Gospel #1

Though not nearly as entertaining as Brenda, "The Phrase Finder" helped me paraphrase one of the facts my mom had for me today. In the future I will try to capture facts in her words. Until then...

"Did you know..."
Mercury used to be used in the making of hats. This was known to have affected the nervous systems of hatters, causing them to tremble and appear insane. The use of mercury compounds in 19th century hat making and the resulting effects are well-established - mercury poisoning is still known today as 'Mad Hatter's disease'. That could be enough to convince us that this is the source of the phrase. The circumstantial evidence is rather against the millinery origin though and, beyond the fact that hatters often suffered trembling fits, there's little to link hat making to the coining of 'as mad as a hatter'.

The day it begins...

Welcome to The Gospel According to Brenda!

I've been threatening my mom with this Blog for several weeks now and wishing for YEARS there was some way of documenting "Brenda facts." Finally, technology is working in my favor and despite my irritation with the Blog-world, I'm taking advantage in order to put my money where my mouth is and publish "The Gospel According to Brenda."

Now, a little more background...
In case this is new to you, my mom is famous for her random thoughts, emails, and phone calls which often include what she's learned that day (from the paper, radio (aka NPR), friends, etc.). I am certain if you're reading this blog, you've heard a fact or two from Brenda. If she actually remembered everything she told me, she be brilliant; I mean, MORE brilliant.

I hope to post on The Gospel as often as I get material. Stay tuned... You're guaranteed to learn something or at least get a good laugh in.