By Dominique Mosbergen
Tattoos are very popular; so popular in fact, that an estimated one in five Americans now has one.
But tattoos are hardly a new trend.
According to this fascinating new video by TED-Ed about the history of tattooing, the art form is at least 8,000 years old and the history of the tattoo is as rich and complex as it is long.
Did you know, for instance, that the word ‘tattoo’ is believed to come from the Polynesian word ‘tatao,’ or that Queen Victoria was rumored to have a tattoo of a tiger fighting a python on her body? Even Ötzi, the frozen mummy who lived an estimated 5,000 years ago, was heavily inked. Who knew?!
Check out photos and video below…
