WEBVTT - How 'Fido' Became The Name For A Dog

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>it's Christians Zeger. 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 sixteenth president. Before he was

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<v Speaker 1>commander in chief and still lived in Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln's

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<v Speaker 1>household included several dogs and cats. One particularly therapeutic dog

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>companion about five years for 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 Springfield, Lincoln decided to have a local

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>presidency and was further fueled by his assassination in eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>sixty five. As mourners flocked to Springfield for the President's funeral,

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<v Speaker 1>the carpenter returned to Lincoln's home with Fido and let

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<v Speaker 1>the morning public meet the dog. Justice Fido's master was

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<v Speaker 1>killed by another man, so too did Fido meet an

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<v Speaker 1>unfortunate end at the hands of another In eighteen sixty six,

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<v Speaker 1>a year after Lincoln's assassination, Fido, ever the trusting and

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<v Speaker 1>people loving dog, came across a man apparently sleeping on

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<v Speaker 1>a sidewalk. Fido started to lick the man's face, which

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<v Speaker 1>prompted the man, who was drunk at the time, to

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<v Speaker 1>awaken panic and pull a knife at the sight of

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<v Speaker 1>the dog's mouth so close to his face, stabbing Fido

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<v Speaker 1>in self defense. With the popularity of the name peeking

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<v Speaker 1>in the late eighteen hundreds, Fido made its way into

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<v Speaker 1>the public consciousness during an era when mass media was

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<v Speaker 1>taking hold in the country, and remained there for years

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<v Speaker 1>to come. While Fido met a tragic end, his name

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<v Speaker 1>lives on in popular culture, signifying the platonic ideal of

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<v Speaker 1>a friendly, faithful hoop. Today's episode was written by Laurie L. Dove,

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<v Speaker 1>produced by Dylan Fagan, and for more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>other topics, please visit us at how Stuff works dot com,