All in Invention
Why do we use ‘o’clock’ when telling the time? When mechanical clocks were first introduced in the 14th Century, the most common way to tell time was using a sundial - which often showed a different time than the mechanical clock. Saying ‘of the clock’ (later shortened to ‘o’clock’) let someone know which time you meant.
While most people might associate tea with the British, it was an American who invented the tea bag in 1908, and entirely by accident. New York tea merchant Thomas Sullivan, decided that it was cheaper to send small samples to potential customers in silk bags instead of boxes. Some assumed that the silk bags were supposed to be used in the same way as metal infusers, putting the entire bag into the pot rather than emptying the contents. Customers soon started specifically requesting more of Sullivan’s ‘tea bags’.
