You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[Lee Stewart]

Surprisingly, Utah's nickname actually has nothing to do with insects. “The Beehive State" was coined by Mormons in 1847, when Brigham Young chose the beehive as the emblem of the Salt Lake Valley, representing the cooperation and teamwork that would be necessary to cultivate the land.

[Lee Stewart]

This phrase can mean a few different things. Hospitals can use it to signal a serious threat or mass casualties. If a store cashier issues a Code 10 authorization request while you’re checking out, it means that she’s suspicious of you or your card. She’ll call your credit card company and answer a series of yes/no questions to evaluate the situation and call the authorities if need be. If you’re in a Walmart, however, Code 10 just means there’s a dry spill.

[Lee Stewart]

This is an alert for a missing child that’s used in many public locations like malls, hospitals, supermarkets, and museums. Walmart coined the term in 1994 in memory of Adam Walsh, a 6-year-old who was abducted from a Sears and was found murdered. In 2003, Congress mandated that all federal buildings use Code Adam procedures.

[Lee Stewart]

When airport security issues a Code Bravo, that means there’s a bomb threat or other security breach. Officials may actually yell it at people in the airport to scare them and make them freeze in their tracks so they can find the real threat faster.

[Lee Stewart]

If you thought this had something to do with the Academy Awards, you are sadly mistaken. This code is used on ships to indicate a man overboard.

[Lee Stewart]

Hospitals around the country use Code Silver as the code for a person in the building with a weapon, a hostage situation, or another violent situation that requires a lockdown.

[Lee Stewart]

Dr. Firestone isn’t a real doctor, but you could hear the name in a real medical emergency. It lets hospital staff know there’s a fire in the building. The announcement would sound like, 'Paging Dr. Firestone to the fifth floor,' discreetly letting the staff know where the fire is without causing a panic. Some hospitals use Code Red to indicate a fire.

[Lee Stewart]

This code means two ships are about to collide. Cruise ships may also use this code to alert everyone on board of high winds.

[Lee Stewart]

Transportation officials in the U.K. use this as a subtle code for a fire or bomb scare on railways and the London Underground network. After the Manchester Arena bombing, public announcements called for Inspector Sands to 'please report to inspect and control.'

[Lee Stewart]

If you hear this phrase over the intercom while you’re flying, it means someone died on the plane. Operation Bright Star indicates a medical emergency on the flight.