Can you tell me about a singer named Sissel?
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A: Sissel Kyrkjebo is a phenomenon in her home country of Norway, where she was born on June 24, 1969, in the city of Bergen. Because her last name is so difficult for people outside her country to say (it’s pronounced SHEAR-shuh-buh), she goes by her first name only. Although most Americans have never heard of Sissel, many have heard her voice. For those who watched the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, she sang the Olympic hymn during the opening and closing ceremonies. She also sang on the sound track of “Titanic,” the 1997 blockbuster film. Sissel’s lack of recognition in this country is changing quickly; her concert performances across the United States are increasing her profile — and CD sales.
Q: President Franklin D. Roosevelt owned a sailing yacht. What was its name? — I.K., Elmira, N.Y.
A: Amberjack II. An amberjack is a sport fish.
Q: What is the lowest score you can achieve in an NFL game? — G.N., Tulsa, Okla.
A: The quick thought is 0-0, but 0-0 is a scoreless tie. I would say 2-0 is the lowest score of an NFL game. You can get 2 points as the result of a safety or a forfeit.
Q: During the 1860s, there was a National Union Life and Limb Insurance Co. Whatever happened to it? — R.U., San Antonio, Texas
A: Chartered in 1863 to insure the lives and limbs of Union soldiers during the war, the firm changed its name to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. in 1868.
Q: Is there a tea plantation in North America? — B.H., Bradford, Pa.
A: The next time you visit Charleston, S.C., plan a trip to Wadmalaw Island. The Charleston Tea Plantation was founded in 1960, with bushes brought from China and India in the mid-1800s. The plantation consists of about 127 acres and several hundred thousand bushes. The plantation fell on hard times, and the owners were forced to sell. In 2003, R.C. Bigelow Inc., of Fairfield, Conn., purchased the plantation. Tours of the facility are conducted year-round, and teas can be purchased online.
Q: The following trivia was part of an e-mail I received: February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon. Is this really true? — K.L., San Jose, Calif.
A: No, it’s not true. Although rare, a February with no full moon occurs about 4-1/2 times per century. Here is a list of recent years and upcoming years with no full moon in February: 1809, 1847, 1866, 1885, 1915, 1934, 1961, 1999, 2018, 2037, 2067 and 2094.
Q: What do the words “noon,” “level,” “radar” and “racecar” have in common? — R.E.T., Eugene, Ore.
A: They are all palindromes. A palindrome is a word, phrase or sentence in that reads the same forward and backward. The word comes from Greek, meaning “running back again.”
Q: How much gold is stored at Fort Knox? — M.F., Port Angeles, Wash.
A: The U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Ky., holds about 147 million ounces of gold. Figure the price of gold at about $800 an ounce. You can do the math.
Q: Which fast-food chain has been around longer, White Castle or McDonald’s? — C.F., Johnstown, Pa.
A: White Castle was founded in 1921, nearly 20 years before the first McDonald’s opened. By the way, White Castle is the oldest fast-food hamburger chain in America.
Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at [email protected] or c/o United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.