Answer Man - How High Are Sky Writing Letters

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Answer Man - How High Are Sky Writing Letters
Date: April 1, 2026
Host: Albert Mitchell (The Answer Man)

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Harold's Old Time Radio" features a broadcast from the Golden Age of Radio: Albert Mitchell’s "Answer Man" program. The Answer Man addresses a wide variety of listener questions with facts and anecdotes, ranging from the science of skywriting and the history of Thanksgiving to quirks of language and curious statistics. The show is delivered in a friendly, authoritative style, offering both amusement and education—true to the classic radio tradition.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Skywriting: Height of Letters

• Q: How high are skywriting letters made?
• A: “A skywriting pilot usually makes the letters about one mile high.”
  • (01:08, Answer Man)

2. Animal Facts

• Crickets’ Chirping
  • “Yes. The male cricket does all the chirping. The female remains silent and just listens.”
    • (01:18, Answer Man)
• Bees & Hive Cooling
  • “Some of the worker bees have nothing else to do but stand at the opening of the hive and circulate fresh air through it by flapping their wings.”
    • (07:44, Answer Man)
• Fastest Growing Grass
  • “The grass that grows the fastest is bamboo, which will grow from 6 to 14 inches in a single day.”
    • (07:31, Answer Man)

3. History & Origin Questions

• Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving: Was There Snow?
  • “The tables for the first Thanksgiving were set outdoors, so we can surmise there was no snow at the time.”
    • (01:32, Answer Man)
• Benjamin Franklin’s Burial Site
  • Clears confusion about Franklin’s resting place: “Franklin is buried in the Christ’s Church burying grounds at 5th and Arch.”
    • (02:58, Answer Man)
• Boston Police Strike & Canadian Strikes
  • “The Boston police went on strike September 9, 1919...Winnipeg, Canada City police...spring of the same year.”
    • (03:26, Answer Man)
• Origin of ‘Ivy League’ & Member Colleges
  • “The Ivy League got its name because the colleges are all old institutions with ivy-covered walls...”
    • Lists all ten members (noting both Army and Navy, alongside traditional Ivy schools).
    • (01:50, Answer Man)
• Name Meaning: ‘Terhune’ and Russian ‘-vich’
  • “‘Terhune’ likely comes from Old Norse meaning hound, and ‘Ter’ is a Teutonic article.”
    • (04:33, Answer Man)
  • “‘Vich’ in Russian means ‘son of.' Therefore Ivanovich means ‘son of Ivan.’”
    • (09:34, Answer Man)

4. General Knowledge & Trivia

• Golden Gate Bridge Sway
  • “The Golden Gate Bridge is constructed so that it can take a horizontal movement of a little more than 20 feet without overstressing the structure.”
    • (04:24, Answer Man)
• Weight of Plymouth Rock
  • “Plymouth Rock weighs about 7 tons. It was originally one big boulder, but...a split appeared...the upper part was afterwards cemented onto the base.”
    • (05:07, Answer Man)
• Heaviest Deer/Steer on Record
  • Reference to Jerry, a steer that weighed 4,628 pounds.
    • (02:18, Answer Man)
• Amount Spent on Fish Hooks
  • Details total expenditure and imports in 1939, estimating the retail value at over $2 million.
    • (09:47, Answer Man)
• Boronduki Fur
  • “Borondoki fur comes from a little Siberian chipmunk.”
    • (12:12, Answer Man)
• Old Bailey / Central Criminal Court History
  • “Old Bailey was completed...in 1905 and is called the Central Criminal Court.”
    • Provides history of site, previous prison.
    • (12:23, Answer Man)
• Number of Card Games Played in America
  • “There are said to be 77 different card games played in the United States. This does not include variations.”
    • (11:57, Answer Man)

5. Curious Scenarios & Everyday Problems

• Removing an Obstruction from a .22 Rifle
  • Detailed step-by-step advice with safety in mind.
    • (03:56, Answer Man)
• Pushing a Baby Carriage from Connecticut to California
  • “If you put your newborn baby in a carriage and pushed it for ten hours a day...your baby would be about five months old when you reached California.”
    • (05:44, Answer Man)
• Leftovers After First Thanksgiving
  • “So much food was prepared...it took almost a week to eat it all up.”
    • (06:06, Answer Man)
• Auction Pinochle Rules Debate
  • “There is no provision for any bonus in the official rules, although it’s practiced in many localities.”
    • (09:02, Answer Man)
• GI Bill & Veteran Medical Rights
  • “If your husband received an injury in the line of duty, he is entitled to free medical attention.”
    • (08:03, Answer Man)
• Indians and Pumpkin Pie
  • “No, because they didn’t know how to make pie crust. However, the Indians did make a pumpkin pudding with maple syrup.”
    • (08:16, Answer Man)
• Stop Hitler Parade in NYC, 1939
  • “The anti-Nazi parade on Fifth Avenue took place...March 25, 1939. There were an estimated 10,000 people in the line of march.”
    • (08:35, Answer Man)

6. Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the American Way and Thanksgiving:
  • “The freedom to give thanks in any way you please. The freedom to live at peace with your neighbor, regardless of his race or color or creed... That’s the thing that will keep every American investing his dollars in Victory Bonds until Uncle Sam says the job is done.”
    • (10:38, Answer Man, Thanksgiving Message)
• Classic Sponsor Plug:
  • “Tromer’s White Label, the premium beer that is two ways light...light as you drink it and light after you drink it. And there’s a reason for the extra lightening...”
    • (06:13, Sponsor Message)

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Memorable and Informative Segments with Timestamps

• Skywriting Height – 01:08
• Pilgrims' Thanksgiving Weather – 01:32
• Plymouth Rock Weight – 05:07
• Push a Baby Carriage Cross-Country – 05:44
• Thanksgiving Leftovers – 06:06
• Bamboo Grows Fastest – 07:31
• Bees Air Conditioning Hive – 07:44
• Russian "-vich" Meaning – 09:34
• Total US Card Games – 11:57
• Boronduki Fur – 12:12
• Old Bailey History – 12:23

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Episode Tone and Style

The episode maintains a warm, factual, and gently humorous tone emblematic of classic radio educational programs. The Answer Man answers each query with precise, sometimes surprising facts, infusing personal touches and context where necessary. Sponsor messages are enthusiastic and seamlessly integrated, often using holiday themes or analogies to reinforce the product's place in American life.

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Final Thoughts

This Answer Man episode is a delightful snapshot of mid-20th-century curiosity and camaraderie, where no question is too odd, and every answer is delivered with clarity and wit. Fans of vintage radio or anyone intrigued by old-time wisdom will find it both informative and charming.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[C]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[D]

Tromer's White Label, the premium beer that is two ways light, presents Albert Mitchell's program the Answer man, the program that answers your questions. Just as Tromer's White Label answers America's demand for a lighter, finer premium beer, the Answerman is presented as a service to you to give you the answers to your questions. And here he is, the Answerman.

[E]

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Now, if you'll read the first questions.

[D]

All right. First, a Brooklyn youngster asks, when a skywriter is up in the sky making letters, how high does he make the letters?

[E]

A skywriting pilot usually makes the letters about one mile high.

[D]

Next, a South Pole Long island listener inquires, is it true that only the male cricket chirps?

[E]

Yes. The male cricket does all the chirping. The female remains silent and just listens.

[D]

And here's a question which comes from a Pompton Lakes, New Jersey man. Did the Pilgrims have snow for their first Thanksgiving dinner?

[E]

Evidently not. For history books tell us the tables for the first Thanksgiving were set outdoors, so we can surmise that there was no snow at the time.

[D]

A Rahway, New Jersey listener adds, why is the Ivy League in college football so named, and what colleges belong to it?

[E]

The Ivy League got its name because the colleges are all old institutions with ivy covered walls. The members are so grouped because of the similarity of their athletic standards and eligibility rules. The 10 colleges comprising the Ivy League are Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, Pennsylvania, Columbia, army, and Navy.

[D]

A listener living in Kingston, New York, inquires, how much did the heaviest deer on record weigh?

[E]

The Department of Agriculture doesn't have any official records of the weights of beef cattle of unusual size. However, several years ago, the Holstein Friesian association of America reported a steer named Jerry as weighing 4,628 pounds when it was 10 years old. Jerry probably never got any heavier. And this may be the record.

[D]

A Bayone, New Jersey, woman writes, just where is Benjamin Franklin buried in the book? Along these streets, it says, in Christchurch Graveyard. Second and Market streets, Philadelphia, but at Fifth and Market there is a grave marked Benjamin Franklin and his Wife.

[E]

When Franklin died in 1790, he was buried as requested in his will beside his wife in Christ's Church burying ground. Christ's Church itself is at Second street between Market and Arch, and there are some graves in the churchyard. This may have been the reason for the error in the book, for Franklin is buried in the Christs Church burying grounds at 5th and Arch.

[D]

A Croton on Hudson. Man asks when was it the police in Boston went on strike?

[E]

Also in Canada, the Boston police went on strike September 9, 1919, and a large number of the Winnipeg, Canada City police force went on strike in the spring of the same year. Montreal also had a police strike December 14th and 15th. In 1943.

[D]

A listener writes from Hicksville, Long island, my youngster wedged a cleaning cloth and two nails in my.22 repeater rifle. I tried poking these things out, but it can't be done. What do you advise?

[E]

Stand the rifle up on the butt and pour a little of some light penetrating oil down the bore. Let it stand for a couple of days, then heat the barrel at the point of the obstruction until it's very hot but not red hot. The oil will lubricate the bore and the heat will reduce the size of the obstruction by charring it. Then you should be able to push it out with a cleaning rod.

[D]

A Manhattan listener wants to know how far the Golden Gate Bridge in California can sway in a heavy wind.

[E]

The Golden Gate Bridge is constructed so that it can take a horizontal movement of a little more than 20ft without overstressing the structure.

[D]

A West Milford, New Jersey man writes, Please dispel some of the fog in northern Passaic county by answering the following question. What is the original meaning of the famous family name Ter hewn?

[E]

It is quite possible that the Hune of Terhune is derived from an Old Norse term which appears in English as hound. Probably ter is an English form of the Teutonic article der, meaning the A

[D]

Bronx youngster as how much does Plymouth Rock weigh, And isn't it one big boulder?

[E]

Plymouth Rock weighs about 7 tons. It was originally one big boulder, but shortly after the revolution, in an attempt to move the rock to Plymouth Town Square, a split appeared. The upper part was afterwards cemented onto the base so it looks like one rock. But though today you can see only a small part of the rock, you can still see the crack.

[D]

A man writes from New Haven, Connecticut, we have just had a baby, and while I sat in the hospital waiting for it to arrive. I got to thinking, how long would it take me to push a baby carriage from here to California if I pushed 10 hours a day?

[E]

If you put your newborn baby in a baby carriage and pushed it for 10 hours a day, when you reached California, your baby would be about five months old.

[D]

Here's a letter from a man in Brooklyn. He writes, I've been thinking about the Pilgrims first Thanksgiving dinner and wondering if they too had to eat leftovers for the next six or seven days.

[E]

Yes, so much food was prepared for the first Thanksgiving Day feast, it took almost a week to eat it all up.

[D]

Well, we have little cause to complain about such leftovers, especially today when a cold turkey sandwich is such a tasty treat with a tall, satisfying glass of Tromer's White Label, the one grain premium beer. Now there's something to be really thankful about. You know, Tromer's finer, lighter flavor makes leftovers doubly delicious because Tromer's White Label is the famous one grain beer. That's two ways light, light as you drink it and light after you drink it. And there's a reason for the extra lightning. It's Tromer's famous Old World method of brewing, a method that calls for only one kind of grain, fine barley malt. That's the costlier all malt method, as full of tradition as Thanksgiving Day itself that gives Tromer's White Label that satisfying, hearty, real beer flavor you like so well. So when you order beer, be sure to ask for Tromer's White Label premium beer. Then just taste and compare. And now here's the next question a Farmingdale, Long island man asks. How fast will grass grow? Any kind of grass?

[E]

The grass that grows the fastest is bamboo, which will grow from 6 to 14 inches in a single day.

[D]

And a New York City listener inquires, is it true bees air condition their hive?

[E]

Oh, yes. Some of the worker bees have nothing else to do but stand at the opening of the hive and circulate fresh air through it by flapping their wings.

[D]

A woman living in Moosef, Connecticut, writes, my husband is an honorably discharged veteran. I would like to know if he is entitled to a medical checkup. Every year or so under the GI

[E]

Bill of Rights, if your husband received an injury in the line of duty, he is entitled to free medical attention.

[D]

A Hewitt, New Jersey youngster wants to know if the Indians knew how to make pumpkin pie.

[E]

No, because they didn't know how to make pie crust. However, the Indians did make A pumpkin pudding with maple syrup and a note

[D]

from a New York City man reads, sometime around 1938, there was a Stop Hitler parade held on Fifth Avenue. Could you tell me how many people took part in this parade?

[E]

The anti Nazi parade on Fifth Avenue took place at 1:30pm on March 25, 1939. There was an estimated 10,000 people in the line of March.

[D]

An inward Long island man writes, please settle this dispute for us. In playing auction pinochle, does a player receive a certain extra sum for 100 in aces before or after the pickup? And does he get double if he has 200 in aces?

[E]

If it's been agreed upon before the game of auction pinochle that a bonus for a hundred aces is to be awarded, it should be decided at the time when the bonus is to be given. And also whether or not a double bonus should be given for 200 aces. There is no provision for any bonus in the official rules, although it's practiced in many localities.

[D]

A listener of Trenton, New Jersey, inquires, what does Vitch V I C H mean in Russian? They always seem to use it for Russian people's names, like in Ivanovich.

[E]

Vetch in Russian means son of. Therefore, Ivanovich means son of Ivan.

[D]

A Milford, New Jersey man wants to know how many fishermen spend each year in this country for fish hooks.

[E]

The only figures available at this time are for 1939. In that year, the value of fish hooks produced in the United States was $821,020. Imports amounted to $387,098. Total manufactured and imports of fishhooks was therefore $1,208,118. The retail value was probably double this.

[D]

And now a Bayonne, New Jersey student inquires, what other product besides nylon do they get when turning coal into coke?

[E]

Among the other products obtained from the process of turning coal into coke, they get vitamins, sulfur, drugs and perfumes.

[D]

A Hampton, New Jersey woman asks, what was the name of the actor in this love of ours who took Merle Oberon's stockings off?

[E]

Charles Corvin, who also put Merle Oberon's stockings back on again. Before you go on with the rest of the questions, here's a special thanks Thanksgiving Day message from our sponsor. You know, although people celebrate Thanksgiving in many parts of the world, it was originally an American celebration, part of the famous American way of life. Of course, that means a lot of things. The freedom to give thanks in any way you please. The freedom to live at peace with your neighbor, regardless of his race or color or creed. And one of the characteristics of the American way is the love of seeing a job through. That's what made our men keep on fighting until the enemy was beaten on every front, east and west, land and sea. And that's the thing that will keep every American investing his dollars in Victory Bonds until Uncle Sam says the job is done. Thank you, Mr. And Mrs. America. Until that day, we know you will keep on buying Victory Bonds. You will, won't you? Now for the next question.

[D]

Here it is. A Bronx man asks, have you any idea how many different card games Americans play?

[E]

There are said to be 77 different card games played in the United States. This does not include variations.

[D]

And a Staten island listener inquires, would you please tell me what kind of an animal Boronduki fur comes from?

[E]

Borondoki fur comes from a little Siberian chipmunk.

[D]

This question comes from a New Britain, Connecticut man, When was Old Bailey built in London, and doesn't it have another name?

[E]

Yes, the Old Bailey in London was completed and put into use in 1905 and is called the Central Criminal Court. It gets this name from its location being at the intersection of Old Bailey and Newgate streets. It occupies the site of the old Newgate Prison, which was started in 1770 but not completed until 1782. This old building was torn down in 1902 and replaced with a present building.

[D]

A Reidville, New Jersey man asks, what was George Herbert's Jacula Prudentum?

[E]

George Herbert's Jocula Prudentum was a collection of adages and familiar sayings which appeared in a collection called Outlandish Proverbs, may be translated darts of wise men. One of the most widely quoted of these proverbs appears in Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard. He that lies with the dogs riseth with fleas.

[D]

If you have a question you want answered, ask the Answer Man. Ask any question you wish, and provided it's not of a personal nature and does not violate professional ethics, you will get the answer by mail and without charge. Send your question together with a stamped addressed envelope to the answerman. W.W. o R New York 18. When the answer man returns to the air Tomorrow evening at 7:15, he will broadcast the answers to such questions as what is the greatest number of perfect games ever bowled by one man? Why was King Arthur's table round? Which president of the United States lived the longest? How far away from a railroad can you get in this country? When were ball bearings first used? Does a robin run or hop? And how many germs do you scatter around when you sneeze. So join us again tomorrow evening at 7:15 for Albert Mitchell's program, the Answerman. In the meantime, try Tromer's White Label, the premium beer that's two ways light. Remember, Tromer's White Label is light as you drink it and light after you drink it. Next time, ask for Tromer's White Label. Then just taste and compare. This program was presented by John F. Tomer Incorporated, brewers of America's largest selling malt beer with breweries in Brooklyn, New York and Orange, New Jersey.

[C]

Get ready to rev those engines. The 2026 Les Schwab Classy Chassis Parade and car show is back in East Wenatchee, WA. Kick things off Friday, May 1st at 6pm for the big parade plus the after party with live music. Then join us on Saturday, May 2nd at 10:00am at the Eastmont Community park for the car show. It's two days of classic cars, food, music and free family fun for everyone. Family for all the details, visit eastwanauchiwa Go. We'll see you there.

[F]

Hi, this is Alex Kanchowitz. I'm the host of Big Technology Podcast, a longtime reporter and an on air contributor to cnbc. And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it, asking where this is all going. They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft, Microsoft, Amazon, and plenty more. So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, in meetings with your colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology Podcast. Wherever you get your podcasts.