[Grovenet] Fwd: Did you know

[AumaMarie at aol.com]

It was  necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the cannon 
on old war  ships. But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck 
was the problem.  The best storage method devised was to stack them as 
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/rolling from under the others. 


The  solution was a metal plate with 16 round indentations, called, for 
reasons  unknown, a  Monkey. But if this plate were made of iron, the 
iron balls  would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting 
problem was to make  them of brass - hence, 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 
cannon balls would come  right off the monkey. 


Thus, it was quite literally, cold enough to  freeze the balls off a 
brass monkey. And all this time, you thought that was  just a vulgar 
expression, didn't you? You must send this fabulous bit of  historical 
knowledge to at least a few uneducated friends. 


class  dismissed 



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