were did graffiti originate from?
102451
Graffiti was used primarily by political activists to make statements and street gangs to mark territory. It wasn't till the late 1960s that writing's current identity started to form.The history of the underground art movement known by many names, most commonly termed graffiti begins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the mid to late '60s and is rooted in bombing. The writers who are credited with the first conscious bombing effort are CORNBREAD and COOL EARL. They wrote their names all over the city gaining attention from the community and local press. It is unclear whether this concept made its way to New York City via deliberate efforts or if was a spontaneous occurrence.\n\nI HOPE THIS HELPS ALITTLE.\n\nFROM AN REFORMED TAGGER :)
1072287
One possible origin for the phrase is an incident said to have taken place during the siege of the Alamo in 1836, when William Barret Travis drew a line in the sand with his sword and urged those willing to stay and defend the fort to step across it. Unfortunately, this heroic story seems to have been invented by a 19th century promoter long after the fall of the Alamo. But the myth itself probably greatly popularized the phrase, so it does count as an origin of sorts even if the incident itself was apocryphal. \n\nAnother possible origin dates back to the time of the Roman Empire. It seems that one of the Macedonian kings, a bit short of cash, decided to invade Egypt, then a Roman protectorate. His army was met at the border by a lone Roman senator named Popillius Laenas, who ordered the king to withdraw. The king began to stall for time, so Popillius Laenas drew a circle in the sand around the king and demanded that the king agree to withdraw his army before he stepped out of the circle. The king, apparently impressed by the senator's nerve (or, more likely, by the Roman Empire in general), withdrew. Incidentally, not only is this account verified by contemporary historians, but it also may be the only known instance of a line drawn in the sand actually stopping someone.
148291
The origin of this phrase lies in the fact that the Queen spends so much time going around to grand openings of new buildings and sites that she smells nothing but fresh paint.  Another way I've heard it used is to say that "The Queen thinks that all toilets (bathrooms) smell like fresh paint."  It could be used as a way of showing how out of touch the royals are with reality, or as an analogy of how someone may have misinterpreted a situation by reading his or her limited experience into a much more complicated issue.  Hope this helps!
795104
No. where did you get that from?
283157
I read somewhere that Grace Hopper's ancestors had served in the American Revolutionary War. Therefore they must have originated from the United States.
598526
The symbol is generally thought to originate from the Latin quaestio, meaning "question," which was abbreviated to Qo. The uppercase Q was written above the lowercase o, and this mark was transformed into the modern symbol. Another hypothesis about the origin of the question mark proposes that the mark originated in the 9th century, when it appeared as a point followed by the curvy bit written slanted (similar to the tilde, although the tilde was tilted more upward to the right). The point has always indicated the end of a sentence. The curved line represented the intonation pattern of a spoken question, and may be associated with a kind of early musical notation, like neumes. \n\nit is also said the curve represents a raised eyebrow!?!?!?
1078034
It started around WW2 actually.  There are some propaganda cartoons out there on the net that would make anyone blush.
339187
I have no clue but as long as we are on the pushing subject, where did pushing up the daisies come from??? hmmm
57650
I believe they came from cartoons drawn in the 19th Century by a prominent artist, Thomas Nast.
439156
Not sure who came up with abbreviations, but they were used since the beginning of time as inscriptions and more readily used by ancient and medieval scribes writing in Latin.
939154
There is a madsci article about this question at: http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/feb98/888691550.Ph.r.html\n\nHope that helps...the site discusses the hypothesized origins...
251142
According to AskOxford, the "origin [is] perhaps related to Dutch kolf ‘club, bat’.
74908
Nowadays there are plenty of graffiti artists, some good, some ugly. Back in the stone-age when paper was a rarity, someone started scribbling something. Later on in the day (he) went out to play with all the other boys but discovered what a loser he was when no one would ever pick him to be on their soccer team so, he was stuck to be at home to do the dishes and other girlie things.\n\nYou can imagine what his thoughts turned to and while living in an age of free speech, he started venting and spewing his wrath. Everything he wrote appealed to all the other kids on the island of unwanted toys and with nothing to lose, they were easily persuaded to go to heaven if they became suicide bombers.
406461
where did u get that from...???
12418
"While it may be reckless speculation to claim a certain symbolic meaning as the original intent of an artist working in the Dark Ages, we should not dismiss that an artist working in our own times intends a symbolic message in the same type of design and that that meaning is valid in context.  The problems that occur are a result of there being very little consensus among artists about Celtic symbolism and the perception that the symbolism suggested has been gleaned from an ancient source.  The naive believer hopes that the symbolism offered by a modern artist or craftsman is an authentic legacy from the past.  The skeptic thinks this is very unlikely and considers it fanciful fakery."\n\nMore info at the link below.
357101
some are probably painted but most are decals
1156845
I think it actually came from the song. Was created specifically to go along with it. The origin of the dance is actually in dispute right now. See link below.