Treasures with a history

Did Romans invent army knives? These things are way older than you think

Jell-O, Swiss Army Knives, roller skates, lighters… It’s hard to picture these items existing hundreds of years ago, isn’t it? And yet, some of the treasures that make modern life easier have indeed been around, in some cases, for millennia. Read on to learn when these 11 items were actually first invented!

Gelatin desserts existed centuries before Jell-O! Medieval cooks used boiled animal collagen to make shimmering molds for banquets. The brand Jell-O came in 1897, when Pearl B. Wait in New York flavored powdered gelatin with fruit syrups.

It’s hard to imagine the video game giant existing before electricity. But Nintendo was founded in 1889 in Kyoto as a playing card company. For decades, it produced hanafuda cards, then toys, and only entered electronics in the 1970s.

Long before disco rinks or inline blades, a Belgian inventor named John Joseph Merlin assembled the first roller skates in 1760, skating into a London ballroom (and famously crashing). Early versions had fixed metal wheels and very poor steerability.

Famously, lighters predate matches. But do you know exactly how long lighters have existed? The first usable one appeared in 1823, invented by a German chemist. The first friction match only appeared 3 years later.

That’s what we call the famous red multi-tool standardized by Victorinox in 1891. But archaeologists discovered a Roman folding tool from around 200 AD made of silver and iron, with knife, spoon, fork, spike, and spatula. It might not have been mass-produced or standardized, but it certainly was there first.

We may associate dishwashers with mid-20th-century suburban kitchens, but the first one dates to 1886, when Josephine Cochrane built a hand-cranked model to save her fine china from clumsy servants.

The 20th century was still far away when the first working escalator was patented. The year was 1859, yet it was introduced at Coney Island only 30 years later—as an amusement ride!

It’s not a thing of the 90s! Its roots go back to 1969, when ARPANET connected four U.S. universities for military-funded research. The web’s 1991 debut by Tim Berners-Lee made it public and visual, hence the illusion that the "Internet" appeared overnight.

Do you associate concrete blocks with modernity in your mind? Think again! The Romans used advanced volcanic-ash mixes to build huge, durable structures (like the Pantheon dome or aqueducts). The Ancient Roman techniques even give clues on how to make longer-lasting concrete today.

We are not talking about electronic printers. Think about the movable type technology: It goes back in history way, way farther than Gutenberg’s system.

Printing with woodblocks and even early movable type existed in China long before the 15th-century European printing that Gutenberg perfected and popularized.

The great ancestor of GPS was probably the magnetic compass used for navigation. The discovery that magnetic force could be used to calculate the position of the poles occurred over 2000 years ago during the Han dynasty, in China.

Everyday phrases

Did you know the military & maritime origins of these 10 idioms?

Image: Filip Andrejevic

It’s fairly reasonable to think that the military and maritime worlds are both pretty guarded environments, right? Don’t get us wrong, we are saying this with the utmost respect for both institutions. What we mean by "guarded" is that some things from these fields might be incomprehensible for any outsiders, "civilians" and "landlubbers" alike. However, it might come as a shock to learn about how many of the idioms that we say every single day come from military and maritime history. With that in mind, here’s our pick of the 10 idioms that come straight from the mouths of soldiers and sailors. Enjoy!

Image: National Library of Scotland

We’ll start with one that defined the lives of countless soldiers throughout history. The first use of trenches in warfare can be traced to the 7th century, but they became truly essential after the advent of firearms. Trenches became synonymous with wars fought in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly the American Civil War and WWI.

In that sense, the phrase "in the trenches" refers to being in a difficult or demanding situation. This idiom is usually used to describe people on the frontline of a particular environment, like those working at ground level on a job or project.

Image: Boston Public Library

This one goes to any organized parent who might be reading this: We salute you and your ability to maintain order in a household filled with the chaos that children bring. In that sense, this idiom describes you perfectly: Someone who "runs a tight ship" is someone who keeps a keen eye on every small detail, with the sole purpose of preserving peace and order.

As you might have guessed, this idiom comes straight from the nautical world: A "tight ship" would be one running efficiently, with every bit of rope and sail accounted for. However, it is safe to say that its origins come from a firm and uncompromising captain and not from a loving yet strict parent.

Image: Roberto Catarinicchia

Swords and plowshares might not seem that similar, but according to this idiom, they are two sides of the same coin. The expression "to beat swords into plowshares" is actually more of a concept or a philosophy, which involves turning military weapons into peaceful civilian tools. In that sense, a deadly and grim sword once used for warfare can now become a symbol of progress and hard labor.

This idiom comes straight from the Bible, mentioned in the second chapter of the Book of Isaiah. It was famously referenced by President Eisenhower in his farewell speech and by President Reagan in the United Nations General Assembly.

Image: Amy Syiek

For a phrase with such a heavy meaning, the idiom "show your true colors" seems a little too colorful (no pun intended). After all, it conveys the betrayal of someone who pretended to be a close ally, only to double-cross you when the winds change. However, a little digging into its origins proves that this idiom perfectly represents this treachery, since it comes from particularly deceitful and colorful characters: Pirates.

The "colors" described by this phrase are actually the colorful flags flown by ships during the Golden Age of Piracy. During this time, it was common practice for pirates to show false flags to trick a would-be victim into approaching, only showing the true colors on their "Jolly Roger" flags when escaping was impossible.

Image: Mario La Pergola

Any babysitter tasked with "holding down the fort" doesn’t have it easy: Maintaining order in a household filled with children energized by sugar and late-night snacks is a challenge that only the bravest dare to take. In that sense, this idiom seems perfectly appropriate to such an important activity, as military history has shown again and again that forts tend to be strategically essential points during wartime.

Basically, anyone "holding the fort" is temporarily in charge of a household or job. Other prime examples of these unsung heroes are substitute teachers or assistant managers. In that sense, the origins of the idiom are pretty clear: One can almost imagine the struggling forces defending their fort from an enemy attack, eagerly awaiting the arrival of reinforcements.

Image: Nick Diamantidis

It sometimes takes the help and proficiency of someone more experienced to truly learn a skill. Think back on your first day at a new job: Did you have someone who took you under their wing and helped you learn whatever you needed to be more comfortable with your new responsibilities? In that sense, this next idiom can be a perfect description of those kind souls who helped us with their tutelage.

Someone who "knows the ropes" is someone who is particularly familiar with a certain situation or skill, and who has vast knowledge gained solely from experience. This idiom comes straight from sailors: As you might have guessed, the ropes described by the idioms are the many ropes used in sailing ships. Anyone familiar with the miles of ropes intertwined in this type of ship is definitively a sailor worth their salt.

Image: Todd Diemer

This one is slightly controversial since the origins of this idiom aren’t really from the military world. However, this phrase is so ingrained in military history that it felt weird not to include it. To "fight fire with fire" means to respond to an attack with an equal force, usually involving hostility.

Unsurprisingly, this idiom comes from firefighters, people known for their ability to fight fire. The origins of this phrase can be traced back to 19th century America, and from a firefighting practice that involved raising small fires to deprive larger and more dangerous fires of fuel.

Image: Jarrett Fifield

The meaning of the idiom "down in the Doldrums" is remarkably similar to "feeling blue" another maritime idiom: They both relate to a lethargic mood, usually associated with depression. Interestingly, while the word "doldrums" seems to describe an old-fashioned term for a ship section, it actually refers to an actual geographical region.

The Doldrums is a sailing region north of the Equator, characterized by its calm winds produced by the clash of two opposing wind belts. In that sense, sailing this area would represent a sudden halt to an exciting journey, that would understandably put any sealoving sailor in a gloomy mood.

Image: WEB AGENCY

This idiom is remarkably versatile: for example, you can be left "high and dry" by both a friend who doesn’t show up to an appointment, and by a demanding boss that leaves you to fend off a difficult project all by yourself. In any case, this idiom comes from seafaring sailors, desperately stranded whenever their ship was literally left "high and dry".

The origins of this phrase refer to ships stuck in dry land. If the ship was above the tide line and there was not enough water to move it back, then it would remain there until the tide rose, since the ship could be seriously damaged if it was removed without water.

Image: Bermix Studio

We’ll end with what’s probably the most uplifting idiom on this list. Anyone who fights the good fight is doing things right: Although this phrase is commonly used by the military, it applies to everyone doing their part in making their workplace, their home, or even the entire planet a better place.

Like other entries in this article, this idiom was first used in the Bible: This verse in particular calls all believers to "fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life". It became an everyday saying during the 19th century when it was first used in patriotic speeches and songs.