ASK MR. KNOW-IT-ALL
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A: Antonio Iadanza entered the world on April 21, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the University of Dubuque in Iowa on a wrestling scholarship and was in fact a professional boxer in the 1970s. He was discovered in a New York City gym and landed his first TV role as Tony Banta on “Taxi.” Following his 5-year run on “Taxi,” he landed the role of Tony Micelli on “Who’s the Boss?” for eight seasons. He has since moved to the big screen and has tried his hand at directing and producing
Q: Tennis pro Lindsay Davenport looks as if she’s a tall woman. How tall is she? When was she born? Is she married? — U.W., Beaumont, Texas
A: You’re right, this right-handed player is tall: 6 feet, 2-1/2 inches. She was born on June 8, 1976, in Palos Verdes, Calif. She turned pro in 1993 and has been ranked the world’s No. 1 women’s singles player several times in her career. She won three Grand Slam tournaments, the U.S. Open (1998), Wimbledon (1999), and the Australian Open (2000), and she struck gold in the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta, Ga. She married investment banker Jon Leach in 2003.
Q: What is the name of the talking Chihuahua in the Taco Bell TV commercials? — I.M.W., Lafayette, La.
A: Dinky.
Q: How did Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, get its name? — P.A., Rapid City, S.D.
A: Originally, the area was established as a military camp to protect railroad workers and was named Camp Hancock. The camp grew into a town and, in 1872, it was named Edwinton by a director of the Northern Pacific Railroad after Edwin L. Johnson, a staunch supporter of the transcontinental railroad. The following year, the secretary of the N.P. Railroad changed the name to Bismarck to both honor German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and to encourage German settlers to come to the area. I don’t know if the “Iron Chancellor” was honored, but German settlers were not overly impressed and didn’t immediately flock to the area. The city survived an early period of lawlessness to become the territorial capital (1883) and then the state capital (1889).
Q: On my pay stub there is the Social Security deduction listed under the heading FICA. What do the initials mean? — H.W., Apache Junction, Ariz.
A: Federal Insurance Contributions Act. The Social Security Administration says the money collected is, of course, a tax, but if it eases your mind, they say you can call it a contribution to the social insurance system. I feel better already.
Q: At the base of my fingernails there is a small, pale, crescent-shaped area. Does this have a name? — R.A., Mesa, Ariz.
A: It does; it’s called the lunula.
Q: What is the rest of the phrase “First in war, first in peace…” Who wrote it? — Y.A., Jackson, Tenn.
A: “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” Henry Lee, a soldier and political leader from Virginia, wrote these words as part of a eulogy for George Washington in December 1799.
Q: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef. Where would I find the world’s second-largest reef? — B.R., Denver, Colo.
A: Off the coast of Belize in Central America.
Q: I have heard the term “high seas” since I was a kid. What are they? — P.D., Decatur, Ill.
A: They are waters that are under no single country’s legal jurisdiction.