Why is the American presidential home called the “White

From 1800, when John Adams became the first president to inhabit it,

until 1814, when the British burned it because the Americans had

torched Toronto, the presidential building was a grey Virginia freestone.

It was painted white to cover up the fire damage done by the British. It

How did an English police force become known as “Scotland

In the tenth century, in an effort to stop hostilities between their two

countries, the English gave a Scottish king land in London with the pro-

vision that he build a castle on it and live there for a few months every

year. Seven centuries later, with the two nations united under one king,

the land returned to English ownership. In 1829, the London police took

up residence on the land, which by then was known as Scotland Yard.

Why is Chicago called the “Windy City”?

Most people believe that Chicago got its nickname from its prevailing

winds, but that isn’t the case. In 1893, Chicago hosted the World’s

Columbian Exposition, celebrating the four hundredth anniversary of

America’s discovery. The city’s aggressive promotional campaign for

the event offended the people of New York, whose press nicknamed it

the Windy City to mock its bragging ways. The moniker stuck, but, for-

tunately for Chicago, its original meaning has been forgotten by most.

Why do we call New York the “The Big Apple?”

During the 1940s, Robert Emmerich, who played piano in the Tommy

Dorsey Band, wrote an obscure song called “The Big Apple.” It was

soon forgotten by everyone except legendary reporter Walter

Winchell, who liked the song so much that in his daily column and on

the air he began referring to his beat, New York City, as “The Big

Apple,” and soon, even though Emmerich’s song was long forgotten, its

title became the great city’s nickname.