Know It All

CB (citizens band) radios hit a peak of popularity in 1977. That year, CB radio signals began interfering with television and radio signals.

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The actors in the 1978 movie “Grease” were a lot older than the high school students they portrayed. John Travolta (born 1954) was 24, Olivia Newton-John (born 1948) was 29 and Stockard Channing (born 1944) was 34.

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The only time snow fell in the Sahara desert was on Feb. 18, 1979.

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Kenny Loggins (born 1948) wrote and performed the soundtrack for the 1980 movie “Caddyshack.”

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Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) nominated Judge Sandra Day O’Connor (born 1930) to be the first woman on the Supreme Court in 1981.

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Lightweight boxing champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini (born 1961) fought boxer Duk-Koo Kim in 1982. The fight ended in tragedy when Kim sustained brain injuries from the 14-round fight and died four days later.

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The musical “Annie” was performed in New York City’s Uris Theatre on Broadway 2,377 times. The last performance of the show was on Jan. 2, 1983.

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The first line in George Orwell’s (1903-1950) futuristic book “Nineteen Eighty-Four” (1949) is “ It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

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Photos of missing children have appeared on milk cartons since 1985.

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Do you know what flower has varieties called Mammoth Gray Striped, American Giant and Skyscraper? See answer at end.

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When Madeline Mann was born premature in 1989, she weighed 9.9 ounces. She had the lowest birth weight of any surviving premature birth. She developed normally and lives in Chicago.

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In 1990, East Germany held free elections for the first time in 52 years.

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The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a nonprofit organization that maintains a purebred dog registry. Since 1991, Labrador retrievers have been the most registered dog with the AKC.

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Johnny Carson (1925-2005) retired as host of “The Tonight Show” in 1992. He hosted the show for 30 years.

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“The Late Show with David Letterman” premiered on CBS in 1993. Letterman hosted “Late Night” (1982-1993) on NBC. He claimed that NBC promised him the job as host of “The Tonight Show” when Johnny Carson retired. NBC did not deliver, so Letterman moved to another network.

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Answer: They are all sunflowers. The Mammoth Gray Striped grows seven to 12 feet high. The seeds are good for roasting. The Skyscraper grows up to about 12 feet high, with a flowerhead of 14 inches across. The world’s tallest sunflower was 25 feet 5 inches, grown in the Netherlands in 1986.

Know It All is by Kerry McArdle. It runs in the weekend edition of the Daily Journal. Questions? Comments? Email knowitall(at)smdailyjournal.com or call 344-5200 ext. 128.