Know It All

The known universe is 13.7 billion years old.

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INTERPOL, the world’s largest international police organization, uses a global police communications system called I-24/7. Through I-24/7 law enforcement officials in all 186 member countries can access and share crucial information on criminals and criminal activities.

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The National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, recognizes toys that have been popular over a sustained period. Some of the toys that have made Hall of Fame status are Monopoly, checkers, Silly Putty, roller skates and marbles.

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The coldest capital city in the world is Ulaan-Baatar, Mongolia, where the temperature gets down to 29.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

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As an elephant gets older its feet get bigger. When a lion ages it gets more freckles on its nose. Feathers on a bald eagle’s head turn white as they age.

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Dollar bills are not made from paper. They are composed of 25 percent linen and 75 percent cotton. That’s why the bills do not get destroyed in the wash.

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The first dustless school chalk was developed in 1902 by the company Binney and Smith in Pennsylvania. The following year, the company created the first box of eight Crayola crayons, which cost a nickel.

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In a box of crayons, can you guess which two crayon colors are usually used the most? See answer at end.

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The word orangutan means “people of the forest” in the Malay language.

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Kermit the Frog eats Dragonfly Ripple ice cream when he goes to the county fair in the “The Muppet Movie” (1979).

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The original jeans by Levi Strauss (1829-1902), created in 1850, had suspender buttons. It wasn’t until 1922 that belt loops were added to the jeans.

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Oliver Hardy (1892-1957), the larger half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy, became interested in movies when he worked at the first movie theater in his hometown. Hardy was the projectionist and janitor at the Electric Theater in Milledgeville, Georgia, in 1910.

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Atlanta, Georgia, is the worst U.S. city to live in for people who suffer from asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

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Wiping mini-blinds with a damp fabric softener sheet will keep them from collecting dust.

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The fortune-telling machine in the movie “Big” (1988) that makes 13-year-old Josh Baskin suddenly become an adult is called Zoltar Speaks. Tom Hanks (born 1956) stars as the teenager in a man’s body.

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Neapolitan Mastiff dogs are commonly used as guard dogs, mainly because they weigh an average of 150 pounds.

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Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) announced he had Alzheimer’s disease, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl and Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan (born 1969) was attacked. It all happened in 1994.

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On July 4, 1976, the Sara Lee baking company presented the United States with a bicentennial birthday cake that was four stories tall.

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Answer: Black and red.

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.