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Red Exit Signs vs Green Exit Signs

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During the spring break, I went on a trip to Seattle. I saw many interesting points of interest, like the original Starbucks coffee parlour, the University of Washington and the. But a recurring detail caught my attention: Green Exit signs. In restaurants, malls, hotels and pretty much every building. I wondered why exit signs in Vancouver (and maybe the entirety Canada) are red and why exit signs in Washington State are green. What's the difference? Is there an upside to green signs over red? First of all, why do we have exit signs? Exit signs are back-lit signs that show the direction exit in public areas. They are designed so that they are easy to spot and understandable. They are not connected to the main power supply so that when the power goes out, the signs can stay on. They can be connected to a battery or an external generator, or are photoluminescence, meaning that they absorb light around and allow it to glow dimly. Common in US and Canada Pictograph Exit si...
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Why Do We Shake Hands?

The handshake is one of the most common ways to greet people. The handshake is a symbol for trust and agreement. There are many different variations of the handshake (one strong shake, multiple shakes, grasping the other person's left right hand with your left.) but they all have the same meaning. The handshake's rival, the hi-five and the fist bump is used to express excitement or accomplishment, it is used in a more casual situation, whereas the handshake is used in a formal situation. Origins The handshake was used all the way back to 5th century B.C. Greece. When two people shook, it made sure they were not carrying weapons. An identical use came when the Romans came in, copying the Greeks, the handshake was like an arm grab, checking each others sleeves for knives. As time progressed, and the Roman Empire collapsed, the ritual was retained in Medieval Europe. Knights shook hands to shake loose any concealed weaponry. Even though people today usually don't carry weap...
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Where did "Santa hats" come from?

Even though the holidays have ended, there is still room for a holiday-themed topic. That classic floppy red hat with a white trim and a pom-pom remind us of Santa Claus. But where did this hat come from? Why does Santa wear this hat? Santa was once just St. Nicholas, a religious saint. St. Nicholas was depicted as a thin old man who had a thing for giving gifts away, unfortunately, this didn't appeal to children very much. Santa's cap resembles the nightcaps of the Victorian era, 18-19th century. These nightcaps were usually worn by men to their sleep along with pyjamas. During the Victorian era, there was no heating other than the fireplace, there was a serious concern for freezing in bed during the winter. nightcaps were designed so that the long pointy bit with the pom-pom could wrap around the neck and keep the head warm at the same time. But why does Santa wear this hat if it was designed as sleepwear? Wouldn't it be odd for an old man in pyjamas to be wander...
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How Did Weekends Come About?

Why is there no school on Saturday and Sunday? Why is it that our parents (sometimes) don't need to work on weekends? Weeks are arbitrary, made by people not set by nature, so why do we take it to our liking to relax on these days if it would make businesses work slower? The Birth Of The Weekend The rise of the weekends came from the Industrial Revolution. Farmers that had previously been working in the fields, began moving to cities to work in factories. The workers were unhappy about the 7-day workweek that organized labour strikes began rising up. Tensions were high and sometimes violence was involved. People wanted days off the schedule because it was a Christian tradition to worship on Sundays. During the late 1800s, there was a large amount of Jewish immigrants that wanted their traditional Jewish day of the week Saturday, off as well.  Mondays Used To Be Part Of The Weekend This was apparent in the late 1800s mid-1900s in England. Workers and emplo...
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Why Do Sales End in 99¢?

All big-name retailers, supermarkets, restaurants and even shops in video games have been doing this. Prices ending in 99¢ account for more than 60% of all sales. The pricing is so natural that sometimes we forget about it all together. But what is the point in it if sales tax brings the price over and up to a dollar anyway? It turns out that this psychological marketing strategy is one of the most clever schemes ever created. This crafty pricing system has been around for more than a century. There are multiple reasons why prices work this way. The left-digit effect suggests that buyers read left to right, seeing the first or second digit the fastest and disregarding the rest. The customer automatically assumes the price, not seeing the cents, making the item look cheaper than it already is. The 99-95¢ or a dollar amount ending in 9 ($49) gives the customer the feeling that an item is on sale or is of high quality. As it turns out people are less inclined to buy items that...
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Why is the Sky Blue and why are Sunsets Red?

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The blue hue of the sky is the first thing you see when you gaze out into a clear day. People have been asking the question "why is the sky blue?" since the beginning of humankind. Although this question is not the most advanced scientific question of today, it is something interesting to think about. The colours of the spectrum are made up of white light. Light travels in straight lines unless it is interrupted. (separated, scattered, reflected, refracted) Different colours of the spectrum have different wavelengths, red, having the least amount of frequency and long wavelengths to violet, high frequency and short wavelengths. Particles in the atmosphere like dirt scatter light upon contact. Blue light has short wavelengths, allowing it to interact with more particles. For example, when a beam of sunlight hits a dirt particle in the air, blue light separates from white and will scatter around the atmosphere. Why isn't the sky violet? Violet has a frequency ev...
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Why Can't Dogs Eat Chocolate?

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If you own a dog, or not, chances are that you've heard that you shouldn't feed your dog chocolate because it's poisonous to them. Chocolate has the potential to kill a dog! How could chocolate, a harmless treat, be able to kill a dog? How much chocolate is considered deadly? What should you do if your dog unknowingly consumes chocolate? Chocolate contains a chemical compound called theobromine. Theobromine is originally found in cocoa beans. Unlike humans, dogs take a much longer time to metabolize chocolate, allowing it to build up toxic levels. Theobromine stays in a dog's bloodstream for up to 20 hours. Small amounts of chocolate lead to vomiting. When a dog has eaten a large amount of chocolate, it interferes with the body's normal functions. The overdose will lead to hyperactivity, this includes abnormal heartbeat, muscle tremors, internal bleeding and seizures. 100-200 mg of the chemical per kg of body weight is enough to poison a dog. Your dog should never...
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