Category Fun Facts

How Edgar Allan Poe inspired Scrabble?

When it comes to classic board games, few have stood the test of time quite like Scrabble. This beloved game has entertained players of all ages and skill levels. It is speculated that the concept of the game was inspired by a short story titled ‘The Gold Bug’ by one of the greatest American writers Edgar Allan Poe.

Welcome to the world of Scrabble, where words reign supreme and strategy is key. For over seven decades, this classic board game has been captivating players with its unique blend of skill and chance. But did you know that Scrabble's origins can be traced back to a short story by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe?

The Great Depression

During the Great Depression of the early 1930s, millions of Americans were struggling to make ends meet and find any kind of relief from the economic downturn. It was during this challenging time that Alfred Mosher Butts, an unemployed architect from New York, began to conceive the idea for a game that could provide a much-needed distraction from the harsh realities of everyday life. Drawing on his own love of puzzles and wordplay, Butts set out to create a game that combined chance, strategy, and language skills, hoping to provide people with a fun and engaging way to pass the time. And thus, the idea for what would become Scrabble was born.

When inspiration strikes

 Butts' childhood fascination with Poe's short story ‘The Gold Bug proved’ to be a key source of inspiration as he began to develop his own word game.

The idea of decoding symbols to uncover a hidden treasure map (which was the basis of the story) resonated with Butts, and he began to experiment with ways to incorporate similar elements into his own game. One idea that particularly intrigued him was the notion of ranking letters by their frequency of use in the English language, as Poe had attempted to do in his story. Butts set out to put together his own ranking system by meticulously counting letters in various publications, including the ‘New York Times’ and ‘The Saturday Evening Post’. After crunching the numbers and devising a complicated grid, Butts determined that the letters e, t, a, o, i, n, s, h, r, d, l, and u were the most commonly used letters, accounting for a staggering 80% of all letters typically used. Using this data as a foundation, Butts went on to create his own word game, one that would go on to captivate players around the world and become a true cultural phenomenon.

The issues that followed

 Butts' road to success was far from smooth, as he spent over a decade tinkering with the rules of his game and trying, unsuccessfully, to secure a corporate sponsor. Despite facing rejection from the Patent Office not once, but twice, Butts persisted in his quest to bring his creation to the masses. He experimented with various names, including the uninspiring "it" and the lacklustre "Lexiko", before settling on "Criss-Cross Words". However, it wasn't until Butts teamed up with James Brunot, a retired American federal officer and social worker, that Scrabble we are familiar with today started to take shape.

Brunot brought his own expertise to the table, redesigning the game, creating the iconic colour scheme, and most importantly, conceiving the name that would become synonymous with wordplay: Scrabble. The game was copyrighted in 1948. Since Brunot breathed new life into Butts' creation, Scrabble has become a global phenomenon. The game is sold in over 120 countries and has been translated into more than 20 languages, with special editions available for those who are visually impaired or prefer magnetic tiles. Such is the game's enduring popularity that April 13 is celebrated annually as National Scrabble Day, in honour of Butts birthday and his legacy as the inventor of one of the most beloved and enduring board games of all time.

When it comes to classic board games, few have stood the test of time quite like Scrabble. This beloved game has entertained players of all ages and skill levels. It is speculated that the concept of the game was inspired by a short story titled ‘The Gold Bug’ by one of the greatest American writers Edgar Allan Poe.

Welcome to the world of Scrabble, where words reign supreme and strategy is key. For over seven decades, this classic board game has been captivating players with its unique blend of skill and chance. But did you know that Scrabble's origins can be traced back to a short story by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe?

The Great Depression

During the Great Depression of the early 1930s, millions of Americans were struggling to make ends meet and find any kind of relief from the economic downturn. It was during this challenging time that Alfred Mosher Butts, an unemployed architect from New York, began to conceive the idea for a game that could provide a much-needed distraction from the harsh realities of everyday life. Drawing on his own love of puzzles and wordplay, Butts set out to create a game that combined chance, strategy, and language skills, hoping to provide people with a fun and engaging way to pass the time. And thus, the idea for what would become Scrabble was born.

When inspiration strikes

 Butts' childhood fascination with Poe's short story ‘The Gold Bug proved’ to be a key source of inspiration as he began to develop his own word game.

The idea of decoding symbols to uncover a hidden treasure map (which was the basis of the story) resonated with Butts, and he began to experiment with ways to incorporate similar elements into his own game. One idea that particularly intrigued him was the notion of ranking letters by their frequency of use in the English language, as Poe had attempted to do in his story. Butts set out to put together his own ranking system by meticulously counting letters in various publications, including the ‘New York Times’ and ‘The Saturday Evening Post’. After crunching the numbers and devising a complicated grid, Butts determined that the letters e, t, a, o, i, n, s, h, r, d, l, and u were the most commonly used letters, accounting for a staggering 80% of all letters typically used. Using this data as a foundation, Butts went on to create his own word game, one that would go on to captivate players around the world and become a true cultural phenomenon.

The issues that followed

 Butts' road to success was far from smooth, as he spent over a decade tinkering with the rules of his game and trying, unsuccessfully, to secure a corporate sponsor. Despite facing rejection from the Patent Office not once, but twice, Butts persisted in his quest to bring his creation to the masses. He experimented with various names, including the uninspiring "it" and the lacklustre "Lexiko", before settling on "Criss-Cross Words". However, it wasn't until Butts teamed up with James Brunot, a retired American federal officer and social worker, that Scrabble we are familiar with today started to take shape.

Brunot brought his own expertise to the table, redesigning the game, creating the iconic colour scheme, and most importantly, conceiving the name that would become synonymous with wordplay: Scrabble. The game was copyrighted in 1948. Since Brunot breathed new life into Butts' creation, Scrabble has become a global phenomenon. The game is sold in over 120 countries and has been translated into more than 20 languages, with special editions available for those who are visually impaired or prefer magnetic tiles. Such is the game's enduring popularity that April 13 is celebrated annually as National Scrabble Day, in honour of Butts birthday and his legacy as the inventor of one of the most beloved and enduring board games of all time.

Picture Credit : Google 

Who invented adhesive tape?

It was American Richard Gurley Drew who came up with the world’s first transparent cellophane adhesive tape in 1930.

The first instance of an adhesive tape was seen in 1845 when Dr Horace Day, an American surgeon, applied rubber glue to strips of cloth to invent surgical tape. Then Johnson & Johnson invented the Band-Aid in 1920.

However, it was a college dropout who came up with a tape that could be used for non-medical purposes. Richard Gurley Drew was a 22-year-old mechanical engineering student when he joined a small sandpaper company called the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (later called 3M Company) as a lab technician.

In the 1920s, two-tone paint jobs were very popular with car owners. Once, Drew was at an auto shop, testing his company’s sandpaper samples when he overheard the auto painters complaining about the difficulty in making a clean border between the two colours. The incident gave him the idea of developing a masking tape, which when laid on the car, would prevent paint from seeping through and also come off clean without spoiling the paint finish and leaving no sticky residue.

It took Drew two years of experimentation to produce the world’s first paper-based adhesive masking tape. During the trials, there was too little adhesive on the tape and it kept falling off. The frustrated auto painter snapped and said, “Take this tape back to those Scotch bosses of yours and tell them to put more adhesive on it!” (‘Scotch’ meant ‘stingy’.) That is how the tape came to be branded as Scotch Tape in 1925.

Scotch Tape was a huge success and Drew followed it up with the world’s first transparent cellophane adhesive tape in 1930. In the U.K., it was called Sellotape.

Picture Credit : Google 

What professionals in the field of science risk their lives for a living?

There are many professionals in the field of science who risk their lives for a living. Let’s look at a few such professions today

Many seemingly enviable science jobs are fraught with danger. Members of the bomb disposal squad do heroic service by defusing bombs during terrorist attacks. They are well-trained professionals who have expertise in the field, but if they make a slight mistake, the consequences would be disastrous! Interestingly, bomb disposal or mine clearance experts in the British army are known as ‘Felix because they are like cats with nine lives!

Scientists researching for vaccines against deadly diseases such as Ebola, Marburg or Anthrax willingly put their lives in great danger. Russian scientist Antonina Presnyakova, working on the Ebola vaccine, died after accidentally sticking herself with a needle laced with the virus.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as many as over 1,000 doctors died in the line of duty in India alone.

In troubled waters

The job of a diver is indeed extraordinary. Deep sea divers face the possibility of fatal injuries when they are under water, because pressure is very high at depths below 90 metres. They also face the risk of drowning if they run out of oxygen supply before making it back to the water surface.

Diver Rob Robbins dives into the frozen depths of the Antarctic for a living! He assists scientists doing underwater research in the Antarctic. Typically, the scientists have to dive under a 4-6 metres thick ice sheet to study the underwater world. Over the years, Rob and his colleagues have rescued at least a dozen scientists. But there have been casualties too. Although Rob acknowledges that losing sight of the ice hole-the exit point can be terrifying, he enjoys his job thoroughly. He loves the stark contrast: above the ice there is nothing alive, only ice. But when you drop through the hole you are treated to a vibrant, colourful world of sea creatures like a deep red starfish or a soft pink coral.

Playing with fire

For a volcanologist, watching an erupting volcano is an exhilarating experience that far outweighs the risks. Many have had a close brush with death while studying volcanoes. Sonia Calvari can never forget September 13, 1989, when she narrowly escaped death in the volcanic eruptions on Mount Etna in Italy.

But French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Kraft were not so lucky. They died along with 41 others when a fast-moving, massive flow of extremely hot gas and rock erupted from the volcano on Mount Unzen in Japan. Katia and Maurice were often the first to arrive at an active volcano for filming and documenting it.

Diving inside n-reactors

American Charlie Vallance’s job involves diving inside nuclear reactors! Nuclear reactors need huge amounts of water in suppression pools to keep the reactor core from melting and also as an emergency coolant. Vallance dives into these massive tanks made of carbon steel to inspect and maintain them. Although water provides a very effective shield against radiation, divers have to take extra precautions while diving into water contaminated with radioactive substances.

Picture Credit: Google 

Simple tips for a smooth start of school.

The schools are set to open for a new academic year. For some students, it is a time of excitement. For the others, it can be a time of anxiety. Regardless of where you fall in this spectrum, these simple tips will help you start the year on a strong, optimistic note.

The schools are opening after a long break. It is more like the start of a fresh year! Are you battling first-week jitters? Or are you excited to start the year on a fresh note? We are and we bring to you a set of tips that can help ease you into the next year. It’s going to be a great year!

  • Getting ready the night before

Instead of figuring out your notebooks and picking the outfit on the day, plan everything and keep them packed the previous night itself. This will save you enough time as well as help you start the day on a peaceful note. This ensures that you will not forget any assignments or other paraphemalia required for specific classes. Even if you missed the alarm or want to sleep an extra ten minutes, this routine will hold you well.

  • Never skip breakfast

According to various studies, children who do not skip breakfast and follow a nutritious diet perform better in academics and recreational activities. They are seen to do better at school because they have more energy, are attentive, and get to concentrate better in classes. Consider food as the fuel to your brain.

  • Get a calendar

Keeping a calendar will help you focus on your work and tasks and accomplish them in a better, steadfast manner. You will have not just your day planned, but even your whole week planned. This ensures that you will not miss out on assignments, projects, and other deadlines. Check your calendar regularly and update it.

  • New school, new opportunities

If you are about to move into a new school, then it can feel like a challenging time. But remember that the initial few days at school are going to be a bit chaotic for every student. Even those who aren’t new will be faced with the task of starting all over again as most schools shuffle the students in the classes. Adjusting to new situations, classrooms, classmates, or teachers can be a time of anxiety for most students, regardless of their age. So like you, they will also have to make new friends, get acquainted with the new class, a new set of teachers, and so on. If need be, you can visit the school a few days prior with your guardian and familiarise yourself with the surroundings and class. But when everything is new, it also gives you an advantage. The school is like a clean slate to begin again. The possibilities are limitless. Also, remember that teachers are aware that the first few days can be stressful for newbies and they will do everything to make your settling in easier.

  • Make a routine

Ever since the school closed for summer vacations, most students would have found it hard to stick to a routine. After all, vacations are meant for indulging in leisure activities and spending time away from school and studies. For most kids, their whole routine would have changed. So the first step is to plan and make a routine that you will stick to this academic year. Make a list if needed. Analyse your last academic year and consider the areas where you want to change. This can also bring in some perspective on how to plan for the new academic year. Plan your sleep routine, and set yourself a timetable that allocates enough time for leisure and studies. Start waking up early one week before the classes start. This will help you fall into the routine easily.

  • Reading as a new habit

Regardless of whether you are a bibliophile or not, make it a point to do some extra reading on a daily basis. Start reading newspapers, go to the school library and ask the librarian for book suggestions. Making reading a habit can reward you in countless ways. You will be abreast with what’s happening in the world and it can also make you a more aware, interesting person.

  • Reinvent yourself

A new academic year is a fresh start for everyone. It offers you a chance to leave all the baggage of the past year and work on your weaknesses as well as your strengths. Say you found the subject of English a bit problematic. Allocate more time every day for that subject. Listen and take notes in the class. Ask questions and do some extra readings. Clear all your doubts on a daily basis. Further, take this year as a new beginning, where you can focus on personal growth. Learn new skills and challenge yourself to do better this year.

  • Build good homework & study habits

Ensure that you have a good environment to study. Such a separate workspace will prevent distractions and help you manage time better. Set enough time for homework. It is equally important to stick to a proper study habit of learning the portions on a daily basis. Finishing off the day’s work on that day itself can set you ahead no matter where you are in life. Learning the portions daily ensures that there is no carryover. This avoids the unnecessary rush to learn everything a few days before a test. This gives you even time to revise the topics you learned. Bringing in the discipline from the start of the academic year will help you study effectively and stress-free.

  • Celebrate the start of a new school year

It is time for new friends, schoolmates, a new set of books, outfits, and new opportunities. So start celebrating the first day of school instead of worrying about what could go wrong.

  • Extracurriculars

Extracurriculars are as important as your academics. Pick up a new hobby or skill. If you enjoy music, take music lessons or start learning an instrument. If you are the outdoorsy type, find the adventure club in your school and join it. Make it a point to join one club in your school and take an effort to participate in their activities. It can be a reading club, art club, environment club, or even science club. Most of these do not need a prerequisite skill to join. It can feel like something very new at first but there is a whole academic year to hone your skills and perfect it! Who knows you might even surprise yourself by taking part in the Annual Day events!

Picture Credit : Google 

Have you ever wondered why different spots are chosen for different shots by your doctor?

Have you ever wondered why different spots are chosen for different shots by your doctor? Read on to find out

DID YOU KNOW?

Muscles are good places for injecting vaccines because they contain immune cells that immediately recognise the disease-fighting antigens in the vaccine and transport them to the lymphatic system.

Time to scream! Because we are talking about your least favourite topic: injections! From babyhood onwards, you’ve probably wailed your way through any number of injections or shots. A lot of them are vaccines, but some are medicines.

Most shots are injected into the arm, but for some, the doctor may tell you to pull down your shorts or pants and poke the needle into your butt or into the stomach. There are also intravenous injections where the medicines are introduced directly into a vein in your arm or hand via a needle.

Have you ever wondered why different spots are chosen for different shots?

It depends on the type of medicine being injected, the amount of medicine and the time it takes for the medicine to be absorbed in the body.

Since intravenous (IV) injections go directly into the vein, the medicine goes into the body really quickly. For example, saline or glucose is administered intravenously in the hospital during emergency medical care.

Some shots are injected directly into a muscle. They are called intramuscular (IM) injections. The medicine is absorbed more slowly by the blood than in IV shots. The most common locations for IM shots are the deltoid muscle of the shoulder or arm (where you got your anti-COVID vaccine), the gluteus medius (a fancier name for the butt), or vastus lateralis or thigh muscle for little children (your mom will probably tell you that’s where you got your DPT vaccine as a baby).

Subcutaneous (SC) injections are directed into fatty tissue, where there is less blood supply. The medicine is taken up by the body more slowly than IM shots. SC shots are usually injected into the abdominal fold. For instance, insulin shots are given in the stomach.

The last kind are intradermal (ID) injections. They are aimed into the middle layer of the skin and are absorbed slowest of all. The inner surface of the forearm and the upper back, under the shoulder blade, are chosen sites for testing allergens and injecting some kinds of local anaesthetics.

Picture Credit : Google 

What are the terms which start from ‘Pink’?

Pink noise

The pink noise is a steady background sound. They help calm one and filter out distracting noises such as people talking or the sound of cars. It uses a consistent frequency or pitch. This can also be defined as random noise having equal energy per octave, and thereby having more low-frequency components. Hence most people perceive it as being even or flat. Pink noise is often used to test Loudspeakers.

Pink city

The city of Jaipur is the most colourful city in Iulia. It is fondly called the ‘Pink City’ due to the colour scheme of its buildings: a shade of pink. The city acquired its pink colour during the reign of Maharaja Ram Singh. Back in 1876, the king had the city painted pink, a colour associated with hospitality to welcome the Prince of Wales (later King Edward II) to the city. Ever since then, Pink City gets a fresh coat of paint every 10 years.

Pink slip

The termination notice given to an employee is known as the pink slip. It was originally an American practice to attach a note of discharge along with the pay envelope given to an employee. The Oxford dictionary included the word in 1915.

Pink-headed duck

An elusive bird, the Pink-headed duck is a large diving duck that is believed to be extinct since the 1950s. The species was found in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The duck was hunted for its unusual plumage. It had a long slender neck, a dark body, a peaked pink head and a pink bill. It lived in marshlands and built its nest in high grass. It is said to have eaten water plants and molluscs. The last confirmed sighting was in 1949.

Pink dolphin

The most popular of river dolphins found in the Amazon river, the Pink dolphin is a very intelligent, friendly and social creature. They eat crabfish, river fish and even turtles. They can turn their heads 180 degrees. An endangered species, it is being threatened by the increase in river traffic and pollution.

Pink eye

A viral infection of the inner lining of the eyelids and the white of the eye, Conjunctivitis is a very contagious disease. Also called Pink eye, you get conjunctivitis when the conjunctiva gets irritated because of allergies or infection. The thin dear tissue that lies over the white part of the eye is called the conjunctiva. The affected person has watery, itchy eyes and develops sensitivity to light. The disease can spread easily through direct contact with eye by eyes or by sneezing or coughing.

Pink Panther

A series of comedy films, the Pink Panther features an inept police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseaus. It was originally played by Peter Sellers and more recently by Steve Martin. The Pink Panther is a large pink diamond which is so called because a flaw in its centre resembles the image of a panther. The films gave birth to the Pink Panther animated character which has its own series of cartoons.  The first of those series, The Pink Phink, won the 1964 Academy award for Best Animated Short film.

Pink Floyd

An English rock band formed in London in 1965, Pink Floyd is considered the greatest progressive rock hand of all time. With their highly philosophical lyrics, extended compositions and unique sonic experimentations they created a niche for themselves in the music industry. Their albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975). Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979) are very popular. The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. These albums along with Wish You Were Here are among the best-selling albums.

Pink

The stage name of an American singer-actress Alecia Beth Moore, Pink has won several Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards. She is hailed for ‘a strong signature voice and a literally acrobatic ability on stage’. ‘Lady Marmalade’, ‘Get the Party Started’ and Trouble’ are some of her most popular songs.

Pink chocolate

You have heard about dark and white chocolate. But what is pink chocolate? Also known as ruby chocolate, pink chocolate was launched by Swiss cocoa giant Barry Callebaut in 2017. This chocolate has a reddish-pink hue and a fruity berry-like flavour. It’s not as sweet as milk chocolate. It has no food colour or berry flavour added to it. Its pink colour comes from a powder extracted during the processing and is claimed to be the first new natural colour for chocolate since Swiss food company Nestle introduced white chocolate more than 80 years ago. Pink chocolate is made from the Ruby cocoa bean, a new type of cocoa bean discovered by Barry Callebaut. These beans are found in different regions of the world including Brazil, Ecuador and the Ivory Coast in Africa. They’re completely natural and not genetically modified. Its unique attributes were unlocked through an innovative process that took 13 years to develop.

Pink lake

Picture this. A lake that is pink in colour. Lake Hillier in Middle Island, in the Recherche Archipelago off Australia’s south coast, has water that resembles a strawberry milkshake. It is a shallow lake with brilliant pink water that is nearly opaque and highly salty. It is about 1.6 km long and about a third as wide. At first, it was thought that the algae that grow in the Lake were responsible for creating the pink colour. But now that this theory has been disproved. Why the lake has pink water remains a mystery.

Picture Credit : Google