2005 Previous Reference Questions of the Week

Previous Reference Questions - 2005

Q: Methane gas was found on the planet Mars. What does that mean? Where does methane gas come from?
A: "The detection of the simple carbon compound methane in the Martian atmosphere by both ground-based telescopes and an orbiting spacecraft" means that there "might be primitive life, even today, on the Red Planet (Mars)." - Science News April 10, 2004
According to Dr. David Whitehouse, the BBC News Online science editor, there are several possible origins for the methane gas. Methane may be produced by volcanic activity or it may come from organisms called methanogens-"microbes that produce methane from hydrogen and carbon dioxide."
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk
Source: Science News April 10, 2004 and BBC News Online (http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk) .
Submitted by Maureen Delovio, Reference Department

Q: When was the New England Patriots team founded?
A: On November 22, 1959, the New England Patriots was founded when "William H. Sullivan, and his associates were awarded a charter membership in the American Football League. The team derived its name from a local newspaper contest with the original franchise name of the Boston Patriots. There first game was played against the Denver Broncos almost a year later on September 9, 1960 at Boston University field.
Source: Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League edited by David Pietrusza, 1997.
Submitted by Josh Tisoskey

Q: What is "Spyware" and why should I be concerned about it?
A. Spyware is "computer software that can be used to gather and remove confidential information from your computer without your knowledge." The major concern with Spyware is that it can put you at risk for becoming an identity theft victom. Spyware can be downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge and can track all of your online movements, as well as personal passwords. To protect yourself from potential identity theft problems there are many programs which can help you remove Spyware from your computer.
Source: 50 Ways to Protect Your Identity and Your Credit by Steve Weisman, 2005.
Submitted by Jennifer Quinn, Reference Librarian

Q. I am watching the PBS Masterpiece Theatre series Island at War about the Channel Islands being occupied by Nazi Troops in WWII. Is St. Gregory one of the Channel Islands?
A. It stated on the PBS website that the Island of St. Gregory is fictional. However the story itself is factual and significant in that the Channel Islands were the only British territories occupied by the German Army in World War II. On June 28,1940 the two islands of Guernsey and Jersey were bombed by the Germans killing 44 civilians. And beginning on June 30th they began to occupy each Island.
The Channel Islands are located In the English Channel between England and France. They are: Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Herm.
Source: PBS website http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/islandatwar/occupation.html
The Oxford Companion to World War II, Edited by Dear and Foot, 1995.
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: Why was he called the Lone Ranger whenever Tonto was around?
A: The Lone Ranger was a Texas Ranger. In the first episode of the radio show the Lone Ranger was one of six Texas Rangers who were ambushed by the Cavendish Gang. All the Rangers were killed except The Lone Ranger who was left for dead. Tonto chanced upon and saved him.
Source: Do Elephants Jump? by David Feldman
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q. Is there a state law or town ordinance regulating the number of cats a household can own?
A. Owners or occupants of a residence in West Warwick are permitted to keep no more than three cats or dogs or any combination thereof. Exceptions include kittens or puppies under six months of age or any person operating a licensed kennel. Violators are subject to fines up to $100.00. Each Coventry household may have up to three licensed dogs. Coventry does not limit the number of cats per household however, should the number of cats be determined unsafe or unhealthy, it reserves the right to remove the animals from the residence.
Source: Code of Ordinances, Town of West Warwick, Rhode Island, section 4-21. Code of Ordinances, Town of Coventry, Rhode Island, section 3-12.
Submitted by Brigitte Juan, Reference Assistant

Q. What does the "Ides of March" mean?
A: Ides originally referred to the full moon. However, in the ancient Roman calendar the ides referred to the fifteenth day of March, May, July and October and the thirteenth day of all the other months. The use of term ides is most popularly used when referring to the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides (or fifteenth) of March 44 BC. Shakespeare refers to this day in his play Julius Caesar with the phrase "Beware the Ides of March".
Source: The Hutchinson Dictionary of World History edited by Jennifer Speake, 1993. And Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary compiled by Sue Ellen Thompson and Barbara W. Carlson, 1994.
Submitted by Brigitte Juan, Reference Assistant

Q. Where did the name Arctic come from?
A: In 1852, the A & W Sprague Manufacturing company purchased the Wakefield Mill as well as some land along side it. They built homes for the mill workers on the north side of the mill and on the east side of Main Street. The mill, which was at the bottom of a steep slope and collected cold air, was claimed to be the coldest spot in the region. For that reason and the fact that it rhymed with Sprague's other mills at Natick, Quidnick, and Baltic, it was named Arctic.
Source: A collection of researched facts about the Town of West Warwick by Margo R. Vadeboncouer; Historic and architectural resources of West Warwick, Rhode Island: A preliminary report from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission; and Trumpets in JerichoM by Mathias P. Harpin.
Submitted by Cecelia DiCarlo, Library Assistant

Q: Where did Apple Computers get its name?
A: Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, had recently returned from an apple harvest at All-One Farm and "thought of the apple as the perfect fruit - it has a high nutritional content, it come in a nice package, it doesn't damage easily…". At the time, Jobs and his partner Steve Wozniak couldn't come up with a better name for their operation and since Jobs wanted it to be the perfect company they chose Apple. The team officially formed the Apple Computer Company on April 1st, 1976.
Source: West of Eden: The end of innocence at Apple Computer by Frank Rose p. 33.
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: What happened to Fala, FDR's dog, after he died?
A: FDR's Scottish Terrier lived with Eleanor Roosevelt until his death in 1952 and was buried near Franklin's grave at Hyde Park.
Source: PBS American Experience website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/32_f_roosevelt/tguide/f_roosevelt_dk.html
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: Who was the first American in space?
A: The first American in space was Alan B. Shepherd on May 5, 1961 in mission "Mercury-Redstone 3". He was in space for 15 minutes.
Source: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2005
Submitted by Brigitte Juan, Reference Assistant

Q: What are hazel eyes and where does the term come from?
A: Human beings have many variations in eye color. Eye color is genetic and is determined by the amount of melanin or pigment present in the eye. A small amount of melanin will result in blue eyes, a larger amount will result in green eyes, and brown eyes represent melanin-rich irises. (The iris is colored portion of the eye containing the pupil in its center.) The definition of hazel is having a light golden-brown color; a light brown or yellowish brown. Therefore light brown eyes are often characterized as hazel eyes.
Source: Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1997 and Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_eyes#Brown_eyes
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: In which inning did the 'longest game ever' end and what teams were involved?
A: "Baseball's famous 'Longest Game' between the Rochester Red Wings and the Pawtucket Red Sox lasted a record 33 innings and took more than eight hours over two different days to complete." It took place on April 19 and 20 and June 23, 1981 at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The International League game began at 8:00pm and continued until 4:09 the next morning when the game was suspended after 32 innings with a 2-2 score. The game resumed June 23 and took only one inning for the PawSox to score.
Source: The Longest Game by Steven Krasner, The Baseball Hall of Fames website @ http://www.baseballhalloffame.org, and The Pawsox webiste @ http://www.pawsox.com/team/longest_game/ Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: What is the Craftsman Style of architecture and are there any examples in Rhode Island?
A: The craftsman style was an outgrowth if the Arts and Crafts Movement, which concentrated more on interiors than exteriors and was widely popular across the U.S. from 1900 through the 1930s. Arts & Crafts furniture designer Gustav Stickley was an early and influential advocate of the movement and creator Craftsman house plans. Between 1900 and 1916, Stickley's magazine, The Craftsman, published plans for Arts & Crafts style houses which many attempted to mimic.
Classic Craftsman homes usually feature one or one and a half stories, wide, gable-end roof lines with overhanging eaves, a deep porch with square columns, dark wood paneling, a large fireplace, an arched opening that separated the living room and dining room, built-in cabinetry in the dining room and kitchen, and little to no ornamentation.
The craftsman bungalow or bungalow is a variation on the craftsman style home. The first American house to be called a bungalow was designed in 1879 by William Gibbons Preston. Built at Monument Beach on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Rhode Island including West Warwick has numerous craftsman bungalows. Some examples in town are the John Berard House located at 43 Home Street, the Bowen House on 20 Calvin Street, 36 Fairview Avenue, and 44 Highland Avenue.
Source: Dictionary of Building Preservation edited by Ward Bucher, 1996, Historic and Architectural Resources of West Warwick, Rhode Island: A Preliminary Report, Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1987, and House Styles: Craftsman Bungalow at http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-bungalow.htm
Submitted by Brigitte Juan, Reference Assistant

Q: How did Rhode Island get its name?
A: According to the Official Rhode Island Government website the name is attributed to Giovanni Verrazzano who said it reminded him of the Isle of Rhodes.The name first referred only to Acquidnick Island and then later was applied to the entire state.
Some other explanations: Roger Williams said the name means "Island of Roses". Dutch explorer, Adrian Block named it Roodt Eylandt meaning "red island" for the red soil. Because Rhode Island became the haven for outcasts, dissenters and malcontents, Plymouth Colony gave it the nickname "Rogues Island" describing it as "a hive of hornets, and the sinke into which all the rest of the colonyes empty their hereticks."
Source: America the Beautiful: Rhode Island by Ann Heinriches, The Encyclopedia of Rhode Island from Somerset Publishers,Inc.; Rhode Island, the Independent State by Kellner and Lemons, Our State: Rhode Island by Lillian Burleigh Miner, and Office of the Secretary od State, Rhode Island at www.state.ri.us/ Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: What was the deadliest storm in U.S. history?
A: On September 8, 1900 an unnamed hurricane devastated Galveston, Texas killing between eight and twelve thousand people. Climatologists measured speeds of 100 mph before the anemometer was blown away. It is estimated the wind speeds reached between 120 and 150 mph. A 16 foot tidal wave swept away 12 city blocks and then the entire city was submerged under flood waters. The storm is chronicled in the book Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Eric Larson.
Source: Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book by Christopher C. Burt.
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: What is white noise?
A: According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary white noise is defined as 1. a: heterogeneous mixture of sound waves extending over a wide frequency range b: a constant background noise; esp: one that drowns out other sounds 2. meaningless or distracting commotion, hubbub, or chatter.
Howstuffworks helps to further describe white noise: "white noise is a combination of all of the different frequencies of sound. You can think of white noise as 20,000 tones all playing at the same time... and because white noise contains all frequencies, it is frequently used to mask other sounds". Many people listen to white noise to reduce distractions and drown out noises for sleeping.
Source: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, (2003) 11th Edition and howstuffworks @ howstuffworks.com.
Submitted by Brigitte Juan, Reference Assistant

Q: I heard that Paul Stookey wrote the "Wedding Song" (There is Love) for a friend's wedding. Is that true?
A: (Noel) Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul, and Mary fame was asked by Peter (Yarrow) to be his best man and to write a song for the occasion. Peter married Marybeth McCarthy, the niece of Presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy on October 18,1969. Two years later the song was released and has been a wedding classic ever since.
Source: www.allmusic.com and Biography of Noel Paul Stookey by Craig Harris.
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: What is caffeine and how is it removed from the coffee bean?
A: The coffee tree produces the alkaloid caffeine. It is a stimulant and contributes to the bitter properties of coffee. Too much caffeine can overstimulate you resulting in such things as restlessness, anxiety, an twitching muscles; and nausea. It can also worsen existing conditions. Some reports have linked the consumption of large doses of caffeine with particular types of cancer.
Caffeine free coffee was sought after in the early 1900's due to controversy over caffeine. Ludwig Roselius, a German merchant, sought to eliminate the caffeine in coffee because he believed his father was poisoned by it. He was able to remove the caffeine by superheating the green coffee beans with steam and then flooding them with the solvent benzol, a process he patented in 1906. In 1911, Robert Huber claimed to extract the caffeine through a water-only process. The two processes remain the only methods of decaffeination. The first is called the Swiss Water Process method. Such processed coffee is often found in gourmet coffee shops and organic food stores. The other decaffeination process uses a chemical solvent. It is the more commonly used method of the two because it removes caffeine more evenly and effectively. The solvents are washed off and any remaining solvent is burned off during the steaming and roasting processes. Common solvents include methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, and highly pressurized carbon dioxide.
The Food and Drug Administration of the United States has no regulatory authority on coffee. Therefore the amount of caffeine it contains can vary from 2 and 13 milligrams of caffeine and still be labeled "decaffeinated".
Sources: Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World by Mark Perndergrast (1999), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food And Drink in America, Vol. 1. (2004), pp. 266-267), and I Need Coffee: Caffeine and The Bean from http:www.ineedcoffee.com
Submitted by Brigitte Juan, Reference Assistant

Q: Can you tell me about the Sea-to-Sea trail and how it compares to the Appalachian Trail?
A: The Sea-to Sea Trail (C2C) is not yet a recognized trail and is still in its infancy of development. When it is officially completed it will run from Cap Gaspe, Quebec, Canada to Cape Alava Washington state and approximately 7,700 miles. The Appalachian Trail seems short in comparison at only 2,175 miles, running from Springer Mountain Georgia to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. Congress has established the National Trails System Act which mandates the procedures for establishing and maintaining trails. To date, the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide and Pacific Northwest Trail and others, are part of the National Trails System. Private hiking organizations such as the Appalachian Trail Conservancy help to maintain the trails with volunteer labor.
Source:The National Park Service website @ www.nps.gov/nts/nrt.html and "Backpacker", Feb.2003 v31
Submitted by Kate Carroll Reference Asstistant

Q: What is the Mason-Dixon line?
A: The Mason-Dixon or Mason and Dixon line is often referred to as the division between the North and the South; freedom and slavery. But the history of the Line predates the establishment of the United States. The line was actually the result of a bloody land dispute between the Penn Family of Pennsylvania and the Calvert Family of Maryland. Charles Mason, as astronomer from Greenwich, England and Jeremiah Dixon, a surveyor from Cockfield, England were hired in 1763 to lay stone markers across the 233 miles boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland and 83 miles between Maryland and Delaware. Using the most advanced astronomical and surveying equipment they marked the line with blocks of limestone from Southern Great Britain that were 3.5 to 5 feet long, weighing 300 to 600 pounds. The effort took more than five years. Current GPS measurements reveal that the markers are off by as little as an inch in some places and no more than 800 feet in other areas.
Source:Saving the Mason-Dixon Line by Bijal P. Trivedi, National Geographic Today, April 10, 2002 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/o4/0410_020410_TVmasondixon.html and The History of the Mason & Dixon Line by the Mason & Dixon Line Preservation Partnership from http://www.eawebview.com/masondixon/MDLPP_HISTORY.htm
Submitted by Brigitte Juan, Reference Assistant

Q: Is it true that there is an English author of murder mysteries that was convicted of murder as a teenager?
A: The author to whom you refer is Anne Perry. She was born Juliet Marion Hulme in London in 1938, but took on the name of her step-father when she was released from prison after serving five years for murder. In 1954 she and her girlfriend Pauline Parker (both 15 years old) used a brick tied in a stocking to brutally beat Pauline's mother in the head. Anne Perry was identified with the crime some 40 years later when her novel Traitors Gate was ready to be released. The author feared the revelation would cause her publisher and reader's to desert her. However this did not prove to be the case. She continues to be a highly acclaimed and popular author of historical fiction.
Source: Current Biography Yearbook, 1996, P.434-438
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: What is a whistle pig?
A: A whistle pig is another name for a woodchuck or groundhog. This term is used particularly in the Midwest and Appalachian region of the country and came from the sound the animal makes (a loud, shrill whistle) when it is startled.
Source: Webster's Third New International Dictionary, unabridged and The Sleepy Groundhog from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: Nature Things for Kids website: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/kidsthings/feb05/default.htm
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: How did the Bridge of Sighs in Venice get its name?
A: The Bridge of Sighs was built in 1600 to link the Doge's Palace (the Republic's seat of government) with the new prisons. The name "Bridge of Sighs" received its name in the 17th century but was popularized in the 19th century by Lord Byron. According to legend, the name comes from the sighs and lemantations heard of condemned prisoners as they made their way across to the State Inquisitors for execution and saw the waters and island of S.Giorgio and freedom for the last time.
Source: DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: Venice & The Veneto 2003, p.113 and Durant Imboden's Venice for Visitors http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/bridge_of_sighs.htm
Submitted by Brigitte Juan, Assistant Reference Librarian

Q: Why does Ivory soap float?
A: This occurred because of a 'happy accident'. While manufacturing a batch of Procter & Gambles' "white soap", a workman went to lunch leaving his machine running. This whipped more air into the mixture than usual. Soon customers began writing to request more of the "soap that floats." The company began pumping extra air into its soap and renamed it "Ivory" soap.
Source: The Greatest Stories Never Told by Rick Beyer, p.78. : www.ivory.com/history.htm.
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: How did New Orleans get the nicknames "Crescent City" and "The Big Easy"?
A: "The origins of "Big Easy" go back to the turn of the century and a famed dance hall of that name. Eventually, the nickname transferred to the city as a whole, referring to the gentle pace of life for which New Orleans is known. As for the "Crescent City," during the 19th century, new neighborhoods expanded outward from what is now known as the French Quarter, following the great curve of the Mississippi, and thus giving New Orleans a crescent shape."
Source: New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau http://www.neworleanscvb.com/.
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: Is the actress Catherine Zeta Jones the daughter of singer Tom Jones?
A: No. Catherine Zeta-Jones (born September 25, 1969) was born Catherine Jones in Wales. Her name stems from two different grandmothers; one grandmother is named Catherine, while the other is Zeta. She was born to a Welsh father and a mother of Irish Catholic extraction and she has two brothers.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Zeta-Jones
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: What is a Jarhead?
A: Most military historians agree that sailors were the original jarheads because of the way their white caps sat on their head. Today, a Jarhead generally refers to a Marine on account of their short, jar-like haircut with smooth sides and a flat top.
Source: Dictionary of the Modern United States Military by S. F. Tomajczyk, p.325, 1996 and Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and other Battles by Anthony Swofford.
Submitted by Brigitte Juan, Assistant Reference Librarian

Q: What is a pipe dream and where does the term come from?
A: A pipedream refers to a "fantastic or impracticable notion or plan, a vain hope; "a castle in the air". The term may refer to the dreams or fantasies induced by smoking a pipe of opium, which was popular in the early twentieth century.
Source: Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, fifth edition, Vol. 2; N-Z., Answers.comWikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipe_dream
Submitted by Brigitte Juan, Assistant Reference Librarian

Q: What is the pellet fuel made from that is used in pellet stoves? Are there any advantages to using it rather than wood?
A:The most common residential pellets are made from sawdust and ground wood chips, which are waste materials from trees used to make furniture, lumber, and other products. Resins and binders (lignin) occurring naturally in the sawdust hold wood pellets together, so they usually contain no additives.
According to the Pellet Fuels Institute there are numerous advantages to using wood pellets for fuel. It is clean and allergy free. It takes less space to store than cordwood. It is more efficient than cordwood because there is less moisture content, five to 10 percent compared to 30-60% in cordwood. Pellet fuel has a higher BTU producing more heat and it burns cleaner. Possible future sources of pellet fuel will be waste products such as cornstalks, straw, or waste paper.
Source: Pellet Fuels Institute
1601 North Kent Street, Suite 1001
Arlington, VA 22209
http://www.pelletheat.org/3/residential/index.html
Submitted by Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant

Q: Why are the Brits called limey's?
A: The term "limey" originally applied to British Sailors, who for many centuries suffered and often died from scurvy. A Scottish doctor, James Lind, discovered that eating limes and oranges (a good source of vitamin C) greatly reduced the number of scurvy cases on British navy ships. Lime juice was added to the diet of sailors and thus the nickname 'limeys'. American service men broadened the term to all British during the World Wars.
Source: Harper Dictionary of contemporary Usage by William and Mary Morris,1985. p.358.
Submitted by: Kate Carroll, Reference Assistant