FINAL ASK MR. KNOW-IT-ALL Monkeying around with Monkees question

Q. I had a sleepless night and turned on the TV, and I came across an old show featuring the band The Monkees. How long were they together before they got their own show? In which country did they originate?

J.M., Salisbury, Md.

A. The Monkees were formed for the American television show “The Monkees,” with three Americans (Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork) and one Brit (Davy Jones). The show aired from 1966 to 1968, but the band continued for many years. The Monkees sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

DID YOU KNOW? In Victorian England, a “gigglemug” was used to describe someone with a habitually smiling face.

Q. Lauren Bacall and Frank Sinatra had a steamy relationship. How long was it before the two got involved after “Bogie” (Humphrey Bogart) passed away?

I.N.D., Germantown, Tenn.

A. According to an August 2014 article from the Daily Mail of England, Bacall and Sinatra got involved while Bogart was stricken with throat cancer. After his death, they “came out” as a couple. Fourteen months after Bogart’s death, Sinatra proposed marriage to Bacall, and she accepted. She revealed the details of the proposal to a newspaper reporter; Sinatra became livid with her, and he called off the marriage. They did not speak for six years.

DID YOU KNOW? In Victorian England, the phrase “doing the bear” meant courting that involved hugging.

Q. On my way to work, I stop at a convenience store for a cup of coffee. Since the cups are paper, you need a paper band to insulate your fingers from the heat of the beverage. What is the name of that paper band?

R.M.L., Womelsdorf, Pa.

A. The sleeve is formally known as a zarf. At one time, tea served in China and Japan and coffee served in Turkey were served in handleless cups. To protect the user’s fingers, the cups were placed in a holder known as a zarf. Zarf is Arabic for “container” or “envelope.”

Today, coffee sleeves have the trademarked name Java Jacket.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I wrote my first Mr. Know-It-All column in 1982. In 1990 I began writing an Internet column, and in 2006, the column became syndicated. I wrote two columns a week, which ends up being about 3,300 columns or 2 million words. Because of my passion for trivia and knowledge, I’ve loved researching every question and writing every word. Why am I telling you? Because this is my final column. My syndicate, Universal Uclick, has made the decision to discontinue the column. I have nothing but positive thoughts for UU. I will dearly miss writing the column. I will try other newspaper syndicates or even attempt to do it myself. I receive thousands of letters and emails from readers, so I know there is a need to learn, and my calling has been to try to fill that void. Thank you so much for your kind words and support for all these years.

Gary Clothier, aka Mr. Know-It-All

2014 Gary Clothier