Ether comes to the rescue
Q: I recently had the misfortune of having a tooth pulled. In fact, the anticipation of the extraction was much worse than the actual removal. I can’t imagine going through the procedure before the use of anesthesia. My question: When was anesthesia first employed to pull a tooth? ‘ C.L., Grand Junction, Colo.
A: On Sept. 30, 1846, William Thomas Green Morton (1819-1868) performed a painless tooth extraction after administering ether to a patient. After Morton’s successful operation, surgeons began to experiment with anesthesia in an effort to perform painless surgery.
Q: How big was the imaginary rabbit named Harvey? Who created him? ‘ G.K.M., Lebanon, N.H.
A: Playwright Mary Coyle Chase (1907-1981) created the 6-feet-1-inch-tall rabbit for her Broadway play ‘Harvey.’ The play won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1944, and its initial run lasted four years and 1,775 performances in the late 1940s. The drama has been continually revived around the world since then. In 1950, ‘Harvey’ hit the big screen, starring Jimmy Stewart.
Did you know … the full name of track star Jesse Owens is James Cleveland Owens? The nickname Jesse came about after a teacher misheard Owens’ pronunciation of his initials, J.C
Q: How did the TV show ‘Hawaii Five-O’ get its name? ‘ T.P., San Francisco, Calif.
A: ‘Hawaii Five-O’ showcases a fictional state police force of the same name that honors Hawaii’s status as the 50th state. (Hawaii entered the union in August 1959.) Airing from 1968 to 1980, the program is one of the longest-running police series in U.S. TV history. With few exceptions, it was filmed entirely on location in Hawaii.
Q: This is a silly question, but I’ll ask it anyway. What is the largest city in the United States with only one syllable? ‘ E.W.T., Stevens Point, Wis.
A: Silly? Well, maybe, but it is fun. With a population of about 120,000, I would say Flint, Mich. Does anyone know a better answer?
Q: I was excited when you answered a question about the TV sitcom ‘Alice’ and actress Polly Dean Holliday, who played Florence ‘Flo’ Jean Castleberry. Why did she leave the show? I know she starred in her own unsuccessful show, ‘Flo,’ but why not wait until ‘Alice’ was canceled? She was incredibly popular. ‘ B.L., Buffalo, N.Y.
A: Officially, Holliday left ‘Alice’ to start her spin-off series (‘Flo’). According to several insiders, Holliday’s popularity irritated Linda Lavin, the star of ‘Alice.’ Lavin believed that Holliday was stealing the show from her. For that reason, Holliday was encouraged to leave.
Q: Were the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League ever called the Blue Jays? ‘ F.M., Harrisburg, Pa.
A: Founded in 1883, the franchise was originally known as the Quakers; the following year, the team adopted the nickname Phillies and both names were used until 1890, when Quakers was dropped. In 1943, in an effort to change its image, the team began wearing predominately blue uniforms; the media dubbed the squad the Blue Jays, but the name was never officially adopted. In 1945, the team returned to its red look, and the name Blue Jays faded quickly.
Q: You have recently answered several questions about the National Basketball Association. I have another for you. What is the largest margin of victory in a game? ‘ P.K., St. Louis, Mo.
A: On Dec. 17, 1991, the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Miami Heat, 148-80, a 68-point win for the Cavs.
Q: There is a term for a tomb that honors a person or group of people, but their remains are elsewhere. Do you know the name for such a tomb? ‘ E.V., Hagerstown, Md.
A: A cenotaph.
(Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All, c/o United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.)