Ask Mr. Know It All


Q. Basketball great Walt Frazier was nicknamed “Clyde.” Why?

K.K., Middleboro, Mass.

A. He wore a wide-brim hat similar to one worn by Warren Beatty in the movie “Bonnie and Clyde.” Frazier played with the New York Knicks (1967-77) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-80). He was inducted into basketball’s Hall of Fame in 1987.

Q. Who was Jethro Tull of the band of the same name?

H.B., Montrose, Colo.

A. One of the co-founders of the band, Ian Anderson, explains that in the early days, their band was not very good. In order to get rebooked into clubs, they changed their name every week. Finally they were asked to return right after playing one gig; they happened to be Jethro Tull that week and had to stay with the name. The original Jethro Tull was an 18th century agriculturalist and inventor. It is said of the person Jethro Tull (1674-1741) that he helped the British Agricultural Revolution succeed.

Q. How did the term “to get fired” come about when you lose your job?

T.V., Payette, Idaho

A. There are several explanations. The one I like best goes that when the villagers wanted to get rid of someone, as in evict them from their village, they would burn down their house. Presumably the now-homeless person would get the hint that he was no longer wanted and would then move to another village.

Q. Ty Cobb played in three World Series. How many did his team win, and how many home runs did he hit?

C.V., El Dorado, Ark.

A. The answer to both questions is zero. His Detroit Tigers lost to the Chicago Cubs in 1907 and 1908, while the following year, they lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates. His batting average for those three series was 0.262.

Q. When President Ronald Reagan left office, he moved to a multimillion-dollar ranch. I recall that a request was made to the post office for a new house number. Why?

R.J., Scottsbluff, Neb.

A. The ranch was at 666 St. Cloud Drive in the wealthy Bel-Air district of Los Angeles. Many believe that 666 is the number of Satan, so Reagan had his friends send mail to 668 St. Cloud Drive.

Q. I came across this on the Internet: “Denver lays claim to the invention of the cheeseburger. The trademark for the name ‘cheeseburger’ was awarded in 1935 to Louis Ballast of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In. Ballast claimed to have come up with the idea while testing hamburger toppings.” Is this true?

M.S., St. Marys, Ohio

A. I called the Denver Tourist Board, and it’s true! There is a plaque commemorating the site of the first cheeseburger at 2776 Speer Blvd.

Q. I was in an international grocery store and saw a package of Bombay duck. What is it?

Y.C., Prince Frederick, Md.

A. Bombay duck is dried, salted fish. Indian cooks use it as flavoring. It’s also a snack food. How it got its name, no one knows.

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

2014 Gary Clothier

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