First off, thanks Shellcracker!! Appreciate that comment.
Secondly, while searching for more origins, I found an article that says everything I just posted is a falsehood.
http://www.traditioninaction.org/His...ths1500s.shtml
Now, who's right and who's not? Usually things are started because of a reason. And if this article denies all this, then I wonder what the meanings are to these things posted earlier in this thread.
Also, you always hear two contradicting sides to everything. Esp. when something health related comes out...like say...coffee causes cancer (just a hypothetical example). Then another group will come out with some test and say the first test was completely wrong. Who are we to believe?
So take this thread with a grain of salt. I like to think this is how things started. You can read the article above to see if you find anything useful or interesting in it.
Here's another one that says its a hoax and gives the debunking reasons under the Anne Hathaway letter.
http://www.snopes.com/language/phrases/1500.asp
Sorry folks.