This Day in History: 23 March 2020
23 March 1839
181 years ago, today, the initials 'O.K.' were published in the 'Boston Morning Post' for the first time, as an abbreviation for 'ollkorrect', which was a popular slang misspelling of 'all correct'. This gradually made its way into the everyday dialect of societies around the globe. During this time, in the late 1830s, it was an enjoyed practise among the younger, more educated groups to intentionally misspell words, and then abbreviate them to use as slang, when talking to each other. Some may find parallels with this and how teenagers today use their own slang based on distorted words and phrases. Other abbreviations from this period included 'KG', for 'know go', meaning 'no go', and 'OW' for 'oll wright', meaning 'all right'.
Out of all the abbreviations used during that era, OK was put into the limelight when it was printed in the 'Boston Morning Post' as a joke. However, its popularity expanded when it was picked up by politicians from the time, most notably President Martin Van Buren. He was up for re-election, so his Democratic supporters organised a band of thugs to influence the American voters, formally called the 'O.K. Club', referencing Van Buren's nickname 'Old Kinderhook', based on his hometown, and the newly popular term. Meanwhile, the opposing Whig Party made use of the abbreviation to criticise Van Buren's political mentor, Andrew Jackson, as he supposedly invented 'O.K.' to cover up his own misspelling of 'all correct'.
Want to find out more about the history of 'OK', as well as its variations and usage? Click here for more information.
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