The word portmanteau is itself a portmanteau.

A portmanteau word is a combination of two words that morph into one new word. Typically it combines both sounds and meanings. For example, 'smog' is a portmanteau, it is a combination of smoke and fog.

Portmanteaus became very famous from the story of “Through the Looking Glass.” It was the first time that the word portmanteau was used in the new sense. In the book, Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice how words are melded in the poem "Jabberwocky." 

Interestingly, the word portmanteau itself is a portmanteau. It comes from the French porter + manteau which mean To Carry a Cloak. Before Through the Looking Glass, a portmanteau referred to a suitcase in English.

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Diarrhea was a leading cause of death among soldiers during the American Civil War!

Confederate soldiers were starving much of the war. The Union troops had ample supply of food for most of the war, though. Their main struggle was during the battle at Chattanooga. However, they developed nutritional deficiencies during the war. Prison camps saw the worst of these documented nutritional deficiencies.

Diarrhea and dysentery caused more deaths than the actual war did along with other diseases. The diarrhea was brought on by horrible sanitation conditions and underprepared foods. Interestingly, there was a code of honor among Civil War soldiers against shooting a soldier while using the facilities.

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46 of the top 50 most violent cities are in the Americas!

According to a Spanish study, out of the top 50 cities with the highest homicide rates, 46 of them are in the Americas and the Caribbean. None are in Europe, Asia or Australia. 

The most dangerous city in the world is San Pedro Sula. The homicide rate is 159 people per 100,000. 15 cities in the list are in Mexico, and 4 in the United States. The rates are pretty high because there's a lot of inter-gang violence.

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Sigmund Freud's nephew created most of the corporate manipulation techniques in advertising

Edward Bernays is credited with the creation of many public relations techniques used today including the campaign that convinced women in the 1920s that smoking was a symbol of independence and free will! Ironically, he felt that the manipulation of advertising and public relations were necessary in society. 

Bernays is also credited with the creation of a press release, which is when a company or organization releases a message for the public through various medias like television, radio, or newspapers. He was named by Life Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century.

To read more about Edward Bernays’ interesting advertising techniques, click the Source below!

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“Big Ben” is not as big as you think!

You might think that “Big Ben” is a tall tower in London, when actually what’s called Big Ben is the bell that rings inside of it.

The original bell was 16 tons and casted on August 6, 1856. The bell was transported to the tower on a trolley drawn by 16 horses!

The tower has had many malfunction like in New Year’s Eve 1962, the clock was delayed for 10 minutes due to ice and snow on the long hands!

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