Know It All

The most successful and famous fighter pilot during World War I was Manfred von Richthofen (1892-1918) of Germany. Nicknamed the Red Baron, von Richthofen had 80 confirmed kills when his plane was shot down in 1918 and he died at age 25.

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The main ingredient of glass is sand. Sand melts at a temperature of about 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit.

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The star in Macy’s department store logo was taken from a star tattooed on the arm of founder R.H. Macy (1822-1877). The first Macy’s opened in New York in 1858.

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The Los Angeles Public Library has a collection of over 1000 cookbooks printed in California. The collection includes "How to Keep a Husband, or Culinary Tactics” and "The Sacramento Ladies Kitchen Companion,” both printed in 1872.

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The most requested photo from the National Archives in Washington D.C. is a photo of Richard Nixon (1913-1994) and Elvis Presley (1935-1977) shaking hands at the White House in 1970. Elvis requested the meeting with the president to discuss the fight against drug use by young people in America.

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James Dean (1931-1955) had starring roles in only three movies. Can you name them? See answer at end.

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Julia Lennon (1914-1958), John Lennon’s (1940-1980) mother, was killed by a car while crossing a street in England. The car was being driven by an off-duty police officer.

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Homonyms are words that sound the same but have different meanings. For example: roll and roll, colonel and kernel. Some triple homonyms are rain, rein, reign and cent, sent, scent.

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The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Okla. has a Rodeo Hall of Fame, memorializes real cowboys in the Hall of Great Westerners and honors "reel” cowboys in the Hall of Great Western Performers.

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The world record for rainfall in a 24-hour period in the United States occurred on July 25-26, 1979 in Alvin, Texas. In one day there was 43 inches of rainfall.

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A fossil of the world’s oldest flower was found in China in 2002. Believed to be at least 125 million years old, the flower is a never before seen species. Scientists speculate it is similar to the modern day water lily.

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Calico cats are almost always female. A calico cat is not a breed of cat, it is a color pattern of large blocks of black, white and orange fur. Fur color is determined by gender. Female cats can have orange and black fur. Male cats can have orange or black fur.

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Actor Ed Harris (born 1950) portrayed American abstract painter Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) in the film "Pollock” (2000).

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Football quarterback Tom Brady (born 1977) replaced quarterback Drew Bledsoe (born 1972) of the New England Patriots in week 2 of the 2001 football season. That season the Patriots played in Super Bowl XXXVI and defeated the St. Louis Rams 20-17. Brady won Super Bowl MVP.

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Answer: Dean played Jim Stark in "Rebel Without a Cause” (1955), Cal Trask in "East of Eden” (1955) and Jett Rink in "Giant” (1956). Dean was killed in a head-on car accident in 1955. He received posthumous Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in "East of Eden” and "Giant.”

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.