Ask Mr. Know It All

Q. You said the shortest night game ever played in major league baseball was one hour, 15 minutes between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Braves, which was played Aug. 10, 1944. What is the shortest day game? What is the longest nine-inning game?

T.L., Mesa, Ariz.

A. According to the Baseball Almanac, the shortest game was played between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 28, 1919; the game lasted just 51 minutes. The Giants won, 6-1.

The longest nine-inning game was played Aug. 18, 2006, between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The game, played in Boston, lasted four hours, 45 minutes.

Q. Reading newspaper accounts of the abduction of Charles Lindbergh’s baby, an H. Norman Schwarzkopf was head of the New Jersey State Police investigating the case. I know this is not the same Schwarzkopf of Desert Storm. Is there a connection?

I.L.D., Washington, Ind.

A. They are father and son. The senior Schwarzkopf was an army officer in World War I and World War II. At age 26, he was appointed the first head of the New Jersey State Police, which handled the 1932 case of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping.

Q. I recently saw that “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry’s middle initial is W. What does it stand for?

R.L., Elk City, Okla.

A. His full name is Eugene Wesley Roddenberry. “Star Trek: The Next Generation” character Wesley Crusher, played by Wil Wheaton, was named after Roddenberry.

Q. When did the first British monarch visit the U.S.?

H.C., Freeport, Texas

A. Although the first permanent English settlement in this country was in 1607 in Jamestown, Va., it took more than 330 years for a British monarch to come and visit. In June 1939, King George VI, father of current Queen Elizabeth II, made a goodwill trip to Canada and the United States. George visited the World’s Fair in New York City and spent time with President Franklin Roosevelt. It sounds like a fun trip, but Europe was getting ready for war and England wanted to make certain the United States would remain an ally.

Q. What is the most expensive item sold on eBay?

J.K., Peoria, Ind.

A. According to eBay, it was a Gulfstream II business jet that sold for $4.9 million in August 2001. A business plane vendor sold it to a charter-flight company based in Africa. An eBay representative told me that both sides were pleased with the deal, and I suppose they both left positive feedback for each other.

Q. I would like to purchase some uncut sheets of currency to give as a gift. Where can I order them?

R.C., Sanford, Maine

A. A sheet of 32 $1 bills will cost $61 (smaller sheets are available). Also available are sheets of $2, $5, $10, $20 and $50 bills. You can place your order by phone by calling the U.S. Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing at 800-456-3408, or you can order online at their website, moneyfactorystore.gov/uncutcurrency.aspx.

Q. How long have rubber bands been around?

G.H., Evanston, Ill.

A. On March 17, 1845, Stephen Perry of London received a patent for the rubber band.

Q. Is it true that Humphrey Bogart’s picture was featured on packages of Gerber baby food?

O.D., Pittsfield, Maine

A. No, it is not true. Bogart’s mother, Maud Humphrey Bogart, was a commercial illustrator who used a drawing of her baby son in an ad campaign for Mellin’s baby food.

Gerber did not begin marketing baby food until 1928; by this time, Humphrey DeForest Bogart (1899-1957) was pushing 30 and couldn’t be the model.

Q. Who was the first person to attempt to assassinate a United States president?

L.P.O., Columbus, Ohio

A. His name was Richard Lawrence. On Jan. 30, 1835, as President Andrew Jackson was leaving a funeral service in Washington, D.C., Lawrence fired two pistols at Jackson from 6 feet away, but both pistols misfired. Instead of taking cover, the aging Jackson beat Lawrence with his cane until the attacker was subdued.

Q. Which comedian went by the name “The Cherokee Kid”?

A.B., Middletown, N.Y.

A. Will Rogers. He was born William Penn Adair Rogers on Nov. 4, 1879, in Cooweescoowee District, Cherokee Nation, near Oologah, Okla. Rogers took basic roping skills to an art form, using those skills in his vaudeville act. In 1902 and 1903, he traveled to South Africa with Texas Jack’s Wild West Show, in which he played the Cherokee Kid.

Rogers appeared in more than 70 films and was popular as a radio commentator. He also wrote syndicated newspaper columns as well as six books. The “Indian Cowboy,” as he was also known, was proud of his Cherokee heritage. He died in a plane crash Aug. 15, 1935, at age 55.

Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at AskMrKIA@gmail.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

2014 Gary Clothier