Know It All

Before he was the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the Terminator, he fought the Predator and was a witness protection specialist in the 1996 movie Eraser. Vanessa Williams co-starred. (Will Smith did not star in Eraser as Know It All previously stated).

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The first African-American woman was crowned Miss America in 1984. She was Vanessa Williams, Miss New York. She resigned from the Miss America post after a controversy over photographs she posed for prior to becoming Miss America.

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The name Vanessa is Greek for "butterfly."

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Butterflies do not have lungs. They breathe through a series of tiny openings along the sides of their bodies, called spiracles.

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Butterflies have green blood.

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On average, a bag of M&M's Plain Chocolate Candies contains 30 percent brown M&M's, 20 percent each of yellow and red, 10 percent each of orange, green, and tan M&M's.

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Wine experts say the best wines to pair with M&M's and other milk chocolate are cabernet sauvignon and champagne.

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In wine terminology the term "blanc de noir" refers to white wine made from red and/or black grapes.

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Mel Blanc was the voice of Bugs Bunny. He did not like carrots. When Mel recorded the lines for Bugs Bunny cartoons he would bite into a carrot for the sound effect, then spit it out.

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Carrots have the highest content of vitamin A of all vegetables. Vitamin A is essential for good eyesight and it enables tissue growth and bone development.

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In 1990, Crayola added the color "neon carrot" to its range of crayons.

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Today there are 120 colors of Crayola crayons. The company began in 1903 with eight colors. Can you name the original colors? See answer at end.

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There are nine certified colors approved for use in food in the United States. One example is FD&C Yellow No. 6, which is used in cereals, bakery goods and snack foods. FD&C stands for Food, Drug and Cosmetic.

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Blue is an appetite suppressant. Weight loss plans suggest putting your food on a blue plate. Or dye your food blue. It will be a lot less appetizing because blue food is a rare occurrence in nature.

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The bluebird is a member of the thrush family related to the American Robin. Bluebirds feed mainly on insects during the summer and berries during the winter.

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Answer: The original eight colors of Crayola crayons were blue, black, brown, green, orange, red, yellow and violet. In 1949, there were 48 colors of crayons. In 1958, there were 64 colors; in 1972, there were 72 colors; 1990 had 80 colors; 1993 had 96 colors; today, there are 120 colors of crayons available.

Know It All is compiled by Kerry McArdle. It runs in the weekend and Wednesday editions of the Daily Journal. Know any trivia or facts you would like to share? E-mail knowitall@smdailyjournal.com or fax 344-5290.