Mindless Crap October 2001 Stump Me Questions (and Answers)

Stump Me Questions Answered in October 2001

Q.: What color is the door of house number 23 Hartington Street, Derby, Derbyshire, England?
- No Name Given

A.: I was able to track down the Web site for the town of Derby in Derbyshire, England. The following is from Ted R., who actually drove by the house to get the answer:

"The answer is white with a dirty magnolia surround. Used to be a nice street. Seems to have gone downhill a bit with many houses boarded up."

Q.: I'm in seventh grade and my teacher asked us to answer the dumbest question, so I thought of you. "Traditionally, blue represents a boy baby and pink represents a girl baby." Why might this be true?
- No Name Given

A.: OK, I found your answer in the book, Imponderables. Here's the summary:

In ancient times, boys were considered to be the most valuable resource to parents. They were given the color blue because it was considered to be the most powerful color to ward off evil spirits. No color was given to girls until much later when pink was used. Basically, legend said that girls were born inside of pink roses.

Keep in mind that this is a paraphrase of what appears in the book.

Q.: 1) Brothers and sisters I have none but this mans father is my fathers son. Who am I?
2) Can a man living in Philadelphia be buried in New York?
- Lori H.

A.: 1) I'm going to let Chris D. answer this one since he spelled it out so well:

Brothers and sisters I have none. (A single child.) This man's father is my fathers son. This man's (His own son) father (himself) is my father's (His father the sons grandfather) son (Himself again)."

Who am I? He is the father of this man.

The riddle is only part of the original riddle: "A man was standing looking at a painting of a man, when another man came and asked "who is the painting of?" The man replied "Brothers and sisters I have none, but this man's father is my father's son." The question was then who was in the painting?"

The riddle asked in the form it was asked to you would be different because it only refers to himself. He says Brothers and sisters "I" have none, but this mans father is "MY" fathers son. Who am "I"? "I" am the father of this man, and "I" am the son (single child) of "my" father.

Thanks for the help, Chris.

2) First of all, why would you want to bury a living person? To answer your question, it depends on what you mean by "living" in Philadelphia. If you mean living as in residing, then yes...you can bury him in New York because he wouldn't physically be in Philadelphia at the time of the burial (even though he's still alive).

Q.: 1) You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What did you eat?
2) What is the origin of Easter?
3) Who or what company made the first commercial flight? When?
4) How many countries were in the Axis powers of WWII? Who were they?
5) How many countries were in the Allied Powers? Who were they?
6) What was the first country Italy conquered under Mussolini's rule? How many did they conquer?
7) What was the first country Germany occupied in WWII?
8) What was the first law passed after the Bill of Rights?
9) Who built the first tank? When?
- Chris D.

A.: 1) Corn on the cob. You throw away the skin or sheaf, then cook it, eat the corn, then throw away the cob. Thanks to Tracey for answering this one.

2) Zach A. sent me the following link that answers this question. I thought I could summarize it, but I only screwed things up. So check out the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance for the full answer.

3) According to The Book of Answers, the first passenger airline was the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line of St. Petersburg, FL. It began flight operations on January 1, 1914. The twice-a-day service took passengers one at a time across the 20-mile wide Tampa Bay. The complete trip in a Benoit flying boat covered 36 miles and cost $5. The service ran for four months.

4) There were nine countries in the Axis Powers: Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, and Romania.

5) Seventeen countries comprised the Allied Powers: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, United States, and Yugoslavia.

6) Under Mussolini, Italy first conquered the island-nation of Corfu in 1923. He went on to lead the successful invasions of Albania, Libya, Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia), Malta, Corsica, and Tunis.

7) World War II began in September 1939 with the German attack on Poland.

8) Zach A. just happened to see this one is his history book, American Odyssey: The United States in the 20th Century:

"The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State."

9) Leonardo da Vinci designed a crank-operated covered chariot in 1482, but development of an effective, track-laying armored vehicle was only possible after the invention of the internal-combustion engine. During World War I, Great Britain, urged by Winston Churchill, developed and used the first armored track-laying vehicles. The first tank was built in December 1915, and battle tested July 1916. To maintain secrecy, the vehicles were shipped to the battle zone in crates marked "tanks," hence the origin of the name. Thanks to Tony L. for helping me out.

Q.: Who and where was the toothbrush invented?
- Mary Lynn D.

A.: According to The Book of Answers, the first brush with bristles was developed in China in 1498. Bristles were taken from hogs at first, and later from horses and even badgers. Not until 1938 were nylon bristles - more sanitary and less dangerous - developed by DuPont."

Q.: 1) Why do they call a scuzzy port a scuzzy port?
2) Why is Greenland called that if it's covered in ice and the same with Iceland being all green?
- No Name Given

A.: 1) Not even an hour after I first posted this question, two people - Chris D. who apparently works for IBM) and Zach - sent me pretty much the same answer. And for the record, it's not scuzzy...it's an acronym. S.C.S.I stands for Small Computer System Interface, and it's called a S.C.S.I. port because of the type of cable that interfaces with the computer.

2) Essentially, Greenland was given its name as a sales ploy. The island, most of which lies under a permanent ice cap, was discovered by Eric the Red, who sailed from Iceland in 982 A.D. He chose the name to make the island sound more attractive to potential settlers. In 986 A.D. about 25 shiploads of emigrants followed Eric from Iceland to Greenland and founded a Norse colony that lasted for 500 years. By the way, thanks to Chris D. who sent in the answer to this question.

Q.: The man who built it, sold it. The man who bought it, never used it. The man who used it, never saw it. What is "it"?
- Stephanie S.

A.: Here's another one that was posted for less than an hour before the answers came rolling in. "It" is a coffin. Thanks to the two unnamed people who sent in the answer.

Q.: 1) Who were the only recurring two (I think) human characters in the Japanese Godzilla films? What films did they appear in and what are the actors' names?
2) What was the only (I think) Godzilla film that was a sequel to another Godzilla film other than the original Godzilla film?
3) Who wrote the book The 60 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time, and what is conspiracy number eighteen of the book?
4) In the Super Nintendo game "Super Godzilla," what is the final enemy Godzilla must face?
5) In the computer game Aliens vs. Predator Gold, what is the name of the research installation where the Predator's first mission takes place?
- No Name Given

A.: 1) It depends on how you define the word "recurring." A total of 18 characters have appeared in more than one movie, but only five characters have appeared in more than two films. Here's the breakdown (listed in order of character name and movie title):

1) Commander Takaki Aso:
Gojira vs. Desutoroia (1995)
Gojira vs. Mekagojira (1993)
Gojira vs. Supesugojira (1994)
2) Dr. Kyohei Yamane:
Gojira (1954)
Gojira no gyakushu (1955)
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)
3) Emiko Yamane:
Gojira (1954)
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)
Gojira vs. Desutoroia (1995)
4) Miki Saegusa:
Gojira vs. Biorante (1989)
Gojira vs. Kingugidora (1991)
Gojira vs. Mosura (1992)
Gojira vs. Mekagojira (1993)
Gojira vs. Supesugojira (1994)
Gojira vs. Desutoroia (1995)
5) Minister Takayuki Segawa:
Mekagojira no gyakushu (1975)
Gojira vs. Kingugidora (1991)
Gojira vs. Mekagojira (1993)
Gojira vs. Supesugojira (1994)

2) Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla in 1977 (released in Japan in 1974) was followed up by Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II in 1999 (1993 in Japan).

3) Jonathan Vankin & John Whalen wrote the book. The eighteenth conspiracy is called "The Cloud Buster: Wilhelm Reich vs. The Emotional Plague."

4) Gozilla must defeat Bagan.

5) According to AVPNews.com (a site dedicated to the Alien vs. Predator series), it's Area 52.

Q.: What was the first traditional cartoon series to come out with a "babies" version, where the original characters were re-cast as younger versions?
- Margaret B.

A.: Muppet Babies was the first one to do it in 1984.

Q.: Why are elephants always depicted as being afraid of mice? Are they? If so, why?
- Michelle

A.: According to Richard O'Grady, Director-Secretary of the Glasgow Zoopark:

"My practical experience is that elephants are not frightened of mice or rats. In fact, if there is an infestation of hundreds of rats, as I once saw in an old zoo down in England, the rats will even nibble at the elephant's feet when it is lying down sleeping, causing significant injuries.

I think the reputation for being frightened arose because elephants are easily frightened by sudden, unexpected sharp movements. A bolting rat moves like greased lightning, and this would make anything rear up."

Q.: What would I have to do to acquire the Codex Gigas, and how much is it valued at / worth?
- Jon G.

A.: You'll have to conquer Sweden to get your hands on the book. It was brought to there in 1648 as a war trophy, and has been kept in the Royal Library since 1649. No value has ever been publicly placed on it.

Q.: There are "critters" that are found nowhere else in the world but in a Sloth's fur. What are they?
- Dominique

A.: There are 3 species of sloth moth, found only on three-toed and two-toed sloths. They are about one-third inch long with flattened bodies, and can move easily through the sloth's dense hair.

Q.: I'm reading Peyps diaries at the moment (abridged version) and in 1666 he says he's worth �5,200. Allowing for inflation since then, what would that amount be worth today?
- Liam D.

A.: I'm not sure if this question can be accurately answered...most monetary calculators only go as far back as 1800 (even the British Government's Statistical Service only lists as far back as 1914). There are a few reasons for this:

1) Purchasing power is based on pricing indexes, which take into account labor trends, supply/demand of goods or services, the value of the goods or services, and other key factors.
2) Goods and services themselves have changed.
3) The purchasing power of the pound is fundamentally immeasurable between one century and another. Remember, the British monetary system has seen changes since 1666.

Q.: How many episodes of Dragonballz have not been aired in the United States?
- Zach

A.: I found this answer while watching TV. According to Cartoon Network, there are 43 episodes that haven't been aired in the United States. That's about to change, though: Cartoon Network plans on airing them in November.

Q.: How can I be so annoyed with a girl and hate her so much, but love her hopelessly and think of her all the time?
- No Name Given

A.: To put it simply, that's the power that women have over us.

Q.: Who wrote the poem: "Gil-galad was an Eleven-king?"
- Mike

A.: With all the hoopla surrounding the upcoming movie, did you think I wouldn't recognize The Lord of the Rings? It's from The Fellowship of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Q.: Does O.S.H.A. say it's mandatory that all employees of an orthopedic doctors office are not allowed to wear some type of nylons with open-toed shoes?
- No Name Given

A.: Uh, no. Who told you that?

Q.: Where did Jar Jar Binks's name come from?
- Justin

A.: This is from Anthony B. at the Star Wars fan page, TheForce.net:

"In the Star Wars Insider #41, Rick McCallum says, "I know that the name Jar Jar came from his George Lucas's son, Jett. I don't know if Katie helped in the naming of the other characters, but definitely Jar Jar came from Jett."

Q.: Why do they sterilize the needles for lethal injections?
- Andrew

A.: You probably meant this one as a joke, but there's a legitimate answer to it: in case there's a last minute stay or pardon. In addition to the needles, the area of the arm to be injected is also swabbed. Thanks to Tony L. for the answer.

Q.: Where did the phrase "The life of Riley" originate?
- Carol G.

A.: I happened to find this one while getting the next site update ready.

Most people envy the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Stand-up comic Patrick Rooney exploited this feeling in a lilting song he wrote in the late 1880s.

Mr. Reilly, the central character of the Irish entertainer's song, didn't amount to much, but he was quite a daydreamer. Reilly imagined what he would do if he struck it rich in California.

Owning the railroads, he would buy no tickets. Having no need for money he would turn down jobs that offered to pay "a hundred a day." Best of all, he would take over the White House and sleep in the president's chair.

Though Reilly existed only in the imagination of Rooney, he voiced the feelings of multitudes who paid little attention to the spelling of his name. Having heard or read lines that described the way Reilly conceived of life at the top, people began to wish they could step into the Irishman's shoes.

Q.: A man is in a building, rushing down a corridor, with a piece of paper in his hand. All of a sudden the lights go off and then quickly back on again. The man stops rushing and drops the piece of paper. Who is the man and what did the piece of paper say?
- Stephanie S.

A.: The lights flickering is a prisoner getting electrocuted...so there's no need for the person to run anymore. But the person could pretty much be anyone except the most popular answer (the warden of a prison), and the paper could say anything, including the most popular answer for that question (a pardon). The warden is supposed to be present at the execution, and a pardon requires a phone call from the governor directly to the building housing the execution chamber.

Q.: On what date did you post the first stump me question?
- Jacob E.

A.: According to my logs, September 14, 2000. The site originally only offered trivia, word origins and quotes.

Q.: Do you know the origin of "ballpark price"?
- Mike

A.: In the days when all baseball games were played in the open air during daylight hours, newsmen would have liked to know precisely how many fans showed up for a given game. But they seldom found out because owners and managers were cagey and it was hard to get a precise headcount. Besides, publicity about a low turnout might keep people away from the next game.

It became a standard practice to give a very broad estimate - plus or minus a few hundred or thousand - when asked about the size of the gate on a particular day.