Fact Extractor: Nothing You Need to Know

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In this issue of Fact Extractor:

1. Hucksters, Humbugs, Hoodwinks & Hogwash: Harebrained Hoaxes & Hullabaloo
2. Fact or Fable?
3. The Quick Quirk Quiz Question
4. Shameless Self-Promotion & Flagrant Advertising
5. Two Cents About Hot Dogs
6. Miscellaneous Stuff

Hucksters, Humbugs, Hoodwinks & Hogwash: Harebrained Hoaxes & Hullabaloo

Fred Hawthorn was a well-known practical joker in the early 1900s. He also owned a hardware store. Mrs. Sophie Landmark one day walked into Hawthorn's Hardware Store and asked him for a nickel's worth of carpet tacks. He got them for her; she paid her nickel and then said, "Deliver them!" and walked out. She lived more than a mile away and he was outraged the she couldn't carry a nickel's worth of nails home herself in her pocket or purse. He decided to teach her a lesson. First he borrowed a neighbor's two draft horses, and hitched them to a huge flat wagon. Next he placed the tiny packet of tacks in the center of the wagon. Then he drove the team the mile out to Mrs. Sophie Landmark's home. There was much whooping and hollering, yeeing and hawing, as he sent the wagon over the curb, through the shrubs, across the lawn, up the sidewalk, over the flowerbeds, until the back end of the wagon was up against her porch. He rang the doorbell, doffed his hat, presented her grandly with the tacks and left her to survey the scene of broken sidewalks, rutted lawns, splintered fences, and ruined flowerbeds. She thought about suing until a friend informed her she'd be the laughingstock of the town if she did.

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Fact or Fable?

People who were born blind can see in their dreams. FACT or FABLE? (Answer below.)

Quick Quirk Quiz Question: Frozen Feasts

Clarence was a field naturalist who was on a fur-trading expedition in the Arctic in the 1920s. One day he decided to go ice fishing when it was 20 below zero. The fish he caught froze instantly when he removed them from the water. Back at camp, he tossed a fish into a bucket of warm water and was amazed to see it come to life again. He concluded it survived because it had been frozen so quickly. This gave him an idea. He tried flash-freezing food, with good success. Freezing food quickly prevents large ice crystals from forming, preventing damage to the cellular structure. When thawed, frozen food tastes normal. In 1924, Clarence began marketing the first line of frozen food-- fish. By 1930, he was selling 26 kinds of frozen items including fruits, veggies, and meats. In the mid-1930s he introduced an inexpensive freezer display case that he leased to grocers who couldn’t afford to buy one. The business continued to expand with the widespread use of insulated railroad cars. By the time Clarence died on October 8, 1956, he had seen his idea revolutionize the way Americans eat. His company, which he named after himself, is now one of the best known names in frozen foods. What was Clarence’s last name, now carried on millions of packages of frozen food?

Anyone who e-mails the correct answer to QuickQuirks@TriviaQueen.com will receive a free one-month trial subscription to the TWO-BIT NEWS, a veritable feast of facts fit for all trivia lovers. The Two-Bit News is a weekly trivia tabloid containing quips, quotes, quirks, quizzes, questions, stories, and statistics pertaining to a single trivial topic. This week we’re discovering all sorts of nonsensical knowledge about HOT DOGS. See sample back issues at http://www.triviaqueen.com/enewsletters.htm Four weekly issues will be sent to the lucky winners as PDF attachments each Tuesday.

Answer to Last Week’s Quick Quirk Quiz Question:

Henry, who invented a new weapon, was NOT named Henry Derringer, Henry Winchester, Henry Bazooka, Henry Buck (shot), Henry Bullet, Henry Tank, Henry Grenade, or Henry Cannon. His name was Mr. Henry SHRAPNEL.

Nothing You Need to Know about HOT DOGS

Fast Facts About Franks:

• In the summer of 2002, Americans downed an estimated seven billion hot dogs.  Laid end-to-end, that’s enough hot dogs to circle the equator 27 times. Two billion of them were eaten during July.

• Just over 26 million hot dogs are eaten every year in major league baseball stadiums, making franks the most popular item with baseball fans. Dodger Stadium in L.A. ranks as Top Dog, selling an estimated 1.5 million Dodger Dogs each season. Cleveland’s Jacob’s Field comes in second with 1.1 million dogs annually. Some 15 percent of hot dogs eaten are purchased from street vendors and nine percent are eaten at ball parks. 

• People in New Orleans eat more hot dogs per capita than any other city, followed by L.A., San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, New York City, and Chicago.

• In a poll sponsored by the American Meat Institute and the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, hamburgers ranked #1 among American adults as the top food item for summertime grilling. Some 32 percent of people polled said they go for a burger above all else at backyard barbecues. Another 19 percent named hot dogs, making it the second place choice. Chicken was third, followed by steak.

• In a similar poll, mustard ranked #1 as the favorite hot dog topping, with 30 percent of people choosing it above all other toppings. Another 22 percent picked ketchup, which came in second place, followed by chili and relish.

If you would like to know about the world’s longest hot dog....The most unusual "lost dog" ever....How five fake doctor’s uniforms can make a fortune at a hot dog stand...The national hot dog eating championship....The surprising origins of a familiar song.... Why hot dogs come ten to a pack and hot dog buns come eight to a pack...The million-dollar sermon....And just who exactly was Oscar Meyer, anyway? Then you MUST subscribe to the Two-Bit News, just 25 cents per issue at http://www.triviaqueen.com/enewsletters.htm Make the investment today because the Trivia Queen needs to pay her bills and the royal treasury is broke!

Fact or Fable:

FABLE. People who were born blind dream in sound only.

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Next week, we’ll be hearing all about the ups and downs of ROLLER COASTERS, so stay tuned to the Fact Extractor!

Remember our motto, stated in the immortal words of Max Beerbohm, “Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter"

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