I did not know that yesterday!

The word "vinegar" derives from the French vin aigre, meaning "sour wine." That tells you a lot about the origins of vinegar itself. The tart liquid was probably first created by accident when wine went bad or when fruit juice was left out long enough to ferment into alcohol and then ferment again into vinegar.
People have made and used vinegar for about 10,000 years. The ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, and Romans used it as a flavoring, medicine, and preservative for foods. Before refrigeration, pickling in vinegar was an important way to keep vegetables from spoiling.

Vinegar can be made from most any sweet or starchy material, such as juices of fruits, vegetables, and grains. A little warmth and the right bacteria will turn sugars and alcohol into acetic acid, the main component of vinegar. Like a fine wine, vinegar can be aged to produce more complex flavors.

Different ingredients and brewing processes are used to create various types of vinegar. Balsamic vinegar, the favorite of foodies, is traditionally made from the sweet, white Trebbiano grapes grown in Modena, Italy. The grapes are crushed, filtered, boiled, cooled, filtered again, and poured into casks to age for 12 to 25 years. This results in a very fine and expensive condiment used sparingly and sometimes drunk as an aperitif.

In Asia, rice vinegar is very common. The grain is ground, steamed, and fermented for many months in clay pots. The process creates a mellow, fragrant vinegar used to season sushi rice and in other dishes.

Famed DJ and concert producer Alan Freed is widely credited with coining the phrase in 1951. Freed led an interesting life, bringing what we now call "rock and roll" to the masses. Unfortunately, he's equally famous for his role in the payola scandal of the 1960s.

But, hey, let's focus on the good times, huh? According to several sites, Freed got the term "rock and roll" from a group called "The Dominoes" who used it in their hit song, " Sixty Minute Man." The song's rather suggestive lyrics apparently spoke to Mr. Freed. He soon began referring to "rhythm and blues" as "rock and roll" on the air.

But why did Freed bother with a new phrase when "rhythm and blues" was the real deal? The reasons had to with race. In the early '50s, it was considered taboo for white people to listen to R&B either in person or on the radio. In order to make it more acceptable, Freed gave what was essentially the same music a different name. More listeners meant more money. It's as simple as that.

Medically speaking, those little white marks that sometimes appear as dots or lines on the fingernail are known as leukonychia. There are several possible causes for the discoloration, but the most common are mild trauma, a fungal infection, skin conditions, or nutritional deficiencies.

The WebMDHealth column gives an overview of how leukonychia can occur. For example, if you accidentally slam your fingernail into an object, a white mark will likely develop. But because a normal fingernail takes months to grow, by the time a blemish appears you may have forgotten what caused the trauma.

White marks on your nails that are more linear could be a sign of a fungal infection. Gyms and nail salons are hotbeds for fungus and yeast, and are common places for contracting infections. These infections attack your nail directly, causing discoloration and even separation from the nailbed. If you suspect that's the cause for the white on your claws, see a dermatologist about a culture sample and diagnosis.

Another culprit, although not as common, is psoriasis , a chronic skin condition that causes red, irritated blemishes and scaling throughout the body. In extreme cases, fingernails are affected by dead skin cells that accumulate in the nailbed and form thick layers, also known as "plaque." Treatment varies from prescription creams to ultraviolet light therapy.

Finally, an old wives' tale fingers another suspect: your diet. In folklore, the most commonly cited cause for those white marks (and probably something your mom warned you about) is a deficiency of certain minerals in your body, such as zinc and calcium. Adding nutritional supplements or foods containing these minerals to your diet could clear up your white flecks in a few months.