The intensity of tornadoes is measured by the Fujita scale. Tornadoes are rated from category F1, light damage, to F5, which lifts houses off their foundations. Storm researcher Ted Fujita (1920-1998) developed the scale in 1971.
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The largest blue whale on record was 110 feet long; equal to the height of an 11-story building.
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The comic strip “Hi and Lois” was a spin-off of “Beetle Bailey.” Lois is Beetle’s sister. Mort Walker (born 1923) created both cartoons.
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Advertisements for Timex watches in the 1950s put the watches through “torture tests” to prove that they could “take a licking and keep on ticking.” Watches were frozen in an ice cube tray, strapped to Mickey Mantle’s (1931-1995) baseball bat and taped to a lobster’s claw.
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“It was a pleasure to burn.” Can you name the novel that starts with that line? See answer at end.
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San Francisco’s first skyscraper was built in 1889, at the corner of Market and Kearny streets. The 10-story high building was the headquarters for the San Francisco Chronicle.
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Kathie Lee Gifford (born 1953) had a dog named Regis, named after Regis Philbin (born 1931), her former morning show co-host.
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Followers of feng shui believe that chrysanthemums bring laughter and happiness into the home.
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To convert miles into kilometers, multiply the miles by 1.609347.
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The ozone layer in the stratosphere averages about 3 millimeters thick around the world. The ozone layer absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
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The word aeronautics comes from the Greek words for “air” and “to sail.”
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The FBI motto is “Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity.”
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One of Scrooge McDuck’s oldest enemies is a crooked saloon operator and profiteer named Soapy Slick.
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In a 2002 commercial for Metamucil, an actor dressed like a park ranger pours the laxative into Old Faithful geyser to help it stay regular. The real park officials were not amused; it is not allowed to put anything into the geyser.
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In the Disney movie “George of the Jungle” (1997), apes send urgent messages using bongo drums via “bongo-gram.”
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Lynda Bird Johnson Robb (born 1944), the daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) was told to get off of a San Francisco cable car in 1968 because she was eating an ice cream.
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Vladimir Zworykin (1889-1982) was nicknamed “the father of television.” He invented the iconoscope, a transmitting and receiving system to be used for a picture tube.
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The “Kung Fu” hand grip feature was added to the G.I. Joe Action Figure in 1974.
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In Greek mythology Chloris, the goddess of flowers, created the first rose from the beauty of Aphrodite and the blood of Adonis.
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Answer: “Fahrenheit 451” (1953) by Ray Bradbury (1920-2012). The book takes place in the future society where it is forbidden to possess books and all books are burned by “firemen.” The title refers to the temperature at which paper burns.
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.
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