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22 | LIFE IN SOLERA | SEPTEMBER 2024 | This & That By the Solera Ghostwriter Noah Webster Noah Webster, the creator of the first ever American dictionary, learned 26 languages so that he could understand and research the origins of his own country's tongue in order to write it. Why are traffic lights red, yellow yellow and green? The first traffic light was invented around 1912 by Lester Farnsworth Wire, who was then head of the traffic division of the Salt Lake City Police Department. His light contained only two lamps, one red and one green. These were colors he took from lights then in use on seagoing vessels and railroad signals where they meant stop and go as they do now. Red has often been the color chosen when the goal was to attract attention, since red, more than any other color, heightens nervous tension in people. Green on the other hand, has a neutral effect on human emotions, so it was natural to use it to indicate an "okay to proceed" condition. When it was decided to add a caution lamp to the traffic light, yellow was chosen because, other than white, it was the color most distinguishable from red and green. White, of course, was not desired since it could be confused with the many other white lights – such as streetlights – that might be near the traffic light. Why some animal's eyes glow in the dark? What scares you? Nocturnal animals can see well at night partly because of a white compound called guanine in the retina. This substance provides a mirrorlike surface that reflects incoming light back toward the front, giving the animal's eyes a second chance to absorb light images. This reflected light is what makes an animal's eyes appear to glow in the dark. Hearts, Spades, Clubs, and Diamonds? Although playing cards originated in China many centuries ago, in their present form they go back only to 14th-century France. It has been suggested that the four standard suits represent the four major classes of 14th-century French society. Hearts (shaped like shield) represented the nobility and the churches, spades (shaped like a spear tip) represented the military, clubs (shaped like a clover) represented the rural peasant, and diamonds (shaped like the tiles associated with merchants' shops) represented the middle class. Pinky Swear The "pinky swear" came from Japan and indicated that if someone broke the promise, they must cut off their pinky. Cherophobia is the fear of being happy or joyful with the expectation that something bad will happen. Trypophobia is the fear of holes. Anutptaphobia is the fear of either remaining unmarried or marrying the wrong person.