Word Origins

 

*UNMENTIONABLES

Toward the end of the eighteenth century it was impolite to mention the words trousers or breeches. Since it was obviously necessary at times to refer to these ubiquitous garments, various euphemistic terms were coined for the purpose, and trousers became inexpressibles, inexplicables, ineffables, or unmentionables. Later, when trousers regained their standing in polite society, it was shameful to talk about undergarments, especially women's undergarments, and these became unmentionables. By the end of the twentieth century, advertising began removing all traces of anything unmentionable.

Note: Shown above is a 1928 advertisement for the Cooper Underwear Company. Today it is better known as Jockey.

*Inspired by Charles Funk (1881–1957)

Last Lunar Footsteps

On this day in 1972, the Ascent Stage of the Apollo 17 Lunar Module Challenger lifted off from the landing site in the Taurus-Littrow Valley, The Moon. Onboard were Mission Commander Eugene A. Cernan (above) and the LM Pilot, Harrison H. Schmitt. The Command Module was piloted by Ronald Evans. Cernan and Schmitt had been on the surface of the Moon for 3 days, 2 hours, 59 minutes, 40 seconds. During that time they made three excursions outside the lunar lander, totaling 22 hours, 3 minutes 57 seconds. Apollo 17 was the last manned mission to the Moon in the Twentieth Century with Cernan as the last man to stand on the surface of the Moon. Apollo 17 was the first mission to have no one on board who had been a test pilot. X-15 test pilot Joe Engle lost the lunar module pilot assignment to Schmitt, a geologist.

More details at Apollo 17