March seems to have been all about the origins of words and phrases. Onwards to April!
- That little doodle that I loved to draw in middle school, with two squares, connecting the corners? It's got a name. The Necker Cube. An optical illusion published in 1832 by Louis Albert Necker. The cube can be interpreted 2 ways. Thx Rich Decibels!
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- Baker's chocolate isn't called that because it was made for bakers. It was originally created by the Baker Chocolate Company (co-founded by Dr. James Baker). Also, German chocolate cake isn't German. The name comes from a recipe someone sent to the Dallas Morning News. It was a recipe for cake made with a baking chocolate invented by Samuel German in 1853, while he was employed by...the Baker Chocolate company. (h/t: kottke.org)
- The term "alpha male" originated in wolf research to describe the first male in a hierarchy and was popularized by primatologist Frans de Waal in his book Chimpanzee Politics to describe a lead position in the hierarchies of social animals. But it was misunderstood to mean "a domineering bully." Common qualities of animals in the alpha position: they protect the underdog, break up fights, and show high levels of empathy.
- Elphaba, the name of the Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked (the movie, based on the musical, based on the book, based on the movie, based on the book) is an homage to L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz. It's riff a on his initials: L F B.
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