What are some of the most interesting little-known things?

The Unlikely Tale of a Letter Called "Thorn"

Our story begins with Old English. This language was graced with a wonderful letter we lack in our time. Its name was "thorn."

Yes, thorn is pronounced "th." I don't know what you were thinking.

Nowadays (and bear with me for a moment), most people have seen old-style shops with signs like this:

People usually take these Medieval signs for granted. But have you ever wondered where the "Ye" in "Ye Olde" comes from?

It turns out that over the ages, thorn began to be written more like a "P" and then more like a "Y." So "Ye Old Shoppe" isn't pronounced the way your mind reads it at all.

That's right. Since the "Y" makes a "th" sound, the "Ye" is actually a "The" in disguise.

You've been saying it wrong in your head all along.

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Alex Tamkin on Quora:

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