The Yarn Spinner

  “joe”   Why is   coffee sometimes referred to as "joe" or "cup of joe."   Perhaps it’s because "joe" refers to Josephus Daniels, the Secretary of the Navy during World War I who banned alcohol on Navy ships, making coffee the strongest drink available to sailors. Sailors began to call coffee "a cup of Joe" in reference to him. In truth, however, we just don’t know. But while the origin of this nickname is unclear   "joe" has become a widely recognized and endearing term for coffee-drinkers throughout the U.S. and many of us can’t start the day with a cup of coffee. 66% of Americans drink coffee daily: 150 million in fact . Imagine daily life without coffee. Worse, imagine you are a soldier in battle and your are deprived of your “joe.” WW I ? No, WW II ? No. How about the American Civil War?   Ten months into the War, the Union was short in short supply of coffee, and this threatened to sap the fighting strength of the Norther...

    Sucre Filé   Sucre Filé   (French for "spun sugar")   sugar techniques had been around for centuries, dating back to at least the 15th century, when Italian chefs would melt sugar and then use a fork or whisk to spin it into thin threads that would harden into delicate, edible sculptures. This traditional method of creating spun sugar was labor-intensive and required significant skill and time. Two men inspired by Sucre Filé collaborated and created an   innovation to mechanize this process, making it more efficient and accessible. By using an electric machine that could melt the sugar and then use centrifugal force to spin it into fine threads, they simplified the process and made it possible to produce large quantities of spun sugar quickly and easily. This mechanization turned the laborious art of spun sugar into a delightful and affordable treat,.   It was in 1904 at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, more commonly known as the St. Loui...

  Imagination and a Pile of Junk The Industrial Revolution,   late 18th to early 19th centuries, was a period of major   innovation that transformed predominantly farming and rural communities in Europe and the U.S. into mechanized   societies. Major developments included the invention of as the steam engine, locomotive, telegraph, cotton gin, spinning jenny, the sewing machine   and other devices. That’s one type of a revolution. Here’s another: The word "revolution" can refer to what happens when people rebel against perceived oppression occurring because of a fundamental and relatively sudden change in power. Not everyone was happy with the Industrial Revolution. Examples: In 1811 a group   who called themselves Luddites opposed   the introduction of new   automated looms and knitting frames in England claiming they threatened their livelihoods. After many skilled textile workers were replaced by machines, Luddites broke into factor...

  Here is the Proof                                                                             Fifteen men on the dead man's chest— ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest— ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Treasure Island No matter if you were serving aboard a pirate sloop or man-of-war,   the Age of Sail offered few comforts. Alcohol was the favored morale booster and always aboard. Alcohol, in the form of   rum, was even included in sailors' rations. It offered a form of relaxation and entertainment for sailors during their downtime, alleviated boredom and provided a sense of camaraderie among the crew members and was often safer to drink than the water aboard ship. Many sailors viewed their daily ration of rum as a cherished tra...