The Story Behind 'The 12 Days of Christmas'

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You may have heard of the Christmas carol 'The 12 Days of Christmas' which, for some, may be one of the most annoying carols because of the endless, repetitive nature of its lyrics.

Some internet sources suggest that the song had been used as a secret code for Christianity, however, there have been a few refutations to that theory.

Whatever the origins of the song is, it is an undisputable fact that the song has changed so much that tracing its origins may be a herculean task. It has been suggested that the song was French in origin, and that it was possibly based on a game where players had to remember the lyrics.

Five Books You Probably Haven't Read, and How to Pretend That You Have

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Book lovers and avid readers may find reading books very enjoyable but it depends on which books you're reading. I find that there are certain books that, no matter how much you love reading, you just can't bear to finish.

Some of these may be on this list which includes Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, James Joyce's Ulysses, Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time, Herman Melville's Moby Dick, and John Milton's Paradise Lost.

These five books may well be some of the most difficult books to read, partly because they're very thick, and partly because they have very difficult themes and subjects to understand without a proper background on them.

However, there is a way for you to talk about these books even if you haven't actually read them.

A Map of Christianity's Decline in England

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Over the past century, Christianity has faced immense backlash and a fallback from the days of the Protestant Reformation.

In England, Protestantism has had a storied past which began with Edward VI who promulgated laws that shifted the monarchy's state religion from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism.

Although this was repealed by his half-sibling Mary, it was reinstated by Queen Elizabeth I. From that point until the Victorian era, England has been a bulwark for Christianity with its monarchs and people being stalwart believers.

However, cracks have already started to surface way before the 20th century, and has only gained a lot of ground from the 20th century on. Now, England is no longer a majority Christian country.

Check out the different maps showing the decline of Christianity in England on Big Think.

How Footbinding Lasted So Long in China

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For a thousand years, the practice of footbinding had been considered the standards of beauty for women in China. However, there's a deeper meaning behind the practice that goes beyond beauty. And it is all rooted in China's steadfast loyalty to Confucian values, and how it permeated all aspects of people's lives.

Footbinding only started from the 12th century, and the story goes that it was inspired by a court dancer named Yao Niang who transformed her foot to make it like the shape of a new moon. The emperor had been captivated by it, and soon the practice spread through every corner of society.

More than being a fashion statement, footbinding became the Chinese women's symbol of cultural superiority over barbarians.

From the time it started until it was completely abandoned, the reason why Chinese women willingly forced themselves into footbinding was just one: to show their utter devotion to Confucian values. That was the main impetus for the perpetuation and longevity of footbinding in Chinese culture.

And to learn the whole story behind footbinding as well as some of the renowned and highly respected Chinese women in history, check out this article on Smithsonian Magazine.

The Joy of Intellectual Humility

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Socrates once said, "One thing I know, and that is, I know nothing." Echoing a similar sentiment, Albert Einstein remarked, "The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know."

Even some of the greatest minds and thinkers in history know that the universe is so vast that it would be impossible for us to know everything about it.

We are so limited in our capacity that it would be foolish to think that we have already discovered and understood everything that there is to know about the universe or life.

Every day, there is still so much for us to learn. And being able to open ourselves to new experiences and new knowledge enables us to delve deeper into the unknown.

Daryl Van Tongeren, associate professor of psychology at Hope College, explores the idea of intellectual humility and the joys that being wrong brings to us in his article.

We don't know everything, and trying to persuade others that we do is just a ridiculous exercise in folly. Thinking that we do is just inane. When we humble ourselves and accept that there are certain things on which we might be wrong, that's when learning begins.

How to Kill a Medieval Knight in Two Ways

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We have this image of knights as romantic warriors who duel each other for the hand of a noble lady, or someone who writes poems and recites them to a damsel they want to court. But medieval knights weren't like that in reality.

They were elite soldiers who trained their bodies beyond their physical limits in order to prepare for war, and defend their lords and realms.

It was a herculean task to try and kill a knight, so much so, that there are actually only two ways to kill a medieval knight, and history enthusiast Luke Reitzer shares with us what those two ways are.

Not only that, but he also shares several other fun facts about knights, like the fact that they actually try not to kill each other in duels, and the reasons why these knights were highly effective warriors of their day.

How Do Snakes Know When to Stop Squeezing Their Prey?

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Apparently, snakes can sense their prey's heartbeat and that's how they know when they have killed their prey, and then, they start eating it.

Not only that, but a study has shown that a boa constrictor, like a python or anaconda, don't kill their prey by asphyxiation or suffocating them, as we used to believe.

Rather, these boa constrictors actually kill their prey by squeezing out the blood from them. They apply great amounts of pressure at a rapid pace to their prey's heart and blood vessels to the point that their heart stops beating instantly.

So, if you were to be caught by a boa constrictor, the best thing to do is try to immediately get it off or remove it by force.

20 of the Worst HIPAA Violations in History

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If you're not familiar with the HIPAA, it's that law that makes sure that your sensitive personal health information are protected. If anybody shares that data without your consent, then they will be liable for damages.

You can read more about the HIPAA here. But, for the purposes of this article, we're only going to look at some of the worst violation cases throughout history.

You might wonder how in the world these happen, and ask, "Are doctors just sharing your private information to other people?" Of course not, but the institutions that handle our personal information might not have the best security protocols in place.

For example, there might be data breaches happening at hospitals or clinics because hackers often try to gain access illegally through hospitals' databases because it's a gold mine of personal data which they can sell to marketers, other companies, and anybody who might benefit from other people's private data.

It can also be used in identity theft, phishing, or scams. It's the same threat that any company or website faces, except this holds your health records.

So, doctors, medical professionals, and others in the healthcare industry like insurance companies, labs, and pharmacies, try their best to protect your data from being stolen.

Anyway, that doesn't always happen and here we have a collection of the 20 worst HIPAA violations in history.

15 Things You Missed While Watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

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This list from Business Insider only looks at the 2000 film adaptation of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas which featured Jim Carrey as the titular character.

It includes several easter eggs and other tidbits that might not have caught your attention. But we're bringing it to your attention now. These are the 15 details that you probably missed in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

9 Surprisingly Offensive Things in Asia

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Whenever you travel to another place with its own set of customs, traditions, mores, and practices, you try to accumulate as many new experiences from which you can learn, while you're enjoying exploring the different sights, tourist spots, and the general cultural landscape.

However, sometimes, you might find yourself in an awkward position of unwittingly committing a faux pas or inadvertently doing something that the culture considers offensive.

In Asia, there are a multitude of cultures each with their own societal norms. Being a tourist or foreigner may excuse you from committing blunders or social faux pas, but still, it would be best to get to know what is considered offensive, so that you don't make such mistakes.

Here are nine things that are surprisingly offensive in Asia, most of which have something to do with hands and food.