Learn about Juneteenth, the oldest celebration of the end of slavery in the US; how switching up your routine can make you happier; and the grammar behind why Americans don’t say “maths” and do say “LEGOs.”
Learn about Juneteenth, the oldest celebration of the end of slavery in the US; how switching up your routine can make you happier; and the grammar behind why Americans don’t say “maths” and do say “LEGOs.”
Juneteenth, the oldest celebration of the end of slavery by Ashley Hamer
New and diverse experiences are linked to greater happiness (so switch it up!) by Kelsey Donk
Why did America take the s off of maths (and put it on LEGOs) by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Randy)
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/juneteenths-origins-change-your-routine-to-be-happier-and-why-americans-dont-say-maths
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about Juneteenth, the oldest celebration of the end of slavery in the US; and how switching up your routine can make you happier. We’ll also answer a listener question about why Americans don’t say “maths” and do say “LEGOs.”
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Today is June 19th, also known as Juneteenth: the oldest known US celebration of the end of slavery. But the date it commemorates is actually two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s famous Emancipation Proclamation that should have abolished slavery. So what took so long? There are a few explanations, but one thing’s for sure: the end of slavery was a long, complicated, and violent process. But in the end, it’s something to celebrate.
On June 19th, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and his Union Troops landed at Galveston, Texas and announced that the Civil War was over and that all slaves were free. Reactions from those newly free people ranged from absolute shock to utter jubilation. But by this time, not only was the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years old, but nearly 200,000 free black men had joined the Union Army in the meantime. You know, because slavery was over.
But that wasn’t the case for slaves in Texas. Since the capture of New Orleans in 1862, slave owners in surrounding areas had begun migrating to Texas to escape the Union Army. They migrated so far that there weren’t enough Union soldiers around to enforce the law, so slaveowners continued business as usual. It’s possible they just didn’t know that slavery had been abolished — news traveled slowly back then, and some say the messenger tasked with delivering the news was murdered on the way there. But it’s also possible they knew and just held out until the Union Army came to enforce the law.
But either way, on that fateful day two and a half years late, the last slaves in the United States were informed of their freedom. Even that wasn’t an overnight success — those who left their captors often faced the threat of violence, and worse. That’s why it’s so remarkable that one year later, the newly freed black men and women of Texas created their own holiday: Juneteenth, a combination of the words “June” and “19th.” The annual celebration was a time for gathering lost family members, reassuring one another, and measuring their progress toward full freedom. Attendees would read from the Emancipation Proclamation and give religious sermons, eat delicious barbecue, and play games.
Today, 46 U.S. states recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday, and many cities hold large gatherings in parks and city centers to celebrate. A resolution to make it a national holiday has even passed in the Senate, but it has yet to pass in the House. Today, give a thought to the slaves who had to wait an extra two and a half years for freedom. Setting the future in the right direction doesn’t happen overnight, but when it happens, it’s time to celebrate.
Right now, the world is at various states of lockdown. Some people, like us, are mostly confined to their homes; others are either required to go to work or free to go where they please. If you’re stuck at home repeating the same routine day in and day out, a new study has a good reminder for you: experiencing something new can make you happier.
Now, this might sound a little obvious. They don’t say “variety is the spice of life” for nothing! But while tons of studies have shown the benefits of new and diverse experiences for animals, zero studies have looked at whether novelty in the real world makes humans any happier.
To figure that out, researchers made use of GPS tracking and text messaging. They tracked the locations of participants in New York and Miami for three to four months and sent them periodic questions about their emotions via text.
And yeah! They found that on days when people changed their routines, they felt better. When they traveled around to multiple locations and spent about the same amount of time in each place, the participants said they felt happier, more excited, stronger, and more relaxed. When the team analyzed the GPS data alongside each location’s sociodemographics — like the population density, the characteristics of the residents, and the types of businesses — they found that it wasn’t just new locations but new environments that were linked to this mood boost. And the bigger the boost, the more likely people were to change up their routine in the future, leading to an “upward spiral” of good feels.
So if you want to feel better during lockdown, it might be worth changing your routine a little bit.
Now, we’re not saying you should be unsafe during the coronavirus pandemic — follow the rules laid out by your state and local government, please. This research was done before COVID-19 began to spread, and the researchers realize that saying “change up your experiences!” is easier said than done right now. But they stress that even small changes in routine could have benefits. Maybe start a new at-home exercise routine, try a new recipe, walk somewhere you’ve never been, or take a new route to the grocery store. Each of those changes could make you happier.
We got a listener question on our studio line! Let’s hear it.
["Hi, my name is Randy, I'm calling from Columbus, Ohio, and I listen every morning on my Google Home! My question is, why did America take the s off of maths and put it on LEGOs?"]
This question made me laugh out loud. In case you couldn’t make it out, Randy asked “Why did America take the s off of maths and put it on LEGOs?" To put it plainly, there are some bizarre differences in the way Americans and Brits form plurals.
Let’s start with math, as we say in the US and Canada, or “maths,” as they say in the UK and Australia. This word is an abbreviation of “mathematics,” which is why some say that “maths” is the right way to say it: mathematics is plural, so you should make the abbreviation plural too! But while “s” is often used to make a noun plural, that’s not its only use — and that’s not its use in “mathematics”, either. Instead, it’s being used as a noun marker, like in “gymnastics” or “economics.” You don’t say you have “econs homework,” you say “econ homework.” Likewise, Brits don’t say “Maths are fun,” they say “Maths is fun.” That’s because it’s not. plural. And just to put the final nail in the maths coffin: Americans didn’t take the s off of maths; British speakers added it. “Math” first appeared in America in the early 1800s; the British “maths” didn’t show up until 1911.
That brings us to LEGO. In general, Americans speakers play with Legos and step on a Lego, and British speakers play with Lego and step on a Lego brick. Officially, the LEGO company says, quote, “LEGO is always an adjective. So LEGO bricks, LEGO elements, LEGO sets, etc. Never, ever ‘legos.’” But a lot of companies say stuff like that. If we followed this rule every time, we’d be saying “Kleenex Tissue” and “iPad Pro devices” and “Jacuzzi whirlpool baths.”
Really, this difference comes down to our different approaches with so-called “count nouns” and “mass nouns.” Count nouns refer to things you can count, like “noodles” or “oats,” while mass nouns refer to things you don’t, like “rice” and “oatmeal.” This rule isn’t very precise, which leaves a big opening for cultural influence. In the US, we use countable nouns to make “mashed potatoes” and “scrambled eggs”; in the UK, they dine on the mass nouns of “mashed potato” and “scrambled egg.” In the US, you pay your taxes, in the UK, you pay your tax. It’s the opposite with other words: It’s “sports” in the US and “sport” in the UK, Australia, and Canada.
Why do we have these differences? Culture, habit, and preference. Worrying about what’s “correct” ignores the fact that language is a tool that evolves with a speaker’s needs. Both versions of English serve a purpose. You say “potato,” I say “potatoes” - let’s call the whole thing off. Thanks for your question! If you have a question, send it into podcast at curiosity dot com or leave us a voicemail at 312-596-5208.
CODY: Before we recap what we learned today, here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll hear next week on Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Next week, you’ll learn about how lockdown is changing our perception of time;
Why the most devastating meteor on record may have never even landed;
Where seedless fruit comes from;
How virtual therapy can be just as effective as in-person therapy;
And more! Okay, so now, let’s recap what we learned today.
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Today’s stories were written by Ashley Hamer and Kelsey Donk, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Today’s episode was produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Have a great weekend, and join us again Monday to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!