Category Archives: Uncategorized

QUESTION: How, why, and where did the space shuttle Challenger go down in 1986? ANSWER: The Space Shuttle Challenger broke up on Tuesday, January 28, 1986 at 10:38 AM  Tomah time (CST). Launched from Kennedy Spacecraft Center, the 25th Shuttle … Continue reading →

Summer 1952 on the Scheckel farm. We had a corn sheller powered by the Massey Harris ’44 tractor, stored and mounted in the small barn. We also had our own hammer mill powered by the Massey Harris ’44. The shelled … Continue reading →

QUESTION December 21 is the shortest day of the year, but why don’t the earliest sunsets or latest sunrises of the year coincide with that date? ANSWER The common wisdom is that June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest … Continue reading →

(Summer of 1952 on the Oak Grove Ridge Scheckel farm) We all had chores. Phillip was responsible for the pigs. Bob tended the cattle. I took care of the chickens. Of course, there was a lot of overlap. If one … Continue reading →

QUESTION: Why is the right side of a ship called “starboard” and the left side called “port”? ANSWER: Vikings ships were maneuvered with a long board on the right side near the back. The word starboard is derived from “steor” … Continue reading →

QUESTION How much radiation is needed to kill a person? ANSWER The short answer: A single dose of 5,000 mSv will kill half the people in 30 days. Half will live and half will die. Gives a bizarre and macabre … Continue reading →

Bob and I held the boxes in place atop the wagon as we slowly made the journey to the white chicken coop. We paused by the door. Mom opened the door, removed the top box, placed it inside the coop, … Continue reading →

QUESTION: Why are pencils yellow? ANSWER: The best graphite in the world came from China during the 1890’s. The Chinese associated the color yellow with excellence, royalty, and respect. Manufacturers in the United States and Europe wanted a way to … Continue reading →

The early morning routine varied little from day to day. Dad or Mom called up the stairs to wake us, we put on our farm clothes, and did our chores. Chores took about an hour, which included milking four cows … Continue reading →

QUESTION:  Why is there 5,280 feet in a mile? ANSWER: We can thank merry olde England for the statute mile of 5,280 feet. It was an act of the English Parliament in 1592 (hence the name statute) that codified the … Continue reading →