Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - September 9
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What Sunshine Biscuits product, discontinued in 2003, has returned to grocery shelves this year for its 100th anniversary? I only know one Sunshine product (at least I think they are made by Sunshine) - Hi Hos.
2. Two science fiction films, from 1983 and 1984, share their titles with two different names for the dividing line between day and night on the surface of a planet. What are they?
3. What country has produced pop bands like Roxette, the Hives, and the Cardigans? a guess - Ireland
4. On August 15, 1914, the cement steamer SS Ancon became the first ship ever to do what? sail through the Panama Canal
5. Who dated Iola Morton and Callie Shaw? good god, man. I have no idea who these women are. Are they celebrities? Or is this a literary reference?
6. What bay, for whom a recent newsmaker was named, is the easternmost arm of the Bering Sea? the Bering Sea reminds me of Alaska which leads me to Wasilla. Wasilla Bay.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these people? Beethoven, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Connelly, Catherine Deneuve, Clint Eastwood, Thomas Jefferson, James Joyce, and Jackie Kennedy.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What TV show was originally titled Rampart, in reference to the 1990s LAPD scandal of the same name? The Shield, whose final season began last week. The show's lawless "Strike Team" was based on the "CRASH unit" of the real-life Rampart Division. I guess I should have thought of cable shows.
2. In September 1916, who became the first billionaire in American history? A New York Times story that month did the math, and amazed Americans by naming John D. Rockefeller the nation's first billionaire. correct
3. Despite its diminutive name, what is, by area, the largest state in Mexico? Chihuahua: little dog, big state. If anyone on this list actually goes to that Beverly Hills Chihuahua movie, I'm warning you: I will find out somehow and unsubscribe you! tricky
4. What two colorful major league catchers were childhood friends on St. Louis's Elizabeth Avenue, a block now called "Hall of Fame Place"? Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola were the childhood neighbors. Oddly, Garagiola was considered the better prospect at the time. correct
5. What is made up of slow twitch and fast twitch fibers? Your muscles. The more fast-twitch fibers you have, the more likely you are to be a Usain Bolt type. correct
6. In Greek myth, into what kind of animal did Zeus turn Lycaon, the first king of Arcadia? Into a wolf--his name might have reminded you of the word "lycanthrope," meaning "werewolf."
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Boys Don't Cry, The Last Emperor, The Last Temptation of Christ, Nighthawks, The Princess Bride, The Royal Tenenbaums, There Will Be Blood, Wall Street. All had soundtracks composed by members of rock bands. Respectively: Nathan Larson of Shudder to Think, David Byrne of Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel of Genesis, Keith Emerson of ELP, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo, Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, and Stewart Copeland of the Police. I tried to stick to well-known musicians who don't do many soundtrack, not professional film composers who actually had bands in a past life--like Danny Elfman, or Howard Shore, or Hans Zimmer. Did you know you can see Zimmer in the "Video Killed the Radio Star" video? Yeah, me neither. you could have given me all 8 movies and told me that they were scored by a rock musician. I would have known one - Mark Knopfler. This was really obscure.
1. What Sunshine Biscuits product, discontinued in 2003, has returned to grocery shelves this year for its 100th anniversary? I only know one Sunshine product (at least I think they are made by Sunshine) - Hi Hos.
2. Two science fiction films, from 1983 and 1984, share their titles with two different names for the dividing line between day and night on the surface of a planet. What are they?
3. What country has produced pop bands like Roxette, the Hives, and the Cardigans? a guess - Ireland
4. On August 15, 1914, the cement steamer SS Ancon became the first ship ever to do what? sail through the Panama Canal
5. Who dated Iola Morton and Callie Shaw? good god, man. I have no idea who these women are. Are they celebrities? Or is this a literary reference?
6. What bay, for whom a recent newsmaker was named, is the easternmost arm of the Bering Sea? the Bering Sea reminds me of Alaska which leads me to Wasilla. Wasilla Bay.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these people? Beethoven, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Connelly, Catherine Deneuve, Clint Eastwood, Thomas Jefferson, James Joyce, and Jackie Kennedy.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What TV show was originally titled Rampart, in reference to the 1990s LAPD scandal of the same name? The Shield, whose final season began last week. The show's lawless "Strike Team" was based on the "CRASH unit" of the real-life Rampart Division. I guess I should have thought of cable shows.
2. In September 1916, who became the first billionaire in American history? A New York Times story that month did the math, and amazed Americans by naming John D. Rockefeller the nation's first billionaire. correct
3. Despite its diminutive name, what is, by area, the largest state in Mexico? Chihuahua: little dog, big state. If anyone on this list actually goes to that Beverly Hills Chihuahua movie, I'm warning you: I will find out somehow and unsubscribe you! tricky
4. What two colorful major league catchers were childhood friends on St. Louis's Elizabeth Avenue, a block now called "Hall of Fame Place"? Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola were the childhood neighbors. Oddly, Garagiola was considered the better prospect at the time. correct
5. What is made up of slow twitch and fast twitch fibers? Your muscles. The more fast-twitch fibers you have, the more likely you are to be a Usain Bolt type. correct
6. In Greek myth, into what kind of animal did Zeus turn Lycaon, the first king of Arcadia? Into a wolf--his name might have reminded you of the word "lycanthrope," meaning "werewolf."
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Boys Don't Cry, The Last Emperor, The Last Temptation of Christ, Nighthawks, The Princess Bride, The Royal Tenenbaums, There Will Be Blood, Wall Street. All had soundtracks composed by members of rock bands. Respectively: Nathan Larson of Shudder to Think, David Byrne of Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel of Genesis, Keith Emerson of ELP, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo, Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, and Stewart Copeland of the Police. I tried to stick to well-known musicians who don't do many soundtrack, not professional film composers who actually had bands in a past life--like Danny Elfman, or Howard Shore, or Hans Zimmer. Did you know you can see Zimmer in the "Video Killed the Radio Star" video? Yeah, me neither. you could have given me all 8 movies and told me that they were scored by a rock musician. I would have known one - Mark Knopfler. This was really obscure.
