Ask Mr. Know It All

Q. Were Tupperware containers ever sold in stores before the home party began?

S.L.S., Roanoke, Va.

A. The unique containers were invented by and named for Earl Tupper (1907-1983) in 1946. The containers were originally sold in stores and by mail. In 1948, the company introduced the Tupperware Home Party to demonstrate how the products worked. In 1951, all Tupperware products were removed from stores.

Q. My nephew is constantly running, jumping and yelling “Cowabunga!” I know he got it from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. “Cowabunga” sounds like a familiar word from my past. Can you help?

J.L.M., Redding, Calif.

A. “Cowabunga” was the nonsensical greeting exchanged by Buffalo Bob Smith and Chief Thunderthud on TV’s “Howdy Doody.” Its use spread through the “Gidget” surfer movies, starring Sandra Dee, and later the Peanuts comic strip.

Q. What was the name of Popeye’s ship?

K.M.W., Sarasota, Fla.

A. His ship is named The Olive.

Q. Where was the State of Franklin in the United States? I’m reading a novel and it is mentioned. I assume it’s made up.

F.A.I., Cape May, N.J.

A. It’s not made up. After the Revolutionary War, the original colonies were asked to help pay for the cost of the war. North Carolina had neither the money nor the ability to tax the people in the western portion of the state, and it gladly ceded the land to the Federal government. In 1784, residents of this area established the State of Franklin, but four years later, the idea was abandoned because of the lack of support of Congress. The area was merged with Tennessee.

Q. When was the pull-tab can patented?

G.O., Woburn, Mass.

A. Ermal Cleon Fraze received a patent for his invention in 1959. Sixteen years later, Continental Can Co. created a nonremovable tab. Fraze died in 1989 at the age of 76.

Q. A vegan is a vegetarian who eats no animal products. What about a person, such as myself, who eats dairy products, plus fish and chicken?

U.J.K., New Orleans

A. You would be a flexitarian or semi-vegetarian. Semi-vegetarians will sometimes eat meat byproducts such as fats, oils and gelatin and wear clothing from animals.

Q. What was the name of the talking Chihuahua in the Taco Bell TV commercials?

I.M.W., Lafayette, La.

A. Her name was Gidget.

Q. Richard Dean Anderson played the role of MacGyver in the TV series of the same name. What was MacGyver’s first name?

R.T., Evans City, Pa.

A. The character’s full name was Angus MacGyver. The show aired from 1985 to 1992.

Q. In mythology, what has the body of a lion, head of a man and tail of a dragon?

F.G., Hurricane, Utah

A. Just your common, everyday manticore.

Q. What is the highest peak in Canada?

Y.N., Glenview, Calif.

A. At approximately 19,551 feet (the exact elevation is still unknown because of tectonic uplifting), Mount Logan is the highest peak in Canada and the second highest in North America. Located in the Yukon Territory in the St. Elias Mountains near the Alaska border, the peak was named in 1891 after Sir William Edmond Logan, a Canadian geologist and founder of the Geological Survey of Canada.

DID YOU KNOW?

Annie Lennox, Eurythmics lead singer, was born on Christmas Day in 1954. Singer Jimmy Buffett, famous for “Margaritaville,” was born on Christmas Day in 1946.

Q. Which popular Christmas song was actually written for Thanksgiving?

K.Y., Roseburg, Ore.

A. It’s “Jingle Bells.” James Pierpont wrote the song in 1850 in Medford, Mass. It was published in 1857, while he was an organist at his brother’s church. When the sheet music was first published, it was sold under its original name, “One Horse Open Sleigh.” Two years later, it was reissued but with a new title, “Jingle Bells.”

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

2013 Gary Clothier