Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - January 29
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What elite military force was long headquartered in Sidi-Bel-Abbes, Algeria? French Foreign Legion
2. Why did headlines this month refer to Mia Hamm as the "Jerry West of women's soccer"? her silhouette/profile is being used in the logo for the new women's professional soccer league
3. What was a career for Sir Edmund Hillary and an avocation for Sherlock Holmes? beekeeping
4. What future journalist was crowned "America's Junior Miss," representing Kentucky, in 1963? Phyllis George
5. What expression meaning "everything" derives from the three main parts of a musket? lock, stock and barrel
6. What title activity of a 1982 song began "as soon as the shareef had cleared the square"? rock the casbah, rock the casbah
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous people? Milton Berle, Steve Earle, Eminem, Melanie Griffith, Stan Laurel, Joe Louis, Frida Kahlo, and Lana Turner.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What movie begins with the 2027 stabbing of "Baby Diego" in Buenos Aires? Baby Diego is Earth's youngest human in 2006's Children of Men--great movie, by the way. "Baby Diego was a wanker," mumbles Clive Owen. Have not seen it. Guess I should.
2. What color is children's poison control mascot Mr. Yuk? Green. Pukey green was a good guess. Correct.
3. In 1835, what French scientist discovered a force affecting the motion of objects in a rotating system? Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis, discoverer of the Coriolis Effect, though he never applied his new namesake force to the rotation of the Earth.
4. In Greek myth, the hundred-eyed Argus was punished by the gods by being transformed into what animal? Argus's eyes became the eye-shaped spots on the tail of the peacock. Readers pointed out that I got the story wrong: the peacock got Argus's eyes as a tribute from Hera, not a punishment from Zeus.
5. In what country is the language Monegasque spoken? Monaco. "Monegasque" sounds to me like a word Popeye would say. correct
6. What clothing retailer is named for a phrase coined by O. Henry to describe the country of Honduras? O. Henry coined the phrase "Banana Republic." correct
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. Not so hard this week, I hoped. All have or had a well-known nickname that refers to their city of (at least some period of) residence. The Commerce Comet, the Maid of Orleans, the Wizard of Menlo Park, and so on. I got a Q7 correct! May be only my second one ever.
1. What elite military force was long headquartered in Sidi-Bel-Abbes, Algeria? French Foreign Legion
2. Why did headlines this month refer to Mia Hamm as the "Jerry West of women's soccer"? her silhouette/profile is being used in the logo for the new women's professional soccer league
3. What was a career for Sir Edmund Hillary and an avocation for Sherlock Holmes? beekeeping
4. What future journalist was crowned "America's Junior Miss," representing Kentucky, in 1963? Phyllis George
5. What expression meaning "everything" derives from the three main parts of a musket? lock, stock and barrel
6. What title activity of a 1982 song began "as soon as the shareef had cleared the square"? rock the casbah, rock the casbah
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous people? Milton Berle, Steve Earle, Eminem, Melanie Griffith, Stan Laurel, Joe Louis, Frida Kahlo, and Lana Turner.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What movie begins with the 2027 stabbing of "Baby Diego" in Buenos Aires? Baby Diego is Earth's youngest human in 2006's Children of Men--great movie, by the way. "Baby Diego was a wanker," mumbles Clive Owen. Have not seen it. Guess I should.
2. What color is children's poison control mascot Mr. Yuk? Green. Pukey green was a good guess. Correct.
3. In 1835, what French scientist discovered a force affecting the motion of objects in a rotating system? Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis, discoverer of the Coriolis Effect, though he never applied his new namesake force to the rotation of the Earth.
4. In Greek myth, the hundred-eyed Argus was punished by the gods by being transformed into what animal? Argus's eyes became the eye-shaped spots on the tail of the peacock. Readers pointed out that I got the story wrong: the peacock got Argus's eyes as a tribute from Hera, not a punishment from Zeus.
5. In what country is the language Monegasque spoken? Monaco. "Monegasque" sounds to me like a word Popeye would say. correct
6. What clothing retailer is named for a phrase coined by O. Henry to describe the country of Honduras? O. Henry coined the phrase "Banana Republic." correct
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. Not so hard this week, I hoped. All have or had a well-known nickname that refers to their city of (at least some period of) residence. The Commerce Comet, the Maid of Orleans, the Wizard of Menlo Park, and so on. I got a Q7 correct! May be only my second one ever.
