Every generation has its own language of “cool” from “everything’s jake” to the “cat’s pajamas” to “bees knees” to “groovy,” “fat,” “sweet” and now “ridiculous.” But even though a flash-in-the-pan pop song proclaimed “It’s Hip to Be Square,” no one has ever really aspired to being rectangular with equal sides until Nickelodeon made it “ridiculous” (now synonymous with “cool”).

SpongBob SquarePants was such a dorky, goofy, lovable guy, he truly made it “hip to be square” for the first time in a very long time, maybe ever.

But SpongeBob SquarePants wasn’t the first to make “square” mean something special.

Somewhere in the time period between 500-1100 in Italy, being “square” became a sign of greatness. In the fourth century “halos” first made their appearance on frescoes, mosaics, and pai…