When the word "satellite" first appeared in an English dictionary over 300 years ago, it was approximately synonymous with "bodyguard," which is the meaning of the Latin word it's derived from. German astronomer Johannes Kepler first applied the word to moons circa 1611, and Jules Verne used it in an 1880 novel as a man-made device orbiting the earth. (From Sol Steinmetz's fascinating new book, "Semantic Antics.")

Les Paul and Mary Ford had a minor hit ...

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