Reply With Quotelol cool fact of the day
In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters
carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It
was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. However, how to
prevent them from rolling about the deck? The best storage method
devised was a square-based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four
resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon
balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There
was only one problem...how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding or
rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a
"Monkey" with 16 round indentations.
However, if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly
rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make "Brass
Monkeys." Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and
much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature
dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the
iron cannonballs would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite
literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey."
lol cool fact of the day
And I always thought it was a drink.
Three parts malt liquor and one part Sunny Delight.
lol cool fact of the day
Not quite........ snopes is your friend (http://www.snopes.com/language/stories/brass.htm)
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