KF7TBA+K7LWA's Friday Insomniac-Net BLOG

KF7TBA+K7LWA's Friday Insomniac-Net BLOG
Have we got some really, really good Qs&As for you!

Friday, September 4, 2015

2015[36]A -- Ins-Net As for Sep 04, 2015: "Happy E-Day!" [C-A- A|B|C]

Insomniac-Net ANSWERS -- Friday[36], Sep 04, 2015 [ C - A - A|B|C ]
Tonight's Topic: "Happy E-Day!"
ANSWERS = [ C - A - A|B|C ]
    Good morning/evening, everybody! Thank you for joining us last night.
    We hope you discovered something interesting during the time we spent together on the Insomniac Net last night.
    Thanks to you all for playing along -- it was a lot of FUN for us. Hopefully, you had fun too!
        -- The ever-delightful Shelley [KF7TBA] and just plain old LW [K7LWA] (email K7LWA.INS@gmail.com).
    (Please Note: The Net Controller's Answers are always CORRECT (even if they aren't every time!)
    Please check out Winsystem's Insomniac Trivia Net page.
    You can get these Questions & Answers at the Yahoo-groups' Messages Link.
Be sure to check out additional info & photos on KF7TBA+K7LWA's Friday Insomniac-Net BLOG
=================
      Fifty-seven years ago today -- on September 4, 1958 -- the Ford Motor Company proclaimed "E-Day" to celebrate the unveiling of the Edsel at 1300 American Ford showrooms.
    The Edsel was the first new automobile brand (or "model" or "marque") produced by one of the Big Three car companies since 1938.
    Perhaps the Edsel's most memorable feature was the big impact ring or “horse collar” in the middle of its front grille.
    Several reporters said the vertical grille made the Edsel look like “a Pontiac pushing a toilet seat,” or “an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon.”
    In its first year, Edsel sold just 64,000 cars and lost $250 million ($2.5 billion today).
    Despite this, however, the Edsel did introduce new automotive safety equipment (see Question #3).
    So, accordingly, for tonight's questions, how much more do you know about the ... "E-Day" surprise: the Edsel?
     Please choose from any of the 3 (reuseable) answers of "A", "B",  or "C" (if applicable!) for each questions listed below.
    Good Luck and remember YOU are always a WINNER with us, regardless of your actual answers!
    OK, Let's start waving randomly at any stranger your see (at a safe distance) and shout "Hey, Edsel!"
  ++ "Happy E-Day!" ++
Question #1: The Edsel was produced for how many model years?
        A. 1, or
        B. 2, or
        C. 3
 
In its first year, Edsel sold just 64,000 cars and lost $250 million ($2.5 billion today). After the 1960 model year, the company folded.
    [SOURCE: Edsel arrives in showrooms at last]
Please see: SPOTTER'S GUIDE TO THE EDSEL (http://www.edsel.com/pages/spotters.htm ) -- How to tell differences between the 3 different model years (1958, 1959, and 1960)
    The Edsel’s buildup was huge. Hints of the car’s wonders dribbled out for months before the introduction on Sept. 4, 1957 — E-Day, it was called.
    For many consumers, the car fell short of their inflated expectations. In the end, even a giveaway of 1,000 ponies — intended to get children to bring parents to showrooms — was a failure.
    Despite several features that were not necessarily innovations — a vertical grille, self-adjusting brakes, Teletouch transmission buttons on the steering wheel and a floating speedometer that glowed when a preset speed was reached — the Edsel was panned by the public.
    Among other things, it was derided for having a grille that looked like a toilet seat. Time magazine popularized the wisecrack that it looked like an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon.
    Ford initially organized Edsel as a stand-alone division, and 1,300 independent dealers were established throughout the country. But in January 1958, sensing a disaster in the making, Ford moved to integrate Edsel with Lincoln and Mercury, creating a division known as M-E-L.
    The Edsel originally came in four series: the Pacer and Ranger were based on the standard Ford body; the fancier Citation and Corsair were built on the bigger Mercury body.
    For the introductory year of 1958 there were 18 models. For 1959, the Edsel got a single body shared with the ’59 Ford, and by 1960 there was little attempt to hide the underlying Ford that peeked out all over.
    [SOURCE: A Loser on E-Day, but a Winner Today]
Question #2: What was the source of the car brand name "Edsel"?
        A. It was the name of Henry Ford's son, or
        B. It was the name of Henry Ford's wife's maiden name, or
        C. It was the name of Henry Ford's father
Henry Ford and Edsel Bryant Ford
    Then there was the name itself, which didn’t evoke exciting holiday destinations or powerful animals, like so many other Detroit cars of that era.
    The Edsel was named for the only son
[Edsel Ford (1893-1943)] of company founder Henry Ford. He had served as the automaker’s president before dying young and unexpectedly in 1943.
    [SOURCE: Edsel Designer Dies]
Question #3: The Edsel's new automotive safety equipment included which of the following?
        A. The industry's first standard-equipment seatbelts, or
        B. Self-adjusting brakes, or
        C. The first childproof rear door locks
floating speedometer
    Critics looked for a range of reasons to explain why the Edsel failed.
    They even blamed the addition of new safety gear, such as self-adjusting brakes and the first childproof rear door locks, as well the industry-first standard-equipment seatbelts — which triggered the long and erroneous belief in industry circles that “safety doesn’t sell.”

        [SOURCE: Edsel Designer Dies]
 Background References:
Edsel Designer Dies
A Loser on E-Day, but a Winner Today
Edsel arrives in showrooms at last
EDSELS IN THE MEDIA -- Audio, video, promos, etc. -- GREAT LINK LIST!
SPOTTER'S GUIDE TO THE EDSEL -- How to tell between the 3 different model years (1958, 1959, and 1960)


Videos:
1) A big event associated with the Edsel’s unveiling was “The Edsel Show” on CBS. Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney starred in a special live broadcast celebrating the car’s arrival.
    [SOURCE: SALON: How Ford built the ultimate lemon]
2) The Edsel Story (1957) -- Produced by Ford Motor Company - Edsel Division (4 Parts) (on YouTube)
        Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Complete (29:16)
    [SOURCE: USAutoIndustry]
3) FORD - 1958 EDSEL RANGERAssorted clips about the 1958 Edsel with vintage television commercials, TV shows, inside the factory, etc. Includes bonus Ford Thunderbird vintage footage.
    [SOURCE: FORD - 1958 EDSEL RANGER 11:17]
 4) Edsel Commercial (1957) 2:34
 =================
    ++ QUOTES OF THE DAY ++  -- from Phil Skinner (collector car market editor for Kelley Blue Book and past president of the Edsel Owners Club):
             "Edsel is an acronym for 'Every Day Someone Else Laughs.' "
            [SOURCE: A Loser on E-Day, but a Winner Today]
 =================
BLOG LINKS:
Questions = 2015[36]Q -- Ins-Net Qs for Sep 04, 2015: "Happy E-Day!"
Answers = 2015[36]A -- Ins-Net As for Sep 04, 2015: "Happy E-Day!"
=================
Please include you name, Callsign, and those correct answers.
Good luck everyone!
Shelley [KF7TBA] & LW [K7LWA]
K7LWA.INS@gmail.com
NOTE: Be sure to check out additional info & photos on
KF7TBA+K7LWA's Friday Insomniac-Net BLOG
(http://k7lwa-ins.blogspot.com/)
NOTE: Blog may have Questions posted earlier than Yahoo!
Next Week: WYHearIWYG!
================
Thank you!
Shelley [KF7TBA] & LW [K7LWA]
K7LWA.INS@gmail.com
Posted 2015-09-05 03;15PT
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Posted by K7LWA.INS at 03:20 AM


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