Originally Posted by
TriSec
Like all things good and true about these United States, the "Hammock" was invented here in New England.
The Puritans, looking for a way to segregate themselves while sleeping so they didn't accidentally touch each other, came up with wrapping themselves in heavy, woolen blankets while lying on a hardwood floor.
A friendly native American, by the name of "Shuuuugg" (which translates as "he who sleeps on air") learned of this phenomenon one day and introduced the puritans to the concept of sleeping on a raised mound of grass, or "hummock" in the native tongue.
Very soon afterwards, Shuuuugg was run out of town for suggesting such blasphemy. Nevertheless, the Puritans took him up on his idea and were soon wrapping themselves in blankets and lying on rocks.
Many decades later, after the American Revolution, this story came to light and an enterprising young Patriot by the name of "John Hammock" thought he could improve upon the idea. Instead of wrapping himself in a woolen blanket, he decided to simply lie on top of it. Instead of a rock, he noticed two trees about 12 feet apart and thought he might suspend part of his blanket so that he could sleep flatter instead of in a reverse-banana shape.
One of his friends saw this and said "Whoopie"!! and the modern Hammock as we know it was born.