Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - November 1
Happy All Saints Day! The favorite holiday of New Orleans' NFL team and its fans.
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What very American sports company has been run by three men with the not-so-American surname of "France"? The Frances run NASCAR
2. The recent mystery novel New York to Dallas is the first entry in J. D. Robb's bestselling series not to have what word in the title? completely unfamiliar with his work so a guess - "murder"
3. What kind of animal was Bert, the mascot of the 1950s "Duck and Cover" nuclear safety campaign? Gaah. Paul Paquet just had a question about this on triviahalloffame.com. I got the answer correct but do not remember what kind of animal Bert was. Don't think it was a duck. A bear?
4. In 1873, pharmacist Charles Henry Phillips invented an antacid composed of the hydroxide of what metal? milk of magnesia --> magnesium
5. Last month, the season premiere of a Georgia-set TV series smashed a basic-cable TV ratings record held by another series about a Georgia-born title character. Name both series. The Walking Dead is the show from last month. Set in and around Atlanta. The Closer's Brenda Johnson sounds like she is from Georgia and I seem to recall that it is the most popular basic-cable show.
6. The bulk of the Italo-Abyssinian Wars were fought in what modern-day country? Ethiopia
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movies? Almost Famous, The Aviator, The Book of Eli, The Debt, The Hangover, Lolita, Marmaduke, Natural Born Killers, Risky Business, The Terminator. I generally don't like movie Q7s because the answer requires an intimate knowledge of a specific scene, or the credits or some other minute detail. But this one is pretty easy - sunglasses on the movie poster.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. According to the ubiquitous t-shirts in the film Napoleon Dynamite, whom should you "vote for"? For Pedro! All your wildest dreams will come true. correct
2. In what Normandy city would you find the Musee de la Tapisserie, home to one of the most famous pieces of artwork in history? The Bayeux Tapestry, a famous depiction of the Norman Conquest, is probably the only reason people go to the tapestry museum in Bayeux, France. correct
3. A lavalier is a portable type of what electronic device? It's one of those little wireless microphones you see people wearing on TV. It's named for a lavalier, a type of pendant necklace. I thought it might be named for Mike Lavalliere, former catcher for the St Louis Cardinals.
4. What U.S. athlete was called "La Gazzella Negra" by the hometown crowds watching her great Olympic success? That means "the Black Gazelle" in Italian, and the American hero of the 1960 Rome Olympics was the great Wilma Rudolph. correct
5. Elvis and the Spinners both had hits singing about what action, which Aerosmith declared "hard on the knees"? Falling in love (is hard on the knees). The Spinners and Elvis songs are "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" and "Can't Help Falling in Love." correct (it was my best guess)
6. Of the eight nations whose names end with the letter 'Y', name the only two that aren't at least partly in Europe. The other two are in South America: Uruguay and Paraguay. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous people? Roberto Bolano, Albert Brooks, Anthony Burgess, John Dos Passos, Newt Gingrich, Mark Twain, Gore Vidal. They are the respective authors of 2666, 2030, 1985, 1919, 1945, 1601, and 1876: all books named for Rush albums. No, wait, that's not right. Books named for years. correct!!
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What very American sports company has been run by three men with the not-so-American surname of "France"? The Frances run NASCAR
2. The recent mystery novel New York to Dallas is the first entry in J. D. Robb's bestselling series not to have what word in the title? completely unfamiliar with his work so a guess - "murder"
3. What kind of animal was Bert, the mascot of the 1950s "Duck and Cover" nuclear safety campaign? Gaah. Paul Paquet just had a question about this on triviahalloffame.com. I got the answer correct but do not remember what kind of animal Bert was. Don't think it was a duck. A bear?
4. In 1873, pharmacist Charles Henry Phillips invented an antacid composed of the hydroxide of what metal? milk of magnesia --> magnesium
5. Last month, the season premiere of a Georgia-set TV series smashed a basic-cable TV ratings record held by another series about a Georgia-born title character. Name both series. The Walking Dead is the show from last month. Set in and around Atlanta. The Closer's Brenda Johnson sounds like she is from Georgia and I seem to recall that it is the most popular basic-cable show.
6. The bulk of the Italo-Abyssinian Wars were fought in what modern-day country? Ethiopia
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movies? Almost Famous, The Aviator, The Book of Eli, The Debt, The Hangover, Lolita, Marmaduke, Natural Born Killers, Risky Business, The Terminator. I generally don't like movie Q7s because the answer requires an intimate knowledge of a specific scene, or the credits or some other minute detail. But this one is pretty easy - sunglasses on the movie poster.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. According to the ubiquitous t-shirts in the film Napoleon Dynamite, whom should you "vote for"? For Pedro! All your wildest dreams will come true. correct
2. In what Normandy city would you find the Musee de la Tapisserie, home to one of the most famous pieces of artwork in history? The Bayeux Tapestry, a famous depiction of the Norman Conquest, is probably the only reason people go to the tapestry museum in Bayeux, France. correct
3. A lavalier is a portable type of what electronic device? It's one of those little wireless microphones you see people wearing on TV. It's named for a lavalier, a type of pendant necklace. I thought it might be named for Mike Lavalliere, former catcher for the St Louis Cardinals.
4. What U.S. athlete was called "La Gazzella Negra" by the hometown crowds watching her great Olympic success? That means "the Black Gazelle" in Italian, and the American hero of the 1960 Rome Olympics was the great Wilma Rudolph. correct
5. Elvis and the Spinners both had hits singing about what action, which Aerosmith declared "hard on the knees"? Falling in love (is hard on the knees). The Spinners and Elvis songs are "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" and "Can't Help Falling in Love." correct (it was my best guess)
6. Of the eight nations whose names end with the letter 'Y', name the only two that aren't at least partly in Europe. The other two are in South America: Uruguay and Paraguay. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous people? Roberto Bolano, Albert Brooks, Anthony Burgess, John Dos Passos, Newt Gingrich, Mark Twain, Gore Vidal. They are the respective authors of 2666, 2030, 1985, 1919, 1945, 1601, and 1876: all books named for Rush albums. No, wait, that's not right. Books named for years. correct!!
