PARIS – The gold medals gained this week by Canada’s Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers within the men’s and ladies’s hammer throw on the 2024 Olympics have been a welcome and sudden payoff of the longstanding Canadian tradition of giving children hammers at beginning.
In a ceremony largely unknown to the skin world, households from coast to coast to coast have interaction within the customized of putting a shiny steel hammer within the crib subsequent to their sleeping youngster on their first night time at house. Although all Canadians do that, the origin of this custom is shrouded in confusion and fable.
“Some say it started in 1867, the yr of confederation, to characterize the forging of the railroad that united this huge land,” mentioned historian Murray Klempert. “Others imagine the hammer present was inaugurated by Scandinavian settlers in tribute to the god of thunder, Thor. And plenty of say it began in 1952 with the well-known Eaton’s advert marketing campaign ‘Give that baby a hammer!’, after the division retailer by accident ordered tons of of 1000’s of hammers as an alternative of child rattles from one in every of its suppliers.”
“Both method, these gold medals are a depraved bonus!” added Klempert. “They actually make up for all of the hammer accidents Canadian dad and mom obtain through the horrible twos.”
Whereas the origins of the custom stays unclear, the end result has been Canadian youngsters studying to toss hammers as quickly as they’re bodily in a position, a lot to the chagrin of fogeys and the delight of window restore corporations throughout the nation.
“I don’t know who thought it will be a good suggestion to present babies hammers and encourage them to throw them,” mentioned glazier Anton Dubelski, “however I positive am grateful for all of the emergency calls. I swear about twenty years in the past I went to the home of that moustache man’s dad and mom to repair a bay window – the hammer was throughout the road!”
In the meantime, the equally frequent Canadian custom of giving infants 100kg weights to play with has but to end in Olympic glory.