Never
heard of it? You may have heard of the countries involved: England
and Spain.
How
did a war get such a weird name?
Well,
first of all, you must understand that England and Spain fought quite
a few wars. They fought over religious differences, piracy and
dominance of the oceans, and competition for new lands. They fought
because of shifting alliances with other nations and plotting between
various kings and queens.
Basically,
any old excuse would do!
In
this case, they fought because a master mariner named Robert Jenkins
walked into England's Parliament and complained that he had been attacked
by Spanish pirates. Exhibit 1 was his own disfigured head, and
Exhibit 2 was the ear that had been been cut off—and that he had
pickled!
Strangely
enough, his complaint came SEVEN YEARS after the attack, which was on
this date in 1731!
Why
the delay before reporting the atrocity? Nobody is sure. Why had Jenkins been carrying around his pickled ear all these years? Again,
no one knows. Nevertheless, England declared war on Spain and fought
for years—supposedly over an ear!
Learn
more about this war at How Stuff Works.
Did
you know...?
Two
other famous loss-of-ear incidents include the time that boxer Mike Tyson
bit off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a bout, and the time
that Vincent van Gogh cut off part of his own ear (or, some
historians theorize, his friend Paul Gauguin, another famous painter,
cut off the ear in a fight).
Trust
me, nobody is going to attack your ear—these incidents RARELY
happen. But people accidentally hurt their ears or hearing all the time! You can take care of your ears by following these tips:
- Don't put things into your ear canal. Even poking around with cotton swabs can harm your ears. If you think you have too much earwax, dirt, or anything else in your ear, ask for appropriate help—a parent, a doctor, a nurse.
- Don't listen to loud music—especially with earphones/earbuds.
- Dry your ears with a towel, and shake out water, after swimming. If you get swimmer's ear—an itchy or painful infection—seek medical attention.
Wear
a hat, or put sunscreen on the top of your ears, when you are outdoors
in bright sunlight. Wear a hat or ear muffs when you are outdoors in
very cold weather.
- Wear earplugs or noise-canceling headphones if you have to be somewhere very noisy.
- When flying, yawn frequently as the plane takes off or lands. Or chew gum during ascent and descent.
Gary G. Matthews has an illustrated
page that allows us to see what happens inside our ears as we hear
different sounds. (Click "Play with sound.")
If
you like to learn through cute-but-a-bit-corny videos, check out
Study Jams's offering
on ears.
Also,
Plan Ahead:
Next
Tuesday is One Day Without Shoes. Take a peek at this motivating video to see what the day is all about.
Also
on this date:
(A.K.A.)
Finnish Language Day
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