Month: January 2017

How would you explain what it means to think? This act, though central to our very humanity, is an incredibly abstract process. Behind many of our thinking words, however, are some concrete Latin etymologies, and they show how we like to understand our mental activity through very physical metaphors.

1. PONDER

The origin of ponder is the Latin pondus, “weight,” used even in Ancient Rome as a metaphor for something of importance and influence. Pondus is related to the verb pendere, “to weigh,” which is why a pensive thinker really seems weighed down.

2. DELIBERATE

The metaphor of thought as weighing different matters appears in deliberate too. The ultimate root of deliberate is the Latin libra, “a pair of scales” or “balance.” A deliberate action, then, is one well weighed before undertaken.

3. CONCENTRATE

When we concentrate, we are bringing our mental efforts towards a “common center,” as the verb joins Latin’s cum (together) and centrum (center).

4. FOCUS

The central place in many homes was once the hearth or fireplace, called focus in Latin. Mathematicians and scientists used focus for a point where various phenomena (e.g., rays of light) converge, an idea later extended to thinking.

5. RUMINATE

When you ruminate, you are literally (or figuratively) chewing on something. The verb derives from Latin’s ruminare, “to chew cud,” which is ultimately why strong-stomached mammals from cows to wildebeests are known as ruminants.

6. MUSE

While the classical Muses may have caused poets to muse, the two muse words are etymologically unrelated. The absorbed-in-thought muse comes from an Old French word mus, referring to a muzzle. As the theory goes, a dog sticks its snout into the air to sniff about, to muse, for a scent. Late Latin picked up this mus as musare, “to stare” or “waste time,” which helped make the word’s way into English.

7. CONSIDER

Our noses are also skyward when we consider. According to some etymologists, consider fuses Latin’s cum (together) and sidus (constellation). The idea, here, is of an astrologist divining human affairs from the stars.

8. CONTEMPLATE

Ancient astrologists weren’t the only ones looking for answers in the sky. In Ancient Rome, augurs tried to predict the future in various natural events, especially from the flight of birds. To do so, they would mark out a special space, called a templum, with a staff to observe the sky—hence the Latin verb contemplari, “to gaze attentively.” Templum also gives English its sacred temples.

9. COMPUTE

Centuries before laptops, compute simply referred to calculating. Its root verb, the Latin computare, features that same cum (together) and putare (to think). In a much older Latin, putare actually meant “to prune,” this act of trimming back likened to “clearing up,” thus counting, final amounts. Impute, repute, and putative also feature the root putare.

10. REFLECT

Reflect’s Latin root, reflectere, involved the physical act of bending or turning back. (Re- means “back,” and flectere means “turn” or “bend,” also showing up in words like deflect, flex, and inflect.) In the late 16th century, English turned this reflect into “turning one’s thoughts back on the past.”

11. SPECULATE

Mirrors reflect our images back to us—and in Ancient Rome, the word for a mirror was speculum. This speculum, as with speculate, goes back to the Latin specere, “to see,” making speculation an act of looking more deeply at some phenomenon.

12. CONJECTURE

To conjecture, in Latin, literally means “to throw together” various bits of facts and information in coming to an explanation. Forms of its base verb, iacere, also appear in eject, interject, reject, with different prefixes specifying in what direction, exactly, something is being thrown.

13. COGITATE

To cogitate is also a kind of “tossing about” in the mind. The verb derives from the Latin cogitare, blending co- (a form of cum) and agitare (to put into motion), source of agitate.

14. MEDITATE

Deep meditation is good for the body and soul—and making a careful decision, if we look to its etymology. The base of meditate, from Latin’s meditari, is an Indo-European root med-, “to take appropriate measures,” related to me-, “to measure.”

15. SAPIENS

Anthropologists call us, modern humans, homo sapiens, or “wise person.” But sapiens (“wise”) comes from a base verb, sapere, literally meaning “to taste.” For Julius Caesar, apparently, in tasting there was sense, discrimination, understanding, and, ultimately, wisdom.

As connected as we all are to our various mobile devices, it seems impossible that outlets aren’t a standard feature up at 30,000 feet (especially when you can still often find ashtrays). Travel is stressful enough without having to worry whether you’ll have access to a charging port, and now, you can prevent your phone from dying on a plane, train, or automobile with a special charger that can be used anywhere there’s sunlight.

This power-up device is able to harness solar power using solar panels that are embedded into a small suction cup that can be affixed to most windows. The 4.5 volt, 0.4 watt solar panel charges an internal 2000mAh Lithium-Ion battery. The battery, which can also be charged through traditional means when the sun’s down, offers phones up to a 40 percent battery increase. The cable comes with four different plugs, so it’s compatible with most smartphones. LED lights that flash blue and green let you know when it’s charging and when it’s powered up.

Obviously, this isn’t the ideal external charger, but it’s great for emergencies and long plane rides. You can grab one on Amazon, where it’s conveniently on sale.

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers, including Amazon, and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!

Dolly Parton—who turns 71 years old today—is a prolific songwriter, performer, and businesswoman. She’s been nominated for 46 Grammys (and won eight) and has sold over 100 million albums. But over the years, Dolly has become famous for not just her music but also her clever one-liners, self-deprecating jokes, and encouraging advice, all told with her trademark smile and good-natured giggle.

1. ON TODAY’S MUSIC INDUSTRY

“Everything’s high-tech and I’ve just been dragged screaming and kicking into the 21st century. But I try to surround myself with folks that keep up with it. It’s completely different now, but it’s wonderful that I’m still here. I say that I’m as old as yesterday, but hopefully as new as tomorrow.”

— From a 2014 interview with Today Show

2. ON HER FAMILY’S HUMBLE ORIGINS IN RURAL TENNESSEE

“The kids peed on me every night … There were so many of us. We slept three and four in the bed. I would wash every night, and as soon as I go to bed, the kids would wet on me and I’d have to get up in the morning and do the same thing … That was the only warm thing we knew in the winter time. That was almost a pleasure to get peed on because it was so cold. Lord. It was as cold in the room as it was outside. We’d bundle up to go to bed.”

— From a 1978 interview with Playboy

3. ON HER CLOTHING CHOICES

“I like all that frilly stuff. Like I’ve always said, it’s a good thing I was a girl, or I’d definitely have been a drag queen! Most definitely.”

— From a 1999 interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

4. ON WEARING CONSERVATIVE ATTIRE FOR HER ROLE IN 9 TO 5

“It’s really a totally different look for me … I loved the movie and I enjoyed doing it, but I couldn’t wait to get out of those little suits and get into my trashy stuff.”

— From a 1992 interview on Live with Regis & Kathie Lee

5. ON HER GUILT COMPLEX

“I have a guilt complex about being the one that’s so successful when so many of them [other performers] are so much more talented than me. And so many friends that I know in Nashville that have twice the talent that I’ve had, that I’ve seen them come and go through the years and never see their dream come true.”

— From a 2012 interview with NPR

6. ON HER SECRET TO STAYING MARRIED FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS

“I stay gone. [Laughs] … He’s a good guy; we know each other so well. I know every line in his face, and he knows every hair in my wig.”

— From a 2014 interview with Today Show

7. ON ACHIEVING HER DREAMS

“Now the night I graduated from Sevier County High School, back in 1964, we were all asked to stand up and talk about what we were going to do with the rest of our lives. And everybody had a different story. And when it came my time I stood right up there. I said I’m going to Nashville and I’m going to be a star. Well the whole place laughed out loud. And I was so embarrassed, cause I thought, ‘How odd. Why is everybody laughing? ‘Cause that is what I’m going to do.’ But as bad as I felt at that moment and as embarrassed as I was, it did not shake me from my dreams. So I guess I showed them, huh?”

— From her 2009 University of Tennessee, Knoxville commencement speech

8. ON HOW SHE KEEPS HER ENERGY UP

“I just depend on a lot of prayer and meditation. I believe that without God I am nobody, but that with God, I can do anything.”

— From a 1980 interview with Roger Ebert

9. ON STARTING DOLLYWOOD

“I really wish that y’all could have seen the look on my lawyer’s face 24 years ago when I told him I wanted to start a theme park and call it Dollywood. He thought I’d already taken the train to Crazywood.”

— From her 2009 University of Tennessee, Knoxville commencement speech

10. ON WHETHER SHE WEARS IN-EAR MONITORS ON STAGE

“No, I have too much hair! And too much other stuff going on. I can’t stand that in my ear. I figure I’ll be wearing hearing aids soon enough.”

— From a 2003 interview on Oprah

11. ON HER DECISION TO WEAR ATTENTION-GRABBING WIGS AND EXTREME CLOTHES

“It’s certainly a choice. I don’t like to be like everybody else. I’ve often made the statement that I’d never stoop so low as to be fashionable. That’s the easiest thing in the world to do.”

— From a 1977 interview with Barbara Walters

12. ON HER LEGACY

“Now people are always asking me, What do you want people to say about you 100 years from now?’ I always say I want them to say ‘Dang, don’t she still look good for her age’.”

— From her 2009 University of Tennessee, Knoxville commencement speech

13. ON BEING A HILLBILLY

“I’m proud of my hillbilly, white trash background. To me that keeps you humble; that keeps you good. And it doesn’t matter how hard you try to outrun it—if that’s who you are, that’s who you are. It’ll show up once in a while.”

— From a 2014 interview with Southern Living

14. ON THINKING LIKE A MAN

“I grew up in a family of 12 children and six of those kids were boys. I was very close to my dad, and my uncles and my grandpas, and my brothers, so I relate to men. I understand the nature of men. I always say that I look like a woman, but I think like a man, or I can think like a man.”

— From a 2014 interview with Bust

15. ON BELONGING

“I never felt I belonged. Never belonged in my whole life, even as a little kid. I was just different and so I never really found my place till I moved to Nashville and got in the music business. That was my real place, so I fit in.”

— From a 1977 interview with Rolling Stone

16. ON HOW MANY WIGS SHE OWNS

“I don’t know, I’ve got better things to do than count them. But I wear one every day of the week, so probably 365.”

— From a 1984 interview with Interview Magazine (conducted by Andy Warhol)

17. ON HER FLAMBOYANT COSTUMES

“I never let a rhinestone go unturned!”

—From a 2015 tweet by Dolly Parton

18. ON EMOTIONS

“I’m a very sensitive person. I’m a songwriter, so I have to live with my feelings on my sleeve. I have to not harden my heart, because I want to stay open to feel things. So when I hurt, I hurt all over. And when I cry, I cry real hard. And when I’m mad, I’m mad all over. I’m just a person; I like to experience whatever the feeling is and whatever I’m going through.”

— From a 2014 interview with Southern Living

19. ON ALL THE REFERENCES TO HER BIG BUST

“It don’t bother me so much unless people dwell on it. Get tacky and all. It’s part of the act. If someone gets really carried away, well, I sort of pity him. Cause it’s his problem, not mine. Other than that, I’m a good sport. I know some of the best Dolly Parton jokes. I made ’em up myself.”

— From a 1980 interview with Roger Ebert

20. ON HER RUMORED TATTOOS

“People say that the reason I wear sleeves is because I have snakes tattooed all over [my arms]. I say ‘No, I don’t!’ I do have a few little tattoos, but they were mostly done to cover scars because I’m so fair.”

— From a 2014 interview with Today Show

21. ON WHAT ACTRESS SHOULD PLAY HER IN A MOVIE

“Hmmmm. I dunno. Maybe if Sissy Spacek made enough money off of playin’ Loretta Lynn, she could get herself a boob job.”

— From a 1980 interview with Roger Ebert

22. ON CHOOSING BETWEEN BIG BOOBS OR BIG HAIR

“Uhhhhh … I couldn’t pick one. I’d have to pick three.”

— From a 2014 interview with Southern Living

23. ON SONGWRITING

“It’s therapy. It’s fun. It’s creative. I love getting on a big writing binge and staying up a couple days working on a song and knowing at the end of those two or three days that I’ve created something that was never in the world before. It’s like a feeling of creating, not that the same stories ain’t been told before, but it ain’t been told through my point of view. And it’s my way of relaxing. Songwriting is a hobby and to me it’s therapy. It’s a joy. It’s a thrill. It’s like mind exercises or something.”

— From a 1990 interview with American Songwriter

24. ON BEING A LIVING LEGEND

“I don’t know! Am I livin’? Am I a legend? You never know how people are going to look at you till you’re older and you look back at your life. So far I’ve been very pleased that, you know, my life has turned out the way it has, and I don’t take it for granted. I owe a lot of credit to God and folks for helping me along the way, so I didn’t do this all by myself.”

— From a 2015 interview with Mashable

25. ON OTHER ARTISTS COVERING HER SONGS

“I’m always flattered that anybody would record my songs, even if they change them. Certain ones of my songs, I’ll hear somebody do it and I’ve had mixed emotions. I think either ‘Wow, that’s great. I never thought of hearing it like that’ or I’ll think ‘Oh Lord, they’ve ruined that song.’ But you’re still glad as a writer that they did it, no matter how it turns out. You’re just glad that somebody liked your song enough to record it. But you do have your favorites. I guess the ones I’d like to record my songs right now are the ones having hits and make me the most money.”

— From a 1990 interview with American Songwriter

26. ON HER IMAGE

“It costs a lot of money to look this cheap!”

— A oft-used quote, as in this Vanity Fair article

An estimated 5.7 million Americans suffer from heart failure, or an inability to pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body. Many submit to drug therapy, with resulting side effects; a small percentage receive heart transplants, though there aren’t nearly enough hearts to cover the demand for a healthier organ.

Now, researchers at Harvard, Cambridge, and other leading universities may have found an alternative solution: an implantable “soft” robot made of elastic material that can fit over the heart like a sleeve and assist it in pumping.   

According to a study published today in Science Translational Medicine [PDF], the robotic sleeve seeks to supplement—not replace—the heart’s natural motions. Silicone materials mimic cardiac tissue and conform to the heart’s surface anatomy; using compressed air delivered by a tethered line, the sleeve can twist itself, compress, or decompress to aid the organ in maintaining normal rhythms.

In the image below, you can see how the muscle fiber orientations of the outer layers of the heart (A) are mimicked by the device’s design (B).

In order to test the sleeve, the researchers implanted it in six sedated pigs who were put under general anesthesia and experienced drug-induced cardiac arrest. The result was an 88 percent restoration of cardiac output.

The device is also customizable to the individual, they write: “Our device could potentially be turned off when no longer required, and clinicians could tailor the device as a passive restraint device, partial support, or full support.”

The study’s authors acknowledge that this is an early and limited trial, and more information is needed on how the sleeve will perform over long periods of time. But if they’re successful, the implantable sleeve could eliminate potential complications from drug therapies, serve as a bridge treatment for patients awaiting transplants, and help usher in a new era of “soft” robotics that could support other physical functions.

You started the new year with the best intentions, but somehow life just got in the way of your fitness goals. The gym was packed, your kids were sick, you worked too late, it was raining—the excuses are easy to come by. But you can still do this! You don’t need to rely on pricey classes and personal trainers to get fit this year, all you need is your phone and a little bit of motivation. We’ve compiled a list of 10 of the best free apps to get you moving this winter.

1. RUNKEEPER

Runkeeper is one of the original fitness tracking apps, but don’t write it off just because it’s not the “hot new thing” anymore. Runkeeper allows you to set goals, create a fitness plan, and then track your runs, walks, and cycling sessions with your phone’s GPS system. It’s the perfect tool for staying accountable and motivated, since you can track your progress over time as well as connect with friends in order to cheer (or heckle) each other on.

Find it: iOS; Android

2. THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON OFFICIAL 7 MINUTE WORKOUT

 
No time to exercise? Forget hour-long spin classes and 10 mile runs. All you need for an effective workout is a chair and seven minutes. The Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout helps you squeeze fitness into your day when it works for you. If you choose to include the warm up and cool down sections, each workout is about 11 minutes. You can choose the intensity level, and the app will coach you through the entire workout.

Find it: iOS; Android

3. PACT

 
If you’ve ever dreamed of a world where you’re rewarded for choosing carrot sticks over doughnuts and you actually get paid to work out, the Pact app could be for you. This free app allows you to commit to a set workout schedule or health goal each week—and then you bet (with real money) that you’ll be able to follow through. If you don’t hit your goal, your credit card gets charged. If you crush it, you’ll reap the rewards (financed by other app users who didn’t achieve their goals). Finally some motivation you can take to the bank!

Find it: iOS; Android

4. BLOGILATES

 
YouTube sensation Cassey Ho’s energy and spunk will distract you from the fact that your abs are on fire during her pilates-inspired workout videos. The free Blogilates app provides workout videos, recipes, and a supportive community forum, and you can always upgrade to receive weekly workout schedules for $0.99 per month.

Find it: iOS; Android

5. CHARITY MILES

Charity Miles combines the ease and convenience of a typical fitness tracker with the warm fuzzies of doing something good for others. Just open the app any time you set off on a run or walk to get coffee and you’ll earn money for the charity of your choice (choose from over 30) for each mile you move. The app has already raised over $2 million from its sponsors.

Find it: iOS; Android

6. YOGA WAKE UP

If you’re tired of hitting the snooze button five times every morning, check out the Yoga Wake Up app. It’s designed to help you ease into your day by providing free yoga routines that you can do right from your bed. The 10-minute audio classes lead you as you set a daily intention, stretch, stretch, and meditate. You may even start looking forward to that alarm going off.

Find it: iOS

7. ZOMBIES, RUN!

 
Do you love to run but have a bad habit of quitting halfway through your planned route? The Zombies, Run! app keeps you moving by putting a pack of blood-thirsty zombies hot on your trail. It streams your usual running music, but when you hear zombies running and breathing down your neck, you know it’s time to pick up the pace. The game even allows you to collect supplies and help fellow apocalypse survivors.

Find it: iOS; Android

8. MYFITNESSPAL

Let’s be honest: Getting fit and staying healthy is not all about the workouts. If you celebrate your five-mile run by wolfing down an entire pizza, you’re not going to hit your goals. The MyFitnessPal app helps marry your nutrition and exercise goals. This tracking app allows you to log your workouts as well as all your meals and snacks for the day. Their food database contains over 1,000,000 items, so it’s easy to log your store-bought or restaurant meals, too. They also have free discussion forums where you can connect with other health seekers.

Find it: iOS; Android

9. YONDER

Some of us will just never be gym people. If you dread the drone of the treadmill or smell of those locker rooms, get out into nature for your workout instead. Once you download Yonder, simply enter your location and the app will pull up suggestions for hiking, biking, kayaking, and skiing in your area. It even includes reviews of each trail from fellow users. So grab your phone and get some vitamin D while you work up a sweat this winter.

Find it:  iOS; Android

10. FREELETICS

 
If you purged half of your belongings during your minimalist phase last year, no sweat: You don’t need any fancy equipment to get in a great workout with the Freeletics app. It contains over 900 bodyweight workouts that are tailored to you and your fitness level.

Find it: iOS; Android

The Mausoleum of Augustus, the final resting place of the powerful Roman emperor, is about to get a major facelift, according to The Telegraph. An Italian telecommunications company, Telecom Italia, has pledged more than $6.4 million (€6 million) through its TIM Foundation, as first reported by the Italian paper Corriere della Sera.

The mausoleum—which also holds the remains of the emperors Tiberius and Nero, his immediate successors—is the biggest tomb ever built in ancient Rome, but it has suffered from major neglect in recent years. It dates back to 28 BCE, right around the time Augustus—the grandnephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar—took power. At different points in history, it has served as a fortress, a bull-fighting ring, and a concert hall.

It was meant to be restored in time for the 2000th anniversary of the emperor’s death in 2014, but the project hadn’t even started by then, thanks to bureaucratic roadblocks. The restoration will include multimedia projections of Rome, past and present, adorning the walls of the tomb. The projections are supposed to be created by Oscar-winning Italian directors, but the president of Telecom Italia, Giuseppe Recchi, hasn’t specified who might be involved.

The project is expected to take a little over two years (800 days).

[h/t The Telegraph]

There’s a lot to explore on this planet. For instance, fairy rings, which are weird bald spots that appear in African grasslands. On this front, a team of scientists have made some headway. They wrote about their findings in the journal Nature.

 
Scientists define fairy circles as evenly spaced, circular bald spots in areas otherwise covered by vegetation. The spots can be between 2 and 35 meters across and have so far been spotted in the grasslands and deserts in both Africa and Australia. The most famous fairy circles in the world can be found in a stretch of sandy soil in Namibia, where scientists have been trying to nail down a culprit for years.

There are currently two prevailing theories. The first is that the circles essentially make themselves when plants opt out of growing in these spots in order to out-compete other plants nearby. The second is that the circles are the product of underground activity by rodents, ants, or termites. Both theories make sense; plants have to be extra-strategic with their growth in dry regions, and many fairy circles abut termite mounds or anthills.

Ecologist Corina Tornita of Princeton University decided to put both theories to the test. She and her colleagues created computer simulations that incorporated just about every element of fairy circle existence: termite colony growth, mortality, rainfall, vegetation spread, root systems—you name it.

 
After crunching the numbers and reviewing the simulations, the researchers realized that neither theory was correct—at least on its own. Fairy circles required involvement from both plant and animal mechanisms to form.

The study authors say their results show that “interactions among social-insect colonies and vegetation can explain a diverse global suite of regular spatial patterns,” and that understanding weird natural phenomena will require considering a broad range of elements, including “behaviours and competitive dynamics of cryptic ecosystem-engineer species, the ways in which plants and SDF respond to bioturbation and climatic variability, and the movement of water through soil in different environmental contexts.” 

In other words: Even seemingly simple shapes are the result of complex networks, in which living and non-living things all influence one another. Some “fairies” are six-legged, some have roots, and others are made out of water or dirt, but it takes all of them together to make what looks like magic.

From Old Granny to Uncle Jumbo, His Accidency to Grandfather’s Hat, here are a few presidential nicknames, and how the commanders in chief came by them.

1. George Washington: American Fabius

Our first commander in chief earned this nickname based on the strategy he used to fight the British in the Revolutionary War, named for a Roman dictator who avoided large battles to engage in small ones. (But Washington might not have even known about that general and his strategy until a year after he began using it!) Another great nickname: Sword of the Revolution.

2. John Adams: Old Sink or Swim

John Adams got this nickname from a speech he gave: “Sink or swim, survive or perish with my country, is my unalterable determination.”

3. Thomas Jefferson: Long Tom

At 6 feet 2.5 inches, Jefferson was six inches taller than the average height for men in his day, which earned him the nickname “Long Tom.” 

4. James Monroe: Last of the Cocked Hats

The man behind the Monroe Doctrine was the last of the major politicians of his day to have fought in the Revolutionary War, during which the Revolutionary fighters apparently wore cocked hats. 

5. John Quincy Adams: Old Man Eloquent

The second Adams to hold the office of president got the nickname during his time as a Congressman, for “his passionate support of freedom of speech and universal education, and especially for his strong arguments against slavery.”

6. Andrew Jackson: Sharp Knife

Native Americans bestowed this nickname for his fighting tactics (they also called him Pointed Arrow). 

7. Van Buren: Machiavellian Belshazzar

This moniker was not a compliment: It was given to Van Buren by his detractors for his insincerity in political matters.

8. William Henry Harrison: Old Granny

The “Granny” nickname got thrown around a lot back in the day. In Harrison’s case, Democrat detractors—including Van Buren—gave the 68-year-old this nickname to get across the idea that he was both ancient and out of touch. He came down with a cold three weeks after his inauguration; it turned into pneumonia and pleurisy, and he died soon after. Harrison was the first president to die in office.

9. John Tyler: His Accidency 

He was Harrison’s VP, and got this nickname when he became president after Harrison’s death.

10. James Polk: Young Hickory

Both Polk and his father were strong supporters of Andrew Jackson; in fact, the younger Polk was Jackson’s best ally in Congress. Jackson was Old Hickory, and Polk became Young Hickory. Polk was also nicknamed Napoleon of the Stump for his fierce oratory.

11. Zachary Taylor: Old Rough and Ready

Though he was a General, this military hero was more than willing to share the hardships of field duty with his troops, a fact that earned him his nickname.

12. Millard Fillmore: Wool Carder President

After Taylor died in office, Fillmore took over. Born in a Cayuga County, New York log cabin in 1800, Fillmore was apprenticed to a wool carder when he was 15—hence his nickname.

13. Franklin Pierce: Purse

The nickname Handsome Frank is self-explanatory, but sources don’t quite agree on why some called Pierce “Purse.” According to one source, it was a nickname given to him by his friends; another posits it might have been because of his wealth; and yet another says it was because of his involvement in the Gadsden Purchase, which brought lands from the states of Arizona and New Mexico into U.S. hands. Still others say the president pronounced Pierce that way.

14. James Buchanan: Ten-Cent Jimmy

The bachelor president got this unflattering nickname after he said that 10 cents a day was a fair wage for manual laborers. What a gaffe.

15. Abraham Lincoln: Grand Wrestler

Did you know that Honest Abe was a wrestler? He’s even been inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

16. Andrew Johnson: Sir Veto

Johnson, who took over as president after Lincoln was assassinated, came by this nickname for his use of that privilege in those tumultuous years. He was also called The Tennessee Tailor because of his former profession. Another nickname whose source proves elusive: Daddy of the Baby.

17. Ulysses S. Grant: Unconditional Surrender Grant

Young Hiram Ulysses Grant (he dropped his first name and added the S. later, and it stood for nothing at all) was reportedly nicknamed “Useless” by his father. Ouch. Thankfully, his nicknames got better during the Civil War. After capturing Fort Donelson in Tennessee in 1862, he was called “Unconditional Surrender” Grant. Another awesome nickname: Great Hammerer.

18. Rutherford B. Hayes: His Fraudulency

So nicknamed because he allegedly stole the campaign of 1876 (more about that here).

19. James A. Garfield: Canal Boy

Like Fillmore and Johnson, Garfield got his nickname thanks to an old job: He ran away from home when he was 16 to work on the canal boats that took cargo from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. He wasn’t very good at it, though; during the six weeks he worked on the boats, he fell overboard 14 times and eventually contracted a fever and had to return home. You can read one account of his time working on the canal here.

20. Chester Arthur: Dude President

Sometimes called America’s First Gentleman, our 21st president got another nickname, Dude President, because of his sense of style.

21. Stephen Grover Cleveland: Uncle Jumbo

The only president to serve two non-consecutive terms tipped the scales at 250 pounds, so it’s no wonder that he earned the nickname Uncle Jumbo when he became Governor of New York in 1882 (his friends also called him Big Steve). Another nickname, bestowed upon him by the New York Sun, was Stuffed Prophet.

22. Benjamin Harrison: Grandfather’s Hat

Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of William Henry Harrison; he was also rather short, standing just 5 feet 6 inches tall. Though he tried to distance himself from his grandfather, Harrison didn’t succeed. He reportedly got the nickname “Grandfather’s Hat” because Democratic cartoonists often drew him standing next to a huge version of his grandfather’s beaver hat (or wearing it) and also because Republicans campaigned for him with a song called “Grandfather’s Hat Fits Ben.”

23. William McKinley: Wobbly Willie

McKinley earned this nickname for his reluctance to enter into a war with Spain in 1898 over Cuba. Theodore Roosevelt, then the assistant secretary of the Navy, said that McKinley had “no more backbone than a chocolate eclair.”

24. Theodore Roosevelt: Telescope Teddy

This “speak softly and carry a big stick” president got this nickname because, when out West in 1900, he had all of his rifles fitted with small telescopes for long-distance shooting in addition to his very thick glasses.

25. Woodrow Wilson: Coiner of Weasel Words

This nickname was reportedly given to Wilson by Teddy Roosevelt. You can read the speech where Roosevelt accuses the president of creating such words here.

26. John Calvin Coolidge: Silent Cal

Turns out our 30th president was a pretty quiet guy. According to the New York Times, someone once said he spoke so infrequently that “every time he opened his mouth, a moth flew out.”

27. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: The Sphinx

By December 1939, FDR was being called The Sphinx by reporters and cartoonists because of his penchant for secrecy regarding whether or not he would run for a third term in 1940. So at the annual Gridiron Dinner for White House correspondents on December 9, 1939, the president was presented with an 8-foot tall Sphinx statue in his likeness. It was designed by James D. Preston, Assistant Administrative Secretary of the National Archives and former Superintendent of the Senate Press Gallery, based on caricatures by cartoonists Peter Brandt of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and James T. Berryman of the Washington Star. You can see the Sphinx in the FDR Presidential Library.

Another great nickname for FDR: Houdini in the White House.

28. Ronald Reagan: Teflon President

A nickname bestowed upon Reagan by Patricia Schroeder, a Democratic congresswoman from Colorado. “I got the idea of calling President Reagan the ‘Teflon president’ while fixing eggs for my kids,” she wrote in USA Today in 2004. “He had a Teflon coat like the pan.”

29. George W. Bush: Shrub

A nickname given to the president by liberal columnist Molly Ivins, who went to high school with him.

30. Barack Obama: Barry O’Bomber

This nickname was given to No. 43 by his high school basketball crew for his jump shot.

BONUS: Herbert Hoover, the Hermit Author of Palo Alto

Though I couldn’t find any real documentation for why Hoover was given this nickname, it was too good not to include. It’s possible that the president acquired it after his term was over, when he retreated to his home in Palo Alto, California, and wrote a series of letters and essays attacking FDR’s New Deal. The hermit part doesn’t quite make sense, though; Hoover traveled a lot after his presidency. Any insight? Leave it in the comments below!

All images courtesy of Getty Images unless otherwise stated. 

Japan’s high-tech toilets are luxurious for some and confounding for others. Tourists facing a language barrier are forced to decipher cryptic symbols just to use one, and icons that mean one thing on some models might mean something entirely different on another. In an effort to make the products more user-friendly, Japan’s Sanitary Equipment Industry Association has announced standardized symbols for all its toilets, Ars Technica UK reports.

The pictographs, revealed on January 17, represent eight common functions: large flush, small flush, lift lid, lift seat, stop, rear wash, front wash, and dry. According to the BBC, the organization—which includes the companies Toshiba, Panasonic, and Toto—hopes to foster “a toilet environment that anyone can use with peace of mind.” The new standard will be implemented in April.

A consistent toilet language across Japan is good news for foreigners, but the eight basic symbols are just a start. Deodorizers, white noise features, and seat warmers are a few of the more unconventional features tourists will encounter when they flood the nation for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. As of last year, the Japan National Tourism Organization’s target for the event was 40 million visitors.

[h/t Ars Technica UK]