Childhood is a golden time when the world is perceived in bright colors, and you do not want to think about anything bad. However, what is perceived with joy and positiveness in childhood can be taken critically and even negatively in adulthood.
We present you the top 7 facts that can ruin your childhood memories.
7. Dimples on the cheeks - a genetic defect
Lovely children have dimples, right? No one can resist the request of a child who, with a smile, has funny hollows on his cheeks. They are even called "marks of happiness."
In fact, the dimples are a muscle defect that occurs with a certain structure of the facial muscle of Musculus zygomaticus major. She is also responsible for the ability to smile.
With age, most people have a large zygomatic muscle that stretches and the dimples disappear. However, in some people, the bifurcated bundle of Zygomaticus Major shifts to the side, growing to the layer of the cheek. When you smile, this beam is pulled inward, which is why “marks of happiness” are formed.
6. Barbie doll sues Barbie girl
The song "Barbie Girl" by the Norwegian-Danish pop group Aqua became a hit of the 90s. For many years she sounded at parties and children's parties.
Unfortunately, its main context implied that Barbie was a girl of easy virtue, that the creators of Barbie and Ken did not really like it, and therefore Mattel, the company producing these toys, sued Aqua.
Although the case was dismissed in 2002, it forever tarnished the image of the song, which created for the little girls the illusion that Barbie and Ken exist as real people.
5. Flintstones advertised cigarettes
“Flintstones” is an old (or better to say “primitive”) brand that has been entertaining children and adults for many years. However, even he once put his pure reputation at risk.
In 1961, cartoon cavemen were the stars of television advertising for the cigarette brand. In advertising, the heroes of the show smoke and praise cigarettes with pleasure. In fairness, at that time in the United States, and in other countries of the world, smoking was widespread.
Nevertheless, in our world in the 21st century, the use of cartoon characters for advertising is usually acceptable when it comes to children's goods and sweets, so we cannot help but start to think that Fred and Barney will tar Winston.
4. The mood ring is hazardous to health
This funny accessory was very popular in Russia at the end of the 20th century. In the USA, mood rings appeared even earlier - in the 70s of the last century. The idea behind them was new and interesting - who would not want to wear a ring that changed color depending on the mood of the owner?
The ingredient that makes this possible is called liquid crystal; its particles are rearranged depending on temperature, because of which the ring changes color. This is the same liquid crystal that is found on LCD TVs and computer screens.
But the toxic components of mercury and arsenic in liquid crystals make mood rings a deadly toy in the hands and mouth of children.
3. Children's sandbox - the dirtiest place on the entire playground
What could be more fun for babies than building sand castles and sculpting cakes with friends in a sandbox? Surely you have a lot of fond memories with her.
However, pediatricians have their own attitude to children's sandboxes. Near them you can find the most unexpected and dangerous objects - from used syringes to animal feces, through which helminths are transmitted to children.
Parents whose child actively learns the taste and color of sand and other things of the outside world, we recommend that in the fall, after the end of the sand season, give him an anthelmintic. But be sure to consult with a pediatrician!
2. No urine indicator is added to the pools
When you first started swimming in the pool, you were probably told that if you pee, the urine will change color to bright purple due to the addition of a special reagent to the water. And thus, everyone will know about your negligence.
However, such dye is not added to public pools, although its existence is not a myth. Although rare, it is used in elite pools and fitness clubs in the United States, so that wealthy clients are convinced of the impeccable purity of water.
And the signs that “water is under chemical control” in ordinary pools are nothing more than a psychological ploy. However, this does not mean that you can urinate freely in the pool, because doing it is unhygienic and impolite to other swimmers.
1. Santa Claus was originally not a good grandfather at all
New Year in modern Russia is inextricably linked with the image of the good grandfather Frost and his granddaughter Snegurochka, who give out gifts to children. But it was not always so.
Santa Claus has several alleged pagan prototypes, including:
- The deity Karachun or Korochun, he is also Winter grandfather or Studenets. The lord of cold and gloom associated with death (hence the word "stumble", that is, die).
- Zvozdiz or Posvist is the god of winds and thunder, some sources say that he commanded the weather. As soon as Call of hair shook, a hail fell on the ground, instead of a cloak, winds flew behind him, and snow fell from the clothes in flakes.
- Zimnik is a spirit from Belarusian mythology that looks like an old man with white hair, an uncovered head and an iron mace in his hand. His appearance is a harbinger of a severe winter cold.
- Even Moroz Ivanovich, close to the modern grandfather Moroz, from Vladimir Odoevsky’s collection “Tales of Grandfather Irenaeus” did not come to the kids with gifts. The children came to him themselves, and did not receive gifts for no reason, but a reward for service.
Only at the beginning of the 20th century did the familiar image of Santa Claus begin to take shape, and from the 30s of the 20th century did Grandfather Frost and Snegurochka become indispensable participants in the New Year holidays.