Know it All

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Binti Jua, a gorilla at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, became a hero in 1996 when she rescued a 3-year-old boy that fell down 18 feet into the gorilla exhibit. The 150-pound gorilla picked up the boy and brought him to the zookeeper’s entrance. The boy had only minor injuries, and Binti Jua was rewarded with 25 pounds of bananas.

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A group of monkeys is called a troop.

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Different monkeys have been in episodes of the animated series "The Simpsons” (1989-present) over the years. Homer Simpson had a helper monkey named Mojo. Krusty the Clown had a chain smoking monkey named Mr. Teeny. Mr. Burns had a fighting monkey named Furious George.

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Marge Simpson’s mother on "The Simpsons” is named Jackie Bouvier.

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After graduating from college in 1951, Jackie Bouvier (1929-1994) worked for the Washington Times-Herald as the Inquiring Camera Girl. She asked people on the streets questions about issues and their opinions were printed along with their picture. That is how she met her future husband John F. Kennedy (1917-1963).

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Roy Halston Frowick (1932-1990) began his fashion career by designing hats. Halston designed the famous pillbox hat that Jacqueline Kennedy wore to her husband’s inaugural festivities in 1961.

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Fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg (born 1945) became famous in 1973 for designing the wrap dress. In 1975, the popularity of the dresses was at its peak, with sales of 25,000 dresses per week.

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Dianne Feinstein (born 1933), former mayor of San Francisco, graduated from Stanford University in 1955 with a history degree.

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The motto of Stanford University is Die Luft der Freiheit weht. It is a German quote from 16th century humanist Ulrich von Hutten (1488-1523) that means The Wind of Freedom Blows.

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When the football teams of rival colleges Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley (known as Cal) play against each other every year it is known as the Big Game. Stanford won the 110th Big Game, played on Dec. 1, 2007 with a score of 20 to 13.

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Do you know what the mascot is for Stanford University? The mascot for Cal Berkeley? See answer at end.

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Since 1933, the team that wins the Big Game takes home a victory trophy; the symbolic Stanford Axe. The origin of the axe goes to an 1899 game against Cal when Stanford cheerleaders yelled, " Give them the axe! Where? Right in the neck!”

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The most common type of wood for axe handles in hickory.

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Superstition says an axe buried under a house will keep witches away and an axe placed among crops will protect the harvest against bad weather.

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Answer: Stanford does not have an official mascot. Their unofficial mascot is the Stanford Tree. From 1930 to 1972, the mascot was an Indian, but that was dropped due to protests from Native American students. Cal’s mascot is Oski the Bear, represented by a person in a bear costume. Prior to 1941, live bears were used as the mascot.

Know It All is by Kerry McArdle. It runs in the weekend and Wednesday editions of the Daily Journal. Questions? Comments? E-mail knowitall@smdailyjournal.com or call 344-5200 x114.