The Founder of Tourist Industry

In 1841 Thomas Cook, a strict Baptist and member of Derbyshire Temperance Society, arranged a train excursion for 500 temperance campaigners from Leicester to the nearby town of Loughborough to attend a religious festival.

Cook charged his customers one shilling and this included the cost of the rail ticket and the food on the journey.

The new venture was a great success, and Cook soon founded the first modern travel agency, now known as Thomas Cook.

He negotiated a deal with the railroads under which they gave him a commission for every ticket he sold.

Words That Once Were Names. Part IV.

Sadism (sexual pleasure obtained by inflicting harm on others): Count Donatien Alphonse François de Sade (1740-1814), French soldier and novelist.

Sandwich (two slices of bread with a filling between them): John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718-92), English diplomat.

Saxophone (a musical instrument): Antoine-Joseph Sax, aka Adolphe Sax (1814-1894), Belgian inventor.

Shrapnel (an artillery shell filled with small metal projectiles): Henry Shrapnel (1761-1842), British army officer.

Sideburns (facial hair in front of the ears): Gen. Ambrose Everett Burnside (1824-1881), Union soldier.

Words That Once Were Names. Part III.

Jacuzzi (a large whirlpool bathtub with underwater jets): Roy Jacuzzi and Candido Jacuzzi (1903-1986), American inventors.

July (seventh month of the year): Gaius Julius Caesar (c. 101 - 44 B. C.).

Leotard (skin-tight one-piece garment): Jules Léotard (1839-70), French acrobat.

Lynch (kill without legal sanction): Capt. William Lynch (1742-1820), plantation owner in Virginia.

Mackintosh (waterproof raincoat): Charles Macintosh (1766-1843), inventor of the waterproofing process.

Mansard (a decorative steep-sloped roof): François Mansart (1598-1666), French architect.
Mausoleum (an above-ground tomb): Mausolus, 4th century B. C. king of Caria, Asia Minor.

Maverick (unbranded animal; someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action): Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870), Texas cattle owner.

Mesmerize (attract strongly): Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), Austrian physician.

Words That Once Were Names. Part II.

Denim (twill weave fabric mostly used for jeans and jackets): City of Nimes, France. You can hear denim in "de Nimes" when you say "serge de Nimes" (cloth from Nimes).

Decibel (a measure of sound intensity): Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922).

Derby (type of horse race): Edward Stanley, 12th earl of Derby, founded the race, in 1780.

Diesel (fuel and engine): Rudolf Diesel (1858-1913), German automotive designer.

Eggs Benedict (toasted English muffin topped with ham and a poached egg and hollandaise sauce): Commodore E. C. Benedict (1834-1920), American yachtsman and banker.

Fallopian tube (part of the female reproductive tract): Gabriel Fallopius (1523-1562), Italian anatomist.

Girl's Best Friends

The word "diamond" comes from the Greek word “adamas”, meaning "unconquerable".

The diamond is the hardest substance on Earth, but that refers to its ability to withstand scratching. A blow of sufficient force, in a very exact direction, can crack, chip and split a diamond.

During the Middle Ages mine owners perpetuated myths that diamonds were poisonous. This was done to prevent the mineworkers from stealing the diamonds by swallowing them.

To yield one carat of diamond about 250 tons of rock, sand and gravel must be processed.