Ask Mr. Know It All

By Gary Clothier

Q. Which Major League Baseball player holds the record for the longest home run ever hit?

Via email

A. Some books claim the record for the longest estimated home run in a major-league game is 634 feet, by Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees against the Detroit Tigers in Detroit in September 1960. However, in 1996, author William J. Jenkinson released his book “Long Distance Home Runs,” in which he says the record rightfully belongs to Babe Ruth, who hit a home-run ball 575 feet in Detroit on July 18, 1921.

Jenkinson claims the previous method to determine where the ball would have landed — the way that gave Mantle the 634-foot home run — is based on faulty assumptions. He claims that once a baseball reaches its maximum height, it quickly drops, making the distance traveled far less than originally believed.

Q. I have wanted to own a JFK rocking chair. I was told the exact chair is still being made and is available to the public. Where can I order one? Is there a story behind this chair?

R.L., Santa Rosa, Calif.

A. In 1955, John F. Kennedy was a young senator from Massachusetts. He suffered from back problems due to a war injury. Physician Janet Travell recommended a rocking chair from P. and P. Chair Co. of North Carolina to help relieve tension in the lower back. Kennedy ordered a sturdy Appalachian oak rocker. Before long, the chair would carry his name. As president, Kennedy ordered dozens of chairs for his own use and as gifts.

While most sources say the chair is still being made by P. and P. Chair Co., this is not true; P. and P. ceased operation and sold the rights to the Kennedy Rocker to Troutman Chair Co. in Troutman, N.C. — you can visit their website at thekennedyrocker.com. You can also order a chair from the Kennedy Library by calling 1-866-JFK-1960. As of this writing, the chair sells for $399 plus $100 shipping.

Q. Elizabeth Taylor had a brother, but there was no mention of him in any article about her death. Is he still alive? How old is he? Why was there no mention of him in his sister’s obituaries?

C.M., St. Michaels, Md.

A. Elizabeth “Liz” Taylor (1932-2011) had an older brother, Howard Taylor, who was born in 1929. The last I heard, he was living in Taos, N.M., where he opened a branch of the Taylor Art Gallery. Howard Taylor was never interested in the movie industry.

Taylor said he was at his sister’s funeral, but he stayed out of the limelight. Over the years, he pursued several careers, including oceanography and marine painting.

Q. I was sitting in a park near an elderly man and a young boy. The man was sitting, and the boy was running around wildly. The man lovingly grabbed the boy by the waist, picked him up and told him he was going to “put him in the hoosegow to slow him down.” They laughed and continued to carry on. It was a touching moment. Then it dawned on me — I haven’t heard that term for a jail in a long time. What is the origin? I can’t look it up myself because I have no idea how to spell the word.

V.N., Peoria, Ill.

A. You spelled the word correctly. Had you looked it up, you would have discovered “hoosegow” is an Anglicization of the Latin American Spanish “juzgao,” a variant of “juzgado,” which means “jail.” The word “hoosegow” is first found in English in the early 1900s.

DID YOU KNOW?

Michelle Pfeiffer was offered the role of Clarice Starling in the movie “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991). The role eventually went to Jodie Foster.

Q. I had a cousin who was told by his mother that he was born with a “veil” over his face. I never understood what that meant. It is said that people born with the veil have extra powers. Is this true?

E.P.S., Hellam, Pa.

A. The veil is more accurately called a “caul.” Such people are often referred to as being “born behind the veil.” A caul is a piece of the birth membrane that can cover a newborn’s head and face immediately after birth. It is harmless.

In medieval times, the appearance of a caul on a newborn baby was seen as a sign of good luck and that the child was destined for greatness. The silky membrane was often pressed onto a piece of paper and presented to the mother as a good-luck charm. Later, the actual caul might be sold to others for the same purpose. To this day, many continue to believe in mystic powers of those “born behind the veil.”

UPDATE

I said “86’d” meant refusing service (as in the food service) or getting rid of something, and that the origin of the phrase could have been from Gore Vidal’s comedy play “Visit to a Small Planet,” in which a main character uses the command number “86” several times to destroy things. A reader says it could be from the Uniform Code of Military Justice, in which Article 86 deals with soldiers who are AWOL.

Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at AskMrKIA@gmail.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

2012 Gary Clothier