Little Peconic Bay and E=mc2
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A: Einstein was an avid sailor and had a boat named Tineff at his summer home on Long Island, N.Y. He once called Little Peconic Bay one of the most beautiful on which he ever sailed. By the way, the name of his craft, Tineff, is Yiddish, meaning ‘worthless.’
Q: I know Muhammad Ali was involved in a fight called the ‘Thrilla in Manila.’ What were the details of the match? ‘ S.A.Z., Lumpkin, Ga.
A: Ali and Joe Frazier met in the Philippines on Oct. 1, 1975. Ali won by a TKO in the 14th round. The fight actually took place in Quezon City, near Manila. For super-trivia buffs, the site of the bout was the Araneta Coliseum.
Q: I fondly remember the TV show ‘Adventures in Paradise’ from my childhood. When did the program air? Where did it take place? Whatever happened to the star and captain of the schooner? ‘ W.A., Santa Rosa, Calif.
A: Gardner McKay, as Adam Troy, captained the Tiki, an 85-foot schooner that plied the waters in the South Pacific. The show premiered in 1959 and lasted until 1962. Oddly, the popular series did little for the career of McKay. After the series ended, so did McKay’s acting career. He resisted surrendering his bachelor life until 1983. A few years later, he and his wife moved to Hawaii, where he took up writing. He died in 2001.
Q: I was only a youngster when my dad took me to see a football game. I think the team was the Titans, and they played in the aging Polo Grounds. Was there a team by that name in the NFL back then? ‘ M.V., Cape May, N.J.
A: Not in the NFL, but in the AFL. The American Football League, which played its inaugural season in 1960, consisted mainly of college players and NFL veterans no longer able to play with the ‘big boys.’ The AFL was considered a semi-pro league. In 1963, the Titans moved to a new stadium next to LaGuardia Airport and acquired a new name: the New York Jets.
Q: I was one of many fans of country singer Garth Brooks who was saddened by his decision to retire from recording and performing. He has an unusual first name. Do you know what it is? I also understand he grew up in the Yukon. What got him to the lower 48 and into country music? ‘ C.F.R., Roanoke, Va.
A: You are right. Troyal Garth Brooks was raised in Yukon, but not the way-up-north Yukon. It was Yukon, Okla., though he was born in Tulsa in 1962. In 1984, he graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in advertising. That same year, he began his professional singing career.
Q: I know the Russian newspaper Pravda is no longer in circulation. When was it discontinued? What did the name mean? ‘ S.E.R., Medford, Ore.
A: ‘Pravda’ is Russian for ‘truth.’ It became the official newspaper of the Soviet Communist Party in 1918. President Boris Yeltsin discontinued the publication in 1991. Other newspapers have been using the name ‘Pravda’ since.
Q: Woody Harrelson played the role Woody, a bartender on the TV series ‘Cheers.’ What was the character’s full name? ‘ K.H., Laurel, Miss.
A: Woodrow ‘Woody’ Tiberius Boyd (played by Woodrow ‘Woody’ Tracy Harrelson) came to the show at the beginning of the fourth season. By the way, Tiberius is also the middle name of Capt. James T. Kirk, commander of the starship Enterprise on ‘Star Trek.’
(Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at [email protected] or c/o United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016)