Do you have a unique skill?

What is your secret skill? These 11 weird abilities were very useful once

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A peculiar skill is something that many of us have. It can be a special ability to recognize lookalikes, make pets fall asleep quickly, or guess names, among a million other things. However, some people manage to make a career out of their unusual skills, and this has happened over and over again throughout history. Take a look at the following 11 examples. Did you know any of these?

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Although it requires a good measure of specific knowledge, being a barber does not seem like a spectacularly complicated job these days. But, back in Medieval times, before the advent of modern medicine, barbers often performed minor surgical procedures, such as bloodletting and tooth extraction.

This odd combination of haircutting and basic surgery was a peculiar skill set that eventually evolved into separate professions.

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It may sound like the job for a food critic, but it really wasn’t. In ancient and medieval times, rulers and wealthy individuals employed food tasters to protect themselves from poisoning.

This very dangerous job required a keen sense of taste and the ability to detect subtle signs of toxins in food and drink.

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Catching rats was such a valued skill in past times that it was even a specific royal appointment in Great Britain, where the rat catcher was responsible for keeping the royal palaces and grounds free of rats.

It required specialized knowledge of rat behavior and effective trapping methods.

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These days, anybody can create a decent portrait using her or his smartphone, but back when photography wasn’t yet invented, limners created miniature portraits, often on ivory or vellum. As one can imagine, these tiny works of art required exceptional skill and attention to detail.

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In a time when communication was mostly carried out by people on their own two legs, horses, or ships, being able to establish successful communication at the speed of a flying bird was nothing short of a miracle.

Pigeon trainers were highly sought after and required due to their ability to train these humble birds to fly to particular places with tiny messages attached to them, and then go back.

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In the days of sailing ships, sailors used flags to communicate. Knowing how to interpret and send flag signals was crucial for coordinating naval maneuvers, and very few people knew how to perform these tasks correctly.

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While its scientific basis is obviously debated, dowsing (using a forked stick or other instrument to locate underground water or minerals) has been a skill used in various cultures for centuries.

Those who were believed to have this ability were often sought after in communities where water was scarce.

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Unbreakable code has always been a much-appreciated commodity during wartime. During WWII, Marine Corps leadership selected 29 Navajo men, the Navajo Code Talkers, who created a code based on the complex, unwritten Navajo language.

This system allowed the Code Talkers to translate three lines of English in 20 seconds, not 30 minutes as was common with existing code-breaking machines.

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Just like code talkers were a necessity, so were code breakers. Also during WWII, British mathematician Alan Turing cracked the "Enigma" code, which was a type of enciphering machine used by the German armed forces to send messages securely.

Codebreaking was a highly complex ability, involving a large set of skills ranging from mathematics to linguistics, mastered by very few individuals.

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Aside from the occasional title cards, silent films were a visual, rather than a verbal expression. But, as you must have seen, silent film actresses and actors did move their lips in those movies, even if you could not hear them.

Lip reading became a useful ability in those days, allowing filmgoers to understand what the performers were actually saying during the film. While most of the time, the uttered words had some relation to the scene itself, sometimes, actresses and actors said very different things, to the surprise of lip readers.

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During the mid-20th century, complex mathematical calculations were performed by hand to be used in astronomy, engineering, ballistics, and other developing fields. Many of these "human computers" who were able to perform incredibly complex calculations were women, like Katherine G. Johnson, Mary W. Jackson, or Dorothy Vaughan, to name a few.

Spell it if you can

10 words you are probably spelling wrong—and why

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English is far from easy—even native speakers stumble over it! With roots in multiple languages, countless borrowed words, and a wealth of silent letters, English spelling is rarely straightforward. So, don’t feel bad if you often slip up on one of these 10 common spelling mistakes—it’s not entirely your fault. Check to see if you’ve been misspelling any of these words, or just brush up on what you already know!

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Common misspellings: Beauracracy, burocracy

With double vowels, a silent "e," and an unconventional ending, "bureaucracy" has tripped up spellers for centuries. It originates from the French word bureau, which means "desk," and was later adopted into English with the suffix -cracy, from the Greek kratos, meaning power or authority.

The main issue with this word is that, unlike similar terms like democracy, it retains the French "eau" instead of the more common linking of an "o." With such complicated spelling, we can confidently say that it fits its meaning.

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Common misspelling: Mispell

Ah, the irony! Not even "misspell" is safe from its own definition. The origin of this word lies in combining the prefix "mis-," meaning "wrong," with "spell," thus resulting in a letter repetition in the middle. Many miss the double "s" simply because they’re unfamiliar with the rule or feel that one "s" is enough (let’s be frank, maybe it should!).

This common error highlights a key spelling challenge in English: we often use prefixes like "mis-" or "dis-" that create doubled letters when combined with words starting with "s-," but the rules can sometimes be confusing, leading to embarrassing typos—especially for a word about spelling!

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Common misspelling: Pharoah

With silent letters and an unusual "ph" sound, "Pharaoh" is a notorious spelling challenge that many struggle to get right. Originating from the Egyptian word pr-’o, meaning "great house," it underwent several transformations through Greek and Latin before being incorporated into English.

However, unless you're familiar with Ancient Egypt’s monarchy, you can probably be excused for getting this one wrong.

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Common misspelling: Acomodate

Double letters are one of the usual suspects in English spelling—if you're not paying attention, you can easily miss a letter or add one where it isn’t necessary. In this case, the double "c" and "m" in "accommodate" trip up spellers constantly.

The word comes from the Latin accommodare, meaning "to make fit," and it retained its doubling when it entered English. To help remember the correct spelling, think of it as if the extra Cs and Ms need "accommodating" inside the word.

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Common misspelling: Questionair

The term "questionnaire" comes from the French questionnaire and means any type of survey or form that collects responses—just like in English.

Again, the tricky double "n" in "questionnaire" is what throws many off, and to make matters worse, the "e" ending is also quite unusual. Borrowed unchanged from French, this word retained its original structure, which explains its peculiar spelling.

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Common misspellings: Miscellanious, micellaneous

This word’s many vowels and the hard-to-place "s" make it inherently difficult to spell. Derived from Latin miscere, meaning "to mix," "miscellaneous" actually follows Latin word-building conventions, resulting in a challenging combination of letters.

Due to its unconventional vowel usage, length, and Latin phonetics, "miscellaneous" often catches people off guard.

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Common misspelling: Consciencious

"Conscientious" describes someone who’s meticulous or morally aware—a fittingly difficult word for a complex concept. This word blends the Latin roots conscire (to know) and scientia (knowledge), leading to an uncommon combination of "sci" and "tious" in the same word, which often makes it tough to spell.

As with many words that follow non-English spelling norms, it’s surprisingly easy to misspell!

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Common misspelling: Aceptable

"Acceptable" is often misspelled with only one "c," becoming "aceptable" (unacceptable, isn’t it?). Meaning "agreeable" or "satisfactory," "acceptable" follows a Latin-inspired spelling convention that doubles consonants.

The correct spelling comes from the Latin acceptabilis, meaning "worthy of acceptance." It’s the tricky double "c" that most frequently trips people up.

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Common misspelling: Rendevous

A French import, "rendezvous" retains its original spelling, which—naturally—doesn’t follow English phonetics. That would be too easy, wouldn’t it?

Originally a military term for a designated meeting point, this challenging word has a sneaky "z" right in the middle, and a silent "s" at the end, challenging spellers with its unexpected letter arrangement.

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Common misspelling: Cemetary

"Cemetery" is deceptively simple, yet often misspelled with an "a" as "cemetary." The confusion stems from other English words like "elementary" and "commentary" that follow a similar sound pattern but use the "-ary" suffix instead of "-ery."

This term comes from the Greek koimeterion, meaning "sleeping place," via Latin. Despite its somber meaning, it’s one of the most commonly misspelled words.