Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - December 25
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. Where did the Beagle 2 crash and disappear on Christmas Day 2003? Mars
2. What was the first name of eight-year-old Miss O'Hanlon, who wrote a famous letter to the New York Sun in 1897? Virginia
3. "White Christmas" playing on Armed Forces radio was the secret signal for what 1975 event? The US pull out from Vietnam
4. According to PNC Bank's "Christmas Price Index," what would cost a record $19,507.19 in 2007? all the things my true love gave to me in The 12 Days of Christmas
5. At the age of eleven, who accidentally discovered the true identity of his baseball pitcher father while searching his mother's closet for hidden Christmas presents? Tim McGraw
6. Why might you want to avoid the Christmas party of Japan's Nakatomi Corporation? Hans Gruber and the other terrorists planned to blow it up in Die Hard
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these Christmas carols? "Christmas in Killarney," "The Christmas Song," "A Holly Jolly Christmas," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "This Christmas."
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Alicia Keys' hit song "Fallin'" is written in E minor. But, according to its album's title, what key *should* it be sung in? The album is Songs in A Minor--get it? Because she was "a minor"? Tell another, Alicia. wrong
2. What item must be manufactured by Victorinox or Wenger to be official? Victorinox and Wenger own the trademark to "Swiss army knife." But Victorinox owns Wenger now. correct
3. Though many were filmed there, what's the only Best Picture-winning film *set* principally in Los Angeles? IMDb assured me that this was Crash, but IMDb must have a very short memory, since I've since found plenty of sources reminding me that Million Dollar Baby was set in L.A. as well. We accepted both answers. correct
4. What word comes to us from the Pennsylvania German for "running around"? This is "Rumspringa," that carefree time when Amish kids sow their wild oats by, I don't know. Wearing buttons and stuff. my guess was not really close
5. What river provided the water for Handel's Water Music? It was composed for a concert on the Thames. There were a limited number of rivers to guess. Mine was not correct.
6. In 1968, what movie did NBC promote with a Joe Namath quote: "I didn't get a chance to see it, but I heard it was great"? This was a rebroadcast of Heidi, which had famously pre-empted Namath's Jets losing to the Raiders a few weeks earlier. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, and no others? Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Haiti, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, the UK, and the US? This list has few enough giveaways that I think this was a pretty hard one, even though the answer is fairly straightforward. These are all the nations that have hosted official World's Fairs, or "Expos."
1. Where did the Beagle 2 crash and disappear on Christmas Day 2003? Mars
2. What was the first name of eight-year-old Miss O'Hanlon, who wrote a famous letter to the New York Sun in 1897? Virginia
3. "White Christmas" playing on Armed Forces radio was the secret signal for what 1975 event? The US pull out from Vietnam
4. According to PNC Bank's "Christmas Price Index," what would cost a record $19,507.19 in 2007? all the things my true love gave to me in The 12 Days of Christmas
5. At the age of eleven, who accidentally discovered the true identity of his baseball pitcher father while searching his mother's closet for hidden Christmas presents? Tim McGraw
6. Why might you want to avoid the Christmas party of Japan's Nakatomi Corporation? Hans Gruber and the other terrorists planned to blow it up in Die Hard
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these Christmas carols? "Christmas in Killarney," "The Christmas Song," "A Holly Jolly Christmas," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "This Christmas."
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Alicia Keys' hit song "Fallin'" is written in E minor. But, according to its album's title, what key *should* it be sung in? The album is Songs in A Minor--get it? Because she was "a minor"? Tell another, Alicia. wrong
2. What item must be manufactured by Victorinox or Wenger to be official? Victorinox and Wenger own the trademark to "Swiss army knife." But Victorinox owns Wenger now. correct
3. Though many were filmed there, what's the only Best Picture-winning film *set* principally in Los Angeles? IMDb assured me that this was Crash, but IMDb must have a very short memory, since I've since found plenty of sources reminding me that Million Dollar Baby was set in L.A. as well. We accepted both answers. correct
4. What word comes to us from the Pennsylvania German for "running around"? This is "Rumspringa," that carefree time when Amish kids sow their wild oats by, I don't know. Wearing buttons and stuff. my guess was not really close
5. What river provided the water for Handel's Water Music? It was composed for a concert on the Thames. There were a limited number of rivers to guess. Mine was not correct.
6. In 1968, what movie did NBC promote with a Joe Namath quote: "I didn't get a chance to see it, but I heard it was great"? This was a rebroadcast of Heidi, which had famously pre-empted Namath's Jets losing to the Raiders a few weeks earlier. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, and no others? Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Haiti, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, the UK, and the US? This list has few enough giveaways that I think this was a pretty hard one, even though the answer is fairly straightforward. These are all the nations that have hosted official World's Fairs, or "Expos."
