Mr. Write's Page

The Questions…

1. In 1970, for a single concert in Copenhagen, the British rock band Led Zeppelin went on stage as The Nobs. Why?

2. Speaking of Denmark, the Danes celebrate the new year with an unusual tradition. What is it?

3. In 1892, a Connecticut dentist introduced toothpaste in squeeze tubes. This concept dramatically changed the tooth-brushing ritual. Before 1892, how was toothpaste stored and dispensed?

4. Would you want to visit a vespiary?

5. On his second expedition to the South Pole in 1934, Admiral Richard Byrd took along 2.5 tons of a certain candy treat for his men. What was it?

The Answers…

1. They performed as The Nobs because a descendant of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin had filed a lawsuit threatening to stop the concert. The suit claimed that one of the band’s album covers, a photo of the zeppelin Hindenburg crashing in flames, dishonored the family name. By performing as The Nobs, the band dodged the lawsuit.

2. All year long, the Danes save old dishes. On New Year’s Eve, they smash the dishes against the front doors of their friends’ houses. The bigger the pile of broken dishes on your front porch, the more friends you’re said to have.

3. Before squeeze tubes were invented, toothpaste came in jars, like Vaseline. All family members simply dipped their toothbrushes into the jar. Yikes!

4. Probably not. A vespiary is a nest of wasps or hornets.

5. Necco Wafers. During the two-year expedition, Byrd’s men consumed an average of one pound per man per week of the little pastel goodies.