Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 1
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. Whose was the only jersey number ever retired by the Arizona Cardinals, despite the fact that he never started a playoff game or played in a Pro Bowl? Pat Tillman. I think he wore 42.
2. What Parisian slang word for "sparrow" did Edith Gassion adopt as her stange name in 1935? Piaf
3. What striking color is the big number 5 on the back of the new U.S. $5 bill? is it sort of purplish?
4. What future sitcom star co-wrote the theme songs to 1980s TV hits Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life? Alan Thicke?
5. In what country was the ubiquitous typeface Helvetica created in 1957? Switzerland
6. What's the only Indiana Jones movie set entirely on a single continent? Temple of Doom is set entirely in Asia (I think China and India).
7. Based on the unusual distinction shared by these U.S. Presidents and no others, which of the two presumptive major-party nominees could be added to this list if he wins in November, and why? Tyler, Fillmore, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, Reagan.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What American university gained its familiar sports mascot through a special agreement with Walt Disney? This is why the Oregon Ducks mascot looks suspiciously like Donald in green and yellow. correct
2. Who performed Frozen in Time, Vertigo, Above the Below, Drowned Alive, and Revolution? These are some of the recent, uh, performances of street magician/attention whore David Blaine. 3. On standard cubic dice, what's the sum of the numbers on any pair of opposite faces? Seven. (Six and one, two and five, three and four.) correct
4. What 1954 novel's chapters include "Painted Faces and Long Hair," "Beast from Air," "The Shell and the Glasses," and "Castle Rock"? Lord of the Flies. Now the clues make sense. But it was cryptic beforehand. Maybe the answer would have come more easily if I had read the book.
5. What Irish immigrant's barn, at 137 DeKoven Street, made headlines on October 8, 1871? That was the address of Catherine O'Leary, whose cow was famously (and maybe wrongly) blamed for the great Chicago fire. correct
6. What does the 'L' stand for in the acronym LASER? Light--though technically a laser can amplify any kind of radiation, not just visible light. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movies? European Vacation, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, Love and Death on Long Island, Magnolia, Mallrats, Requiem for a Dream, Sisters, Time Bandits. Each has a scene set on the stage of a fictional game show. correct! It is always a little thrill when I answer a Q7 correctly.
1. Whose was the only jersey number ever retired by the Arizona Cardinals, despite the fact that he never started a playoff game or played in a Pro Bowl? Pat Tillman. I think he wore 42.
2. What Parisian slang word for "sparrow" did Edith Gassion adopt as her stange name in 1935? Piaf
3. What striking color is the big number 5 on the back of the new U.S. $5 bill? is it sort of purplish?
4. What future sitcom star co-wrote the theme songs to 1980s TV hits Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life? Alan Thicke?
5. In what country was the ubiquitous typeface Helvetica created in 1957? Switzerland
6. What's the only Indiana Jones movie set entirely on a single continent? Temple of Doom is set entirely in Asia (I think China and India).
7. Based on the unusual distinction shared by these U.S. Presidents and no others, which of the two presumptive major-party nominees could be added to this list if he wins in November, and why? Tyler, Fillmore, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, Reagan.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What American university gained its familiar sports mascot through a special agreement with Walt Disney? This is why the Oregon Ducks mascot looks suspiciously like Donald in green and yellow. correct
2. Who performed Frozen in Time, Vertigo, Above the Below, Drowned Alive, and Revolution? These are some of the recent, uh, performances of street magician/attention whore David Blaine. 3. On standard cubic dice, what's the sum of the numbers on any pair of opposite faces? Seven. (Six and one, two and five, three and four.) correct
4. What 1954 novel's chapters include "Painted Faces and Long Hair," "Beast from Air," "The Shell and the Glasses," and "Castle Rock"? Lord of the Flies. Now the clues make sense. But it was cryptic beforehand. Maybe the answer would have come more easily if I had read the book.
5. What Irish immigrant's barn, at 137 DeKoven Street, made headlines on October 8, 1871? That was the address of Catherine O'Leary, whose cow was famously (and maybe wrongly) blamed for the great Chicago fire. correct
6. What does the 'L' stand for in the acronym LASER? Light--though technically a laser can amplify any kind of radiation, not just visible light. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movies? European Vacation, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, Love and Death on Long Island, Magnolia, Mallrats, Requiem for a Dream, Sisters, Time Bandits. Each has a scene set on the stage of a fictional game show. correct! It is always a little thrill when I answer a Q7 correctly.
