We're working on a book about the origins of, oh, just about everything, and we need your help. Specifically, we don't know what to call it. And since you've proven so handy with naming Element 118 (we only need eight more signatures before we can send our petition to the lab!), we thought you'd be able to come up with a snappy title for this, too. Want some examples of the kind of stuff you'll find inside?
- There probably wasn't any turkey served at the first Thanksgiving -- although the Pilgrims and Wampanoag did polish off a lot of lobster and five whole deer.
- Sudoku isn't Japanese. Originally called "Latin Squares," it's actually Swiss.
- The full Brazilian bikini wax started life as a Muslim wedding tradition.
- The disco ball predates disco. (Look closely at the nightclub scenes in the 1927 silent film Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Großstadt, and you'll spot a mirrored orb hanging from the ceiling.)
- Bubble wrap was born out of an ill-fated attempt to make plastic wallpaper.
- The inventor of the bra was not Otto Titzling -- she was far more scandalous than that.
And there are 300 more pages where that came from. So, your turn -- what do we call them? "In the Beginning?" "Origins?" Please, please, vote on these two options in the comments -- and there's a big fat thank-you in the acknowledgements of the book for the person who comes up with something better.