34 - Answer(s)

Q: Jarsh Beckstein - What does Geronimo say when he jumps out of a plane?
A: According to the movie Hot Shots! Part Deux, he yells "Meeeeee!!!". Of course, this is ridiculous. Geronimo died on February 17th, 1909, only 6 years after the Wright Brothers made the first powered human flight. Thus, it was unlikely that he ever flew on a plane, much less jumped from one. Doing a bit more research I learned that the first parachute jump from an airplane was done by a man named Grant Morton in 1911. Again, this is after Geronimo's death. I will therefore conclude that Geronimo never jumped out of a plane, and therefore never said anything as he did so.

I assume that you're asking this question because of the long-held tradition of yelling "GERONIMO!" when jumping from a great height. I didn't know where this came from, but I dug around a bit and found this site. It's a really interesting story about how the tradition started. Short version: A paratrooper named Private Aubrey Eberhardt and three of his fellow paratroopers watched the movie Geronimo the night before their first jump. Inspired, Private Eberhardt decided to yell out "Geronimo" during the jump as a way of indicating that all was well. The full story is quite interesting, and I recommend reading it.

Q: Bill Jeffers - Why don't we call a banana a yellow?
A: I will assume (two assumptions in one "Ask Mitssob"...a new record) that you're asking this question because the fruit we know as the orange derives its name from its color. Well, an orange is orange starting very early in its development as a fruit, and keeps its color until it turns green because it got covered in mold because you left it in your refrigerator for too long. A banana, on the other hand, starts out green, and then gradually takes on a yellow color, before finally turning brown because, again, you left it in the refrigerator for too long. The lesson: eat your fruit before it goes bad.

Q: Joe Zaffarano - What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
A: Congratulations, Joe! You've officially asked the first repeat question in the history of "Ask Mitssob". Your prize? You get to drink from the FIRE HOSE!

No, seriously, you get a brand new answer, from a totally different source. I stumbled onto this page at style.org. The author does a much better job of answering the question than I could ever do, so I'll let him do the talking. Enjoy!

Q: Brett Gobe - Can you cite your sources?
A: Yes.

Q: Eric Democko - what are the origins of Cinco de Mayo? and Cinco de Moustache?
A: Cinco de Mayo is a holiday celebrated in the state of Puebla, Mexico to commemorate a victory by Mexican forces over the French in the Battle of Puebla. It is not a celebration of Mexican independence, which takes place on September 16. The date has taken on significance in America similar to that of St. Patrick's Day. That is, it is used as both a celebration of national pride, and an excuse to drink.

Cinco de Moustache is a party thrown annually on or about the 5th of May by Chris Page. How exactly it came about I'm not sure. I will defer to Page on this one. If he wants to answer in the comments section then he will, otherwise I'll go interview him and get you a more complete answer soon.

Q: Brett Gobe - I WANT THE TRUTH!
A: Not to get overly psychological about this, but have you ever considered the possibility that you might not? The majority of people want to hear that which conforms with their worldview, regardless of how true it is. If the truth clashes with your worldview it can be very disorienting. You may attempt to disregard the truth, or maybe bend the truth to fit your worldview. You may also develop cognitive dissonance, or other psychological problems.

But I believe that you really do want the truth, Gobe. Unfortunately...

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!