Q&A on the News
Q: The news reported that President Barack Obama has spoken to the nation only three times from the Oval Office. What were those occasions?
—Kathy McDonough, Peachtree Corners
A: Obama's speech regarding domestic terrorism on Sunday was the third time he's addressed the nation from the Oval Office.
The others, as reported by Time:
- June 15, 2010 — Obama spoke about the Deepwater Horizon explosion – which occurred two months earlier — and the ongoing cleanup effort in the Gulf of Mexico. He called the massive oil leak the "the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced."
- Aug. 31, 2010 — Obama announced that Operation Iraqi Freedom was over, stating, "… the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country."
This also was only the second time Obama had addressed the nation on a Sunday, CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller wrote on Twitter.
The previous Sunday speech happened on May 1, 2011, when Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden.
Q: What was the cost of a pack of cigarettes in pre-war America, like in the late 1930s?
—Edgar Wells, Decatur
A: The major brands, such as Chesterfield, Camel and Lucky Strike, sold for 15 cents a pack or two for 25 cents in the 1930s.
Other brands – Twenty Grand, White Rolls, Paul Jones, Wings and Avalon, for example – sold about 10 cents a pack during the Great Depression.
“The price difference was significant enough at that time to attract quite a few smokers,” Dick Elliott with the Cigarette Pack Collectors Association told Q&A on the News last year.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
