# Stupid questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 2, 2000, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877 "2000-08-02T18:14:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Konrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@Konrad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Konrad)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/1 "2000-08-02T18:14:52Z")
There’s some real tough questions out there. Here’s one I saw today: Henry III, king of Poland and France (1573-89) was assassinated at the age of 37. What year was it? Hmm… I don’t know. Maybe it was the same year he died? Duh. ---
**Author:** ![wacky\_ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/58956e/32.png) [@wacky\_ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wacky_ninja)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/2 "2000-08-02T18:16:29Z")
Gee, I just can’t tell. It’s gonna take me hours in the library for that one. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![sirdiesel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@sirdiesel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirdiesel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/3 "2000-08-02T18:26:07Z")
Whew…good thing I took Calculus this year. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/4 "2000-08-02T18:29:38Z")
Here’s a few others. What kind of tree is a Douglas fir? How long did the Hundred Years’ War last? What is the primary metal in German silver? What rank was General Custer when he died? What animal were the Canary Islands named after? Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb? ---
**Author:** ![Kiki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kiki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiki)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/5 "2000-08-02T18:34:32Z")
What is it with people? Don’t they think before they speak? A little off the subject but I have one for ya. My brother married a woman with the same first name as me. After they were married her first and last name was the same as mine. I was talking to someone and we started talking about my sister-in-law. This person says to me, “Her name’s Rachelle too? Are you sisters?” ::slaps forehead:: Duh! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/6 "2000-08-02T18:34:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by John Corrado \* > \*\*Here’s a few others. > What animal were the Canary Islands named after? > \*\* Dogs. ---
**Author:** ![wacky\_ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/58956e/32.png) [@wacky\_ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wacky_ninja)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/7 "2000-08-02T18:42:34Z")
how about the people in my computer lab who ask, “if I press the button that says send, will that send my email?” seriously folks,I hear this all the time. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/8 "2000-08-02T18:48:57Z")
Some of these aren’t stupid questions after all: The Hundred Years’ War actually did not last exactly 100 years (1339-1453). German Silver is made from copper, zinc, and nickel - there is no silver in it. The Canary Islands one has already been addressed. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/9 "2000-08-02T18:52:44Z")
What was the tallest mountain in the world before Mount Everest was discovered? Mount Everest. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/10 "2000-08-02T18:53:32Z")
And nobody is buried in Grant’s Tomb, it is a tomb. But if you want to be loose with the word “bury” it isn’t just Grant, but his wife as well. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/11 "2000-08-02T18:55:43Z")
German Silver is mainly Nickel. The Hundred Years war refers to a series of conflicts lasting 116 years. Thanks missbunny – I’ve got to stop working in between reading posts and replying to them. ---
**Author:** ![Philbuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@Philbuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philbuck)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/12 "2000-08-02T18:57:23Z")
It seems we’re getting both “stupid questions” and “questions that appear to be stupid”. IIRC, German Silver is made of copper, zinc, and nickel. And Douglas Firs are…Douglas Firs. Their classification changed around between true firs, pines, and spruces before eventually they were put in their own genus. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/13 "2000-08-02T19:13:29Z")
Had to research this one. Custer attained the rank of Major General in the Civil War. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the 7th Calvary when he died. ---
**Author:** ![little\_bit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@little\_bit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/little_bit)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/14 "2000-08-02T19:28:16Z")
What kind of tree is a Douglas fir? … It has, at various times, been called a pine, a spruce, a hemlock, and a true fir. It was given its own genus–Pseudotsuga–which means false hemlock. The hyphen in the common name lets us know that Douglas-fir is not a “true” fir–that it’s not a member of the Abies genus. How long did the Hundred Years’ War last? … 116 years What is the primary metal in German silver? … German Silver (also known as Nickel Silver) is made of copper, zinc, and nickel. It has no silver in it. What rank was General Custer when he died? … His promotion in June of 1863 was to Brigadier General, United States _Volunteers_, and therefore was not a promotion within the Regular Army. For most officers, their Regular Army rank lagged behind their Volunteer rank. When the war ended, they all reverted to their Regular Army rank, hence Custer became a Lt. Col. What animal were the Canary Islands named after? … They were named Canaria for the large numbers of wild dogs (Lat. canes) that roamed the islands. Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb? … Ulysses Simpson Grant and his wife (née Julia Boggs Dent) are both entombed in Grant’s Tomb. ---
**Author:** ![little\_bit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@little\_bit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/little_bit)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/15 "2000-08-02T19:30:47Z")
sorry. my post took so long to show up, all the questions had been answered. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/16 "2000-08-02T19:51:42Z")
Okay, I’m a rat bastard and tried to sneak those in under the guise of “stupid questions”. Thank you for your patience, and for showing your brilliance. I’ll shut up now. ---
**Author:** ![JosephFinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JosephFinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JosephFinn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/17 "2000-08-02T20:01:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Konrad \* > \*\*There’s some real tough questions out there. Here’s one I saw today: > > Henry III, king of Poland and France (1573-89) was assassinated at the age of 37. > What year was it? > > Hmm… I don’t know. Maybe it was the same year he died? Duh. \*\* Unless he was deposed first and then assassinated later. Regards, Joseph ---
**Author:** ![Gregor\_Samsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@Gregor\_Samsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregor_Samsa)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/18 "2000-08-02T20:02:30Z")
Someone phoned me yesterday and asked, “Are you guys still at this number or did you change it?” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/19 "2000-08-02T20:45:43Z")
OK, the guy who came by to draw blood while I was recuperating and asked how to spell my name EVERY DARN time also asked me “Do you wear your glasses to see?” “No. I wear them because they have a built in idiot detector, and it is pinging on ten right now!” …And then he got out a great big needle… ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2000, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877/20 "2000-08-02T20:52:28Z")
Can anybody tell me what color an orange is? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-questions/27877.md?page=2)