Know It All

Dolly Parton (born 1946) has a rose named after her. The Dolly Parton Rose is a hybrid tea rose that is orange-red in color. Parton has her namesake roses planted at her homes and throughout her theme park Dollywood.

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A one-day admission ticket to Dollywood is $69. The park is located near Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

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A homing pigeon named Cher Ami, owned by the U.S. Army, was honored as a war hero in World War I. Cher Ami carried a message that helped save the lives of members of the Lost Battalion of the 77th Division in a battle in France in 1918. While delivering the message that said the Battalion needed help, Cher Ami was shot through the breast and lost a leg, but he got the message through and the battalion was saved.

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June 13 is National Pigeon Day, as declared by the founder of the New York Bird Club, Anna Dove. Dove chose the date to commemorate World War I messenger pigeon Cher Ami who died on June 13, 1919, from war wounds.

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During its four-year life span, the average urban pigeon makes about 100 pounds worth of droppings. There are 1 million pigeons in New York City.

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Officials of New York’s Bryant Park instituted an anti-pigeon campaign in 2003. They released hawks, a natural predator of pigeons. The hawks reduced pigeon infestation by 50 percent, however, the campaign came to a halt when one of the hawks attacked a Chihuahua.

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Iowa is nicknamed the Hawkeye State, after a scout named Hawkeye in the novel “The Last of the Mohicans” (1826) by James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851).

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Can you name the actor that played Hawkeye Pierce in the movie M*A*S*H (1970) and the actor that played Hawkeye in the television series of the same name (1972-1983)? Can you name the actresses that played Hot Lips Houlihan? See answer at end.

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On June 24, 1950, President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) was visiting his hometown of Independence, Missouri. when he received a telegram that said the North Korean People’s Army had invaded the Republic of Korea (South Korea) that morning.

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President Truman had a sign on his desk that said “The Buck Stops Here.” The reverse side of the sign said “I’m From Missouri.”

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“Buck Rogers in the 25th Century A.D.,” the first science fiction comic strip, debuted on Jan. 7, 1929. Coincidentally, it was the same day the comic strip “Tarzan” debuted.

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Actor Buster Crabbe (1908-1983) played Buck Rogers in a 12-part movie serial. A popular star of movie serials in the 1930s and 1940s, Crabbe also played Flash Gordon and Tarzan.

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Before he became an actor, Buster Crabbe was an athlete. He won a gold medal in swimming in the 1932 Olympics.

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Answer: Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce was played by Donald Sutherland (born 1935) in the movie and by Alan Alda (born 1936) in the series. Nurse Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan was played by Sally Kellerman (born 1937) in the movie and Loretta Swit (born 1937) in the series. M*A*S*H was about the staff stationed at the fictional 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War.

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.