It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the cannon

on old war ships. But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck

was the problem. The storage method devised was to stack them as a

square based pyramid, with one ball on top, resting on four, resting

on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls

could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was

only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from

sliding/rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate

with 16 round indentations, called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey. But

if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to

it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make them of brass -

hence, Brass Monkeys.

Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster

than iron when chilled.

Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass

indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would

come right off the monkey.

Thus, it was quite literally, cold enough to freeze the balls off a

brass monkey. And all this time, people thought that was just a vulgar

expression ~

A-Jay

LOL, is this true?

Funny  ;D..but not true.http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/cold%20enough%20to%20freeze%20the%20balls%20off%20a%20brass%20monkey.html

True or not true- it's history.

And truth in history varies and depends on who is telling it.

A-Jay

Yes, that is a true story.

Watch the History Channel as it makes history very interesting, as opposed to sitting in class and listening to an old professor try to teach it to you.