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[A91]A Short History Of England

by Ron, Ron

To satisfy my curiosity I did some piggy bank research and have learned some interesting things and thought I'd share them with you.

As you well know, many, particularly ceramic, piggy banks do not have an opening to remove the money. Now why is that? The theory goes that this is to serve as a lesson in finances for children. The piggy bank enables a child to save his money but forces him to justify its spending as in order to access the money he needs to break his piggy bank. This lesson seems to have been forgotten by many adults! Maybe we should keep a piggy bank in our front foyer and deposit our loose change as we come home each day! I digress?

The question still remains, why is it called a piggy bank and why is it in the shape of a pig?

One theory is that just as it was common to purchase a piglet and feed it with scraps until it was finally ready for slaughter, so too we feed our piggy bank with small change (?scraps?) until it is full and then break it to reap the rewards of our investment. According to this, the piggy bank would also be appropriate for adults.

A more popular theory is that, in fact, the original piggy bank had absolutely nothing to do with a pig! In the Middle Ages, when metal was expensive, an inexpensive, orange colored clay, called pygg, was the common media for making pots and jars, and was referred to as a pygg jar, for example. One of these jars was often used to hold coins. Eventually, the pygg jar or pygg bank used for coins, surely accidentally, became known as a pig bank or piggy bank! The general consensus is that this evolution transpired a few hundred years ago in England when crafters were hired to make pygg banks and not being familiar with pygg they made pig shaped banks.

The oldest recorded piggy bank in the shape of a pig is claimed to be 1500 years old from Indonesia. If this is so, it precedes the pygg theory by around 1000 years! Perhaps there was some connection between the pig and saving money in that culture but it seems to have not influenced Western culture, where the modern piggy bank only evolved from pygg clay just a few hundred years ago.

Understandably, the piggy bank is not popular in all cultures. The pig is considered an impure animal according to the Old Testament and hence is not owned, eaten nor benefited by Jews. Similarly, Islam forbids the eating of pork due to being impure. Hence, one would not expect to find too many piggy banks in Muslim countries and in homes of those of the Jewish and Islam faiths.

The modern piggy bank, whether made from ceramics, plastic, beads or metal, has been a very popular collector's item and gift for children due to its appealing and humorous appearance. In addition to the smile or chuckle we experience each time we drop some change into our piggy bank let us be reminded by the lesson it teaches us!

The history of the American Pit Bull Terrier varies depending on what source you choose to cite. Some believe that it dates back to the time of the Roman's and the Molossian family of Dog. The Molossus as it was commonly called is believed to be the direct relative of today's Mastiff breeds of dogs.

Most sources seem to agree that the Pit bull can trace its relatives to the English and Scottish Bull dog types used in the sport of Bull Baiting. Bull Baiting became a popular sport in England during the 15th and 16th century. Bull Baiting was effectively a sport where dogs were sent in to immobilize a bull, some even believed the sport caused the meat of the bull to be more tender. By the 16th Century just about every town in England had a Bull Baiting ring. At one time in England, it was even illegal to sell the meat of Bull that was not Baited in the Ring.

Due to the popularity of Dog Sporting events (however, cruel) during this time, the sport of Ratting and Dog fighting was started. It is presumed that the sport was popular because it gave people of low means another possible way of providing for there families. The sport of ratting was where a Dog was placed in a Pit with Rats, the dog would kill as many as possible during a set period of time. The dog who killed the most won. It is this sport that is believed to be the reason why the Bull dogs and terriers of England were mixed, attempting to combine the strength of the bull dog with the gameness of the terrier. It is believed that the "pit" in pit bull comes from the ratting pit.

In 1835 the sport of Bull Baiting and Dog Fighting, were made illegal under English Law. However, due to the ease of concealing Dog Fights, it is believed that Dog Fighting continued for the most part un-restricted in many parts of England. This increased the Popularity of the Ratting sport.

When the English and Irish immigrants came to America, they brought there dogs with them. One of the most popular being the close relative of the Modern day American Pit Bull Terrier. Unfortunately dog fighting continued to be popular in America through the 19th century. In addition to dog fighting the Pit Bull continued to get a name for itself by being a very versatile all-purpose dog. Known to be able to Herd sheep and Cattle, the pit bull found a home with many early settlers of America.

In 1884 the American Kennel Club was formed for the purpose of promoting purebred dogs and their owners. Unfortunately, due to the illegal nature of Dog Fighting, the American Kennel Club, refused to accept the Pit Bull Terrier as a full blood breed. This is why in 1898 the United Kennel Club was formed, with the goal to certify dogs that were uncertifiable by the AKC, the first breed of dogs recognized by the UKC was the "American Pit Bull Terrier".

To add to the confusion of the breed the AKC decided in 1936 to recognize the American Pit Bull Terrier but under a different name, the Staffordshire Terrier, named after the area in England where they suspected the original crossbreeding took place. Later the term American was added to the Staffordshire Terrier in order to avoid confusion with the smaller cousin being raised in England.

The American Staffordshire Terrier, or the Amstaff, has had different blood lines from the UKC American Pit Bull Terrier, since 1936. However, it is possible for a AKC Amstaff to be double registered as a AKC Amstaff and as a UKC Pit bull, it is not possible for a dog that was originally titled a UKC Pit bull to be recognized by the AKC as a Amstaff. Thus adding to the confusion, it is however commonly accepted that the Amstaff and the APBT share a common ancestry, however the Amstaff today appear to look the same however, tends to be on average 10 pounds or so lighter than the APBT. This likely happened because UKC breeders continued to breed a dog suitable for working dog competitions, where as the Amstaff was and is breed to be more of a show dog.

Article Source : holistic herbal remedies

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Both Ron & Dave Russell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Ron has sinced written about articles on various topics from Alternative Medicine, Finances and Property Investment. Ron Askotzky is co-founder of Wow! Imports, online retailers of unique, handmade decor, gifts and collectibles, many of which are earth friendly or made by disadvantaged artisans such as African bead and wire art, tagua nut carvings from the rainforest an. Ron's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.

Dave Russell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Bull Terrier Dogs, Alternative Medicine and Food And Drink. Dave Russell is an advocate for the American Pit Bull Terrier breed commonly known as . He continually tries to educate people about this great breed.. Dave Russell's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.