Q: A recent Atlanta Forward story stated: "North Georgia hasn't built any reservoirs in the past five decades." Were not reservoirs built in Dahlonega and Canton and perhaps elsewhere? -- Bob Sullivan, Canton
A: Some smaller reservoirs have been built since Lake Allatoona and Lake Lanier in North Georgia, including Yellow Creek Reservoir in Cherokee County and Cedar Creek in Hall County, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A bigger one, Hickory Log Creek, is in Cherokee County.
Q: Who or what were the "Standard" and the "Poor" of the S&P 500? -- Lance DeLoach, Thomaston
A: The company grew out of Henry Varnum Poor's early ventures into writing and publishing books about the railroads in the U.S., beginning in 1860. In 1868, Poor, who began his career as a lawyer in Maine, and his son, Henry William Poor, published the "Manual of the Railroads of the United States," which contained "essential information for investors in the U.S. railroad industry," according to www.StandardandPoors.com. The manual was updated annually. In 1906, Luther Lee Blake, a "self-trained businessman" from Tennessee, formed the Standard Statistics Bureau, which provided corporate information and news for investors on 5×7-inch cards and an annual bound volume. In 1930, Poor's struggled to recover from the stock market crash and was taken over by Paul T. Babson. The companies merged in 1941 and Standard & Poor's soon published the new "Bond Guide." By 1950, Standard & Poor's subscriptions had surpassed the $5 million mark and in 1957, the company introduced the S&P 500 Stock Index.
Lori Johnston wrote this column; Dan Chapman contributed. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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