Which of these is your favorite?

What do The Beatles and The Who have in common? 12 band names explained

Image: Markus Spiske

It may have started as a way of adding elegance or formality to the whole affair. Instead of just being called "Bugs", the members of the band decided to call themselves "The Bugs". After all, it’s not the same saying "We are Bugs" as saying "We are The Bugs". Or maybe not, and there were as many reasons as bands with the "The" article slapped at the front of their names. In any case, there were a lot of those. Which of these 12 bands do you like the best?

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Probably the most famous "The" band in the entire world, The Beatles created their name as a mixture of the words "beetles" and "beat", which was their music style.

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The Rolling Stones got their name from a Muddy Waters LP aptly named "Rollin’ Stone". The name came up when Brian Jones was on a telephone call with the Jazz News magazine and the reporter asked for their name.

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Legendary punk band The Clash came up with their name in a time of social turmoil, strikes, and violence, when the word "clash" was all over the place. The band thought that this concept was very representative of them.

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When it comes to bands with "The" on their name, no one went as far as Matt Johnson’s The The. This name was suggested by the keyboard player to Johnson right before their live debut, probably as an ironic joke. But it stuck.

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Jokes are a recurring theme when it comes to naming bands and The Who was no exception. When brainstorming for a name, the members of the band wanted something that would deliberately sound like a joke when it was presented live.

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This English band’s name wasn’t always as we know it. It started out as Easy Cure but Robert Smith, the founder, thought it sounded a bit "hippish" and changed it to The Easy Cure which, in turn, was shortened to The Cure.

Image: Matt Botsford

Bands’ names starting with the word "The" are nothing new. The American vocal pop group The Ink Spots gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s with their melodic tunes and their velvety voices. The name was suggested by member Deek Watson, inspired by the ink that came from a fountain pen.

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This Canadian band’s name originated in a skit from the 1981 comedy Elephant Parts, in which a character exclaims, "Send some money to the foundation for the tragically hip."

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A band that was, at least partially, responsible for the return of the "The" bands in the early 2000s, The Strokes got their name after a brainstorming session when terrible names were thrown around, like the de Niros, the Rubber Bands, the Motels, Flattop Freddie and the Purple Canoes, until singer Julian Casablancas came up with The Strokes an everyone just agreed on it.

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It’s no secret that Jim Morrison, The Doors’ singer was very much into poetry, and the rest of the band went along with it. Their original name, The Doors of Perception was inspired by a line from William Blake's poem, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. But it was eventually shortened to just The Doors.

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As it happens, the backing musicians to a solo performer are usually referred to as "the band". The Band, a Canadian-American rock group formed in 1967, originally started as the backing band for singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. That makes sense, right?

Image: Tim Toomey

The 1980s melodic punk rock band, The Replacements was originally called The Impediments. But, after several disastrous early performances, the band decided to distance themselves from their past and name themselves, The Replacements.

THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION

All The Ways Ancient Greece Influenced The Modern World

Image: Aleksandar Pasaric

Ancient Greece stands as a beacon of civilization, a cradle of democracy, philosophy, arts, and more and it continues to blow our minds centuries later.

This captivating country has come a long, long way, and it has evolved over thousands of years influencing the world as we know it today in more than one way: political structures, sports events, scientific discoveries, everything we take for granted today was once a breakthrough made by this civilization.

Read on and delve into some of the most influential aspects of Ancient Greece!

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Democracy is probably among the most important contributions from Ancient Greece. Even if it was exercised differently, the essence of democracy still remains.

According to its Greek roots, democracy means "government by the people" and it is a form of government by means of which the power is vested in the people who, directly or indirectly, choose their representatives through elections.

The difference between democracy then and democracy as we know it today, is that only a small portion of the population was allowed to participate. In Ancient Greece, the democratic government consisted of an assembly of 6,000 adult male citizens who voted on all kinds of issues. Similar to today’s system, a majority of votes were needed for laws to be passed.

Thanks to the evolution of societies and the system itself, men and women from all walks of life are allowed to vote and contribute to democratic governments today.

Image: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA

The institution of trial by jury is a cornerstone of modern legal systems, but it can be traced back to the democratic principles discussed before. This concept back then was not so different from today’s: it was a judicial process that aimed to provide a resolution to conflicts and justice in civil and criminal matters.

The jurors were chosen through a random allocation among the citizenry and they were in charge of hearing the evidence, assessing the testimonies, and determining the innocence (or not) of the accused.

This breakthrough shaped legal systems and principles that are still set in stone today and it remains a fundamental way to cherish the principles of justice and democracy.

Image: Bryan Turner

No Gods are honored in the present, but we still hold some of the traditions of this ancient sports event. The Olympic Games, which receive their name after the city they were held in, Olympia, were much more than just a sporting event back then.

First and foremost, the Olympics were a sacred ritual to honor Zeus, the God of the Sky and Thunder, they were held every four years and all kinds of (sometimes dangerous) sports were played. Swimming, gymnastics, and "pankration" a hybrid between wrestling and boxing, that could turn the place into a bloodbath in a matter of minutes.

Today, the Olympics aim to bring the nations together to feature their sports stars, but some traditions are still displayed: the olive leaf crowns, the opening and closing ceremonies, and, of course, the great lightning of the flame.

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Zeus, Hercules, Hera, Hades, you probably know all of these names. That is because Greek mythology and its stories are some of the best-known in the whole world. Not only served us with legendary myths of every topic we can imagine, but it has inspired thousands of versions of those myths and their main figures.

Greek mythology inspired iconic pieces of art, like The Birth of Venus, a painting by Sandro Botticelli that depicts the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, sex, and desire.

On the other end of inspiration, Greek Mythology made it all the way to Disney movies, considering that their version of "Hercules" is one of the most famous adaptations of the myth.

The variety of universal topics dealt with in Greek mythology has permeated and there is no sign this will stop anytime soon.

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Ancient Greece contributed to medical advancements that represented a pivotal moment in the evolution of healthcare practices. Medicine as a discipline was already a common practice in places like China or Egypt, but the standardization of it can be attributed to the Greeks. In this sense, modern medicine is very similar to ancient medicine since it consists of a diagnosis and a consequent treatment.

Moreover, Hippocrates, a well-known physician of the time, made contributions in terms of work ethics. For this reason, he is known as the "Father of Medicine" and his name is still honored with the title of the oath made by doctors today, the Hippocratic Oath. We have him to thank for the categorization of diseases and the use of prognosis too.

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The concept of beauty and proportion of the ancient Greeks is probably one of their most characteristic features. Even if we think of the time, the architectural achievements are a true testament to the artistic prowess of this civilization.

At the heart of this field, we will find Doric, Ionic, and Corinthians orders. Each of these had distinctive features and proportions and they all exemplified different things. The Parthenon, a masterpiece of Doric design, for example, was praised for its harmonious proportions and mind-blowing craftsmanship.

Temples, theaters, stadiums, agoras, and all kinds of civic buildings were just the beginning of architecture as we know it today. Together with democracy, the principles embodied in their view of architecture can be easily considered to keep inspiring us centuries later.

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Ancient Greece and philosophy are one and the same. And that is because the philosophical heritage of the Greeks was a true cradle of civilization.

This doesn’t mean they invented "thinking," but they surely came up with a name for the art of it. Philosophy comes from two Greek words, philos, which means "love" and sophia****, "wisdom." In essence, the discipline was in the quest for knowledge and tried to systematically answer existential questions.

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are the fathers of philosophy, responsible for laying the foundations of a comprehensive system. Their work has shaped thousands of studies and sciences around the world and throughout history offering deep insights on the human condition and reality itself. Academic knowledge as we know it today, especially in the Western world, wouldn’t exist were it not for these key figures.

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This ancient civilization has left a mark also through words and lexicon. Fields like mathematics, astronomy, medicine and, as we said, philosophy are full of terminology with roots in the Greek language.

The ancient Greek language is unparalleled in terms of precision and clarity, and its grammar had a profound impact on the development of linguistic theories and analysis of today. Needless to say, our understanding of language structure, morphology, and syntax wouldn’t be the same without the influence of the ancient Greeks.

In the same way, literary contributions were the way to preserve all these cultural elements we discuss today. Books like the Iliad and the Odyssey, which depict the Homeric epics, laid the groundwork for narrative conventions that are still present in Western literature today.

Image: Sean Robertson

Ancient Greek art stands today as a testament to their ceaseless pursuit of beauty, symmetry, and the human form. The art of this civilization encompassed a wide range of media including pottery, painting, and sculpture.

The most iconic features were the mastery of technique and, again, an acute sense of proportion which was an innovation back then. And quite impressive today when you come across any of their sculptures. In terms of topics, the Greeks were concerned with universal themes in all fields: human nature, beauty, and truth.

They have undeniably influenced all kinds of artistic movements throughout history and this is a legacy that continues to inspire artists and art lovers today.

Image: Pixabay

The naval innovations of the ancient Greeks are also a defining chapter in maritime history. At the forefront of this revolution stood the trireme warship which, as its name indicates, was powered by three rows of oarsmen arranged in tires. This ship boasted unparalleled speed and agility and enabled the Greeks to assert control over strategic points and trade routes in the Mediterranean.

Their expertise showcased a sense of innovation and they became pioneers in shipbuilding which ultimately shaped the evolution of sea voyages and traditions to come.