Fact File #1

Samuel Pepys - "Cup" (1845)

Oh noble cup,

How I hold thee in front of me,

thy overfloweth with water - the essence of life,

and do lots of other stuff too and thats

The common cup. If there's one word you think of when you think of the cup, it's - yep, you're way ahead of me - it's versatility. From holding liquids, to holding other kinds of liquids (as long as they're non-corrosive), the cup can do it all.

Although its most common use today is for holding liquid, it can be a little hard to believe now, but when the cup was first invented in the late 15th century, it wasn't used for such things. It was mainly used for the alternatives listed above.

A controversial addition to the cup in the 19th century was that of the "handle", or "loop". Baffling Rocket Surgeons for one century(s), its purpose is still unclear, but its appearance on the typical commoner's common cup, common. The loop was at one time believed - by many - to be an anti-war symbol. Arguments over the significance of the loop flared up during the late 1930s. With Polish politicians believing the loop to represent a "loop", tempers were flared when Andrew Hitler of Germany disagreed, citing the aforementioned anti-war symbol theory as its true meaning. Andy's subsequent decision to decare war on The Polish Isles was pivotal to the outbreak of World Wars Part 2 - Andrew Strikes Back.

The cup is also famous for its ability to contain text (and sometimes pictures!) on its body. From "World's Greatest Dad" to "World's Stealthiest Rapist", the possibilities for words of any language (except Portuguese) to be displayed upon't are almost limitless.