Making Wishes

Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff

The ancient Greeks threw coins in their wells, hoping to keep the wells from running dry. Today, people throw coins in fountains to make wishes come true. But don't throw all your coins into one fountain; there is more than one way to make a wish.

• “Touch blue and your wish will come true.”
• Make a wish each time you eat a green M&M.
• Make a wish when you see three birds on a telephone wire.
• Put a watermelon seed on your forehead and make a wish before it falls off.
• Make a wish before you blow out the candles on your birthday cake.
• Make a wish on the first star you see at night.
• Throw a coin in a fountain; make a wish when the water clears so you can see your reflection.
• Make a wish on a new pair of shoes before you wear them for the first time.
• Make a wish with another person on a wishbone. Each takes an end and pulls until it breaks. The person with the largest piece of bone gets the “lucky break” and the wish.
• Make a wish on the first robin you see in the spring.
• Find a penny, wear it in your left shoe, and your wish will come true.
• Wishes made on Midsummer's Eve (June 23) are most likely to come true.
• Hold your breath and make a wish while crossing a short straight bridge.