Wandering through word origins.

I'm reading a book about England just after Henry VIII closed church properties. That caused a problem with the "doles" that the church gave to the poor. Once the Catholic churches were gone, individuals with money began to distribute pittances to poor people. That set me to wondering just when doles started. I found one reference that said they began in ancient Rome and referred to the fixed amount of grain given to each Roman. Sooooooo, being "on the dole" is definitely not a new thing.

I also found out that the word "gerrymandering" comes from a former VP of the United States, Elbridge Gerry. Vice President under Madison, he was a former governor of Massachusetts and redrew congressional districts to suit himself.