April 26, 2007 - Bovine Trivia

Trivia Question:

A cow known as Elm Farm Ollie (also known as Nellie Jay) is a bona fide bovine folk hero. On February 18, 1930, Ollie became the very first cow to this. What did Elm Farm Ollie do?

Trivia Answer:

Elm Farm Ollie (known as "Nellie Jay" and post-flight as "Sky Queen") was the first cow to fly in an airplane, doing so on 18 February 1930, as part of the International Air Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. On the same trip, which covered 72 miles from Bismarck, Missouri, to St. Louis, she also became the first cow milked in flight.


A St. Louis newspaper trumpeted her mission as being "to blaze a trail for the transportation of livestock by air."

Elm Farm Ollie was reported to have been an unusually productive Guernsey cow, requiring three milkings a day and producing 24 quarts of milk during the flight itself. Wisconsin native Elsworth W. Bunce milked her, becoming the first man to milk a cow mid-flight. Elm Farm Ollie's milk was sealed into paper cartons which were parachuted to spectators below. Charles Lindbergh reportedly received a glass of the milk.

Although Elm Farm Ollie was born and raised in Bismarck, Missouri, it is largely in the dairy state of Wisconsin where her fame has lived on. The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin sponsors a celebration of the groundbreaking cow every 18 February. Festivities have included the production of a lighthearted opera entitled Madame Butterfat.

For even MORE information on the bovine flyer, visit her web site at: Nellie the Flying Cow

Congrats to those who got the answer right. Below are the checkins to the net and the answers folks gave.

>>> > > > > > > NET CHECK INs< < < < < < <<<

* WB6A - Pat - Kicked the bucket and started a fire
* WB6ATV - Ron - First cow to be artificially inseminated
* KE6CZH - Robert - Kicked the bucket and started a fire
* KG6DBL - Bill - First 2-headed calf
* K6FCC - Khalil - Flew in an airplane
* KB6IS - Madeline - First to have her milk homoginized
* KD6JEV - John - Kicked the bucket and started a fire
* N6KAS - Andy - Kicked the bucket and started a fire
* KG6KTC - Leon - First to be milked by a mechanical milking machine
* NY6L - Jay - First to have her milk homoginized
* K6LMN - Roger - First to be milked by a mechanical milking machine
* N6NGU - Lee - First cow to "Udder a Moo"
* KD6NIW - Oliver - First to ride in an airplane
* W6NVY - Gary - Produced the first chocolate milk
* KG6NWJ - Barry - Produced the first ice cream on a very cold day!
* KD6OBM - Jason - First to fly on an airplane
* KF6PIH - Scott - First cow to be artificially inseminated
* K6QVZ - Joe - Pasturization
* KG6TRR - Bob - The cow that jumped over the moon
* AD6UP - Louie - Had triplets
* WA6USL - Murray - Jumped over the moon
* N6ZZK - Theo - Gave chocolate milk
* WB6ATN - John - First cow to have its picture on a milk carton

73 to all and have a great week.
de N6CIZ