Every now and again (read: "never") someone wonders why a piece of furniture and an empire share the name "ottoman". Luckily for you I happen to have found (read: "made up") the answer.

The story starts in the 1300s in Turkey (motto: "hey, we could have been called Chicken"). The ruling emperor of the land created a "guys hangout" for himself and his important officials. This was one of those wood...