Know It All

A decibel is a measurement of sound density that is one-tenth of one bel. The word is named after Alexander Graham Bell (1940-1980) for his advancements in the field of acoustics.

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“Apocalypse Now” (1979), “Platoon” (1986), “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987) and “Full Metal Jacket” (1987) are all movies set in the Vietnam War.

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Formal weddings, on average, have four bridesmaids, including the maid of honor. More than half of weddings have a flower girl and ring bearer.

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Prior to his comedic career starring in the variety show “Your Show of Shows” (1950-1954) Sid Caesar (born 1922) studied saxophone at Juilliard.

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During the spring of 1974, the college fad of streaking hit an all time high. Streakers parachuted out of airplanes at the University of Georgia, more than 500 University of Maryland students danced naked along a freeway and 1,200 University of Colorado students earned the record for most the streakers together at one time.

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Ayers Rock in Australia is considered a sacred site by the Aboriginal people. Called Uluru, the 1,000-foot high sandstone formation is located in Kata Tjuta National Park. In 1985, the Australian government returned ownership of Uluru to the local aborigines, with the agreement that the land and rock would be leased back to the National Parks Department for 99 years.

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A ballet enthusiast is called a balletomane.

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Do you know what Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) is famous for? See answer at end.

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Mary Pickford (1892-1979) and Douglas Fairbanks (1883-1939) were the first celebrities to leave their footprints in the cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre during the theater’s grand opening ceremony in 1927. Today, there are more than 200 celebrity footprints, handprints and signatures in the cement, making it one of Hollywood’s most popular tourist attractions.

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One month after marrying Yoko Ono (born 1933) in 1969, John Lennon (1940-1980) legally changed his middle name from Winston to Ono.

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In 1950, the average salary in the United States was $2,992. A loaf of bread cost 14 cents. A first class stamp cost 4 cents. Gasoline was 27 cents per gallon.

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Three farmhands from Dorothy’s family farm became characters in Oz in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939). Hunk, played by Ray Bolger (1904-1987), was the Scarecrow. Hickory, played by Jack Haley (1898-1979) was the Tin Man. Zeke, played by Bert Lahr (1895-1967) was the Cowardly Lion.

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The International Camel Races are held every September in Virginia City, Nevada. Jockeys from the United States, Africa and Saudi Arabia compete for the International Camel Cup trophy.

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Answer: Pavlov is famous for his experiments with dogs studying conditioned response. He sounded a bell before giving the dogs food. Pavlov’s dogs soon started salivating at the sound of the bell, even when no food was presented. Pavlov won a Nobel Prize in 1904.

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.