movies on the sidewalk outside the theater.

As his talent blossomed, Segar completed a mail-order course on cartooning and traveled to Chicago to take a job at the Chicago Herald. He next moved to New York and in 1919 created a strip called “Thimble Theater” for the New York Journal.

Among those townsfolk in Chester that Segar had sketched in his days as a projectionist was Frank “Rocky” Fiegel, a man with a pugnacious countenance who seldom was seen without a pipe stuck in his mouth. Segar also drew caricatures of Dora Pashel, who ran a general store and was tall and thin and wore her hair in a bun, and of his boss, theater owner William Schuchert.

These Chester townsfolk all became models for cartoon characters that today are known worldwide. They have their own website, fan club, and newsletter, and have starred in more than 650 animated features, making Mickey Mouse—with about 100 screen credits—seem like small cheese.

Those characters created by a talented artist from real-life models in Chester, Ill.? Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Wimpy.

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And another favorite story I received this week . . .

IT’S ONLY FOR A LITTLE WHILE—NOT!

Of course, you recognize the letters “QWERTYUIOP.” No? Think about your keyboard. Correct—it’s the sequence of the first row of letters. Because the keyboard is a product of the machine age, you’d assume its letters are arranged to make typing easy. Well, you’d be wrong.

Actually, the opposite is true. The fi rst keyboards, which appeared in the 1800s had a different sequence. Typists were learning to type so fast that the original machines would jam up. Until the machines could be made faster, the engineers on the project rearranged the letters into an illogical sequence to slow the typists down. However, by the time keyboards were made more responsive, everyone had learned the new layout and didn’t want to change back. It’s a classic example of short-term thinking having long-term effects.

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And last of all . . .

During a speech to the National Press Club, Washington POST columnist David Broder quoted an excerpt from his favorite “fan” letter: “About your column this morning. I know infants who can’t read and I know middle-aged illiterates who can’t write and I know old fools who can’t think straight. I’m trying to guess your age.”