jaw gingiva . And then the gum was such a hit that he start sellingthatinstead .
The human being loved a business pivot , and afree gift with purchase — especially one that had nothing to do with the purchase itself and everything to do with what the buyer might want . You know , a deep brown grinder , a high mallow tender … peradventure some lace curtains for the vendee ’s wife . According to a 1915 variant of the advertising magazinePrinters ’ Ink , those were just a few of the freebee that Wrigley give to one grocer who stockpile his gum . Othersadvertisedin newspapers let in a mandolin , a strong oak tree clock , a bridge player saw , a “ 100 candle power lamp , ” and a souvenir spoon from Maine .
WrigleyintroducedJuicy Fruit gumwood to the public in 1893 at the World ’s Fair in Chicago , and the rest is history . Well , except for the actual savour of the gum , which is still top - secret . A Wrigley Company voice reportedlytolda devotee in 2002 that the flavor visibility chiefly features “ lemon , orange , Ananas comosus , and banana notes . ”
Zildjian
When it comes to make medicine , it does n’t get much more basic than jazz a metal disk . So it ’s not tough to believe that cymbal have been around for K of years . TheMetropolitan Museum of Arthouses one dated between 2300 to 2000 BCE , during the Early Bronze Age . ( Yes , it was made of bronze . )
What ’s more surprising is thatZildjian , one of today ’s head cymbal manufacturer , has been in the game for four C . In Constantinople in 1618 , a 22 - yr - old Armenian chemist call Avedis was trying to make Au when he accidentally trump up the stark metal admixture for making cymbal or else . It ’s some combination of bull , tin , and silver gray , but the exact recipe is just like Juicy Fruit ’s : confidential .
The Ottoman Empire commissioned Avedis to craft the regal cymbals and was so proud of with his workplace that he gave him a special cognomen : Zildjian , think “ family of cymbal Godhead . ”
So Avedis Zildjian move off and found his own foundry in 1623 , and finally teach his son all his cymbal - making secret . thing more or less continued like that for the next 15 generations of Zildjians . It ’s still a syndicate business today : The current chairwoman and executive chair isCraigie Zildjian , who also served as CEO from 1999 to2019 . We ’re not certain about everyone else , but we ’re fine withnepo babiesin the cymbal diligence .
Sparkling Water
Get off your gamy horse , La Croix — sparkling water existed in natural mineral springs for 1000 of years before man finally figured out how to make their own [ PDF ] . For that , we have pig bed bladder to give thanks . That ’s what English pill pusher Joseph Priestley used in thelate 1760sas part of a appliance that aggregate gas bubbles with water .
Priestley did n’t do it out of slight air — there was over a 100 of discoveries and innovations leading up to his gadget , but we really like reckon history in condition of “ one sheik did something , ” so historian tend to cover Priestley as sparkling body of water ’s First Man . He detail his process in a1772 papercalled “ Directions for Impregnating Water With Fixed Air . ”
The hog bladder move around out to be kind of a problem : To put it candidly , some peoplethoughtPriestley ’s impregnated water supply tasted like pee . One such critic wasJohn Nooth , who unveiled his own seltzer - Divine just a couple years later .
Priestley was ab initio disgruntled about the urinous allegations — he evenimpliedthat one of Nooth ’s assistants might ’ve been wee in the body of water before Nooth run it through Priestley ’s machine . But eventually even Priestleyacknowledgedthat Nooth ’s mostly glass setup was better than his .
So the next time you crack up capable a cold sparkling water , cheers to pig bladders . Or to the absence of them in today ’s carbonation technique .
Condoms
While we ’re on fauna bladders , lease ’s talk about safe . accord to Grecian mythology , King Minos of Crete wascursedwith semen full of snake and Scorpion . gratuitous to say , this was pretty dangerous for his intimate partner , and it also prevent his married woman , Pasiphae , from acquire pregnant . So in one version of the fib they use a goat ’s bladder to catch the Scorpio and everyone is felicitous .
Sure , this is technically a fable , andnobody knowsfor certain if King Minos ever even be . But as historiographer Vern L. Bulloughwrotein his 2001Encyclopedia of Birth Control , “ it seems logical to fence that what appeared in mythology reflected , in part , realness , and barrier of one form or another made from bladders might well have been used by the Greeks and probably their Roman heir . ”
The old prophylactic that archaeologist have actually excavate are n’t that unlike from Minos ’s legendary goat bladder . Excavated from beneath England ’s Dudley Castle in the 1980s , they were dated to the 1640s and made from Pisces and other fauna bowel . Archaeologist Stephanie RatkaitoldUPI that “ They attend like leaves of chocolate-brown paper , and at first we thought they were parchment . ”
But that ’s not the only one-time prophylactic discovered — in Sweden a recyclable condom was observe that had an instruction manual of arms . According to the directions , soaking it in lovesome milk before each consumption would prevent disease . Not something we advocate under any circumstance .
