Question:
Has Lake Michigan ever been completely frozen from shore to shore?

Answer:
According to Jim Ott of the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel, Lake Michigan has frozen over completely only four times - in 1936, 1963, 1977 and 1979.

Source:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, January 28, 2001.

Answer:
The deepest lake in Wisconsin is Green lake, with a depth of 236 feet.

Source:
Wisconsin Almanac (1989), p. 122.

To the left of Christ
1st - Thomas
2nd - James the Elder
3rd - Philip
4th - Matthew
5th - Thaddeus
6th - Simon Peter To the right
1st - John
2nd - Peter
3rd - Judas
4th - Andrew
5th - James the Younger
6th - Bartholomew

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Answer:
Room 310 East, State Capitol
P. O. Box 7881
Madison, WI 53707-7881

1-800-322-9755
1-608-266-1600

http://wsll.state.wi.us

Reference librarians are available to assist individuals in person and to answer telephone or written inquiries.

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Answer:
Founded by Alfred William Lawson, who was born in London on March 24, 1869. The University of Lawsonomy (the first one was established in Des Moines, IA) teaches the truth as propounded by Lawson, its Supreme Head and 1st Knowlegian. There are no fees for enrollment, but Lawson’s books must be read before a student is eligible to attend. Lawson developed unusual scientific theories, which he incorporated into a religious philosophy including transmigration and Christianity without Christ.

Source:
Milwaukee Journal, March 26, 1974.

Answer:
They will assist those who need to locate an appropriate lawyer, decide if they have a legal problem, and answer simple, legal questions or very general legal information. Some questions will require them to have a lawyer call the person back, usually in the evening. This organization is sponsored by the Wisconsin State Bar Association.

1-800-362-9082 or 1-608-257-4666. Hours of operation are 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Question:
Why do leaves change color?

Answer:
The coloring of leaves across the northern tier of states is a reaction that broadleaf plants have for the oncoming of winter, and the whole reason for it is the decreasing number of sunlight hours as the days wind down and shorten toward autumn.

In fact, many leaves start to color long before the first frosts, and even in late August/early September, a hint of color can be seen in many trees. Trees lose their leaves as a defense against the evaporation of precious liquids during the time of year when food making is impossible because of cold temperatures.

The primary coloring agent in leaves is "chlorophyll" - the green pigment which captures the energy of the sun and uses it to make food, starches, and simple sugars. The food-making process (called"photosynthesis") goes on all summer as daylight hours lengthen. Along about the end of August, however, the shortening days cause the chlorophyll to break up. Soon, almost none of this pigment is visible in the leaf.

What is visible are the pigments in the leaf - coloring agents that were there all along with the chlorophyll but hidden by the stronger green color. Among these pigments are those which account for the yellow color in autumn leaves ; "carotenoids." Aspens are laden with this pigment, hence their brilliant yellow color in autumn.

Fall weather conditions also affect the way that colors are exhibited by leaves. Cool nights (below 45 degrees) and warm days cause the food factories to start an on-again, off-again food-making process. During the day, sugars are made during photosynthesis. But because of the cool nights, the sugars cannot be carried from the leaves to other parts of the tree. From the sugar trapped in the leaves, the red pigment "anthocyanin" forms. This is why a tree may have a preponderance of red leaves on its south side - the side facing the warming autumn sun - the warm sun made the sugar, the cool nights trapped it in the leaves.

The dropping of the leaves is caused by a change that takes place in the leafstalk ("petiole") where it connects to the twig. As food-making stops, the leaf is slowly cut off from the rest of the tree by the growth of a layer of cells called an "abscission layer." These cells form the twig, leaving a leaf scar in its place.

Then, along comes the first puff of breeze, and the leaves come cascading down. Since most oaks grow the abscission layer in the spring, this is the reason the leaves hang on throughout winter.

Source:
Wisconsin Sportsman, Sept/Oct 1983.

Question:
What are the provisions for Wisconsin's Lemon Law?

Answer:
Wisconsin Department of Transportation: Wisconsin's Lemon Law

Source:
World Wide Web

Question:
What is the toll-free number for the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped?

Answer:
1-800-242-8822

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Note:
The Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped is located at 814 West Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee the same building that houses the Milwaukee Public Library.

Answer:
1. Failed in business, 1831
2. Defeated for legislature, 1832
3. Again failed in business, 1833
4. Elected to legislature, 1834
5. Sweetheart died in 1835
6. Had nervous breakdown in 1836
7. Defeated for Speaker, 1836
8. Defeated for Elector, 1840
9. Defeated for Land Officer, 1843
10. Defeated for Congress, 1843
11. Elected to Congress, 1846
12. Defeated for Congress, 1848
13. Defeated for Senate, 1855
14. Defeated for Vice-President, 1856
15. Defeated for Senate, 1858
16. Elected President, 1860

Source:
The Sheboygan Press, October 15, 1956, p. 24.

Question:
Is it possible to see Lipizzaner horses perform in the Wisconsin area?

Answer:
Lipizzaner horses can be seen performing at the following two locations:

Temple Lipizzan Farms
Wadsworth Rd. & Hunt Club Rd.
Wadsworth, IL 60083
1-847-623-3345

Tony Smaha
Route 3
Baraboo, WI 53913
1-608-356-6363

Source:
Mead Public Library Information

Answer:
Stories about the event appear in the following sources:

New York Times
December 28, 1952, p. 12, column 1
January 25, 1953, p. 33, column 6
February 13, 1953, p. 3, column 5

Newsweek
February 2, 1953, p. 32

Reader’s Digest
May 1953, p. 25

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Question:
What does the M&M in M&M candies stand for?

Answer:
The M&M stands for Mars and Murrie. Forrest E. Mars, Sr. was a member of the Mars family that introduced M&Ms in 1941. Murrie is from his associate at the time, Bruce Murrie.

Source:
Kepos, Paula. International directory of company histories. Detroit: St. James Press, 1988.

Answer:
Sources at Mead Public Library

The picture book of symbols. R 419 L52, p. 11.
An illustrated encyclopedia of traditional symbols. R 398.3 C78, p. 104.
The history of the Greek and Roman theater. 882.09 B47.
History of the theatre. 792.09 B78a2, p.29-32.
Greek theatre production. 792.0938 W39. (Many references in index, under "Masks.")
The Greek tragic theatre. 792.0938 B19. (See index – background and reasons for use)
Crowell’s handbook of classical drama. R 880.2 H28, p. 203-4

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Answer:
"Due to stringent laws concerning the baking of matzah, one should not try to make it at home for the Passover. The specially processed flour required is not available commercially. But this recipe is good for use at other times, and to show how it is done."

2 pounds unbleached all-purpose flour
1.5 cups of water

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Place the flour on a board and slowly add the water, kneading the dough with your hands until it is firm. Take a handful of dough and roll into a circle, using a long rolling pin. Prick on one side with a fork.
3. Place in the oven on a cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes, or until light brown.

Makes 8 8" matzot

Source:
The Jewish holiday kitchen, by Joan Nathan. 651.59 N19

Answer:
Most medals issued by private companies (e.g. Franklin Mint) during the 1960’s and 1970’s sell today for their "metal value" – nothing more – because the number of such items produced greatly exceeds the number of collectors.
The gold plating has almost no value. If your medals are pure silver and the size of half dollars, they each would contain three-quarters of an ounce of silver, worth $4.00 at current precious metal prices."

Source:
Chicago Tribune, March 18, 1990 (Books section, p. 11)

Answer:
1-800-759-6397

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Question:
What is the minimum wage?

Answer:
$5.15 per hour.

Source:
The world almanac and book of facts, 2000. Mahwah, New Jersey: World Almanac
Books, 1999.

Question:
What is the minimum wage in Wisconsin?

Answer:
$5.70 per hour for adults
$5.30 per hour for minors

Note:
For full explanation see: http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/dwd/newsreleases/2005/052605_min_wage_inc.htm

Source:
Wisconsin Department of Workplace Development

Answer:
Monday’s child is fair of face
Tuesday’s child is full of grace
Wednesday’s child is full of woe
Thursday’s child has far to go
Friday’s child is loving and giving
Saturday’s child has to work for its living
But a child that’s born on the Sabbath day is fair and wise,
And good and gay!

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Question:
What do the symbols on the back of the dollar bill mean?

Answer:
The national motto "In God We Trust" was added to the dollar bill in 1957.
The Great Seal was added in 1935.
"Annuit Coeptis" means "He (God) has smiled on our undertakings."
"Novus Ordo Seclorum" means "A new order for the ages."
The pyramid is a symbol of strength and permanence.
The eye represents an all-seeing diety.
1776 refers to the date of the Declaration of Independence.

Source:
The comprehensive catalog of U. S. Paper money.

Answer:
http://www.usmint.gov/50states/factsheet.cfm

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Answer:
First person on the moon – Neil Armstrong
Second person on the moon – Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.
Time: 9:56 p.m. July 20, 1969
First words spoken on the moon: "Houston…Tranquility base here. Eagle has landed."
As Armstrong stepped out of the space craft, he said: "That’s one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind."
Space commander of the Columbia – Michael Collins

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

1. Nothing is as easy as it looks.
2. Everything takes longer than you think
3. If anything can go wrong, it will.

Source:
The Peter prescription, by Laurence J. Peter.

Question:
What is the largest muscle in the human body?

Answer:
The gluteus maximus or buttock muscle is the biggest of the 639 named muscles in the human body.

Source:
Young, Mark C. The Guinness book of world records. New York: Guinness Media,
Inc. 1997.

Question:
Is there a comprehensive site for baby names?

Answer:
Think Baby Names

Answer:
Mix 2 tablespoons (or 1 tablet) milk of magnesia with 1 quart of club soda. Let chill for 8 hours. Soak clippings in solution for 1 hour. Dry on paper towels.

Source:
Good Housekeeping, April 1985, p. 90.

Answer:
1,000,000 – one million
1,000,000,000 – one billion
1,000,000,000,000 – one trillion
1,000,000,000,000,000 – one quadrillion
1,000.000.000.000.000.000 – one quintillion
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 – one sextillion
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 – one septillion

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Answer:
A shallow pan should be used for toasting or salting shelled nuts in the oven. Almonds can be toasted in a 300 degree oven from 25 to 30 minutes. Walnuts should be boiled in water for 3 minutes and then toasted in a 350 degree oven from 15 to 20 minutes, with frequent stirring. For salted nuts one teaspoon of butter or oil is needed for each cup of nutmeats. The salt should be added after the nuts have been baked (with occasional stirring) at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Source:
Encyclopedia Americana, vol. 7, p. 731.

Answer:
"Bugler’s dream," composed by Leo Arnaud.

First used by ABC-TV during the 1964 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria.

Source:
A telephone call to ABC-TV on 2/16/1984

Question:
What route did the Orient Express follow?

Answer:
The Orient Express, the famous international first-class train, ran from Paris to Constantinople (Istanbul). When it began in 1883, the train ran from Paris via Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and Bucharest to the Black Sea with steamer service to Constantinople. The entire route was by rail by 1889. It ran its last regular trip in 1977.

Source:
Encyclopedia Americana. 1995 edition, s.v. "Railroad."

Answer:
Pangaea is the name that Alfred Wegener proposed for the supercontinent comprising all the landmasses of earth, which he believed existed about 300 million years ago, prior to continental drift.

Source:
Dictionary of Geological Terms.

Answer:
2 parts flour to 3 parts water.
Mix 1 cup flour with 1.5 cup water. Paste should have the consistency of cream of mushroom soup without the mushrooms. Add more flour to thicken, or water to thin the mix. This quantity will last for about 2 hours of papier-mache application. Carpenter’s glue, about 1/4 cup, may be added to paste for extra strength.
Mix in medium-sized bowl or pot. Avoid flat pan, because the large surface area will permit the paste to thicken or dry while you are still working. Place a plastic bag inside the paste pot for easier cleanup.

Source:
Papier-Mache today.

Answer:
Last survivor named "Martha" died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden in 1914.

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Answer:
"Alma, Belorudka, Diane, Melya,…"

The ellipsis may mean that this report cited more dogs’ names. It was unclear.

Source:
Pavlov’s Typology, J. A. Gray. Macmillan, 1964 cited in University Microfilms International Newsletter. Spring, 1979, p. 2.

Answer:
Has a cherished family photo seen better days? Here’s a company that can remove signs of age:

Modern Photographic Services
9 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
1-212-227-4767

Can remove most stains and discolorations. Send print, with an explanation of what you want done; you’ll get back a cost estimate. Prices start at $25.00. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (SASE)

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Answer:
Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first American woman physician, graduated from the Medical Institution of Geneva, N. Y. On January 23, 1849.

Source:
Kane, Joseph Nathan. Famous first facts: a record of first happenings, discoveries and inventions in American history. New York: H. W. Wilson Co., 1981.

Answer:
Treatment of: If it has pitch on the scales – a shampoo in detergent suds, added by a stiff brush on the stubborn spots will remedy this.

Drying of : Cones may be dried by natural or artificial heat. Cones may be dried on the radiator or furnace top or they may be spread in a single layer in an open box. Give each cone space to expand since they expand as they dry.

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Answer:
Cut off the top, leaving one inch of fruit and set in fresh water. Place in bright sunlight and change water often.
When roots are 1-2 inches long, plant in a loose, well-drained medium such as a mixture of two parts peat moss and one part vermiculite or perlite. Grow in a warm, sunny location.
Allow soil to dry between waterings. But keep water in the plants center cup at all times. Increase the humidity around the plant by placing the container in a gravel tray filled with water.
Fertilize every two weeks with a dilute, one-quarter strength fertilizer from spring through fall. Use a misting device to apply foliar fertilizer, and add fertilizer solution to the center cup and pour fertilizer through soil mix.
Summering bromeliads outdoors encourages the mature plants to flower. You can force flowering by placing a piece of apple and the plant in a plastic bag for several days. The ethylene given off by the apple stimulates flowering.

Source:
The Milwaukee Journal, March 19, 1995.

Question:
What is the name given when all of the planets are in a straight line?

Answer:
Syzygy

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Answer:
You need:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup water
a few drops of liquid soap
a few drops of food coloring

You do:
1. Mix flour and salt in a bowl
2. Slowly add water and soap (food coloring)
3. Shape into a ball

To keep:
Put the dough into a closed plastic bag or a container in the refrigerator. Add flour if it gets sticky.

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Answer:
See: The Sheboygan Press, May 20, 1957, p. 3.

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Question:
Who is the poet Laureate of the United States?

Answer:
Librarian of Congress James Billington named Louise Gluck as the new poet laureate of the United States August 29, 2003. She will take up her duties October 21 by opening LC's annual literary series with a reading from her work.
Gluck has published nine volumes of poetry and won the Pulitzer Prize 10 years ago for The Wild Iris and the National Book Critics Circle Award for her 1985 work The Triumph of Achilles. She has also won many other prizes and honors for her writing, including Guggenheims, National Endowment for the Arts grants, and the Bollingen Prize.
"Louise Gluck will bring to the Library of Congress a strong, vivid, deep poetic voice, accomplished in a series of book-length poetic cycles," said Billington. "Her great interest in young poets will enliven the poet laureate's office during the year."
The $30,000-a-year post is largely an opportunity for the appointee to work on her own projects and "bring new emphasis to the position," but it also involves giving readings, counseling in poetry, and organizing a literary event. Billy Collins, whom Gluck succeeds, instituted the Poetry 180 website, designed to bring a poem a day into high school classrooms.

Source:
American Libraries Online

Question:
How does the point system for driving violations work?

Answer:
For a description of the point system for driving violations, see the Wisconsin Administrative Code, TRANS 101.

Source: Wisconsin Administrative Code

Answer:
University of Wisconsin Hospitals – Madison
1-800-815-8855 or 1-608-262-3702

Children’s Hospital of Milwaukee
1-800-815-8855 or 1-414-266-2222

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Answer:
In the game of poker, there are 2,598,960 possible combinations; odds are as follows:

1 chance in 649,740 for a royal flush
1 chance in 64,973 for a straight flush
1 chance in 4,164 for four of a kind
1 chance in 693 for a full house
1 chance in 508 for a flush
1 chance in 254 for a straight
1 chance in 46 for three of a kind
1 chance in 20 for two pairs
1 chance in 1.25 for one pair

Source:
The Sheboygan Press, 1957.

Answer:
benedictxvi@vatican.va

Source:
World Wide Web

Question:
What are the words of the U. S. Postal Service motto?

Answer:
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." This is the traditional and unofficial motto of the U. S. Postal Service. The phrase appears in History, Book VIII, section 98, written by Herodotus in the fifth century B.C.

Source:
Gale’s Quotations: who said what? Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1995

Answer:
A potpourri of cookery. S R 641.5 Sh3, p. 3
The Good Housekeeping cookbook. 641.5 G59g, p. 452-3
The New Good Housekeeping cookbook. 641.5 G59n, p. 510-1.

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Question:
What is the poverty level in the United States?

Answer:
The U. S. Government classifies as poor those households whose incomes fall at or below a certain level called the poverty level or poverty line. For a family of four, the poverty line is an annual income at or below $16,036. An individual is identified as poor if his or her annual income is $8,163 or less.

Source:
World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 edition, s.v. "Poverty."

Note:
The above figures are based on 1996 information.

Answer:
Christ and the fine arts, by Cynthia Maus. 232 M4421

Source:
Mead Public Library Information File

Question:
What is the order of succession to the U. S. Presidency?

Answer:
1. Vice-President
2. Speaker of the House
3. President Pro Tempore of the Senate
4. Secretary of State
5. Secretary of the Treasury
6. Secretary of Defense
7. Attorney General
8. Secretary of the Interior
9. Secretary of Agriculture
10. Secretary of Commerce
11. Secretary of Labor
12. Secretary of Health and Human Services
13. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
14. Secretary of Transportation
15. Secretary of Energy
16. Secretary of Education
17. Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Source:
World Book Encyclopedia. 1997 ed., s.v. "Presidential Succession."

Question:
How much is the Presidential pension?

Answer:
The Presidential pension is equal to the salary of a cabinet secretary, currently $148,400 a year. Former presidents also receive free mailing privileges for nonpolitical correspondence, free office space, $96,000 a year for office help, and, during the first thirty months after their term of office has ended, up to $150,000 for staff assistance. The pension was created by the Former Presidents Act passed in 1958. It provided a pension to all presidents who left office, unless by impeachment or conviction. As of 1965, former presidents and their spouses also receive lifetime Secret Service protection, as do widows of former presidents until they remarry and their own children until they reach the age of sixteen.

Source:
Kane, Joseph Nathan. Facts about the presidents. New York: H. W. Wilson Co., 1993.

Defeated Elected
Thomas Jefferson 1796 1800
John Quincy Adams 1820 1824
Andrew Jackson 1824 1828
Benjamin Harrison 1836 1840
Grover Cleveland 1888 1892
Richard Nixon 1960 1968 & 1972

Source:
The Sheboygan Press, December 19, 1955, p. 36.

Answer:
One may contact UW-Sheboygan Student Services Department at 459-6633.

Source:
UW-Sheboygan

Question:
Is there a good source for quotations on the Web?

Answer:
Fagan Finder