A Queen and her King Consort; a President and a First Lady. One in the UK, one in America. They shaped the world as we know it, and did it all hand in hand. — Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! To celebrate love, I’m sharing the story of these inspiring power couples; who were not just soulmates, but also team-mates in reaching their ambitious goals. The Royals: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

In French vierge- spelled with an i- means virgin. On the other hand, verge- like the name of the place, officially means rod or staff —…

The Jerusalem artichoke does not come from Israel. A tuber tasting sort of like a slightly sweet, nutty potato, the Jerusalem Artichoke grows is a species of sunflower native to central North America. A new world crop, it originated from nowhere near Jerusalem. Who to blame if you find it confusing: Italian Americans. Italian settlers in the United States called the plant girasole, the Italian word for sunflower…

On the 15th of January in Romania we celebrate the birthday of Mihai Eminescu, our most famous poet. Born in 1950, he is sort of like our Lord Byron, if you will. Think: loads of poems about the troubled genius capable only of impossible love for an ingenue muse who’s…

It all has to do with the Canary Islands.

One of the learned men who joined King Alfred the Great’s Court in the last decades of the 9th Century was named Werewolf.

From Napoleon to Winston Churchill to Teddy Roosevelt, the great men of history did not hold back, especially when it came to their closest collaborators. — When you’re an iconic world leader altering the course of history, the people you have to work with day in and day out may also be your bitterest rivals. It’s easy to imagine how such circumstances would make one quite tart-tongued indeed. Beyond the shock or entertainment value of a…

I’m back to Medium after a nearly two months break, and ready to entertain you with interesting etymologies.

Hi all, this is a very quick note to let you know that, after taking a break from Medium last month, mostly because of getting caught up…