In the Middle Ages, most people didn’t sleep for eight uninterrupted hours like we do today. Instead, they had a “biphasic” sleep schedule, which means they had two sleep phases, one in the evening with a brief period of activity in the middle. For first sleep, the household typically slept from 9–11 p.m. They slept on one single straw mattress. Everyone — including children, parents, and visitors — huddled on one bed. Despite the lack of space, they tried to make it as comfortable as possible with complex sleeping arrangements. Touching, kicking, or any other restless activity was considered rude. Meanwhile, girls slept closest to the wall, followed by boys, guests, and parents. While they didn’t have alarm clocks back then, they had an internal clock that woke them up around midnight. Once they woke, they had plenty to do. They refueled the fire, did farmwork, and prayed. Often, people socialized with each other, but the busy schedules of farming families cut down on chatting time. After they went to bed for a second sleep, they’d wake up at dawn. Not everyone kept to the schedule. Young children slept all night unless they woke up to the commotion. Benedictine monks dozed at 7 p.m. and woke at 2 a.m. for prayer, staying awake until an afternoon nap. Still, most people followed the two- part sleep schedule, and medieval medicine even discussed how to do it properly. For example, medical texts recommended that they lie on their right side during the first sleep and switch to the left on the second sleep. It’s really not that weird — research suggests that biphasic sleep is quite natural and influenced more by lifestyle compatibility, which means the eight-hour schedule likely evolved as cultures industrialized. Our emphasis on uninterrupted slumber also coalesces with our invention of modern mattresses, and this may not be a coincidence. Sleeping is much more enjoyable if you lie down on a soft mattress than a bed of prickly straw.
Unusual Sleep Practices in the Middle Ages
THE 2 ACTS OF
MEDIEVAL SLUMBER
FROM SPAGHETTI TREES TO FLYING PENGUINS THE LEGENDARY PRANKS OF APRIL 1ST
April Fools' Day is a time when pranksters come alive, unleashing their most creative — and sometimes bewildering — pranks on unsuspecting victims. While the origins of the holiday remain relatively unknown, April Fools’ Day has been embraced worldwide, leading to some truly unforgettable moments throughout history. BBC’s Swiss Spaghetti Harvest One classic prank that remains a real kicker is the 1957 BBC report on Swiss farmers enjoying a particularly bountiful spaghetti harvest. The serious tone of the April 1 broadcast, complete with footage of people plucking spaghetti from trees, somehow convinced many viewers of this culinary phenomenon. The reality of spaghetti growing on trees, of course, was as fictional then as it is now, but the prank went down in history for its originality and the number of people it fooled. Taco Liberty Bell? Fast forward to April 1, 1996, when Taco Bell pulled a fast one on the American public by announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell. In their full-page ads in prominent newspapers, they claimed the iconic symbol of American independence would henceforth
be known as the "Taco Liberty Bell." The public's outrage quickly
turned to laughter when the fast-food chain revealed it was just an April Fools' joke!
Remarkable Flying Penguins
More recently, in 2008, the BBC struck again with a video report featuring flying penguins presented by ex-Monty Python star Terry Jones. The documentary-style footage showed these Antarctic birds taking to the skies in a majestic migration to the rainforests of South America. This whimsical wonder was, unsurprisingly, a digital trick, but it captured the imagination of viewers worldwide. These pranks share a common thread: They play on our willingness to believe the unbelievable, if only for a moment. April Fools' Day reminds us not to take life too seriously and that a little bit of silliness can be a delightful break from the norm!
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