Where do old sayings come from?

 My video about the origin of old sayings has reached 161,000 views

Sliced Bread

 Sliced bread went on sale in the USA in 1928. The first recorded use of the phrase ‘the best thing since sliced bread’ (or one just like it) was in 1952 when a comedian called Red Skelton said in a newspaper that television was ‘the greatest thing since sliced bread’.

Adverts for sliced bread said it was the greatest thing since wrapped bread (wrapped in waxed paper). So the best thing before sliced bread was wrapped bread.

Deep Wood

 When I was a child, I had a book called Deep Wood. It was about talking animals. One of them was a badger called Old Stipe. It also included an owl called Woo, Potter-the Otter, and Digger Mole. There was also a hedgehog who sold candles. I loved that book. I thought it was as good as Winnie the Pooh, but it never got anything like the same fame. It's a shame. It's also a mystery why some books are a big hit and others are not. 🦉Deep Wood was written by Trevor Elleston. It was published in 1945. 🦔

Sumptuary Laws

 On 19 January 1363, King Edward III introduced a sumptuary law. It laid down which types of cloth and fur each class could wear. The laws applied to the middle ranks of society, knights, merchants, and craftsmen. The king didn't want them to get ideas above their station and dress like nobles.

The law didn't mention the poor - since they couldn't afford expensive cloth anyway. Many more sumptuary laws were passed until the time of Elizabeth I in the late 16th century. Most people ignored them.

Medieval Women Doctors

 There were women doctors in the Middle Ages. In 1292 there were 8 registered women doctors in Paris (it was then a town of about 80,000 people). In 1311 women in France were forbidden to practice as surgeons unless they passed an examination in front of master surgeons.

Exeter

 I wrote a history of Exeter. It's a charming and historic town.

Timeline of Executions

 I wrote a timeline of executions