AS I SEE IT
By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor
Boy, talk about a busy weekend! I spent Friday trying to get everything done for this week’s paper knowing full well that there was still plenty of things, such as a State Track Meet and Watford City High School’s graduation, that were going to have to go into the paper as well.
So after spending a very long day in Bismarck on Saturday taking hundreds of photos from the track meet it was back to Watford for graduation. So while some people were enjoying the long weekend, on Monday I was busy pouring over the photos that I had taken and putting the finishing touches to this week’s paper.
And now as I sit at my computer on Monday evening wrestling with a topic for this week’s column, I’ve decided I’m going to use an e-mail that I received several years ago. With high school wrapping up, this history exam for old people seems to be appropriate.
So if you like to remember the “good old days,” this little exam will get you thinking.
History Exam For Old People
1. In the 1940s, where were automobile headlight dimmer switches located?
a. On the floor shift knob; b. On the floor board, to the left of the clutch; c. Next to the horn.
2. The bottle top of a Royal Crown Cola bottle had holes in it. For what was it used?
a. Capture lightning bugs; b. To sprinkle clothes before ironing; c. Large salt shaker.
3. Why was having milk delivered a problem in northern winters?
a. Cows got cold and wouldn’t produce milk; b. Ice on highways forced delivery by dog sled; c. Milkmen left deliveries outside of front doors and milk would freeze, expanding and pushing up the cardboard bottle top.
4. What was the popular chewing gum named for a game of chance?
a. Blackjack; b. Gin; c. Craps
5. What postwar car turned automotive design on its ear when you couldn’t tell whether it was coming or going?
a. Studebaker; b. Nash Metro; c. Tucker
6. How was Butch wax used?
a. To stiffen a flat-top haircut so it stood up; b. To make floors shiny and prevent scuffing; c. On the wheels of roller skates to prevent rust.
7. What was the most dreaded disease in the 1940s and 1950s?
a. Smallpox; b. AIDS; c. Polio
8. What was the name of Caroline Kennedy’s pony?
a. Old Blue; b. Paint; c. Macaroni
9. What was a Duck-and-Cover Drill?
a. Part of the game of hide and seek; b. What you did when your Mom called you in to do chores; c. Hiding under your desk, and covering your head with your arms in an A-bomb drill.
10. What was the name of the Indian Princess on the Howdy Doody show?
a. Princess Summerfallwinterspring; b. Princess Sacajawea; c. Princess Moonshadow.
11. What did all the really savvy students do when mimeographed tests were handed out in school?
a. Immediately sniffed the purple ink, as this was believed to get you high; b. Made paper airplanes to see who could sail theirs out the window; c. Wrote another pupil’s name on the top, to avoid their failure.
12. Why did your Mom shop in stores that gave Green Stamps with purchases?
a. To keep you out of mischief by licking the backs, which tasted like bubble gum; b. They could be put in special books and redeemed for various household items; c. They were given to the kids to be used as stick-on tattoos.
13. Praise the Lord, & pass the _________?
a. Meatballs; b. Dames; c. Ammunition
14. What was the name of the singing group that made the song ‘Cabdriver’ a hit?
a. The Ink Spots; b. The Supremes; c. The Esquires
15. Who left his heart in San Francisco?
a. Tony Bennett; b. Xavier Cugat; c. George Gershwin
ANSWERS
1. (b) On the floor, to the left of the clutch. Hand controls, popular in Europe, took till the late ’60s to catch on.
2. (b) To sprinkle clothes before ironing. Who had a steam iron?
3. (c) Cold weather caused the milk to freeze and expand, popping the bottle top.
4. (a) Blackjack Gum.
5. (a) 1946 Studebaker.
6. (a) Wax for your flat-top (butch) haircut.
7. (c) Polio. In the beginning of August, swimming pools were closed, movies and other public gathering places were closed to try to prevent spread of the disease.
8. (c) Macaroni.
9. (c) Hiding under your desk, and covering your head with your arms in an A-bomb drill.
10. (a) Princess Summerfallwinterspring. She was another puppet.
11. (a) Immediately sniffed the purple ink to get a high.
12. (b) Put in a special stamp book, they could be traded for household items at the Green Stamp store.
13. (c) Ammunition, and we’ll all be free.
14. (a) The widely famous 50’s group: The Inkspots.
15. (a) Tony Bennett.
SCORING:
13 - 15 correct: You are older than dirt, and obviously gifted with mental abilities. Now if you could only find your glasses. Definitely someone who should share your wisdom!
9 - 12 correct: Not quite dirt yet, but you’re getting there.
0 - 8 correct: You are not old enough to share the wisdom of your experiences.