Duster Mails

Article summary

John Walter "Duster" Mails (October 1, 1894 – July 5, 1974) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He won 32 games while playing for the Brooklyn Robins, Cleveland Indians, and St. Louis Cardinals, and helped the Indians win the 1920 World Series. Mails also won 207 games in the minor leagues, pitching mostly in the Pacific Coast League.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1894 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of death: 1974 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1894". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of death is "1974". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1366355353