Who, when, where did the ampersand come into existance?

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 11, 2001

Answers

Cedric Weehutt, 1438, England.

-- Jo (mamamia2kids@msn.com), December 11, 2001.

Jo, nope!

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 11, 2001.

IN 63 BC BY MARCUS TITUS ENGLAND

-- Robert (snuffy@1st.net), December 11, 2001.

Robert, I see you are a little quicker than me finding the same answer. Anyway here is a further description. The ampersand "&" was Latin shorthand for et, which means "and" in English.

Talk to you later,

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), December 11, 2001.

In case you were wondering, I didn't have a clue so I just made something up from out of nowhere. I really stink at these stumpers but I like to play along...... its the class clown sort of thing.

-- Jo (mamamia2kids@msn.com), December 11, 2001.

Guys, my sources disagree with your answers; the time frame is clost, but the name and place are off, and since your obeviously using search engines, go to the national court reporters association site.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 11, 2001.

Jo! you made me laugh! I thought Wow! how'd she know that-then you just made it up. I used to do that in school sometimes, occasionaly with such conviction I got away with it.

-- Kelly (Ksaderholm@yahoo.com), December 11, 2001.

I like Jo's answer

-- Cindy (SE. IN) (atilrthehony@hotmail.com), December 11, 2001.

Mitch: I'm sorry I can't compete with your techinical brain and sources of information...Why would I ever look in the National sources for information...The search engines is what the people use the computer for RIGHT...I'm not working on a masters degree so I guess I won't be trying to solve your techinical stumpers...Semper Fi Radar

-- Robert (snuffy@1st.net), December 11, 2001.

I didn't even know what it was!!!!! After all the science ones latley I thought it was another scientific term. but then when I read the answers and someone posted it, I thought OH YEAh!! that's what it is. So you are educating me at least Mitch. Sometimes I am such a blonde!!! (I really am, so I can say that, but no one else had better make any blonde jokes!!!!!)

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 11, 2001.

Robert, I posted the source of todays question so that you would have an easier time answering it. The inventer of the ampersand was a secetary to an important politician of that time frame.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 11, 2001.

The politishion's name was Cicero whom insisted everything he said was written down.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 11, 2001.

OK., Its the middle of the night, CAT-astrophe decited he must be inside, and verbalized this until I responded - anybody got a recipe for noisey cat!!

The answer for todays stumper is Tiro, a slave of Cicreo, in acient Rome; one report puts it at 63 B.C.; another puts it at 400 B.C., so I cannot agree with either; but Tiro is the father of shorthand writing acording to differant sources, I do not have enough info on ancient Rome to state either to be correct; type Tiro, slave, ampersand into your search engine and make your own decision.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 12, 2001.