The toaster was invented before pre-sliced bread.

Toasting bread has been a common practice since the time of the ancient Romans. However, it was not until 1853 that the first electric toaster was invented by a British firm called Crompton and Co. This original model only toasted one side of the bread at a time and required someone to stand by and watch to make sure the bread didn’t burn. The more contemporary pop-up timer toasters we are used to were not invented until 1919.

Tablecloths were originally used as napkins in Ancient Rome.

Tablecloths were popularized by the Europeans. They originally started appearing on Roman tables in the 1st century. The first written mention of a tablecloth dated from 103 AD. Back then, the Romans considered their tables too beautiful to cover up completely, so tablecloths were smaller and intended for individual use, like a napkin.

By the 10th century, the tablecloth had evolved into the giant table covering that we know today as it spread through the Byzantine empire and feudal Western Europe. By the 14th century it became customary even for peasants to use tablecloths.


Source: Old And Interesting

The color orange was named after the fruit.

Before then, the English-speaking world referred to the orange color as ‘geoluhread,’ which literally translates to “yellow-red!” The word orange itself was derived from the Spanish word ‘naranja,’ which likewise came from the Sanskrit word ‘nāraṅga,’ meaning “orange tree.” Over time, the English dropped the first “n,” and soon the word was transformed to ‘orange.’ This word was also applied to the fruit’s color in the 1540’s, likely due to the increased popularity of oranges around this time.

Source: Etymonline and Oak Conservatories