The Speedwell fared badly
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A: Left behind in England, the Speedwell leaked prodigiously and could not be repaired.
Q: How did the Swedish automobile Saab get its name? ‘ B.F.G., Bangor, Pa.
A: The name Saab is an acronym from Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, which means ‘Swedish Aircraft Company.’ The firm began manufacturing aircraft in 1937. Ten years later, 16 aircraft engineers designed and hand-built the first Saab automobile. The company likes to point out that, of those 16 engineers, only one had a driver’s license.
Q: As part of ‘The Milton Berle Show’ in the mid-1960s, Berle would be interrupted during his monologue by a rude audience member from a box seat near the stage. Who was this heckler? ‘ L.W., Hagerstown, Md.
A: The character was named ‘Sidney Spritzer’ (‘spritzer’ is Yiddish for ‘needler’). In real life, his name was Irving Benson, a veteran of the Borscht Belt and vaudeville.
Q: Who was the first female to climb Mount Everest? ‘ H.W., San Luis Obispo, Calif.
A: On May 16, 1975, Japanese mountain climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to stand on top of the world. In 1992, she became the first woman to complete the Seven Summits, the highest mountains of each of the seven continents.
Q: There is a jingle, a mnemonic used to remember what happened to the six wives of King Henry VIII. Do you know what it is? ‘ E.C., Douglassville, Pa.
A: His wives: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. The jingle: ‘Divorced, beheaded, died. Annulled, beheaded, survived.’
Q In 1934, Horton Smith won the inaugural Masters Golf Tournament. Whatever happened to him? ‘ T.E.B., Albany, Ga.
A: Born May 22, 1908, in Springfield, Mo., Horton Smith turned professional in 1926. Before he retired, he won 32 PGA tournaments, including two Masters (in 1934 and 1936). He also played for the United States in the Ryder Cup five times. He died in 1963 of Hodgkin’s disease.
Q: Who is/was the ‘Great Bird of the Galaxy’? ‘ N.V.M., Lawrence, Kan.
A: It was an endearing nickname of Gene Roddenberry, creator of ‘Star Trek.’
Q: There was an actor who strongly resembled President Richard Nixon. Who was he? ‘ M.F., Amityville, N.Y.
A: He was born James LaRoe but changed his name to Richard M. Dixon. He had steady work during the Nixon era.
Q: I’m interested in the jazz great Thelonious Monk. When and where was he born? Is Thelonious Monk his real name? ‘ A.D.W., Springfield, Ohio
A: Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917-1982) was a jazz pianist and composer. He was born in Rocky Mount, N.C., to parents Thelonious and Barbara Monk.
Q: I found several boxes of old magazines (from the 1950s) in my parents’ attic. My favorite is Sports Car Illustrated. When was this magazine published? Whatever happened to it? It is well written with great articles. ‘ H.T., Bremerton, Wash.
A: Sports Car Illustrated hit the newsstands in July 1955. It’s still around; you just know it as Car and Driver, its name since the early 1960s.
Q: Anyone who is involved in computers knows of Sun Microsystems. Why the name Sun? ‘ V.G., Terre Haute, Ind.
A: Sun is an acronym for Stanford University Network. Andy (Andreas) von Bechtolsheim, one of the co-founders of the company, attended Stanford at the time the company was founded in 1982.
Q: Virginia is often called the birthplace of presidents. Which state could be called the birthplace of vice presidents? ‘ D.S., Camden, Maine
A: New York, with eight vice presidents born inside the state’s borders. By the way, eight presidents have called Virginia their birthplace.
(Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at [email protected] or c/o United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016)