Investigating the origins of American words, names, quotations and phrases. Over 40,000 entries.
It's often said that the most dangerous place to be in the world is between a politician and a camera (or a microphone). You'll get crushed! U.S. Senator Bob Dole (R-Kansas) said in 1995…
The exact date of when hot dogs were first sold at baseball games is not known. Some say that St. Louis Browns owner Chris von der Ahe (1851-1913) first served frankfurters at his St. Louis…
Corn tortillas ("tortilla de maiz") date back several centuries, but flour tortillas ("tortilla de harina") are cited in the 19th century and are believed to have been first…
Louisiana cuisine has its "Holy Trinity" of onions, celery and bell peppers. There is no single "Texas trinity" of food, but both "brisket, ribs and sausage" and…
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus performs often at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but the circus is also frequently on the road. The performers are fed in a railroad…
"Tres leches" (three milks cake) contains evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk or cream. "Cuatro leches" (or "quatro leches") is a "four milks…
The San Antonio tradition of the "beanburger" (or "bean burger") supposedly began at Sill's Snack Shack ("Triple S") in 1953. The building (at the corner of…
German immigration to New York City was high in the years before World War I. The term "Dutch" was often used for Germans (for "Deutsch"). Courtlandt Avenue in the Bronx had so…
The "Blue Alert" for law enforcement officers was patterned after the "Amber Alert" (children) and the "Silver Alert" (seniors). If a law enforcement officer is killed…
"Harder than eating red beans with a pitchfork" is said to be an East Texas saying for something that is very difficult to do. Nobody eats beans with a pitchfork -- the beans slip…
"Killtown" (or "Kill-Town") is a hip-hop nickname for the city of Killeen. The name "Kill" comes from "Killeen" -- a city that has about the same amount of…
"Galvatraz" (Galveston + Alcatraz) is a nickname for the city of Galveston that's been used since at least 2000. Both Galveston and Alcatraz are islands; perhaps, to some people…
Folklorist J. Frank Dobie (1888-1964) was no fan of the University Tower on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The twoer was completed in 1937. Dobie refused to move into an office in…
A "klobasnek" (or "klobasnik") is a Czech food that has been also called a "sausage kolache" (pastry). Both the kolache and the klobasnek are popular with the Czech…
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Canton, TexasCanton is a city in Van Zandt County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 3,292. It is the county seat…
The Waldorf cocktail is one of several cocktails from the Waldorf Hotel (later the Waldorf-Astoria). The Waldorf cocktail is cited in print from at least 1914 and contains ingredients such as rye…
"Texas Nectar" is a cocktail offered by the Hill Country barbecue restaurant in New York City, at 30 West 26th Street. The cocktail contains Maker's Mark bourbon, Southern Comfort,…
Richard Bennett Hubbard, Jr. (1832-1901) was known for his large size and his oratorical skills. Hubbard was Texas governor for only a brief period (from December 1, 1876 until 1879); in 1884 he…
"Edmonton is to Calgary as Austin is to Houston" (Edmonton:Calgary::Austin:Houston) compares a capital city and a largest city. The Canadian province of Alberta (where Edmonton is the…
Entry in progress--B.P. Wikipedia: Lyndon B. JohnsonLyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the thirty-sixth President of the United States,…