To Sir Michael Caine, with love

Q: One of my favorite actors is Sir Michael Caine. Where was he born? What did he do before he got into acting? ‘ C.S., Gallup, N.M.

A: Born March 14, 1933, in south London, Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr. left school early, taking on working-class jobs before serving in the British army in Korea during the war. Returning to London, he took a job as an assistant stage manager but later wanted to get into acting. On the advice of his agent, he changed his name to Michael Caine. He took his last name from a movie marquee that advertised ‘The Caine Mutiny.’ He has appeared in well over 100 movies and TV productions and has been nominated for many awards, winning two Oscars for best supporting actor (‘Hannah and Her Sisters’ and ‘The Cider House Rules’). By the way, Caine received his CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1993.

Q: When and where did Henry Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th home run, breaking what was once thought an unapproachable record held by Babe Ruth? ‘ W.T., Cloverdale, Calif.

A: At 9:07 p.m. on Monday, April 8, 1974, Aaron hit his record-breaking home run in the 4th inning against Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers. There were 53,775 fans in attendance that night.

Q: Very often on altar cloths and clerical vestments an embroidered symbol of the letter ‘X’ is superimposed with the letter ‘P.’ What does this represent? ‘ V.E.H., Grand Island, Neb.

A: This symbol is referred to as a Christogram, which is a monogram or a combination of letters forming an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ. The Christogram you are asking about is a chi-rho, a combination of the Greek letters chi (X) and rho (P), the first two letters of Khristos, Christ.

Q: What do the initials ‘H.G.’ in the name H.G. Wells stand for? Where was Wells born? ‘ F.C., Dover, Del.

A: Born in the London suburb of Bromley, Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) was an English writer best known for his science-fiction novels, including ‘War of the Worlds,’ ‘The Time Machine’ and ‘The Island of Doctor Moreau.’ Wells is sometimes referred to as ‘The Father of Science Fiction.’

Q: Both my mother and father loved the sounds and antics of bandleader Kay Kyser. I recall my father often wondering what happened to him. He just disappeared from the music world and the public. Can you answer this for me? ‘ K.W., Madisonville, Ky.

A: James Kern (‘Kay’) Kyser entered the world June 18, 1905, in Rocky Mount, N.C.; he was a graduate of the University of North Carolina. While in college, he was asked to join a band but quickly discovered he was better suited as an entertaining announcer in front of the band, rather than as a band member. In 1938, he developed an act for radio that turned out to be a hit show, which aired until 1949. During this time, he scored 11 No. 1 hit records and 35 top-10 hits. He also starred in seven feature films. In 1950, he disappeared from the public eye. With no announcement and no fanfare, he just left. He died in 1985.

Q: What happened to John Crawford? He played the role of Mark McCain, the son of Chuck Connors on the TV Western ‘The Rifleman’? ‘ L.H., Portland, Maine

A: John Ernest Crawford was born March 26, 1946, in Los Angeles, Calif. Although best known for his role on ‘The Rifleman,’ he was also an original Mouseketeer in 1955. Apart from acting onstage and the movies, he was also a teenage recording star. He had at least five top-40 hits, including ‘Cindy’s Birthday,’ which reached No. 8 on the Billboard chart in 1962. He married his high-school sweetheart in 1995. He is currently involved with the Johnny Crawford Orchestra, specializing in jazz and early big-band sounds.

(Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at [email protected] or c/o United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016)Q: One of my favorite actors is Sir Michael Caine. Where was he born? What did he do before he got into acting? ‘ C.S., Gallup, N.M.

A: Born March 14, 1933, in south London, Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr. left school early, taking on working-class jobs before serving in the British army in Korea during the war. Returning to London, he took a job as an assistant stage manager but later wanted to get into acting. On the advice of his agent, he changed his name to Michael Caine. He took his last name from a movie marquee that advertised ‘The Caine Mutiny.’ He has appeared in well over 100 movies and TV productions and has been nominated for many awards, winning two Oscars for best supporting actor (‘Hannah and Her Sisters’ and ‘The Cider House Rules’). By the way, Caine received his CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1993.

Q: When and where did Henry Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th home run, breaking what was once thought an unapproachable record held by Babe Ruth? ‘ W.T., Cloverdale, Calif.

A: At 9:07 p.m. on Monday, April 8, 1974, Aaron hit his record-breaking home run in the 4th inning against Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers. There were 53,775 fans in attendance that night.

Q: Very often on altar cloths and clerical vestments an embroidered symbol of the letter ‘X’ is superimposed with the letter ‘P.’ What does this represent? ‘ V.E.H., Grand Island, Neb.

A: This symbol is referred to as a Christogram, which is a monogram or a combination of letters forming an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ. The Christogram you are asking about is a chi-rho, a combination of the Greek letters chi (X) and rho (P), the first two letters of Khristos, Christ.

Q: What do the initials ‘H.G.’ in the name H.G. Wells stand for? Where was Wells born? ‘ F.C., Dover, Del.

A: Born in the London suburb of Bromley, Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) was an English writer best known for his science-fiction novels, including ‘War of the Worlds,’ ‘The Time Machine’ and ‘The Island of Doctor Moreau.’ Wells is sometimes referred to as ‘The Father of Science Fiction.’

Q: Both my mother and father loved the sounds and antics of bandleader Kay Kyser. I recall my father often wondering what happened to him. He just disappeared from the music world and the public. Can you answer this for me? ‘ K.W., Madisonville, Ky.

A: James Kern (‘Kay’) Kyser entered the world June 18, 1905, in Rocky Mount, N.C.; he was a graduate of the University of North Carolina. While in college, he was asked to join a band but quickly discovered he was better suited as an entertaining announcer in front of the band, rather than as a band member. In 1938, he developed an act for radio that turned out to be a hit show, which aired until 1949. During this time, he scored 11 No. 1 hit records and 35 top-10 hits. He also starred in seven feature films. In 1950, he disappeared from the public eye. With no announcement and no fanfare, he just left. He died in 1985.

Q: What happened to John Crawford? He played the role of Mark McCain, the son of Chuck Connors on the TV Western ‘The Rifleman’? ‘ L.H., Portland, Maine

A: John Ernest Crawford was born March 26, 1946, in Los Angeles, Calif. Although best known for his role on ‘The Rifleman,’ he was also an original Mouseketeer in 1955. Apart from acting onstage and the movies, he was also a teenage recording star. He had at least five top-40 hits, including ‘Cindy’s Birthday,’ which reached No. 8 on the Billboard chart in 1962. He married his high-school sweetheart in 1995. He is currently involved with the Johnny Crawford Orchestra, specializing in jazz and early big-band sounds.

(Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at [email protected] or c/o United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016)