Know it all

The first ice cube tray was patented in 1932. The stainless steel tray flexed sideways to eject the ice cubes. It cost 50 cents.

***

The oldest shoe in existence is the sandal. Sandals made of woven papyrus were discovered in an Egyptian tomb from 2000 B.C.

***

The only woman to be pictured on a U.S. currency note was Martha Washington (1731-1802). Her portrait was on the $1 silver certificates printed from 1886 to 1891.

***

Chopsticks, the piano music, was originally called the Celebrated Chop Waltz when it was written by 16-year-old Euphemia Allen (1861-1949) in 1877. The British girl composed the tune using the pseudonym Arthur de Lulli.

***

There are no ants in Antarctica. Ants live on every other continent.

***

Do you know what Melvil Dewey (1851-1931) is famous for? See answer at end.

***

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., lists 58,209 names of those who died during the war. The names are engraved on polished black granite walls that are 493 feet long.

***

Baby carrots, sold pre-packaged as snacks, are actually regular carrots cut into two inch pieces and shaved down

The world’s first crossword puzzle was printed as a “mental exercise” in the Sunday edition of the New York World in 1913. It was so popular that by the early 1920s every major newspaper in America featured its own crossword puzzle.

***

The largest manufacturer of playing marbles is Vacor de Mexico. The company makes 90 percent of the world’s marbles. More than 12 million little glass balls are produced each day.

***

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) claimed that his first love was fictional Little Red Riding Hood. He thought that he would have known perfect bliss if he could have married her.

***

Some oxymorons: quiet storm, steel wool, deliberate mistake, mud bath.

***

The first Gap store was opened in San Francisco in 1969. Today the international company has their world headquarters in San Francisco.

***

The term horsepower was first coined by Scottish engineer James Watt (1736-1819) who invented a steam engine. One unit of horsepower equals 33,000 foot-pounds per minute.

***

The most common first letter of surnames in the United States is S. However, there has never been a president of the United States that has had a last name starting with the letter S.

***

The largest and most complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex is on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. The skeleton is 13 feet high and 42 feet long. The bones were discovered in South Dakota in 1990. The skeleton is referred to as Sue, named after the fossil hunter Sue Hendrickson (born 1949) who discovered the bones.

***

Answer: He was an American librarian that developed the Dewey Decimal System. While working as a librarian at Amherst College in 1876, Dewey developed the classification system for books; books are put in general categories and designated with numbers from 000-999. The number after the decimal point designates more specific subjects.

Know It All is by Kerry McArdle. It runs in the weekend and Wednesday editions of the Daily Journal. Questions? Comments? Email knowitall(at)smdailyjournal.com or call 344-5200 ext. 114.