Cecil Adams, Sleuth of History!

In this week’s episode Cecil investigates the ashes of Clarence Darrow and the diet of Zachary Taylor [The Straight Dope] Cecil Adams, Sleuth of History! By [The Straight Dope]( • Issue #10 • [View online]( In this week’s episode Cecil investigates the ashes of Clarence Darrow and the diet of Zachary Taylor, America’s unluckiest President. And Doug looks at dead roaches. Threadspotting The best of the Straight Dope Message Board  02-28-2020: [Your vote is solicited for one of the most polarizing issues of all time](. Straight Dope Classic September 11, 2009 [Illustration by Slug Signorino] Illustration by Slug Signorino [Did Clarence Darrow distract a jury by using wire to keep his cigar ash from falling]( Dear Cecil: I’m sure you’re familiar with the tale of Clarence Darrow hiding a wire in his cigar to keep the ash from falling and thus distracting the jury during the DA’s closing statement. Do you have any thoughts on what type of wire (gauge, material, etc) was or would be used? —  John Kregel, Santa Cruz Cecil replies: John, have you no sense of system? We have, in fact, established the type and gauge of wire and other details needed to pull off this classic stunt. (Actually, my assistant Una established them, with my distant supervision.) However, if you don’t mind, we need to tackle the big picture first. [Click here to keep reading]( Straight Dope Staff Report January 22, 2004 [How do we know the cockroach is 250 million years old]( Dear Straight Dope: It is a frequently recited fact that cockroaches over 250,000,000 years old. How was this fact determined? What does the fossil record have to say about the estimable cockroach? Have they evolved in way, or are they basically the same now as they were in the Carboniferous era? —  Brooke, New York City SDStaff Doug replies: We know how old they are because of fossils. There are hundreds of different species of roaches in the world today, in several different families, and there are at least two other sub-orders of insects that are directly descended from them (termites and mantises), and possibly more. [Click here to keep reading](. Straight Dope Classic September 2, 1999 [Did U.S. President Zachary Taylor die of eating cherries with milk on a warm day]( Dear Cecil: While reading your first book I came across a reference to President Zachary Taylor dying of eating strawberries on a warm day. The only other reference I have heard to something like this was in the Book of Lists, which mentions someone having eaten cherries with milk on a warm day and dying. Everything else I have ever read to find out why this is has been mysteriously mute, though my mother, when I mentioned it (out of fear, because I love cherries), warned me against the practice. I cornered her on it, but all she could say was she had a vague memory of her mother warning her, and she had classed the information with such dubious practices as putting butter on a burn. Cecil, I appeal to you. You say a president died of this — what’s the story? —  Dan Shick, San Francisco Cecil replies: Zachary Taylor was diagnosed with “cholera morbus,” a catchall term that included diarrhea and dysentery but not true cholera. Exactly what he had and how he got it is not known. [Click here to keep reading](. Did you enjoy this issue? [The Straight Dope]( By [The Straight Dope]( Fighting ignorance since 1973. (It's taking longer than we thought.) [Tweet](    [Share]( If you don't want these updates anymore, please unsubscribe [here](. If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe [here](. Powered by [Revue](