Q: How did my favorite candy bar, Snickers, get its name? — L.N., Burlington, Vt.
A: Frank Mars created the candy bar in 1930. He added chocolate to an existing snack and named it "Snickers" after one of his family's favorite horses.
Super trivia: Each Snickers bar contains approximately 16 peanuts.
Q: What is the story behind my children’s favorite toy, Play-Doh? — W.L.N., Medford, Ore.
A: The story varies slightly from source to source; I'll share one version with you:
Credit for Play-Doh goes to father-and-son duo Noah and Joseph McVicker of Cincinnati, who developed the nontoxic product for cleaning wallpaper in the early 1950s. Around this time, Joseph McVicker’s sister-in-law, a nursery school teacher, complained about the modeling clay she used in class — it wasn’t malleable. McVicker knew his product was safe for kids and that it was pliable, so he gave her some wallpaper cleaner to take to school. The kids loved it.
The school board bought some for the elementary classrooms, and soon after, a Washington, D.C., department store started selling off-white Play-Doh. The following year, in 1956, Play-Doh was produced in earnest. In 1957, Rainbow Crafts Co. — the company the McVickers started — came out with red, blue and yellow clays, with white being added in 1958. General Mills purchased the company in 1965. In 1970, Rainbow Crafts was merged into General Mills’ Kenner Products. Tonka Co. purchased Kenner in 1987, and Play-Doh’s current owner, Hasbro, purchased Tonka in 1991.
Q: I just went through my music library and found an old CD by Steve and Eydie. What happened to this talented couple? — J.M., Preston, Md.
A: Steve and Eydie is the duo of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. While both performed successfully as soloists, they teamed up as a duo when they married in 1957, first performing together in 1960.
Steve and Eydie have continued to perform over the years, receiving many awards, including Grammys and an Emmy. Eydie retired in 2010 due to health issues.
Eydie was born Edith Gormezano in 1928; Steve was born Sidney Leibowitz in 1935.
Q: When was Carnegie Hall in New York City opened? What was the first music played? — K.N., White Plains, N.Y.
A: On the night of May 5, 1891, horse-drawn carriages lined up for a quarter mile outside Carnegie Hall. Inside, the Main Hall (now Isaac Stern Auditorium) was jammed to capacity with the cream of New York society who paid $1 or $2 to hear performances by the Symphony Society and the Oratorio Society. Walter Damrosch conducted a performance of Beethoven's "Leonore" overture No. 3. The famed Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky came to the podium to conduct his march "Solennelle." The concert ended with a performance of Berlioz's "Te Deum."
Q: The locomotive Tom Thumb was beaten in a horse race. What was the name of the horse? — G.Z., Mesa, Ariz.
A: The first steam locomotive built in America was, in fact, beaten by a popular racehorse named Nita in 1830 near Baltimore.
The locomotive was invented by Peter Cooper. Cooper wanted to convince the owners of the newly formed Baltimore and Ohio Railroad that they should use locomotives rather than horses to pull cars along the tracks. Tom Thumb took the early lead until an engine belt slipped, giving Nita the opportunity to win the race.
Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at AskMrKIA@gmail.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.