Jamaica is a land full of history and all sorts of interesting things to learn and know. Here are just a dozen of these things:
1. This town clock’s tower was paid for by one of Jamaica’s German settlers and he designed it to look like a German (Prussian)soldier’s helmet.
Lucea.
2. Who said “I would rather die in yonder gallows than be a slave another day” ?
Sam Sharpe.
3. Where in Jamaica had piped water before New York City did?
Falmouth. A 20 foot water wheel was installed in 1799 on lands at Martha Brae, which was turned by the current of the stream and emptied about 100 gallons of water per revolution into a wooden trough approximately 20 feet elevation. A six-inch main carried the water for about a mile into a large tank in the town square of Falmouth. The town square is still called “Water Square” as a result.
4. What is the tea made from Love Bush good for?
Colic, asthma and “mirasmi.”
5. Who declared that he would ascend to heaven on December 31st and descend back to Jamaica on January 3rd?
Alexander Bedward.
6. You can burn these leaves to keep away duppy.
Croton. (aka Rosemary)
7. What animals, now died out, were brought to Jamaica in the 18th century to carry sugar?
Camels.
8. Why would you place a broom upside down behind a door in your house?
To make an unwanted guest go away
9. Solas Market became Jubilee Market. What was its name before that?
There are currently 4 main markets in Kingston : Jubilee, Queens, Redemption Ground and Coronation. Solas market was previously known as Chiggerfoot Market. Chiggers used to be a common complaint amongst slaves who rarely wore shoes. After emancipation, the term chiggerfoot eventually came to be applied to poor people. Several markets had this name, both in and outside of Kingston
10. What is the heart of a soursop said to cure?
Bed wetting.
11. The first commercially marketed oral contraceptive pills were derived from a species of this popular staple of the Jamaican
diet.
Yam
12. What do salt, limes, garlic cloves, a pair of scissors and wangla have in common ?
They can be used as guzu to guard against evil.