Eponym of the week: Scottish golfer Thomas McCann, whose name was "borrowed" by American shoe manufacturer Ward Melville in 1922 for his Thom McAn chain of shoe stores and the shoe brand of the same name. Our Internet searching could find no additional information about Mr. McCann, other than the existence of a documentary film "Shoe Boy," about a man's search to learn more about Mr. McCann.

Herman Swanson of Borger, Texas, asked us to identify the 1930s radio comedian who portrayed Baron Munchausen, telling far-fetched stories in a thick German accent. That would be vaudevillian Jack Pearl, who, when confronted with skepticism by his straight man, would answer with the catchphrase that became a national idiom, "Vass you dere, Charlie?"

In the world of science, columns, needles and plates are three common varieties of:
A) Snowflakes
B) Stalactites
C) Deserts
D) Dental work

Previous answer: About 50 percent of the world's lakes are located in Canada.

TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Stan Newman at StanTrivia@aol.com or on a postcard to P.O. Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762.

Stanley Newman is the editor of the Newsday Crossword and author/editor of more than 125 books on crosswords, word games and trivia, including "15,003 Answers: The Ultimate Trivia Encyclopedia" (Random House). To find out more about Stanley Newman visit StanXwords.com, or e-mail him at StanTrivia@aol.com.
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