There are certain rhymes that follow us from childhood. Tunes like Jack and Jill, London Bridge Is Falling Down, and Three Blind Mice are easy to recite at a moments notice. But how did these popular nursery rhymes originate? The answer is often surprising if not disturbing.Take the rhyme about Humpty Dumpty, who is often depicted as an egg who falls off a wall. Though the origins of the Humpty Dumpty story are murky, some historians believe that it has to do with public drunkenness, while others think that its a reference to the English King Richard IIIs death.Meanwhile, the Muffin Man may have been a murderer, and London Bridge Is Falling Down might be about a torturous execution method. And though the backstories of many nursery rhymes remain mysterious, these ominous rumors show that jaunty tunes can hide the dark meanings of lyrics.King, Egg, Or Cannon? The Mystery Behind The Humpty Dumpty Nursery RhymeChristopher Wood/Wikimedia CommonsHumpty Dumpty is a well-known nursery rhyme, but its origins are something of a question mark.In Lewis Carrolls Through the Looking-Glass (1871), the character Alice encounters Humpty Dumpty as an egg. This image has stuck in our modern imagination, but Carroll was the first person to describe Humpty Dumpty that way. In the earliest iteration of the rhyme in 1797, it simply said:Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.Four-score Men and Four-score more,Could not make Humpty Dumpty where he was before.Theres no mention of an egg at all. So what does Humpty Dumpty mean?Historians have a couple of theories. The first is that the Humpty Dumpty rhyme is a cheeky ditty about public drunkenness. As History Daily notes, people in the 17th and 18th centuries used the term humpty dumpty to refer to someone who was overweight and clumsy, and a humpty dumpty was also an 18th-century drink made by boiling brandy and ale. Public DomainLewis Carroll was the first to describe Humpty Dumpty as an egg in 1871.But its also possible that the character of Humpty Dumpty is a reference to one of two events from English history. Some historians believe that Humpty Dumptys name refers to a cannon that was used during the English Civil War, which took place between 1642 and 1651. As the story goes, a cannon dubbed Humpty Dumpty fell off a wall in the city of Colchester, which was known to be loyal to the English king, and promptly shattered. The kings men couldnt put the cannon back together. Then again, the origins of the nursery rhyme could be even older. Some believe that the Humpty Dumpty rhyme is a reference to King Richard III of England, who reigned between 1483 and 1485. Humpty Dumpty may have been a cruel nickname for Richard, who allegedly had a hunched back. He was defeated by Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, during which Richard fell from his horse, which may have been named Wall.So the fictional egg falling from a wall might have actually represented a real-life monarch tumbling from his steed, irrevocably defeated.The Dark Potential Meaning Behind The Muffin Man Nursery RhymePublic DomainThe nursery rhyme about the Muffin Man might have a surprisingly dark meaning.At first glance, the Muffin Man seems like an uncontroversial figure. The nursery rhyme gives scant details, suggesting only his gender (man), occupation (muffin seller), and home address (Drury Lane). But an odd internet theory has recently suggested that the Muffin Man was a serial killer.This rumor has percolated in strange corners of the web in recent years, appearing in places like TikTok and Uncyclopedia, which is a parody of Wikipedia. There, its claimed that the Muffin Man was a 16th-century muffin seller and a vicious murderer named Frederick Thomas Lynwood.Lynwood allegedly used his muffin business to kill. These sources state that he would tie a muffin to a string, then lure an unsuspecting victim close enough for him to beat them to death with a spoon. Lynwood himself purportedly avoided arrest all his life, and died after choking on food.Public DomainSome have claimed that the Muffin Man was actually a 16th-century serial killer named Frederick Thomas Lynwood.But when it comes to nursery rhymes with secretly dark meanings, does this one stand up? Was the Muffin Man really a violent serial killer?According to Snopes, this claim is unproven.Theories about the Muffin Man being a serial killer are pure speculation. Though people on TikTok have claimed that Lynwood was Londons first known serial killer, that title actually belongs to Mary Ann Cotton, a Victorian woman who killed 11 of her children and three of her husbands to collect insurance payments. Rather, its most likely that the nursery rhyme about the Muffin Man is a simple reference to 19th-century food vendors. The tune was first documented in 1820, and around that time, Londoners often bought food from vendors on the street. They worked long hours and often had no kitchens, so it was easiest to pick up a muffin (which would have been more like an English muffin than a sweet American muffin) to eat. The post A Serial Killer, The Bubonic Plague, And Human Sacrifice: The Chilling Backstories Behind Seven Nursery Rhymes appeared first on All That's Interesting.

The Mob MuseumEnoch Nucky Johnson played a significant role in the development of Atlantic City, New Jersey, especially its vice industry.Atlantic City rose to popularity by becoming The Worlds Playground in the early 20th century. During the Prohibition era, prostitution, gambling, alcohol, and any and all other vices could be readily found in the New Jersey coastal town, provided guests had the money to pay for them. And thats largely thanks to one man: Enoch Nucky Johnson.Because of Johnson, Prohibition never really made it to Atlantic City. It was a place where people could go to drink away their troubles and gamble away their money which proved extremely lucrative for Johnson and the men in his circle.The wealth and influence Johnson acquired as a result of his bootlegging operations and casinos also gave him tight control over the political landscape of Atlantic City. Through bribery and favors, Johnson all but ran the local Republican machine and kept law enforcement and politicians alike in his pocket.And with the power he gained, Johnson went on to establish his Boardwalk Empire.Nucky Johnsons Early Life And Rise To PowerBorn Enoch Lewis Johnson on Jan. 20, 1883, Nucky Johnson was the son of Smith Johnson, an elected Sheriff in Atlantic County.In 1905, at the age of 19, Nucky derived from his first name, Enoch decided to follow in his fathers footsteps, becoming his undersheriff. In 1906, Johnson married his childhood sweetheart, Mabel Jeffries. For a time, he attended the New Jersey State Normal School (now the College of New Jersey) before abandoning his studies in favor of his political career. Then, Nucky Johnson, like his father before him, was elected Sheriff of Atlantic County in 1908. A year later, he was appointed to the position of executive secretary of the Atlantic County Republican Executive Committee. In 1911, Louis Commodore Kuehnle, then the head of the Atlantic City political machine, and several others were charged with corruption including Johnson. While Kuehnle was ultimately convicted and sent to prison, Johnson was acquitted, leaving him free to take over the citys Republican party. Wikimedia CommonsLouis Commodore Kuehnle.In 1914, Johnson took a position as county treasurer, which granted him unparalleled access to Atlantic Citys funds. He began to grow the local vice tourism industry, promoting prostitution and permitting the service of alcohol on Sundays, all the while accepting kickbacks and corrupted government contracts.Although he never ran for an elected political office, Nucky Johnsons money and city government influence meant he held a lot of sway in Atlantic City politics. He is credited with helping to get multiple New Jersey governors elected.By 1920, Johnson was already relying heavily on prostitution and gambling to drive the Atlantic City economy, making himself very rich in the process. But when Prohibition hit, Johnson saw an opportunity for Atlantic City and himself.How Prohibition Turned Atlantic City Into A Bootlegging EmpireAtlantic City rapidly became a major port for illegally importing alcohol on the East Coast, and it was largely thanks to Nucky Johnson and his bootlegging operations. Johnson was able to provide booze to speakeasies and clubs across the city, and before long, it became a national tourist destination for prostitution, gambling, and alcohol. Meanwhile, Johnson took a cut of every illegal activity that took place in Atlantic City, reportedly making over $500,000 a year in the process the equivalent of roughly $8 to 12 million today. And he used the wealth he accrued from the vice industry to exert even tighter control over the citys politics.But his reach extended far beyond the confines of New Jersey. As a prominent racketeer and criminal boss, he regularly did business with the Mafia, forming close ties to some of its leading members. And soon, he was exerting his influence over the mob, too.Following the bloody St. Valentines Day Massacre in the spring of 1929, Johnson reportedly hosted the historic Atlantic City Conference. During this meeting, organized crime leaders like Al Capone, Bugs Moran, Lucky Luciano, and Meyer Lansky gathered in Atlantic City to settle territory disputes, consolidate and regulate bootlegging operations throughout the country, and put an end to inter-gang violence. While much of what transpired during the conference remains a mystery, some historians say that the National Crime Syndicate was founded during these discussions.Wikimedia CommonsNucky Johnson and Al Capone on the Atlantic City boardwalk.The Fall Of Nucky JohnsonThe repeal of Prohibition brought new troubles for Nucky Johnson. Bootlegged alcohol, one of Atlantic Citys main sources of income, was no longer necessary. The Great Depression also took a toll on the citys tourism industry. Meanwhile, Johnson was facing increased scrutiny from the federal government. Johnson had never kept a particularly low profile.Known as the Czar of the Ritz, he rented out the entire ninth floor of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel as his home. He was fond of expensive clothing and regularly wore a red carnation as a boutonnire. His lavish parties, limousines, and other flamboyant displays of wealth drew attention and he also didnt put much effort into hiding how he had made his money.We have whiskey, wine, women, song, and slot machines, he once said of his beloved Atlantic City, according to the Mob Museum. I wont deny it and I wont apologize for it. If the majority of the people didnt want them they wouldnt be profitable and they would not exist. The fact that they do exist proves to me that the people want them.Eventually, the feds began to crack down on Atlantic City and the leaders of its vice industry.In 1939, Johnson was indicted for income tax evasion. He was sentenced to ten years in federal prison and fined $20,000. However, he served only four of those ten years before being paroled and reportedly avoided ever paying the fine by taking a paupers oath. Following his release, Nucky Johnson returned to Atlantic City and lived a quiet life in his final years, working as an oil company salesman. In 1968, he died peacefully in a nursing home at the age of 85.How Does Boardwalk Empire Compare To The Real Story Of Nucky Johnson?Nucky Johnson remains an American icon, instrumental to the creation of Atlantic City. Like many icons, his story has been retold and exaggerated through various fictional portrayals. Most famously, he inspired Steve Buscemis character, Nucky Thompson, in the popular HBO series Boardwalk Empire.Wikimedia Commons/HBOThe real-life Nucky Johnson (left) compared with Steve Buscemis Nucky Thompson from Boardwalk Empire.Like the real Johnson, Buscemis Nucky Thompson is a flamboyant casino kingpin and crime boss who uses his wealth and power to maintain total control over Atlantic City politics. However, the show as a whole is largely fictional, taking only loose inspiration from Nucky Johnsons life and embellishing aspects of it for dramatic effect.And while the series makes Nucky Thompson out to be a violent mobster willing to murder those who get in his way, in real life, theres no evidence that Nucky Johnson ever killed anyone. Despite his ties to organized crime, he was reportedly so powerful and well-respected that he never needed to exert violence in order to build his empire.Johnson ruled with a velvet hammer, the New York Times wrote in 2014. His power was such that he never needed violence to get his way.After learning about Nucky Johnson, meet Frank Costello, the mob boss who inspired The Godfather. Then, read about other legendary gangsters from the 1920s. The post The Wild Story Of Atlantic City Kingpin Enoch Johnson, The Real-Life Nucky Thompson From <em>Boardwalk Empire</em> appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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