Turns out, it was the Greeks. Χριστος is how you write "Christ" in Greek and writers (including people who transcribed the Bible) have been using "X" as a convenient abbreviation of that since at least the 3rd and 4th centuries.
Who put the "X" in "Xmas"
John Young, original king of Buffalo Wings, is finally getting more recognition
As with many culinary origin stories, Buffalo wings as we know them began with a guy who doesn't get much credit. John Young served whole wings with his signature Mambo sauce starting in 1963, but he eventually closed his Buffalo wing emporium and left the state. Buffalo's Anchor Bar revised this delicacy by splitting the… READ THE REST
Before it was a collector's item, PEZ was an anti-smoking device
I grew up a few miles from the PEZ factory. Rumor had it you could sneak into the parking lot at night and steal trash bags from the dumpsters, full of perfectly good but malformed or damaged PEZ candies. Neither I nor anyone I knew actually did this, despite the fact that I had a… READ THE REST
A guy must record human history before aliens blow us up
On the anniversary of its win at Sundance, enjoy Bernardo Britto's "Yearbook," the animated short that put him on the map. With the end of the world imminent, a man is hired to write the history of human existence. Who are the people and what are the events that should be remembered? Image: YouTube /… READ THE REST
The Knocki helps you control your ever-expanding smart home, all from your knuckles
The advent of the smart home is happening behind an almost glacially slow encroachment. You get a smart bulb here, maybe a smart thermostat there, then your new TV comes with some smart features built right in. We all have visions of our fully integrated smart home of the future operating something like JARVIS from… READ THE REST
This Linksys router makes sure none of your WiFi signal goes to waste
Remember the classic SNL skit, Wake Up and Smile? You know, the one where the teleprompter stops during a TV morning show? Within minutes, the absence of a script devolves Will Ferrell into Lord of the Flies-style insanity. It's hilariously silly…but it's actually an oh-so-subtle reminder that when technology breaks down, it doesn't take long… READ THE REST
Save over 70% on a three-year subscription to Windscribe's highly-rated VPN pro plan
We all know that having the protection of a virtual private network (VPN) to cloak your online activities is basically like adding oil to a car or wearing a warm jacket in the dead of winter. It's optional…but not really. If you don't take the precautions that come with cloaking your identity online, it's not… READ THE REST