Famous Fads: Answers

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How faddish were you? Check the answers.

Famous Fads: Answers

Think you know your fads? Answer the questions.

A beautiful orange tulip

  1. When Roman ladies attended the Colosseum, what fad was obvious from their appearance?

    They wore blonde wigs. Blonde was cool, even back then. Barbarian women made money selling hair. There was also a certain amount of bleaching going on. Only the lady's hairdresser knew for sure. . .
  2. What fad caused people to make and lose fortunes in Amsterdam in 1637?

    Tulpenmanie. When tulip mania reached its peak, a single flower bulb could cost 4200 guilders. They're pretty flowers, but wow. . .
  3. In 18th-century London, what was meant by 'macaroni'?

    'That idiot in the ridiculous wig.' Macaronis were fashionable young men. It all started when these slackers went to Italy on the Grand Tour. They'd come back and claim – you guessed it – that they were now so Continental, they just couldn't live without macaroni. They are responsible for mac-and-cheese dinners and truly reprehensible wigs.
  4. A pampered Yorkshire terrier next to a mouse.
  5. Why did 18th-century women carry small dogs around?

    To keep from itching. The dogs attracted the fleas, you see. (I know, TMI.)
  6. What item of faddish women's clothing provided 19th-century ladies with a weapon in the gender wars?

    The hoopskirt. According to some fashion experts, the secret agenda of the crinoline, or hoopskirt, was to keep men at a distance. One observer pointed out that three or four hoopskirted females could completely fill a room, thus crowding out all those male chauvinists. Considering how hard the things were to get in and out of, we'd recommend a good can of mace instead.
  7. Burnside and Lee compare facial hair.
  8. What male fad led to the invention of a special item in the household china cupboard?

    The moustache. Into the 1920s, many households owned a 'moustache cup', a special drinking cup for Father. It kept the tannin in the tea from staining his Attractive Asset.
  9. What dangerous 1890-1900 food fad items led to a change in the Boy Scout manual?

    Bananas. People went crazy for the newly-imported fruit, you see. Then they dropped banana peelings all over the place, leading to many sight gags in early cinema. The 1911 Boy Scout Manual suggested that Scouts could collect banana peels as their good deed for the day. A life-saving idea.
  10. You think this one is new, but it's really old. Which 1950s fad toy first showed up in Greece in 500 BCE?

    The hula hoop. Of course, it wasn't made of plastic back then. Grass hoops were used in Greece. They also showed up in medieval Scotland. Supposed to be good exercise for your back, we hear.
  11. A dog called Jena with a lilac frisbee.
  12. Another fad toy that appeared in the 1950s was the frisbee. Where does the name come from?

    The name of a bakery. The Frisbie Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, in fact. Students at Ivy League New England universities used to throw the empty pie tins around. (Students at Ivy League universities have too much free time.) In 1948, Walter Frederick Morrison, a Los Angeles engineer1, invented a plastic version. The rest is history.
  13. Speaking of names, what much-hyped hopeful 21st-century fad was originally and mysteriously named 'Ginger'?

    The Segway. Love it or hate it, the gyroscopic two-wheeler seems to have found its niche in the tourist industry.

We hope you've enjoyed this trip through the history of fads. Send your friends the link – start a trend!

A skater and a couple passing on the pavement.
Post Quiz and Oddities Archive

Dmitri Gheorgheni

09.07.12 Front Page

Back Issue Page

1Note to US readers: Mr Morrison was once a prisoner in Stalag 13. For real. See, they were inventive, Colonel Klink.

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