Hey, Camp Fans!

Today I want to look into the history of bed sheets. They date back at least 10,000 years—possibly over 36,000! Mankind has been catching Zzz’s since before we walked on two legs…and then some. But they certainly weren’t fitted mattress sheets with colorful patterns and prints of favorite superheroes. So just what did our very first bed sheets look like?

Mankind’s first attempt at using ‘bed sheets’ was more-or-less just a crude pile of straw, leaves, and twigs. At the same time, however, dyed fibers of the flax plant have been found in prehistoric caves, suggesting that these were once woven fabrics made from wild flax.

Flax became the leading fabric for woven linen—in fact, flax is actually where the word ‘linen’ comes from as the Latin word for flax is ‘linum’. It was so popular in ancient Egypt that they would use it as a form of money. The wraps of their preserved mummies were made of linen.

Linen fabrics aren’t the easiest to spin and they’re typically expensive (which is why mummies were wrapped in it, displaying their wealth). But it is a very durable, long-lasting fabric (which we also see from Egyptian mummies).

Still linen sheets couldn’t truly be considered ‘bedding’ as beds didn’t exist until over 3000 years ago when ancient Egyptians invented the elevated sleeping platform—the precursor of the bed.

Hard-to-spin flax was soon replaced in 1793 when Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin (the Gin is short for engine, by the way), creating a much faster method of separating seeds from cotton. Cotton became the new fabric for bed sheets. And while the fabric changed, the name didn’t. We still call our bed sheets linens when they’re 100% cotton.

True linen, made from flax is still spun today and preferred by some as it’s a softer, healthier material.

I hope you learned a thing or two today and go to bed tonight with a new appreciation of your bed sheets. Thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Fishing Fans!

If you love fishing then you’re sure to love today since it’s Go Fishing Day! Today is meant to be spent fishing and nothing else! So pack up your poles and tackle box; today encourages you to get some time off from your everyday and go catch a fish in the closest body of water you can find—be it a small, splashing stream or a rough, raging river.

Most people who go fishing enjoy it. It’s hard not to as it typically offers a quiet and peaceful setting out on the water or a shady shore. I fondly recall my first fishing trip at Crowduck Lake in Canada. It’s relaxing, recreational, and rewarding!

 Fishing is in our bloodlines as it’s been practiced and taught continuously on down through the ages; so—whether you’re fishing for your dinner or for a relaxing afternoon—you’re doing something ancient when you cast your line!

 But ‘ancient’ doesn’t even BEGIN to properly illustrate how old fishing is! Fishing is real old, like PREHISTORIC kind of old. Long before the ancient Egyptians caught Perch and Tilapia in the Nile, Stone Age cavemen caught fish. This is in what’s called the ‘Paleolithic Era’. It was around 40,000 years ago.

Of course, THIS ancient of modern man did not have the means (nor the brainpower) of constructing a fishing pole, so the act of casting is not 40,000 years old, but the act of hunting seafood is. Early man relied quite heavily on the seafood diet, using a large ‘fish hook’, carved from bone to catch fish.

Even as early as 4000 years ago, some Egyptian documentations point toward fishing being practiced as a sport as opposed to a means to a meal. It took some time for recreational fishing to catch on in more modern times. Around 1500s and 1600s popularity boomed for recreational fishing.

It’s popularity remains strong today with fishing shows, younger fishers, and days dedicated to fishing. Thanks for reading—now go catch a fish!

- John

Happy Father’s Day, Everyone!

While this day seems like the obvious counterpart to Mother’s Day, Father’s Day was not as welcome when the idea of the day was first presented. While Mother’s Day was graciously accepted by all mothers, many fathers rejected a day for them, displeased with its celebration of a domesticated male figure being gifted with flowers and other frilly things.

As I had stated in my post last month on Mother’s Day, “Dads are great too, but I think the bond and connection between mother and child is first and foremost.” I stand by this statement and I think most fathers would too which is what’s so cool about Dear ol’ Dad—he knows his place.

The beginnings of Father’s Day were started by Ms. Sonora Smart Dodd from Spokane in an attempt to create an equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. One of six kids, Sonora and her siblings lost their mother early on and were raised by their father, so this day was very important to her. In 1910, she had received enough support that a statewide celebration of Father’s Day was recognized.

The day’s celebration spread after that and in six years, the day was even honored by President Wilson, as he unfurled a flag in Spokane with the push of a button in Washington D.C. But it wasn’t until nearly 15 years later that each state government was urged by President Calvin Coolidge to observe Father’s Day despite many men’s irritation.

The holiday still had one more challenge to hurdle before it reached its current recognition. Father’s Day had pretty much plateaued in popularity on a national level with many dads responding unfavorably. A movement that lasted from the 20’s to the 30’s tried to get rid of Mother’s Day AND Father’s Day entirely in order to just make one, unified, Parents’ Day.

Parents’ Day was fought for with the rationale that both parents should be respected and admired equally. The Great Depression, however, stepped in around the same time and put an end to hopes for a Parents’ Day. Retailers did everything they could to promote “manly” gifts like greeting cards, neckties, hats, socks, golf clubs, and other sports gear.

With practical gifts like these, fathers across the country eventually came around with a day made to honor them. And so, in 1972 (nearly 60 years after Mother’s Day was made official), President Richard Nixon finally made Father’s Day a federal holiday.

So may I say to all fathers and to those who love him, happy Father’s Day! And thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Jugglers!

Today is World Juggling Day! If you’re reading this and you’re asking yourself why there’s a World Juggling Day, then you’re asking the wrong question! Your question instead should be: Why WOULDN’T there be World Juggling Day? See, much like the Yo-Yo which was recently discussed on this Blog, the art of juggling was developed back in ancient times! Anything that’s survived that long deserves its own day!

Even older than the Yo-Yo, juggling is documented in Ancient Egyptian paintings on tomb walls that date back as far as 4,000 years! Juggling is a skill that’s been passed down from generation to generation! So far, it’s made it four millennia! Who knows how long it will last?!

It seems to go through popularity booms like it did in the early 1900s. At this time juggling was performed in the circus and here and there on the street corners. But that all changed when the days of Vaudeville came along. Vaudeville performers would juggle on stage for an audience with impressive acts along with other types of entertainment like bicycle rim rolling and complex balancing tricks.

The days of Vaudeville, however, did not last forever. They didn’t even make it to the ‘20’s! At this time, juggling’s popularity plummeted. It wasn’t until 1947 that it was mildly resurrected, but even then it took another 20 years before a man named Hovey Burgess started teaching people to juggle. He taught everyone he met!

I for one know how to juggle as my brother taught me and I know that there’s at least a couple other skilled individuals that work here at Everything Summer Camp. So for World Juggling Day, we’re going to hold our own little juggling competition to show off our skills of this ancient art.

Thanks for reading, juggling fans and don’t forget to check out our mad skills!

- John

Hey, Summer Lovers!

As delightful as it is to feel those glowing rays beaming down on your smiling face, it’s important to take the necessary precautions for hanging out in the sun. That’s why Everything Summer Camp offers a plethora of available products containing 100% natural oils and plant-based extracts that ensure your protection from harmful UV rays while being totally skin-healthy themselves.

Sunscreen—the magical concoction goes on the skin to absorb and/or reflect ultraviolet rays from the sun that are otherwise harmful to exposed skin. But the sun has always been shining down on the earth, so when was sunscreen invented?

Well, there’s Franz Greiter, a chemist who’s credited as the inventor of sunscreen in 1938. It was an SPF of two. Another chemist named Eugene Schueller is typically seen as the inventor of modern sunscreen as he started up the brand name L’Oreal. Then there’s also Benjamin Green, a pharmacist from Florida who came out with the first user-friendly, popular sunscreen in ’44—Coppertone.

But what about in ancient times—did they use sunscreen back then?

Turns out the answer is—YES, they did use an ancient form of sun protection. In fact, in ancient Egypt, lighter skin was considered fashionable (opposed to today’s society that can’t seem to get tan enough). But they also simply wanted to avoid sunburn if they could.

In our modern day, we’re now discovering what the Egyptians already knew about gamma oryzanol’s UV-absorbing properties in rice bran as well as the DNA healing agent found within jasmine.

It wasn’t until the beginning of the 19th century that scientists really began to understand how UV rays work and how they effect the human skin. Up until then, people thought sunburns were a consequence of damage done by heat.

Thanks to modern science, we’re developing a better understanding and better methods of sun protection all the time. Before too long, sun protection may come in the form of a pill! Scientists are looking into it now.

Remember to keep your skin safe this summer and all year long with convenient sun protection from Everything Summer Camp.

Thanks for reading.

- John