Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - January 22
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What movie begins with the 2027 stabbing of "Baby Diego" in Buenos Aires?
2. What color is children's poison control mascot Mr. Yuk? I have never seen this character. Where does he appear? Is he pukey green?
3. In 1835, what French scientist discovered a force affecting the motion of objects in a rotating system? Coulomb? I know now that is wrong. Coulomb came earlier. Correct answer is Coriolis of Coriolis effect fame. Never thought of him as French.
4. In Greek myth, the hundred-eyed Argus was punished by the gods by being transformed into what animal? this would be a better question if it said "the gods had the hundred eyes of Argus preserved forever as the tail of what animal?" when you hear the answer is peacock it makes so much sense
5. In what country is the language Monegasque spoken? Monaco
6. What clothing retailer is named for a phrase coined by O. Henry to describe the country of Honduras? sure sounds like Banana Republic
7. What unusual distinction is shared these famous people? Muhammad Ali, Warren Buffett, Thomas Edison, Joan of Arc, Mickey Mantle, H. L. Mencken, Ted Nugent, Jean-Claude Van Damme. I may have a guess at a Q7 this week. Several of these folks have nicknames that incorporate a place name - The Motor City Madman, Oracle of Omaha, Virgin of Orleans, the Louisville Lip, the Muscles from Brussels, Wizard of Menlo Park
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What's the first name of Coach DiCrescenzo, the Olympic steeplechase hopeful and Bryn Mawr track coach who inspired a hit 2007 single? The Plain White T's song "Hey There Delilah" is an unrequited love note to amateur track star Delilah DiCrescenzo. never heard of it
2. The Purple Heart medals currently being awarded by the U.S. military were all originally manufactured for what war? The military is still giving out a huge stockpile of Purple Hearts that was manufactured during World War II, in anticipation of a costly assault on the Japanese home islands that never happened. one of my final guesses so I'll call this correct
3. What sport is played with a ball called a "pallino"? A pallino is a bocce ball. I thought the Italian-sounding word would help here, but got a lot of guesses of "jai alai" anyway. Jai alai ball is called a pelota. My limited imagination could not think of an Italian ball game in time.
4. Who was the only regular of Frasier Crane-era Cheers never to appear on the spin-off Frasier? Kirstie Alley, as Rebecca Howe, never visited Frasier's Seattle. (Neither did Nicholas "Coach" Colasanto, but he had a better excuse.) Diane was my incorrect guess.
5. In the summertime, it's called estivation. What's it called when it happens in the winter? Estivation is warm-weather hibernation. this is the most interesting thing I learned this week
6. Buchanan is the second largest city in what world nation? Just like the capital, Buchanan shares its name with a U.S. president (it was named for James Buchanan's brother). The answer is Liberia, whose capital is named for James Monroe. Correct
7. What unusual distinction (unusual for a literary classic, anyway) is shared by these classic novels? Alice in Wonderland, All Quiet on the Western Front, Catch-22, Kidnapped, Little Women, Things Fall Apart, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It's not an unusual distinction nowadays, but it's pretty uncommon among Great Novels: each of these classics is followed by one or more sequels.
1. What movie begins with the 2027 stabbing of "Baby Diego" in Buenos Aires?
2. What color is children's poison control mascot Mr. Yuk? I have never seen this character. Where does he appear? Is he pukey green?
3. In 1835, what French scientist discovered a force affecting the motion of objects in a rotating system? Coulomb? I know now that is wrong. Coulomb came earlier. Correct answer is Coriolis of Coriolis effect fame. Never thought of him as French.
4. In Greek myth, the hundred-eyed Argus was punished by the gods by being transformed into what animal? this would be a better question if it said "the gods had the hundred eyes of Argus preserved forever as the tail of what animal?" when you hear the answer is peacock it makes so much sense
5. In what country is the language Monegasque spoken? Monaco
6. What clothing retailer is named for a phrase coined by O. Henry to describe the country of Honduras? sure sounds like Banana Republic
7. What unusual distinction is shared these famous people? Muhammad Ali, Warren Buffett, Thomas Edison, Joan of Arc, Mickey Mantle, H. L. Mencken, Ted Nugent, Jean-Claude Van Damme. I may have a guess at a Q7 this week. Several of these folks have nicknames that incorporate a place name - The Motor City Madman, Oracle of Omaha, Virgin of Orleans, the Louisville Lip, the Muscles from Brussels, Wizard of Menlo Park
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What's the first name of Coach DiCrescenzo, the Olympic steeplechase hopeful and Bryn Mawr track coach who inspired a hit 2007 single? The Plain White T's song "Hey There Delilah" is an unrequited love note to amateur track star Delilah DiCrescenzo. never heard of it
2. The Purple Heart medals currently being awarded by the U.S. military were all originally manufactured for what war? The military is still giving out a huge stockpile of Purple Hearts that was manufactured during World War II, in anticipation of a costly assault on the Japanese home islands that never happened. one of my final guesses so I'll call this correct
3. What sport is played with a ball called a "pallino"? A pallino is a bocce ball. I thought the Italian-sounding word would help here, but got a lot of guesses of "jai alai" anyway. Jai alai ball is called a pelota. My limited imagination could not think of an Italian ball game in time.
4. Who was the only regular of Frasier Crane-era Cheers never to appear on the spin-off Frasier? Kirstie Alley, as Rebecca Howe, never visited Frasier's Seattle. (Neither did Nicholas "Coach" Colasanto, but he had a better excuse.) Diane was my incorrect guess.
5. In the summertime, it's called estivation. What's it called when it happens in the winter? Estivation is warm-weather hibernation. this is the most interesting thing I learned this week
6. Buchanan is the second largest city in what world nation? Just like the capital, Buchanan shares its name with a U.S. president (it was named for James Buchanan's brother). The answer is Liberia, whose capital is named for James Monroe. Correct
7. What unusual distinction (unusual for a literary classic, anyway) is shared by these classic novels? Alice in Wonderland, All Quiet on the Western Front, Catch-22, Kidnapped, Little Women, Things Fall Apart, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It's not an unusual distinction nowadays, but it's pretty uncommon among Great Novels: each of these classics is followed by one or more sequels.
