1. More women than men are tattooed in the US! Per a 2012 survey it breaks down to about 23% to 19%.
2. The Latin word for “tattoo” is stigma. This makes sense, because in many cultures, for a long time, tattoos were used to mark prisoners, or criminals, or slaves. That’s just a guess, because in other cultures tattoos are a sign of accomplishment, or coming of age.
3. In 1932 the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped. It was a tragic event that captured the nation’s attention, and mothers everywhere. In response, many worried mothers had their children tattooed.
4. Way, way back in the day (and we promise we don’t do this ever) urine was sometimes used to mix tattoo ink.
5. A tattoo machine is like a sewing machine: it has a needle, a tube that holds ink, an electric motor and a foot pedal. To get a tattoo the skin is pierced anywhere from 50 to 3,000 times per minute.
6. The most popular subject matter to get tattooed is: animals. This is true across a number of cultures, and is related to people wanting to be identified with their spirit animal.
7. Tommy Lee was tattooed mid flight during a private jet ride to Miami, and is now in the Guinness Book of Records for the act.
8. It has been reported that annually, Americans spend $1.65 billion on tattoos.
9. Gregory Paul McLaren is the most tattooed man on earth. He has everything tattooed. We mean everything!
10. Tattooing goes back to 12,000 BC. (this is around the time of the last Ice Age) – this is when the first tattooing tools were found in Portugal, and France, and Scandinavia.
