Here is answer to last week’s question:

Charles Lindbergh is a famous American. Which one of these statements is true? (yup, only one is a true statement)
A. He invented Lindberger cheese.
B. He was the first person to fly non stop across the Atlantic Ocean
C. He invented the perfusion pump
D. He was born in St.Loius
E. He very likely kidnapped his own baby

The answer is “C”, Lindbergh invented the perfusion pump. Lindbergh’s flying exploits were certainly notable, but were exaggerated by America’s media ala Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Paul Revere and John F Kennedy (the navy Captain who, without a fight, allowed the enemy to ram and sink his PT boat).

In fact, the first airplane to fly non stop across the Atlantic was a Vicker’s Vimy. This British biplane was piloted by John Alcock with help from Author Brown as navigator. This historic flight took place in June of 1919. Lindbergh’s solo flight in the much more modern Spirit of St Louis didn’t take place until eight years later in 1927. History counts Lindbergh as the 82nd person to fly across the Atlantic.

The perfusion pump was probably a bigger deal than Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight. Using this specialized medical device, a surgeon could keep organs alive outside the patients body. The picture included shows Lindbergh with Dr. Samuel Woolf circa 1938.

This week’s question:

Mainers are particularly susceptible to CSFT: Can’t See the Forest for the Trees. The reason being: Maine has a lot of Trees! Depending on who’s counting, 90 – 95% of the land in Maine is forested. And Maine’s forests are unique in that they are a mix of hardwoods (birch, maple, oak, etc.) and softwoods (spruce, pine fir, etc.). There are six types of “wild” oak trees in Maine. (By wild, I mean oaks you will find in the forest vs planted on someone’s front lawn!). Which oak tree is the most common in Maine?

A. Red oak

B. Black oak

C. Scarlet oak

D. White oak

E. Bur oak

F. Swamp oak

Randall Poulton