If you’re an elder Millennial or a younger Gen Xer, you probably grew up with a Tiffany or two … or 10.
According to the Social Security Administration, Tiffany was America’s 11th most popular baby girl name of the entire 1980s—which might make it seem like a pretty recent invention. But people have actually been christening their babies “Tiffany” for centuries. The moniker derives from the Greek Theophania, meaning “the appearance of God.” Theophania became the Old French Tifaine, which showed up in English circa 1200. Baptism records for babies named Tiffany date as far back as the 1500s.
When do you think the first 3D movie came out in theaters? We bet you’re off by a few decades. The first 3D feature film to hit theaters was The Power of Love, which debuted at the Ambassador in Los Angeles in September 1922.
The next time you drink a frosty can of LaCroix, think about this: sparkling water existed in natural mineral springs for thousands of years before humans finally figured out how to make their own. In the late 1760s, English chemist Joseph Priestley used pig bladders as part of a contraption that combined gas bubbles with water.
This episode of The List Show is devoted to all the stuff that’s been around for way longer than you might have thought, from condoms to Juicy Fruit gum—and everything in between.
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This article was originally published on www.mentalfloss.com as Everyday Things That Are Much Older Than You Might Think.
