Once again and in spite of almost no demand, the “Answer Man" returns to completely confuse the issue ... er ...I mean to clarify and elucidate and all that kind of stuff.
So, let's begin with the first question and see if the “Answer Man” has any sort of clue about anything.
What is the origin of the phrase, “How do you like them apples?”
According to a few sources, it originated in the First World War with a British-designed trench mortar that fired a mortar shell nicknamed a “toffee apple” due to its odd shape — a bomb that looks similar to a candy apple sold at a fair. After an “apple” was fired, the soldiers might have said, “How do you like them apples?”
It’s incorrect, but it sounds good.
Are people ever struck by stray bullets shot in the air?
The TV show Mythbusters did a feature on this and concluded that a bullet shot perfectly straight in the air probably isn’t dangerous because of terminal velocity. However (and this is a big however), firing a gun straight in the air is very difficult. It’s far more likely that the bullet will be shot at an angle. These falling bullets can be, and often are, lethal.
Many people have been struck by stray bullets. In January, 2006, a Mississippi farmer was paralyzed by a falling bullet. At a 2003 Ku Klux Klan initiation ceremony in Tennessee, a stray bullet struck a participant in the head.
Between 1985 and 1992, a trauma centre in Los Angeles treated 118 people for injuries caused by falling bullets, and 38 of the victims were killed. The International Action Network on Small Arms is doing its best to increase awareness about the dangers of celebratory gunfire.
What are the largest lakes in the world?
Well, Lake Winnipeg comes to mind. So where do you think the largest lake in our province would actually rank? Among the top-10 in the world? No, but close. Lake Winnipeg is the 13th largest lake in the world.
In order, the top-15 are: the Caspian Sea, which is bounded by Russia and Iran and is fed by eight rivers; Lake Superior; Lake Victoria in Africa; the Aral Sea in Asia; Lake Huron; Lake Michigan; Lake Tanganyika in Africa; Lake Baykal in Russia; Great Bear Lake; Lake Nyasa in Africa; Great Slave Lake; Lake Erie; Lake Winnipeg; Lake Ontario; and Lake Balkhash in Asia.
In case you’re wondering, a lake is a body of water surrounded by land. Although some lakes are called seas, they are lakes by definition.
What was so special about the ’57 Chevy?
Lots of people loved this car, but as far as sales went, the 1957 Chevy was far from special. In fact, 1957 marked the first time since 1935 that Ford outsold Chevrolet. The styling on the ’57 Chevy wasn’t anything special either. After all, it was a carryover model from the ’55 and ’56 model years.
According to Wikipedia, the executives at General Motors wanted to bring out a completely new model, but couldn’t due to production delays. Instead, chief designer Ed Cole made some significant and costly changes for 1957. Probably the most noticeable was the tail fins, which had anodized aluminum trim in the fancy Bel Air model.
The popularity of the ’57 Chevy grew during the ’60s and ’70s, because it was considered by many enthusiasts to be the ideal size and weight. There was enough room under the hood to install a large engine, making it popular with the hot-rod crowd. And the model was also relatively easy to customize and upgrade with things like air conditioning and disc brakes, which were uncommon options in the 1950s.
Which are more popular, dogs or cats?
Well, let’s see. A Pet Products Association survey says there are currently about 89-million “owned cats” and around 76-million “owned dogs” in North America.
So, cats are more popular? Not necessarily. The survey also found that about 45-million households own a dog, while just 39-million households own a cat. So, although more families have a dog, cat people apparently tend to have more than one at a time.
And just for the sake of more trivia, dogs seem to be more popular on the Internet. A Yahoo! search of “cats” brought up 98-million sites, but a search of “dogs” returned 156-million sites.