00:00How many times have you seen this?
00:01You're at the dinner table, and someone accidentally knocks over the salt shaker.
00:06Then, in a panic, they take a pinch of salt and fling it over their shoulder.
00:11Whew! Disaster averted.
00:13So have you always wondered why we throw salt over our shoulder after spilling it?
00:18For the answer, we go back thousands of years to a time when salt was rare and extremely valuable.
00:25Historically speaking, salt was the original Bitcoin.
00:28In early history, it was even used as currency.
00:31So when you spilled salt, you weren't just being clumsy, you were wasting something precious.
00:36And here's the kicker, opening the door to bad luck.
00:40So according to ancient superstition, throwing salt over your left shoulder would blind the devil and thwart his efforts.
00:46And for an idea of just how deeply rooted this custom is in our culture,
00:50we look to da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper, where Judas is depicted knocking over a salt container.
00:56Always wondered. Stream it now, wherever you get your podcasts.
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