19 Interesting Facts About Tattoos. Some May Surprise You
● The term "tattoo" comes from the Tahitian word "TATA," which means "drawing." The concept entered scientific circulation thanks to the famous British explorer James Cook, who used it in his report on his circumnavigation in 1773.
● The oldest tattoos are considered to be those found on the body of the Similaun Man (Ötzi the Iceman). The mummy was found in 1991 in the Tyrolean Alps. It is about 5,300 years old. The Similaun Man's body has a total of 57 tattoos.
● Many American sailors tattoo images of turtles on their bodies, indicating that the tattooed person has crossed the equator. Such a tattoo adorned the shoulder of John F. Kennedy, who served in the Navy. However, he later had it removed at his wife's request.
● British Prime Minister Winston Churchill also had a tattoo—an anchor. Moreover, even members of the royal family had tattoos, the first of whom was Prince Edward, who had a cross tattooed on his arm. Prince Charles also had a tattoo, but he had it removed before his wedding to Lady Diana.
● The Christian church is quite tolerant of tattoos. In the 16th-19th centuries, missionary priests even tattooed crosses on the bodies of newly converted indigenous peoples. Today, there are about 100 official Christian tattoo organizations where believers can have quotes from the Bible, portraits of saints, crucifixions, and much more tattooed on their bodies. Interestingly, such tattoos can even be blessed!
● Japanese geishas provided their lovers with 5 canonical "proofs of love": cutting hair, cutting nails, a vow of eternal love, tattooing, and... amputation of the little finger!
● In the United States, there is a widespread myth about a draft dodger's mark. To avoid military service and deployment to Vietnam, a guy tattooed two derogatory words on the edge of his right hand. Since this vulgarity was clearly visible during the military salute, the prankster was not drafted into the army.
● Tom Leppard, who lives on the Scottish island of Skye, covered 99.3% of his body with tattoos. His body art imitates leopard spots. The spaces between his fingers and the inner part of his earlobes are the only places on Leppard's body free from tattoos.
● Victoria Beckham got tattoos with the names of her husband and children right on her backside. David Beckham also placed his wife's name on his body: "Victoria" is adorned on the footballer's left arm in Hindi. Interestingly, a tattoo artist, not well-versed in this language, made a mistake by adding an extra letter in the middle of the word. It was never corrected.
● The most tattooed woman in the world is considered to be Canadian stripper Krystyne Kolorful, whose body is covered with tattoos on 95% of its surface.
● American George Reiger tattoos images of Disney cartoon characters on his body. He has The Little Mermaid and her friends on his stomach, Aladdin on his chest, and 101 Dalmatians in his groin area. In total, Reiger has over 500 "toons" tattooed on his body. As George himself claims, another 100, and his collection will be complete.
● The famous tattoo artist Piki Tattoo once told a story about a father who came to him with his daughter and asked to tattoo on her shoulder the inscription "If found, please return to the address ... for a reward" because the girl kept getting lost in the city.
● Fatefully, one of Napoleon's marshals, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, became the King of Sweden. After his death, while preparing for the funeral, a tattooed inscription "Death to Kings!" was found on the monarch's arm.
● The most expensive tattoo in the world is a drawing made of 612 five-carat diamonds by Shimansky Ideal Cut. Such a tattoo cost its wearer $924,000.
● It turns out that tattoos can also be applied to the eyeballs. In the 19th century, this procedure was used to correct vision. Moreover, it's possible to change the color of the eyeball by injecting dye into it using a regular syringe.
● In the 1960s, in many states of the USA, tattoos were prohibited. This ban was introduced to somehow curb the spread of hepatitis among the population. Nowadays, tattooing is officially allowed in all states without exception.
● Tattoos could serve as a means of oppression. In ancient Rome, tattoos marked domestic slaves. In ancient China and medieval Japan, they were applied to the faces of criminals and prisoners of war. Spanish conquistadors tattooed the bodies of slaves from among the indigenous population of America. During World War I, deserters from the British army were tattooed with the letter "D" in Latin. In Nazi concentration camps, slaves were given personal numbers tattooed on their bodies.
● Every German soldier who served in the SS divisions tattooed under his armpit his blood type and Rh factor. Thanks to this, the Allies easily identified the SS men among the general mass of prisoners of war. An interesting fact: the "SS" fashion for tattoos with blood type under the armpit was widespread among Soviet soldiers during the war in Afghanistan.
● Until the year 500 in Japan, tattoos were an excellent feature of members of the imperial family. The Emperor himself usually wore a chrysanthemum tattoo on his body. Later, the art of tattooing became available to the lower classes of Japanese society, but very soon, body tattoos became a distinctive feature of criminals, especially the Yakuza. Interesting fact: in modern Japan, the public display of Yakuza tattoos is punishable by imprisonment. However, there is an exception: Yakuza are allowed to show their tattoos during Shinto religious ceremonies, in which they always willingly participate.
