Good Questions: Movie Trailers, Easter Eggs, Strikeouts
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Every Friday, we tackle a bunch of viewers' burning questions. This week, Heather Brown explores how movie trailers got their name, the origins of the Easter Bunny, and the scorekeeping symbol for "strikeout."
DeEtt from Minneapolis asks: If trailers are shown before movies, why are they called trailers?
The first trailer was shown in 1912. Back then, you could stay in the theater as long as you wanted because movies were shown in a loop. Theaters would play trailers after the movie to separate the shows.
But in the 1930s, the studios figured out what seems pretty obvious now: more people will watch if you play those trailers before and the name just stuck.
Gary from Eaton wants to know: Why does the Easter bunny hide eggs?
Eggs were an ancient symbol of fertility. Cracking an egg is considered a sign of new life and represents Jesus' resurrection. In fact, people used to dye eggs red to signify the blood of Christ.
Rick from Tracy asks: Why do we use the letter "K" for strikeout?
In the mid-1800s, sportswriter Henry Chadwick, who is credited with inventing the box score, came up with "K." He couldn't use "S" because he'd already used it for sacrifice. Back then, more people used the phrase "struck out" rather than "strike out," so he used the last letter of struck – "K."
