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How did the phrase “Roger that” originate?

In the 1940s, the American military and British RAF used a spelling alphabet different from the current well-known Alfa, Bravo, Charlie. The letter “R” was used as an abbreviation for “received” back in the times when messages were send via telegraphy (in Morse code), and the practice of confirming that a transmission was received by sending an “R” back was extended to spoken radio communication at the advent of two-way radio during World War II. The phonetic alphabet used by the British and American military during the World War II was: Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item, Jig, King, Love, Mike, Nan, Oboe, Peter, Queen, Roger, Sugar, Tare, Uncle, Victor, William, X-ray, Yoke, Zebra When a soldier or a radio operator said “Roger” after receiving a transmission, he was simply saying “R” for “received”. The alphabet has changed since then, but the practice of replying to a message by saying “Roger” stuck. Source:Origin of the phrase “Roger that” in English

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How Much Do Expiry Dates On Packaged Goods Matter?

Although almost everybody throws out their food once its “sell by” or expiration date arrives, not all of that food is actually bad. Those dates are just guidelines set to help give you an idea of when to use foods—not toss them away. But more interesting is the story about how these expiry dates came into being! In the early 1930s, famed gangster Al Capone began “regulating” freshness dates after a family member got ill from some expired milk. Capone acquired a milk company named Meadowmoor Dairies and lobbied the Chicago City Council to pass a law that required an expiration stamp on milk. Despite Capone’s efforts, it wasn’t until 40 years later, in the 1970s, that food labeling became law. Today you see a lot of dates in packages you buy – Packed Date, Use By, Best Used by etc. But not one of these have anything to do with the safety and freshness of your food, it merely indicates how long your food manufacturer thinks the food will retain its fresh taste. Source: The Truth About ‘Expiration’ Dates

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The Uncertain Future of the Crossword Puzzle

While the world warns of an impending print collapse, it might take down an innocent bystander with it—those little black and white squares that have long inhabited the back pages of newspapers and made themselves the primary Sunday-afternoon obsession of crossword nerds, for whom completing a puzzle is a bragworthy accomplishment.

Yes, the meager crossword, its unnerving simplicity belying a capability to wrench you mad with clues that speak of everything and nothing at once, is moving toward becoming a relic of the past.

Source: Down but Not Out: The Uncertain Future of the Crossword Puzzle – Tanya Basu – The Atlantic

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