WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: How Did 'Fido' Become a Generic Name for Dogs?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Volga Bam here with a classic

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<v Speaker 1>episode from our previous host, Christian Sager. Some common names

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<v Speaker 1>that we give our pets are more self explanatory than others. Spot, Colonel,

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<v Speaker 1>fluffy pants, the classics, you know, But how did Fido

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<v Speaker 1>become shorthand for a friendly and loyal dog? Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>it's Christian Sager here. You may have met a furry ace, Bandit,

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<v Speaker 1>Jack or Sparky, but the chance of being introduced to

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<v Speaker 1>a Fido are much much lower these days. Fido doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>even make the top one hundred, but the once popular

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<v Speaker 1>name for male dogs has become a generic shorthand for

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<v Speaker 1>dog itself. So just why is the dog name Fido

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<v Speaker 1>such a part of the American lexicon? Well, the credit

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<v Speaker 1>goes to Abraham Lincoln, America's sixteen president. Before he was

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<v Speaker 1>comming er in chief and still lived in Springfield, Illinois,

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<v Speaker 1>Lincoln's household included several dogs and cats. One particularly therapeutic

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<v Speaker 1>dog was Fido, a mixed breed dog of yellow hue

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<v Speaker 1>whose name is Latin for faithful. Fido became Lincoln's near

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<v Speaker 1>constant companion about five years before the then lawyer became president.

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<v Speaker 1>According to the Presidential Pet Museum, Fido enjoyed scraps from

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<v Speaker 1>Lincoln's plate at meals, patiently waited outside the barbershop or

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<v Speaker 1>any other establishment Lincoln patronized, and generally became well known

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<v Speaker 1>as a good natured dog around town. In eighteen sixty three,

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<v Speaker 1>as he prepared to move to the White House, it

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<v Speaker 1>became apparent that Fido was a little too friendly and

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps ill mannered for high office. In fact, a nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>fifty four profile of Fido published in Life magazine called

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<v Speaker 1>him a frisky mongrel. To ensure Fido had a good

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<v Speaker 1>life back in springfiel Field, Lincoln decided to have a

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<v Speaker 1>local carpenter and his family take care of Fido, leaving

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<v Speaker 1>them detailed instructions for the dog's proper care and spoiling.

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<v Speaker 1>Fido was never to be chided for having muddy pause

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<v Speaker 1>in the house, and he was to be given scraps

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<v Speaker 1>from the table at meal time. To help soothe the

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<v Speaker 1>sense of loss, Lincoln had Fido's formal portrait taken with

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<v Speaker 1>the relatively new photographic technology, or so the story goes,

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<v Speaker 1>regardless of its providence, the photo made its way into

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<v Speaker 1>numerous newspapers, and shortly thereafter Fido, both the dog and

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<v Speaker 1>the name skyrocketed in popularity. The name's meteoric rise continued

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<v Speaker 1>during Lincoln's presidency and was further fueled by his assassination

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<v Speaker 1>in eighteen sixty five. As mourners flocked to Springfield for

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<v Speaker 1>the president's funeral, the carpenter returned to Lincoln's home with

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<v Speaker 1>Fido and let the mourning public meet the dog. Justice

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<v Speaker 1>Fido's man ster was killed by another man, so too

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<v Speaker 1>did Fido meet an unfortunate end at the hands of

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<v Speaker 1>another In eighteen sixty six, a year after Lincoln's assassination, Fido,

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<v Speaker 1>ever the trusting and people loving dog, came across a

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<v Speaker 1>man apparently sleeping on a sidewalk. Fido started to lick

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<v Speaker 1>the man's face, which prompted the man, who was drunk

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<v Speaker 1>at the time, to awaken panic and pull a knife

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<v Speaker 1>at the sight of the dog's mouth so close to

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<v Speaker 1>his face, stabbing Fido in self defense. With the popularity

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<v Speaker 1>of the name peeking in the late eighteen hundreds, Fido

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<v Speaker 1>made its way into the public consciousness during an era

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<v Speaker 1>when mass media was taking hold in the country and

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<v Speaker 1>remained there for years to come. While Fido met a

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<v Speaker 1>tragic end, his name lives on in popular culture, signifying

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<v Speaker 1>the platonic ideal of a friendly, faithful hooch. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>was written by Lauriel Dove and produced by Dylan Fagan

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<v Speaker 1>and Tyler Clay. For more on this and lots of

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<v Speaker 1>other topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>is production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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