Did You Know That...

As a coffee lover myself, I was delighted to find this nugget of coffee lore. There was a time when coffee was an important part of a Turkish marriage. The Turkish bridegroom had to promise his new wife that he would always supply her with coffee. If he didn't keep his promise, it was grounds for divorce.

Ancient explorers called the Canary Islands Canaria from the Latin word "Canis" (meaning dog), due to the large population of fierce dogs living on that island. The name was later passed on to the native wild finch or canary.

When Australia hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics, it chose three of its native animals as mascots. "Olly" was a kookaburra, "Syd", was a platypus and "Millie" was an echidna. They represented air, water and earth. Trust the Australians to come up with something so relevant; and, yet whimsical.

The woven straw hat called a Panama hat actually originated in Ecuador. It was first shipped to the Isthmus of Panama before being sent on to other destinations and the name of the point of international sale stuck.