The real name of the title character in The Deerslayer (1841) is Nathaniel (Natty) Bumppo. In other James Fenimore Cooper novels, he is also known as Hawkeye, Leather-stocking, La Longue Carabine, and Pathfinder.
Magic Johnson was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player three times, in 1987, 1989, and 1990. Earvin “Magic” Johnson retired from pro basketball after announcing that he had the AIDS virus in November 1991.
The oldest moon material brought back to earth by the Apollo program crews has been soil-dated to 4.72 billion years.
Gunilla Knutson coaxed men to “take it off” with Noxzema shave cream, to the strains of “The Stripper” in the 1960s.
In a 1992 Gallup Poll, 14 percent of Americans said they hated liver the most. Tied for second place in the worst foods list were spinach, fish, and seafood, each at 6 percent.
Four major “French and Indian Wars” were fought in colonial times by Britain and France for control of North America. Each was part of a larger struggle involving shifting alliances, fighting in Europe, and colonial battles in other parts of the world. The struggle ended in 1763 with Britain winning most of France’s American empire, … Read more
Fans of Frank Sinatra rioted at the Paramount Theater on Columbus Day 1944, at the height of his popularity. Thirty thousand bobbysoxers rioted at the New York theater where Sinatra was performing. It was reported that cries of “Frankie, Frankie!” could be heard blocks away.
Whether the person is male or female, the number of hairs lost is the same, about 25 to 125 hairs. These are replaced by new hairs, unless the person starts balding.
The sequence of 16 pamphlets The American Crisis, published 1776-83, was written by Revolutionary War patriot Thomas Paine. Who wrote The Present Crisis? The anti-slavery poem was written in 1844 by Massachusetts poet James Russell Lowell. Who wrote Six Crises? The 1962 memoir was written by former vice-president and future president Richard Nixon.
The first urban shopping center was Roland Park Shopping Center, built in 1896 in Baltimore, Maryland. The first suburban shopping center was built in 1928 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Called Suburban Square, it offered two department stores, doctors’ offices, a movie theater, and 17 other shops.
About 4.7 million Americans served in the armed forces in World War I. Over three times as many, 16.1 million, served in World War II.
Astaire’s feet, insured for $650,000, were at the top of this list. Grable’s legs were insured for only $250,000, Durante’s nose for $140,000.
The peace symbol was created in 1958 as a nuclear disarmament symbol by the Direct Action Committee. It was first shown that year at peace marches in England. The forked symbol is actually a composite of the semaphore signals N and D, representing nuclear disarmament.
Acerbic comedian Paul Lynde usually sat in the center square on the original TV game show “Hollywood Squares” (NBC, 1966-80). He also played Uncle Arthur on “Bewitched” (ABC, 1964-72). Lynde died in 1982.
The following dogs bite the least: 1. Golden retriever 2. Labrador retriever 3. Shetland sheepdog 4. Old English sheepdog 5. Welsh terrier
Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland appeared in 1577. This history was Shakespeare’s source for much of Macbeth, King Lear, and Cymbeline. Holinshed died about 1580.
On November 28, 1942, hundreds of British seamen and Italian prisoners of war were killed by sharks when a German U-boat sank the steamer Nova Scotia off the coast of South Africa. Nine hundred men were on the ship when it sank; 192 were left when a rescue ship arrived.
Professor James Moriarty, “the Napoleon of Crime,” was killed. Moriarty and Holmes, locked in combat, fell over the edge of the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. Amazingly, Holmes survived.
A cathartic is a medicine that stimulates movement of the bowels. Aristotle, in his Poetics, used the medical term catharsis (in Greek, literally “purgation” or “purification”) as a metaphor for the way a stage tragedy “cleans out” the emotions of a spectator by arousing terror and pity.
Muslims of central and western Asia use prayer rugs to cover the ground while they pray. The rugs feature a distinctive arch-shaped design, a prayer niche, or mihrtib, on one end of the carpet. The mihrab must be pointed toward Mecca while the person is praying.
Broca’s area is the part of the brain associated with motor control of speech. It is usually located in the left but sometimes in the right inferior frontal convolution. It is named after its discoverer, the nineteenth-century French surgeon Paul Broca.
The total American death count in World War I was 116,516, including 53,402 deaths in battle and 63,114 from other causes, mostly disease. An additional 204,002 soldiers received nonlethal wounds.
Ted Koppel was born in Lancashire, England, in 1940. He has hosted ABC’s “Nightline” since 1979.
On April 22, 1981, in Tucson, Arizona, four gunmen robbed the First National Bank of Arizona of $3.3 million. This was the largest bank robbery on record. Wearing Halloween masks and stocking hoods, the gunmen cleaned out a vault containing cash receipts from 27 other First National branches in Tucson.
Carter had authorized a commando raid to free the American hostages held in Teheran since November 4, 1979. On the night of April 24, 1980, six U.S. C-130 cargo planes landed in the desert 300 miles southeast of Teheran. In the midst of a blinding sandstorm, three of the operation’s eight helicopters malfunctioned. The mission … Read more
“D. W.” in director D. W. Griffith’s name stands for David Wark (1874-1948).
Ish Kabibble’s real name was Merwyn A. Bogue. As “Ish,” the man with the Moe Howard haircut, he did comedy with Kay Kyser and appeared in such Kyser vehicles as Carolina Blues (1944).
In 1897, Mark Twain was in seclusion, grieving over a death in the family, when a sensationalistic newspaper reported that he had died impoverished in London. When a reporter appeared at Twain’s home, the writer read a prepared statement containing the famous line “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated”.
The movie Airport (1970) had three sequels: Airport 1975 (1974); Airport ’77 (1977); and The Concorde, Airport ’79 (1979), also known as just plain Airport ’79. All of them featured George Kennedy.
The first world heavyweight boxing championship using gloves and the Queensberry rules took place in New Orleans. It was held on September 7, 1892, between James J. Corbett and John L. Sullivan. Corbett knocked out Sullivan in the 21st round.
The Humber suspension bridge over the Humber River near Hull, England is the longest bridge in the world. Completed in 1981, it is 4,626 feet long. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City, the world’s second-largest bridge, is 4,260 feet long. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is third, at 4,200 feet.
The stretch between San Jose and San Francisco is called Silicon Valley and runs 55 miles.
Diners Club, the first credit card for buying goods and services from more than one institution was invented in 1950 by Frank McNamara. McNamara, a loan company executive in New York, got the idea when he found himself short of money at a restaurant.
Tom London (1883-1963), who appeared in more than 2,000 movies, beginning with The Great Train Robbery in 1903. For many years, he was a leading man at Universal; later in his career, he specialized as a B-western sheriff. His last film was The Lone Texan 1959).
The author of Winesburg, Ohio (1919) Sherwood Anderson died of peritonitis after swallowing a toothpick at a cocktail party in 1941.
Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner were married from 1984 until her death from cancer in 1989.
Publius was the pen name of the authors of The Federalist Papers (1787-88), Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
The amusement park Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, on July 17, 1955. Its original size was 200 acres. Much bigger than Disneyland, Disney World opened near Orlando, Florida, on October 1, 1971. The acronym EPCOT stands for the third Walt Disney amusement center stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It opened in 1982 as … Read more
Only once has the U.S. national debt been fully paid off, in 1835 and 1836, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. This was the only time any modern nation has eliminated its national debt.
Overall, the winter was fairly mild in 1777-78 when George Washington and his Continental Army were encamped at this site 22 miles northwest of Philadelphia. There was heavy snow and freezing weather in Christmas week but a thaw in January. What made conditions miserable was lack of adequate food, clothing, and shelter due to negligence … Read more
Raymond Chandler thought Dick Powell, in Murder, My Sweet (1945), gave the best performance as Detective Philip Marlowe.
Marty, played by Ernest Borgnine, was a butcher in the Bronx in the 1955 movie.
The Liberator. Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), leader in the quest for Latin American independence; also, Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847), Irish nationalist leader in the British House of Commons. The Hammer. Charles Martel (688-741?), Frankish ruler who stopped the Muslim invasion of Europe. The Upright. Abu Bakr (c. 573-634), the first Muslim caliph and successor to Muhammad. Mr. … Read more
PacMan was invented by twenty-seven-year-old Turn Iwatani in 1980. Iwatani worked for Namco Limited of Japan, a producer of video games and computer software. Pac-Man is an icon of 1980s pop culture, and is considered universally as a classic video game.
Marilyn Monroe was thirty-six when she died. She was born on June 1, 1926, and died of a sleeping pill overdose on August 5, 1962.
Emily Torchia, an MGM publicist in the Culver City office, came up with the slogan “Gable’s Back and Garson’s Got Him”. The slogan referred to Adventure (1945), Clark Gable’s first movie after his discharge from the army during World War II. The movie also starred Greer Gar-son. Torchia won a bonus of $250 for the … Read more
The humorous fictional character Mr. Dooley was created by Chicago journalist Finley Peter Dunne was a saloon keeper. He was based on an actual person, Jim McGarry, a Chicago barkeep. He appeared in such satirical works as Mr. Dooley in Peace and in War (1898) and Mr. Dooley in the Hearts of His Countrymen (1899).
There were three articles recommended before Nixon’s resignation on August 8, 1974. Twenty-eight minutes after Nixon delivered his letter of resignation, Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the new president.
The Brass Bottle (1964), starring Tony Randall, was about a genie and featured Barbara Eden. Eden played not the genie but Randall’s girlfriend Sylvia. Burl Ives played Fakrash, the genie.
The modern name for one of the oldest dog breeds in history (dating back to ancient Egypt) arose from one of its earliest uses, hunting badgers. In German, Dachs means “badger,” Hund is “hound.” Centuries ago, badger hunting was a popular sport.
Julia Roberts and Eric Roberts are brother and sister. Eric Roberts is eleven years older.
The designation of “best boy” refers to an assistant or apprentice to the gaffer (chief electrician) or key grip (head handyman).
The two commanders-in-chief Grant and Lee met at Appomattox Court House, but that was the name of a village in Virginia, not an actual courthouse. On April 9, 1865, Ulysses S. Grant accepted Robert E. Lee’s surrender in the front parlor of a private house owned by farmer Wilmer McLean.
Paul Revere didn’t ride from Boston to Concord on the night of April 18, 1775, with the news that the British were coming. Revere started on the journey, along with William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, but Dawes and Revere were stopped by a British patrol. Only Prescott actually made it to Concord.
It was the theory promoted by late 19th-century businessman Horace Fletcher that extensive chewing, or “mouth thoroughness,” would improve one’s health. In such books as Fletcherism: What It Is and The ABC of Nutrition, Fletcher said that every bite of food should be chewed 32 times to “give every tooth of mine a chance.” Among … Read more
No, Krakatoa is not east of Java. The volcanic island of Krakatoa is in the Sunda Strait west of Java, making the title of the 1969 movie (Krakatoa, East of Java) incorrect.
The submarine injected into the scientist’s body in Fantastic Voyage (1966) was The Proteus.
Henry Ford found the Ford Motor Company in 1903 in Detroit, Michigan.
Tenspeed was con artist E. L. Turner (Ben Vereen) and Brown Shoe was Lionel Whitney (Jeff Goldblum). The two ran a Los Angeles detective agency on the TV series “Tenspeed and Brown Shoe”.
No, Dooley Wilson didn’t actually play the piano in Casablanca (1942). Wilson sang in the movie, but couldn’t play piano. Accompaniment was dubbed in.
The silent vamp, Theda Bara’s name was an anagram for “Arab Death.” She was born Theodosia Goodman.
Acquired in 1900, the group of islands south of Hawaii, known as the American Samoa, is an unincorporated territory of the U.S. administered by the Department of the Interior.
Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-96) put the traditional song “Auld Lang Syne” into its present form in The Scots Musical Museum (1787-1803).
Pius IX, who led the Catholic Church for nearly 32 years, from 1846 to 1878, was the longest-reigning pope. It was during his reign that the First Vatican Council, in 1870, promulgated the dogma of papal infallibility. That doctrine states that the pope cannot err on matters of faith or morals when speaking ex cathedra, … Read more
“Well, let’s get on with it. . . .” is the last line of Jean-Paul Sartre’s play No Exit. It is spoken by Garcia when he realizes he is facing eternity.
After a revolt on July 4, 1846, led by John C. Fremont against Mexico during the Mexican War, California was declared an independent country for a few days. During its brief independence, California flew the flag of a bear. The California grizzly bear is now the state animal.
A crocodile ate Captain Hook’s hand, then followed him around the seas in search of more of him in James M. Barrie’s play Peter Pan.
The bar aboard the Enterprise on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was called Ten Forward. Whoopi Goldberg, as Guinan, runs it.
The phrase belongs to President Theodore Roosevelt, who, while visiting Andrew Jackson’s home, the Hermitage, in Nashville, Tennessee, drank a cup of Maxwell House coffee and was offered a refill. He is said to have replied, “Will I have another? Delighted! It’s good to the last drop!” By the way, there actually was a Maxwell … Read more
A Family Affair (1937), with Lionel Barrymore as Judge Hardy and Mickey Rooney as his son Andy, was the first film in which Andy Hardy appeared. The Andy Hardy series began officially, however, with You’re Only Young Once (1938), with Lewis Stone as Judge James Hardy. George B. Seitz directed most of the Andy Hardy … Read more
Marcus Loew (1870-1927), the New York, born son of Jewish immigrants from Austria is the Loew behind Loew’s Theaters. Beginning in 1905 with penny arcades in New York and Cincinnati, Loew’s, Inc., became one of the mightiest exhibition companies.
The five persons that are in line of succession to the presidency are: 1. Vice-President 2. Speaker of the House of Representatives 3. President Pro Tempore of the Senate 4. Secretary of State 5. Secretary of the Treasury
Vladimir Nabokov wrote ten novels in Russian before turning to English, including Laughter in the Dark (1938). His first novel written in English was The Real Life of Sebastian Knight (1941). Nabokov (1899-1977) came to the United States in 1940 and was naturalized in 1945.
Instituted a century ago (in 1896) and named for businessmen Charles Dow and Edward Jones, the economic indicator the Dow Jones industrial average has set all three records within the last 25 years. It first closed higher than 1000 on Nov. 14, 1972. On January 8, 1987, it closed higher than 2000. Four years later, … Read more
President Lyndon Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall to fill the seat on the Supreme Court vacated by Thomas C. Clark, who resigned when his son, Ramsey Clark, was appointed as U.S. Attorney General. Marshall (190892), a noted civil rights lawyer, became the first African-American Supreme Court justice.
The call is close. Over the course of 12 hours in Granville, North Dakota, on February 21, 1918, the temperature rose 83 degrees. It went from –33 degrees Fahrenheit in the early morning to 50 degrees near the end of the afternoon. But in Fairfield, Montana, over the course of 12 hours on December 24, … Read more
According to median income figures for 1990, women with four years of college make 72 percent of what their male counterparts make. Women who are high school graduates make 67 percent of what their male counterparts make.
Lieutenant Harry Burnett of the Queen’s Own Corps of Guides was responsible for soldiers wearing khaki today. In December 1846, the English officer was told to develop a “mud-colored” uniform that would camouflage soldiers in dusty surroundings. By early 1847, Burnett had clothed his troops in the light-colored uniform named khaki, which comes from the … Read more
Democratic candidate Walter Mondale and Republican candidate Robert Dole took part in the first vice-presidential debate during the 1976 Carter-Ford presidential contest.
Antigone’s two brothers are Eteocles and Polyneices. Both are dead when the play opens, but Creon forbids the burial of Polyneices, who had rebelled against Creon’s rule. Antigone gives him a token burial anyway. Antigone also has a sister, Ismene.
The six wives of Henry VIII were: Catherine of Aragon. Married 1509, divorced 1533; mother of Mary Tudor. Anne Boleyn. Married 1533, beheaded 1536; mother of Elizabeth I, born 1533. Jane Seymour. Married 1536, died in childbirth 1537; mother of Edward VI, born 1537. Anne of Cleves. Married and divorced 1540. Catherine Howard. Married 1540, … Read more
Charlotte Bronte, the most famous of the Bronte sisters, wrote Jane Eyre in 1847. Emily Bronte, whose work is notable for its spirit of passion and rebellion, wrote Wuthering Heights in 1848.
A six-cylinder Marmon Wasp, driven by Ray Harroun at an average speed of 74.59 miles per hour, won the first 500-mile race at the Indianapolis Speedway in 1911.
Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were seventh cousins, once removed.
Although there are many likely candidates, the source for the phrase is Robert Maynard Hutchins (1899-1977). He former president and chancellor of the University of Chicago, dean of the Yale Law School, and chairman of the board for the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
On “The New Adventures of Charlie Chan,” a syndicated TV program in the 1956-57 season, the sleuth was played by J. Carroll Naish, an Irishman from New York.
Swedish soprano Jenny Lind was called the “Swedish Nightingale”. She was brought to the U.S. by showman P. T. Barnum for a concert tour that lasted from 1850 to 1852. Her highly successful appearances helped to fix opera as a popular art in American culture.
Eugene O’Neill won four Pulitzer prizes, for Beyond the Horizon (1920), Anna Christie (1922), Strange Interlude (1928), and Long Day’s Journey into Night (1957).
