Miscellaneous desk
< April 9	<< Mar \| April \| May >>	April 11 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

April 10[edit]

Moustache Guards[edit]

Hello! Does anyone know about Moustache Guards and about Virgil A. Gates? Thanks! Helloheart (talk) 03:29, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I don't see a Wikipedia article for either subject. Who is Virgil Gates? And why would you need a guard for your moustache? --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:20, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The question certainly relates to this image. --Wrongfilter (talk) 05:04, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The full patent for this “new and improved device for holding the moustache out of the way in eating or drinking” can be found here. Apparently, Mr. Gates was from Charleston, West Virginia. Cheers ❖_hugarheimur 07:09, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

This could be the same guy's Findagrave entry:[1] --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:23, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

He was also a founding director of the American Brick Paving Company, founded in 1904 for "laying down street pavements and roadways under United States patent No. 285,740, granted to Virgil A. Gates and Mordecai Levi" (presumably a patent for road paving rather than moustache protecting).

According to the The Encyclopædia Britannica: Supplement 1884-1889 (p. 35) entry for Charleston: "In 1882, the city council adopted the Gates pavement, named after Virgil A. Gates, a prominent citizen, who had laid an experimental section in 1871".

He also unsuccessfully ran for election to be US Senator for West Virginia in 1889. [2] Alansplodge (talk) 09:35, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

A brief mention of the Gates pavement in Engineering and Contracting (1911) p. 487, which consisted "of hard burned brick on a plank foundation". Alansplodge (talk) 11:58, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I failed to find any contemporary use of the moustache contraption, but here is Sir Kenneth Branagh wearing one as Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express (2017 film). Alansplodge (talk) 09:44, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Albert Finney's Poirot sported a stylish one in Murder on the Orient Express (1974 film) but I can't track down a pic of it. I can't remember if Suchet's Hercule was ever seen wearing one or not. MarnetteD|Talk 02:36, 12 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Found one with Finney, Not quite as stylish as I thought. Memory is such a funny thing :-) MarnetteD|Talk 02:41, 12 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

See also some other moustache patents, the latest being granted in 1997, which is scarcely less risible. Alansplodge (talk) 12:07, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

How did he run for Senator in an odd-numbered year? Was that a special election? --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:41, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The senator who was finally elected (after 97 elections failed to result in a winner) on February 21 1889 was John E. Kenna.^[3] The term then commenced on the fourth day of March, so elections could be held the same year. --Lambiam 21:12, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

97 elections? Maybe you could elaborate on that detail. --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:46, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Check all 97 results found here. --Lambiam 09:59, 11 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Just to clarify, prior to the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913, the electorate for U.S. Senators consisted solely of the state legislature. It is not uncommon for legislatures to deadlock over such an election, and need to have multiple ballots to select their senator. 97 is a bit excessive, but not impossible under the old system. --Jayron 32 11:59, 12 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Chocolate Milk + Coffee[edit]

Has anyone ever mixed chocolate milk and coffee? Would it taste good? Should I try it? Or would it be a colossal waste of time and valuable resources? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 100.12.70.128 (talk) 22:32, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

That would make a caffè mocha. We don't offer opinions on ref desk, but yes, you should. Card Zero (talk) 22:48, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

"A colossal waste of time and resources"??? How much do those items cost in New York? --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:42, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Starbucks is expensive, I heard that the standard blue Ancient Greek-looking we are happy to serve you paper cup was like 50 cents when Starbucks started selling green cups for ~10 times more. Coffee sellers would always accept subway tokens at full value ($1.25 or $1.50) cause they used the subway too and most change recipients would do the same. Since the priciest common coin was worth only 25 cents and bigger and heavier than the token the turnstile coin was often more convenient, i.e. give two $1 bills and get a token back instead of getting two bulkier quarters plus a bill. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 22:53, 11 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The NYC subway tokens have been gone for almost 20 years now but Starbucks is still overpriced and overrated. 100.12.70.128 (talk) 01:15, 17 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Is there noplace else in NYC that you can get coffee? --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:42, 17 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

When in doubt, turn to the affogato. Viriditas (talk) 01:38, 11 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Does the coffee have to be espresso? 100.12.70.128 (talk) 01:17, 17 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Unrelated, but as a New Englander I'm obliged to suggest trying coffee milk. Calidum 17:38, 11 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

That reminds me of coffee ice cream. Do you know if they taste similar? 100.12.70.128 (talk) 01:18, 17 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I think we can safely assume pretty much anything with coffee in it doesn't taste good. Nil Einne (talk) 10:11, 17 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Including coffee itself? :) I've known people that like things such as coffee ice cream and Tiramisu. You and I are not on that list. --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:07, 17 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Nor am I. --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 18:40, 17 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Coffee ice cream is good, what are you on about? 100.12.70.128 (talk) 22:37, 17 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]