DID YOU KNOW?
Odd things about colours
Medieval men would often wear long hose instead of trousers
Guild laws of the late Middle Ages specify that hosen must be made from scarlach, a high quality finely combed wool fabric, and lined with linen…. They were hand-sewn, often by hosen makers called chaussers. Scarlach initially only referred to the costly fabric used in making hosen. Due to the popularity of red as a hosen colour, it came to mean the colour and eventually became our ‘scarlet’.
Joe Marfice, Dayton, Ohio. The Daily Mail, July 12, 2005
What is the significance of the red collar and cuffs on Prince Charles’s dinner jacket?
The Windsor Uniform was introduced by George III in 1779 and acquired that name in 1781. It’s suggested that he chose blue and red because they were the livery colours of Lady Pembroke, whom he admired. But it’s also claimed that he copied the colours of a Berkshire voluntary cavalry regiment of which he was colonel. There were originally two versions but the full dress version with gold braid didn’t last long and it is the ‘undress’ version that is used today. The Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have dinner jacket versions, which they wear at Windsor and elsewhere.
Peter Ferguson, London N1. The Daily Mail, June 10, 2005.
Which country has the highest percentage of natural redheads in its population?
Scotland and Ireland have the highest proportion of redheads: 13 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.
William Hartson, The Saturday briefing. The Daily Express, October 22, 2005.
But how many beetle-coloured Smarties have you tried?
The red dye used to colour Smarties is processed by crushing dried female cochineal insects, which are collected in central America…. More than 5,000 million tubes have been produced in 25 years. Nestle’s said in a statement: ‘Cochineal, otherwise known as carmine, is probably the best known of all food colours’…. Smarties were launched as Chocolate Beans in 1937 by the Rowntrees company in York. Nestle bought the company, then called Rowntree Macintosh after an earlier merger, in 1988. The eight original colours – red, yellow, orange, green, mauve, pink, light brown and brown – remained the same until the replacement of the light brown by blue in 1989.
Dan Parkinson. The Daily Mail, October 29, 2004.
There is a pub in Upper Holloway called Mother Redcap and another in Camberwell which used to be called Father Redcap
The story of Mother Redcap is told in my book Famous and Infamous Londoners. The original Old Mother Red Cap pub stood on what is now the northern end of Camden High Street at least from the early 18th century. Mother Red Cap was Jinny Bingham, also known as ‘ Mother Damnable of Kentish Town ’… . Bingham became a pariah and any local misfortune was blamed on her. She became known as Mother Red Cap because she wore a red cap on her head and a grey striped shawl around her shoulders. When she died, it was recorded that many people watched the Devil enter her house and never reappear. After her death the cottage became a tavern and the landlady took on the nickname Mother Redcap and gave it to the pub. The origin of Father Redcap (mid-18th century) was that the original landlord was as ugly as the reputed Mother Redcap - hence the name.
Peter de Loriol. The Daily Mail, December 21, 2005
Is it true that during World War II many Spitfires were painted pink?
Of the 22,500 Supermarine Spitfires made by Vickers before and during World War II, fewer than 250 were painted pink for any part of their operational career. These planes belonged to the RAF’s Photo Reconnaissance Units which at great risk flew, often unarmed and alone, over occupied Europe to record the strength of enemy forces with their cameras. They usually operated at dawn or before dusk when the pink colour merged more easily with the rose-tinted clouds as the sun rose or fell, making them less visible to the enemy. One such ‘Pink Spit’ squadron flew from Hendon, North London, in 1943. Throughout the war, most Spitfires over the UK and Europe had brown and green camouflage on their upper surfaces to make them less visible against the ground.
Stanley Blenkinsop, Macclesfield. The Daily Mail, July 8, 2005.
Why does the UK have orange street lamps, and not white ones like the rest of the world?
The ‘holy grail’ for lighting engineers is to invent a lamp that can produce a light that is the same as daylight, but at the lowest possible cost. The tungsten lamp, which has existed for more than a century, gets close to achieving this, but at a high cost in the electricity it uses. The mercury lamp was the first big breakthrough in the Twenties, being four times as efficient as the tungsten lamp and giving acceptable ‘white light’. Shortly afterwards, the sodium lamp was invented which was almost 20 times more efficient than the tungsten and five times more than the mercury lamp. The problem was, however, that the colour it gave was yellow, unacceptable for most lighting applications but OK for road illumination…. Lighting engineers believe the way ahead will be lit by LED lamps, which will produce white light at a significantly lower cost than the yellow sodium lamp.
Vas Siantonas, Association of Street Lighting Contractors, Steyning, West Sussex. The Daily Mail, November 15, 2004.
How curry can help keep cancer at bay
The spice that gives many curries a yellow colour could help halt the spread of breast cancer, research suggests. Scientists found that curcumin, the main ingredient of turmeric, appeared to stop tumours spreading to other parts of the body … . Curcumin, a member of the ginger family, is already widely used in Indian and Chinese medicine for a range of ailments from rheumatism to abdominal pain.
Julie Wheldon, Science Correspondent. The Daily Mail, October 15, 2005.
What is the significance of the yellow bracelets that so many sports and TV personalities wear?
The yellow bands signify support for the Lance Armstrong Foundation which raises money for research into testicular cancer. Just after the 1966 Olympics, celebrated cyclist Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer so advanced it had already spread to his lungs and brain. Doctors gave him a 40 per cent chance of survival. But he worked hard to beat the disease and came back to win the Tour de France an incredible six times…. These bands are the male equivalent of the pink ribbons worn by women for breast cancer…. That the bands have become the charity statement of the year was evident during the U.S. Presidential election when Democrat contender John Kerry was seen sporting one. The next day George W. Bush’s advisors let it be known the President also had one.
James Parr, Bristol. The Daily Mail, November 15, 2004.
Carrots go back to their roots in a rainbow range
For many of us, carrots are reassuringly simple. Legend has it they help us see in the dark, they taste good cooked or raw – and they are always orange. This last assumption, however, is about to be uprooted by purple, yellow, white and red varieties…. The yellow ones get their colour from the pigment xanthophylis, found in spinach, which has been linked with good eye health. Varieties of red carrots contain lycopene, a pigment also found in tomatoes. This acts as a powerful antioxidant and is particularly effective against prostate cancer. In older people, lycopene could reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. The purple vegetables owe their colour to anthocyanins, a pigment rich in vitamins C and E that feed the brain and are a powerful antioxidant. They have already been sold in Britain. White carrots lack pigment but contain other health-promoting substances called phytochemicals, which can reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Orange carrots get their colour from beta carotene, a pigment the body turns into vitamin A. This is essential for healthy skin and vision in dim light…. It was only in the 16th century that patriotic Dutch breeders used a mutant seed to turn carrots their national colour orange.
Michael Taggart. The Daily Mail, November 25, 2004.
I’ve often heard people in the House of Commons talking about White Papers and Green Papers, but what are they and what ’ s the difference between them?
A White Paper is a clear statement of policy or intention by the Government; a Green Paper is a document designed to start discussion and a consultation process. The other main difference is White Papers are printed on white paper and Green Papers on green paper.
William Hartston, The Saturday briefing. The Daily Express, November 19, 2005.
I have often heard of different coloured stars … . But I have never heard of a green star
The colour of starts depends on their temperature, with red the coolest and blue the hottest. It ’ s to do with the wavelengths of the radiation they emit. The trouble is that green is in the middle of the spectrum and all the starts emit radiation not of a single wavelength but centred on a peak. When the peak is green the star ’ s radiation spills out over the whole spectrum, making it look white to us.
William Hartston, The Saturday briefing. The Daily Express, December 10, 2005.
Is it ‘blue and green’ or ‘red and green’ that ‘should never be seen’? Why?
This ancient, anonymous maxim runs ‘red and green are seldom seen – except upon a fool’ and refers to the quartered colours on the costume of the medieval jester whose traditional name was Fool. The two colours are essentially mutually exclusive in terms of harmony, even of a contrasting variety.
Bryan Owram, Esholt, West Yorkshire. The Daily Mail, June 9, 2005.
Further to the earlier answer, when I volunteered for the Royal Navy during World War II, I was taught seamanship and the Rules of the Road at Sea. Ships have to show lights at dusk so they can be seen, the same as cars. A red light is shown on the port side, and a green light on the starboard side, as well as white masthead lights according to the length of the ship. Therefore, if you saw green and red lights ahead (left to right), in a direct line with your own sailing course, you knew you were set for a head-on collision. The sea law states; ‘If you see both lights ahead, starboard wheel and show your red.’
Ronald Beacham (ex HMS Foley), Milton Keynes, Bucks. The Daily Mail, June 14, 2005.
Weather signs
" When as much blue is seen in the sky as will make a pair of sailor ’ s trousers, the weather will improve. ’ This saying has some truth, because persistent rain comes from layer cloud out of the blue sky of fair weather. When you can see patches of blue between fragments of low cloud, it shows there is no rain-bearing cloud above.
The Daily Mail, October 29, 2005.
We are told the sea is blue because of the blue sky - but why is the sky blue?
It ’ s all to do with what happens when the different wavelengths of light, corresponding to different colours of the spectrum, bump into gas molecules in the atmosphere. When light hit ’ s a gas molecule, some of it may get absorbed then radiated in a different direction. All of the colours can be absorbed. But the higher frequencies, corresponding to the colour blue, are absorbed more often than the lower frequencies (reds). This is called Rayleigh scattering after Lord Rayleigh, the English physicist who first described it in the 1870s. When you look at the sky, you see all the colours combining to form white light coming directly from the sun, but everywhere else, the scattered blue light predominates.
William Hartston, The Saturday briefing. The Daily Express, October 8, 2005.
What is woad, much loved by ancient Britons? And how do you make it?
Woad is a plant (Isatis Tinctoria) with lush bluish/green leaves. It grows as a biennial in parts of the country where fertility is high enough. The flowers are yellow and seed pods form black, double-lobed capsules, rather like those of the ash tree. Woad is processed through a complex fermentation using urine and warm temperatures which act to develop the dye – an extremely fast, deep blue, which is especially good on wool. Men who worked the woad fields lived in isolation from the rest of the community because of the terrible smell of the fermentation process. The dye stained their hands black and the smell permeated skin and clothing alike…. In use, the woad turned the skin blue and gave rise to the Roman myth of ‘Blue Warriors’ in the northern regions of Britain.
J. Boulton, Horncastle, Lincolnshire. The Daily Mail, November 30, 2004.
What is the origin of the saying ‘purple patch’ to describe a run of good form?
‘Purple patch’, meaning something colourful, interesting or lucky in an otherwise standard environment or period, comes to us as an allusion from the writings of the Roman poet and satirist Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) in the last century BC. Among his works was the Ars Poetica, in which he notes that ‘purple patches’ were sewn on to things to make them look part of a fine display from a distance.
Eleanor Scott, Dundee. The Daily Mail, September 27, 2005.
Why does lemon juice dramatically lighten the colour of black tea?
It alters the acidity of the tea which changes colour in the same way as litmus paper.
Mark Reynolds. The Daily Express, November 1, 2005.
Are dark drinks worse for hangovers?
Yes, because they contain more chemical compounds produced by alcohol called congeners. The worst drinks for a hangover are, in order, brandy followed by red wine, rum, whisky, white wine, gin and vodka.
Mark Reynolds. The Daily Express, November 1, 2005.
What exactly are the origins of the word blackmail?
Blackmail was originally any tribute paid by Border farmers to their freebooting clan chieftains or Border Reivers who ran protection rackets. The word ‘mail’ in this sense comes from the old Anglo-Norse mal (c.1200) meaning ‘for rent’ or ‘tribute’. The Oxford English dictionary dates the practice from 1502. The ‘black’ comes from the fact that the tribute was paid in goods (such as grain, meat or the lowest coinage) or labour. It was black rent (reditus nigri) as opposed to white rent (reditus albi) denoting payment by silver.
Keith West, Glasgow. The Daily Mail, September 8, 2005.
What’s the connection between the Black Madonnas in Montserrat, Spain, and Rocamadour, France?
Montserrat, home of La Moreneta, was originally a Temple of Venus. It is a favourite place for Catalans to marry and perform the traditional dance sardana. Rocamadour was once sacred to the pagan god Cybele, bringer of victory. There are more than 500 Black Madonnas in Europe alone. I describe them in my book The Cult Of The Black Virgin.
Ean Begg, Totnes, Devon. The Daily Mail, September 13, 2005.
How did the Black Watch get its name?
In 1795, the regiment first started to wear its distinctive red hackle, the bunch of red feathers worn above the regimental hat badge. Though other regiments started to copy this fashion, Army Orders issued in 1822 reserved the right to wear the red hackle to the 42nd. In 1881, the 42nd combined with the 73rd to form the 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Black Watch. The title is a combination of two elements. The first part originates from the dark colour of the regimental tartan. The second part stems from the regiment’s first duties, which were to ‘watch’ the Highland clans to prevent their rising against the Crown…. The regiment is now to be merged with its fellow Scottish regiments into a single super-unit.
Bob Cubitt, Byfield, Northants. The Daily Mail, September 1, 2005.
Is there a logical reason why painters and decorators traditionally wear white overalls?
When I started a seven-year apprenticeship in 1946, my employer gave me a copy of the 1926 Paint Regulations Act, part of which stated ‘overalls shall be worn during the whole of the working period by every person liable to come into contact with lead paint and shall be washed at least once a week. They shall not be worn at meal times’. So instead of blue and brown overalls worn respectively by plumbers and joiners, white overalls were worn by painters and decorators because it would be easier to see if they had been washed frequently.
Keith Howard, Rochdale, Lancashire. The Daily Mail, March 29, 2005.
What exactly is white gold?
Gold is so dense that all of the 150,000 tons ever mined could easily fit underneath the arches of the Eiffel Tower, inside the fuselage of four jumbo jets or be the equivalent of six family houses. Gold, aside from not tarnishing, rusting or corroding, is also the most malleable of metals and just one troy ounce could be beaten to cover eight tennis courts. However, it is this malleability that makes it, in its purest form, unsuitable for most jewellery uses. For this reason, it is mixed with other metals to withstand everyday use…. The most commonly mixed metal with gold in jewellery is copper, which at the higher caratage still enables gold to maintain its yellow colour. Other metals have an effect on the colour of the finished product. Silver mixed with gold gives a greenish gold, while an increase in copper gives a rose or pink gold. White gold can be created by mixing it with nickel to give a good ‘white’ colour, but it reacts with the skin and needs to be coated with rhodium. It is common for white gold to be made with a palladium or zinc mix.
Andrea Hutton, Manchester. From The Daily Mail, January, 2005.
Telescope INSIDE your eye that can beat blind spots
A pea-size telescope implanted in the eye will improve vision for sufferers of macular degeneration. A year after being given the new device, patients reported that they could see more than three extra lines on a special eye chart. Age-related macular degeneration or AMD is one of the leading causes of irreversible visual loss, and is believed to affect more than one million people … . AMD affects the macula - the central part of the retina which is responsible for seeing fine detail, such as letters on a page, facial features and colours … . The device is made from high-precision quartz glass micro-optics. Developed by California-based VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, it works with the cornea to act as a telephoto system to enlarge images two or three times. This, say researchers, helps reduce the blind spot … . The device is still undergoing trials, and it ’ s not known when it will become available. For information about AMD contact the Macular Disease Society; 01264 350 551.
Roger Dobson, GoodHealth. The Daily Mail, November 15, 2005.
How your brain shuts itself off in the blink of an eye
Every time we blink, parts of the brain are temporarily switched off, scientists say. Areas linked to the visual system are automatically shut down. Researchers at University College used fibre-optic cables to study the effects of blinking on the brain.... They found that blinking suppressed brain activity in the visual cortex and other areas of the brain. Davina Bristow, from UCL's Institute of Neurology, said shutting down the visual areas of the brain could be a natural mechanism to prevent it being aware of blinking. 'We would immediately notice if the outside world suddenly went dark, especially if it was happening every few seconds. But we are rarely aware of our blinks, even though they cause a similar reduction in the amount of light entering the eye, and this gives us an uninterrupted view of the world.'
Julie Wheldon, Science Correspondent. The Daily Mail, July 21, 2005.
Why does eye colour seem to change with age?
This is largely an illusion. It is not so much a question of the eye changing colour, but more a question of the eye changing size - at least part of the eye. The colour of the iris does not change with age. However the pupil may shrink. Because it is less dark at the centre, when the entire eye is observed it appears to be lighter in colour overall. Because of this, bright blue eyes, for example, may slowly seem to turn lighter as a person ages.
Extracted from The Odd Body by Stephen Juan (HarperCollins). The Daily Mail, December 20, 2005.
What was the first movie produced in colour?
The first commercially successful natural colour process was two-colour Kinemacolor, developed by George Albert Smith, of Brighton, for London's Urban Trading Company. The first colour film made by this process was filmed in 1906 outside Smith's house at Southwick, Brighton, and showed his children playing on the lawn, his son in blue with a Union Jack and his daughter in white with a pink sash. The first commercially-produced film in natural colour was Smith's A Visit To The Seaside, of 1908, and eight-minute short featuring a pierrot troupe. The first dramatic film using this colour process was the Kinemacolor production Checkmated, of 1911. It was directed by Theo Bouwmeester, who also played the lead role of Napoleon. The first full-length feature film in colour was a five-reel melodrama called The World, The Flesh And The Devil, produced in Kinemacolor by the Union Jack Company in 1914.
The first film made in Technicolor was The Gulf Between, produced by the Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation and premiered at the Aeolian Hall in New York, in September 1917. This was the first full-length colour feature produced in the U.S. The first all-colour talking picture was Warner Brothers' 1929 musical On With The Show! starring Betty Compson, Louise Fazenda and Joe E Brown. The first film in three-colour Technicolor film was Disney's Silly Symphony short cartoon Flowers And Trees, which premiered on July 17, 1932, at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Becky Sharp was the first feature film made in three-colour Technicolor....
Peter Ferguson, London N1. The Daily Mail, July 26, 2005.
DID YOU KNOW that the word ‘butterfly’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘butterfloege’, named after the colour of the yellow brimstone (once the most common species).
DID YOU KNOW that ‘blueblood’ was first used to differentiate the native Spanish from the Moors: Castilians claimed the blue blood in their veins was more visible because of their fairer skins.
DID YOU KNOW that, according to the custom of Orthodox Jews, sundown officially occurs when one can no longer see the difference between a red thread and a black one.
DID YOU KNOW that red, yellow, green, blue and black were chosen for the Olympic rings because at least one of them appears on the flag of every nation.
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