Mr. Write's Page

The Questions…

1. Shown on the $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills, respectively, are Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Hamilton, Jackson, Grant, and Franklin. Which of those gentlemen was not born on what is now U.S. soil?

2. On that same “note,” who was the only foreign-born First Lady?

3. When the Starbucks coffee chain was founded in 1971, partner Gordon Bowker had another name in mind for the shops. What was it, and why didn’t it fly?

4. When the Interstate Highway System was enacted in 1956, the law required that one mile in every five be straight. Why?

5. For many years, a revolving, red-striped bucket was the symbol of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and it towered over every franchise. What is the origin of the iconic bucket?

The Answers…

1. Alexander Hamilton, who was born and raised in the British West Indies. At age 17, he was sent off to Boston to be educated, and he stayed there.

2. British-born Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams. They met when young Adams was a diplomat assigned to London.

3. Bowker wanted to call the chain “Pequod” after the whaling ship in Moby-Dick. The other partners overruled him, pointing out that no one would want to drink a cup of Pequod. Instead, they went with the name of the Pequod’s first mate.

4. The straight sections are designed to be usable as aircraft landing strips in emergencies.

5. Dave Thomas, who later founded Wendy’s, introduced the revolving bucket in the 1960s while managing four KFC stores in Columbus, Ohio. Thomas also came up with the idea of serving chicken in a cardboard bucket (helps keeps it crisp), and he encouraged his friend Harland Sanders to appear as himself in KFC commercials.