Small-town celebrity birthplace of the week: Crystal City, Mo. (current population about 4,000). Basketball Hall-of-Famer and former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley was born there in 1943.

n “M is for ‘mother’ ” update: Thanks to Mason M. Lilly of Issaquah, Wash., who sent us an explanation why the “M” sound starts the word for “mother” in so many languages. It is the easiest sound for an infant to make, requiring only the lips to be pressed together.

The shortest presidential inaugural address in U.S. history was delivered by:

A) George Washington

B) Ulysses S. Grant

C) Harry Truman

D) Jimmy Carter

Wednesday’s answer: When Mr. Potato Head was first sold in the early 1950s, no head was included. Children were expected to use a handy “real” potato, fruit or vegetable for the head.

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