Evening star., 1940-10-26
Huskin's Answers
To Questions
BIZ Frederic J. HdSkin.

reader can get the dnsUer to any
question OF fact By Uriting The EUe-
ming Star Information Bureau, Fred
eric J. HaSkin, director, Washington,
d. c. Please inclOse stamp for reply.
@. What was the profession of the
man who introduced the tomato as a
food?-A b.
A. Michele Fclice Corne was an artist
who came TO this country when young
man and rose TO fame as a painter of
naval Combats during the War OF 1912.
He himself raised tomatoes in Newport,
and was the first man to eat this vege-
table.
@ When were railroads first electri-
hed?-W. X H
A In 1895, the Baltimore & Ohio cleo
trlfied 36 miles of the railroad serving
Mount Royal and Camden Stations
Q. What do the pyramids symbolic?
" A
A. According to Herodotus, the Egyp-
tianS considered the pyramid an emblem
| of human life; the broad base was sig
nificant of the beginning, and its termi-
nation in a point the end of our existence
in the present state.
| @. How many labor publications are
there in the United States?-C. P.D.
A. A directory of the American labor
! press, just released by the American
| Council on Public Affairs, shows tha,
there are 676 labor publications. o.
/ these, 327 are official organs of branche5
/ OF the A. F. Of L.. and 10 are published
by affiliates of the C. l. o.
Q. Is 1t true that the use of tobacco
was once forbidden in England?-F. J.B
A. In 1904 James I condemned the
taking of tobacco as "a branche of the
| slime Of drunkennesse, which is the roote
of all shines A royal proclamation of
James I in 1919 prohibited the cutiva-
| tion Of tobacco in England and ordered
the destruction of all plants.
! @ What is the greatest distance a
/ homing pigeon can fly?-W. S.
! A. Homing pigeons will fly from 500 to
700 miles 15OO-n1ile distance has
been flown, but this is an exceptional
record.
@. When was the Wickersham Com
mission in effect?-J. w. T.
A. President Hoover in 1929 appointed
George W. Wickersham as chairman of
/ the Commission on Law Observance and
| Enforcement. The final report of the
commission was made in 1881.
G. What percentage of the blind pop
ulation of the United States is familiar
with Braille?-M G. H
/ A. According to the American Foun-
! dation for the Blind, only 25 per cent
of the total blind population of over
10000 are able to use Braille or other
! flnger-reading systems.
@. How many States bar the Com
muniSt party from the November 5 cleo
ton ballot?-G H N
A. There are 10 States which have
barred this party from the election bal-
lot, four of them on the grounds that !.
| favors the overthrow of the American
! form Of government. They are as fol-
lows: ArGona Arkansas, Georgia III >,
nois. Indiana, Kansas. Kentucky. Oh .,
Washington and West Virginia. Wiscor-
sin has denied the party a place on the
ballot because it has failed to poll suff-
cient votes in previous elections. but 1t
has allowed four of its candidates to
run as independents. A number of
other States have action pending to bar
the party.
Q. In what year was the novel Peter
Ibbetson" pubhshed?-C. T. G.
A. Du Maurier'S first novel appeared
in Harper's Magazine in 1891, with his
| own illustrations.
@. What was the name of the Jealous
! empress who had her son blinded and
put in prison?-C. S, B.
A. Irene Empress of ByZantium. was
regent for her son Constantine VI.
When he became old enough to rule, his
mother had him blinded and impris-
oned, and she reigned as empress until
800.
@. When did the English take Gibral-
tar from Spain?-M NJ
A. Gibraltar was taken by England on
July "a. 1704 It was ceded formally by
| the treaty of Utrecht on April II, l7l3 ,
G. What is the Oldest parliament In
the world?-D. R
A. The Althing of Iceland is the old
est parliamentary assembly, having cel-
ebrated It's 10O0th anniversary in June,
1890.
| @. When did President and Mrs.
woodrow Wilson visit in Buckingham
Palace?-J. M. O'C.
A. President and Mrs. Wilson occupied
the Belgian suite at Buckingham Palace
from December 26 to December 81, 1918.
O. How many tractors are in use in
the United StateS?-W S. c.
A. In 1899 there were 1,6290 900 tractors
in use in the United States The num-
Der has almost doubled since 1890.
@. How large is the Pacific Ocean7
| e. B.
A. The area Of the Pacific Ocean Is
1854 900 square miles. 1t covers more
world area than all the land masses
| combined
C L. r>II.