Fun and/or Interesting
Interesting: The Origin of “OK
The initials “OK” debuted in print 183 years ago, beginning the rise of one of the world’s most recognized words. Charles Gordon Greene, editor of The Boston Morning Post, likely authored the satirical piece that included this newly minted expression. In the late 1830s, writers often entertained themselves by abbreviating misspelled words and adopting them as slang. For example, “no use” became “know yuse,” which was then shortened to “KY.” At the Post, “all correct” was recast as “oll korrect,” hence the acronym “OK.”
Three days after its first appearance, “OK” found its way into the newspaper again. And by the year’s end, several publications had utilized the phrase. But “OK” really gained popularity ahead of the 1840 presidential election. Backers of incumbent Martin Van Buren began calling themselves “the OK Club” and instructing voters to “Vote for OK” – referencing the Kinderhook, New York-born candidate’s nickname, “Old Kinderhook.” Meanwhile, challenger William Henry Harrison got a boost when a newspaper editor insinuated that Van Buren’s mentor and predecessor, Andrew Jackson, struggled with syntax and signed his presidential papers “OK” because he thought “ole kurrek” was the actual spelling of “all correct.” Harrison won the presidency.