Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - February 25
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What October 26, 1881 event took place not at the celebrated livery stable, but six doors down at the vacant lot by Camillus Fry's photography studio? the start of the Great Chicago Fire
2. 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was the first movie with a female protagonist to top the annual U.S. box office charts in forty years. What 1973 megahit (with a male title character, interestingly) was the last to do so? The Exorcist
3. What Jewish rabbinic text is made up of the Mishnah and the Gemara? the Torah?
4. What ten-year NBA veteran and current Houston Rocket has led the league in rebounds five of the last six seasons? I pay no attention to NBA stats. Dwight Howard?
5. Males of many species, including ours, are heterogametic, meaning they have what sex chromosome not found in females? Y
6. "Gorod," sometimes shortened as "grad," is a Russian word meaning what? town or city
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, listed in this order? Turkey, Germany, Spain, South Korea, France, South Korea, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Switzerland, China. These look like countries trying to host the Winter Olympics. Are these countries that lost the final vote to serve as Winter Olympic host?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. An orchid called kimilsungia and a begonia called kimjongilia are flower cultivars originating in what country? Their names are tributes to Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, late dictators of totalitarian North Korea and all-around not-fun guys. correct
2. Doyle Brunson was the first person ever to officially earn a million dollars doing what? Playing tournament poker. Brunson is the "Godfather of Poker," perhaps the most influential person in the history of the game except for Kenny Rogers. correct
3. Last year, former Revlon magazine model Gita Hall settled her lawsuit against what TV show, for prominently using her image in its credits? She's in one of the magazine ads prominently projected on the skyscrapers in the Mad Men credits. I think Nip/Tuck was a good guess, just not correct
4. Who built 50-odd "Usonian houses" during his career? Usonian, an infelicitous coinage that I'm not even sure I know how to pronounce, was a demonym for "United States-ian" coined by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Today, Usonian homes are prized properties that rarely change hands and sell for millions. correct
5. According to the first verse of a 1979 hit song, where can you "find pleasure, search the world for treasure," or "learn science technology"? These are among the selling points of the title branch of the Armed Services, according to the Village People hit "In the Navy." aha. Alex's hint in his comment last week was spot on.
6. The last State of the Union address of lame duck President James K. Polk is best remembered for his announcing the discovery of what? The clitoris. No, not really. You'd probably remember that speech if so. Polk left office in 1849, shortly after announcing the discovery of gold in California. I was about 10-15 years off in thinking about Polk's term. 1849 would have been a very helpful clue.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? American Psycho, Blue Valentine, Casino, Natural Born Killers, Philomena, The Right Stuff, Ryan's Daughter, Scarface. Each was given a new MPAA rating following an appeal. correct!!
1. What October 26, 1881 event took place not at the celebrated livery stable, but six doors down at the vacant lot by Camillus Fry's photography studio? the start of the Great Chicago Fire
2. 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was the first movie with a female protagonist to top the annual U.S. box office charts in forty years. What 1973 megahit (with a male title character, interestingly) was the last to do so? The Exorcist
3. What Jewish rabbinic text is made up of the Mishnah and the Gemara? the Torah?
4. What ten-year NBA veteran and current Houston Rocket has led the league in rebounds five of the last six seasons? I pay no attention to NBA stats. Dwight Howard?
5. Males of many species, including ours, are heterogametic, meaning they have what sex chromosome not found in females? Y
6. "Gorod," sometimes shortened as "grad," is a Russian word meaning what? town or city
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, listed in this order? Turkey, Germany, Spain, South Korea, France, South Korea, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Switzerland, China. These look like countries trying to host the Winter Olympics. Are these countries that lost the final vote to serve as Winter Olympic host?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. An orchid called kimilsungia and a begonia called kimjongilia are flower cultivars originating in what country? Their names are tributes to Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, late dictators of totalitarian North Korea and all-around not-fun guys. correct
2. Doyle Brunson was the first person ever to officially earn a million dollars doing what? Playing tournament poker. Brunson is the "Godfather of Poker," perhaps the most influential person in the history of the game except for Kenny Rogers. correct
3. Last year, former Revlon magazine model Gita Hall settled her lawsuit against what TV show, for prominently using her image in its credits? She's in one of the magazine ads prominently projected on the skyscrapers in the Mad Men credits. I think Nip/Tuck was a good guess, just not correct
4. Who built 50-odd "Usonian houses" during his career? Usonian, an infelicitous coinage that I'm not even sure I know how to pronounce, was a demonym for "United States-ian" coined by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Today, Usonian homes are prized properties that rarely change hands and sell for millions. correct
5. According to the first verse of a 1979 hit song, where can you "find pleasure, search the world for treasure," or "learn science technology"? These are among the selling points of the title branch of the Armed Services, according to the Village People hit "In the Navy." aha. Alex's hint in his comment last week was spot on.
6. The last State of the Union address of lame duck President James K. Polk is best remembered for his announcing the discovery of what? The clitoris. No, not really. You'd probably remember that speech if so. Polk left office in 1849, shortly after announcing the discovery of gold in California. I was about 10-15 years off in thinking about Polk's term. 1849 would have been a very helpful clue.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? American Psycho, Blue Valentine, Casino, Natural Born Killers, Philomena, The Right Stuff, Ryan's Daughter, Scarface. Each was given a new MPAA rating following an appeal. correct!!
Friday, February 21, 2014
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - February 18
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. An orchid called kimilsungia and a begonia called kimjongilia are flower cultivars originating in what country? North Korea
2. Doyle Brunson was the first person ever to officially earn a million dollars doing what? playing poker
3. Last year, former Revlon magazine model Gita Hall settled her lawsuit against what TV show, for prominently using her image in its credits? Nip/Tuck?
4. Who built 50-odd "Usonian houses" during his career? Frank Lloyd Wright
5. According to the first verse of a 1979 hit song, where can you "find pleasure, search the world for treasure," or "learn science technology"? I don't do well at all on questions about song lyrics. In Cars? maybe from the Gary Numan song.
6. The last State of the Union address of lame duck President James K. Polk is best remembered for his announcing the discovery of what? best remembered by who? this was around 1830-1835, I think. Is it a scientific discovery? Geographic discovery? Did Polk discover the sock that he had previously lost in the wash?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? American Psycho, Blue Valentine, Casino, Natural Born Killers, Philomena, The Right Stuff, Ryan's Daughter, Scarface. Many of these movies have extreme violence or sex scenes that caused them to be rated R or NC-17 by the MPAA. But I think the ratings were changed after appeal or some judicious editing. So that is my guess - the original MPAA ratings were changed.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. The father of actor Mark Harmon became, in 1940, the sixth person to win what? The Heisman Trophy. Tom Harmon was an All-American halfback for the University of Michigan. correct
2. What country's 38th prime minister, Aldo Moro, was kidnapped and executed by revolutionaries in 1978? Before the Red Brigades shot him, Moro was one of modern Italy's longest-serving Prime Ministers. correct
3. Peridot is one of the few precious gems that comes in only one color. What color is peridot? It's green, as you probably know if your birthday is in August and have NO REASON to care about otherwise. not correct
4. In one of the most influential magazine profiles in history, Gay Talese wrote in 1966 that what famous man "Has a Cold"? Frank Sinatra, who spent three months ducking Talese's interview requests with lame excuses like the titular one. If you have no awareness of this story (as in my case), how are you supposed to come up with this answer?
5. The operas Aïda and Thaïs have something in common besides their diacritical dots. Both are set in what country? In Egypt, a natïon not necessarïly known for ïts umlauts. correct
6. Yellowstone National Park includes part of three U.S. states, but 96 percent of it lies within what state? Wyoming, though narrow strips at the edges of the park are part of Montana and Idaho. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, listed in this order? Australia, Japan, Tanzania, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, France, China, Italy, Peru, Ireland, Israel. These are the countries, in order, to the which TV's The Simpsons have traveled. (I limited this to visits by the family as a unit, not just (for example) Bart or Homer alone. Remember: disparaging the boot is a bootable offense! I thought that the answer was something in this vein. But I never would have guessed The Simpsons.
1. An orchid called kimilsungia and a begonia called kimjongilia are flower cultivars originating in what country? North Korea
2. Doyle Brunson was the first person ever to officially earn a million dollars doing what? playing poker
3. Last year, former Revlon magazine model Gita Hall settled her lawsuit against what TV show, for prominently using her image in its credits? Nip/Tuck?
4. Who built 50-odd "Usonian houses" during his career? Frank Lloyd Wright
5. According to the first verse of a 1979 hit song, where can you "find pleasure, search the world for treasure," or "learn science technology"? I don't do well at all on questions about song lyrics. In Cars? maybe from the Gary Numan song.
6. The last State of the Union address of lame duck President James K. Polk is best remembered for his announcing the discovery of what? best remembered by who? this was around 1830-1835, I think. Is it a scientific discovery? Geographic discovery? Did Polk discover the sock that he had previously lost in the wash?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? American Psycho, Blue Valentine, Casino, Natural Born Killers, Philomena, The Right Stuff, Ryan's Daughter, Scarface. Many of these movies have extreme violence or sex scenes that caused them to be rated R or NC-17 by the MPAA. But I think the ratings were changed after appeal or some judicious editing. So that is my guess - the original MPAA ratings were changed.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. The father of actor Mark Harmon became, in 1940, the sixth person to win what? The Heisman Trophy. Tom Harmon was an All-American halfback for the University of Michigan. correct
2. What country's 38th prime minister, Aldo Moro, was kidnapped and executed by revolutionaries in 1978? Before the Red Brigades shot him, Moro was one of modern Italy's longest-serving Prime Ministers. correct
3. Peridot is one of the few precious gems that comes in only one color. What color is peridot? It's green, as you probably know if your birthday is in August and have NO REASON to care about otherwise. not correct
4. In one of the most influential magazine profiles in history, Gay Talese wrote in 1966 that what famous man "Has a Cold"? Frank Sinatra, who spent three months ducking Talese's interview requests with lame excuses like the titular one. If you have no awareness of this story (as in my case), how are you supposed to come up with this answer?
5. The operas Aïda and Thaïs have something in common besides their diacritical dots. Both are set in what country? In Egypt, a natïon not necessarïly known for ïts umlauts. correct
6. Yellowstone National Park includes part of three U.S. states, but 96 percent of it lies within what state? Wyoming, though narrow strips at the edges of the park are part of Montana and Idaho. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, listed in this order? Australia, Japan, Tanzania, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, France, China, Italy, Peru, Ireland, Israel. These are the countries, in order, to the which TV's The Simpsons have traveled. (I limited this to visits by the family as a unit, not just (for example) Bart or Homer alone. Remember: disparaging the boot is a bootable offense! I thought that the answer was something in this vein. But I never would have guessed The Simpsons.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - February 11
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. The father of actor Mark Harmon became, in 1940, the sixth person to win what? The Heisman Trophy. Tom Harmon was the 1st winner from the University of Michigan. Go Blue!
2. What country's 38th prime minister, Aldo Moro, was kidnapped and executed by revolutionaries in 1978? Italy
3. Peridot is one of the few precious gems that comes in only one color. What color is peridot? blue?
4. In one of the most influential magazine profiles in history, Gay Talese wrote in 1966 that what famous man "Has a Cold"? Truman Capote (who had just published In Cold Blood)?
5. The operas Aïda and Thaïs have something in common besides their diacritical dots. Both are set in what country? Egypt
6. Yellowstone National Park includes part of three U.S. states, but 96 percent of it lies within what state? Wyoming
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, listed in this order? Australia, Japan, Tanzania, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, France, China, Italy, Peru, Ireland, Israel. Is this a book or movie that visits locations in these countries?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In 1917, what country was rocked by a February Revolution and an October Revolution? Russia, soon to be the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. correct
2. By Forbes's reckoning, who is America's only black billionaire? Oprah Winfrey is worth $2.8 billion...and she's still only the world's 503rd richest person, according to Forbes. (Gayle King: not on the list.) correct
3. Who wrote the poems in Drum-Taps and the memoir Specimen Days, both inspired by his work in a Civil War military hospital? Walt Whitman was a volunteer nurse during the war, which inspired some of his best poems. I should have gotten this one.
4. The Doors, the White Stripes, Sleater-Kinney, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are notable for being bands that are all missing what traditional rock instrument? None had a bassist. In the Doors, Ray Manzarek would often play the bass part in the left hand of his keyboards, and think about how he would spend the last forty years of his life reminiscing about Jim Morrison. correct
5. The body's T cells, which help provide immunity, are so named because they originate in what small organ of the chest? They're named for the thymus. I have no joke about the thymus to go in this space. The thymus. correct
6. Sephora and Ulta are retail chains that specialize in selling what? A ridiculously idealized, time-consuming, and expensive standard of feminine beauty! Oops, makeup. I meant makeup. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these chemical elements, and no others? Bismuth, cesium, chlorine, indium, iodine, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, and (arguably) thallium and zirconium. These are all the elements that are named for specific colors. (I left off chromium and iridium, two elements named for their general colorful-ness. But I did include thallium, named for a Greek word for a green shoot or young twig, and zirconium, which is named for the mineral zircon, which in turn comes from a Persian word for "golden-colored." It gets complicated.) correct!
1. The father of actor Mark Harmon became, in 1940, the sixth person to win what? The Heisman Trophy. Tom Harmon was the 1st winner from the University of Michigan. Go Blue!
2. What country's 38th prime minister, Aldo Moro, was kidnapped and executed by revolutionaries in 1978? Italy
3. Peridot is one of the few precious gems that comes in only one color. What color is peridot? blue?
4. In one of the most influential magazine profiles in history, Gay Talese wrote in 1966 that what famous man "Has a Cold"? Truman Capote (who had just published In Cold Blood)?
5. The operas Aïda and Thaïs have something in common besides their diacritical dots. Both are set in what country? Egypt
6. Yellowstone National Park includes part of three U.S. states, but 96 percent of it lies within what state? Wyoming
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, listed in this order? Australia, Japan, Tanzania, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, France, China, Italy, Peru, Ireland, Israel. Is this a book or movie that visits locations in these countries?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In 1917, what country was rocked by a February Revolution and an October Revolution? Russia, soon to be the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. correct
2. By Forbes's reckoning, who is America's only black billionaire? Oprah Winfrey is worth $2.8 billion...and she's still only the world's 503rd richest person, according to Forbes. (Gayle King: not on the list.) correct
3. Who wrote the poems in Drum-Taps and the memoir Specimen Days, both inspired by his work in a Civil War military hospital? Walt Whitman was a volunteer nurse during the war, which inspired some of his best poems. I should have gotten this one.
4. The Doors, the White Stripes, Sleater-Kinney, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are notable for being bands that are all missing what traditional rock instrument? None had a bassist. In the Doors, Ray Manzarek would often play the bass part in the left hand of his keyboards, and think about how he would spend the last forty years of his life reminiscing about Jim Morrison. correct
5. The body's T cells, which help provide immunity, are so named because they originate in what small organ of the chest? They're named for the thymus. I have no joke about the thymus to go in this space. The thymus. correct
6. Sephora and Ulta are retail chains that specialize in selling what? A ridiculously idealized, time-consuming, and expensive standard of feminine beauty! Oops, makeup. I meant makeup. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these chemical elements, and no others? Bismuth, cesium, chlorine, indium, iodine, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, and (arguably) thallium and zirconium. These are all the elements that are named for specific colors. (I left off chromium and iridium, two elements named for their general colorful-ness. But I did include thallium, named for a Greek word for a green shoot or young twig, and zirconium, which is named for the mineral zircon, which in turn comes from a Persian word for "golden-colored." It gets complicated.) correct!
Thursday, February 06, 2014
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - February 4
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. In 1917, what country was rocked by a February Revolution and an October Revolution? Russia
2. By Forbes's reckoning, who is America's only black billionaire? Oprah Winfrey?
3. Who wrote the poems in Drum-Taps and the memoir Specimen Days, both inspired by his work in a Civil War military hospital? a Civil War medical practitioner who is a "he" so not Clara Barton. Walter Reed would have been too young to be a doctor in the Civil War.
4. The Doors, the White Stripes, Sleater-Kinney, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are notable for being bands that are all missing what traditional rock instrument? no bass
5. The body's T cells, which help provide immunity, are so named because they originate in what small organ of the chest? did KJ crib this from my quiz two weeks ago when I asked this question (which I cribbed from the Jeopardy game that I watched being taped back in December?) thymus gland
6. Sephora and Ulta are retail chains that specialize in selling what? cosmetics
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these chemical elements, and no others? Bismuth, cesium, chlorine, indium, iodine, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, and (arguably) thallium and zirconium. Named for a color - rose, indigo, etc.?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. The world's two closest neighbors as capital cities (besides Rome and Vatican City) are what two African capitals, which sit less than a mile apart on opposite banks of a major river? Kinshasa and Brazzaville are the respective capitals of two different countries named for their river, the Congo. good to know. Wonder if this factoid is in Maphead.
2. What German sports hero, the greatest in his sport's history, retired in 2012 and is currently in a coma from a recent skiing injury? Formula One racer Michael Schumacher is in stable condition, but his doctors are keeping him in a coma, hoping it allows him to recover from a serious head injury. correct
3. What actor is named for the painter whose work his pregnant mother was looking at in Florence's Uffizi Gallery in 1974 when she first felt him kick? Leonardo DiCaprio is named for another, lesser Leonardo. correct
4. Edward I was crowned king of England in 1274 after leading his army in the ninth and last of what wars? He led the Ninth Crusade. I'm so proud the human race has advanced and now we live in a time when there are more Friday the 13th movies than there were Crusades. correct
5. In 1972, the 15,007,034th of what car rolled off the assembly line, finally passing the Model T as the most-produced model in history? Before production ended in 2003, there were a record 23 million Volkswagen Beetles made. correct
6. Sir Bedivere of the Round Table and the Norse war-god Tyr are both mythical heroes missing what body part? Both were missing a hand. Tyr lost his to Fenrir, a terrible wolf-monster. But he's not in the Thor movies, so who cares, right? not correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these novels? Devil in a Blue Dress, From Russia with Love, The Hunt for Red October, Lost Horizon, Lush Life, The Middle Temple Murder, Netherland, Prayers for Rain, The Virginian. All these novels got a big sales boost when a U.S. president read and/or recommended them. Teddy Roosevelt loved The Virginian, JFK liked Bond, Reagan was an early Tom Clancy fan, and so on. correct. Yesssss!
1. In 1917, what country was rocked by a February Revolution and an October Revolution? Russia
2. By Forbes's reckoning, who is America's only black billionaire? Oprah Winfrey?
3. Who wrote the poems in Drum-Taps and the memoir Specimen Days, both inspired by his work in a Civil War military hospital? a Civil War medical practitioner who is a "he" so not Clara Barton. Walter Reed would have been too young to be a doctor in the Civil War.
4. The Doors, the White Stripes, Sleater-Kinney, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are notable for being bands that are all missing what traditional rock instrument? no bass
5. The body's T cells, which help provide immunity, are so named because they originate in what small organ of the chest? did KJ crib this from my quiz two weeks ago when I asked this question (which I cribbed from the Jeopardy game that I watched being taped back in December?) thymus gland
6. Sephora and Ulta are retail chains that specialize in selling what? cosmetics
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these chemical elements, and no others? Bismuth, cesium, chlorine, indium, iodine, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, and (arguably) thallium and zirconium. Named for a color - rose, indigo, etc.?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. The world's two closest neighbors as capital cities (besides Rome and Vatican City) are what two African capitals, which sit less than a mile apart on opposite banks of a major river? Kinshasa and Brazzaville are the respective capitals of two different countries named for their river, the Congo. good to know. Wonder if this factoid is in Maphead.
2. What German sports hero, the greatest in his sport's history, retired in 2012 and is currently in a coma from a recent skiing injury? Formula One racer Michael Schumacher is in stable condition, but his doctors are keeping him in a coma, hoping it allows him to recover from a serious head injury. correct
3. What actor is named for the painter whose work his pregnant mother was looking at in Florence's Uffizi Gallery in 1974 when she first felt him kick? Leonardo DiCaprio is named for another, lesser Leonardo. correct
4. Edward I was crowned king of England in 1274 after leading his army in the ninth and last of what wars? He led the Ninth Crusade. I'm so proud the human race has advanced and now we live in a time when there are more Friday the 13th movies than there were Crusades. correct
5. In 1972, the 15,007,034th of what car rolled off the assembly line, finally passing the Model T as the most-produced model in history? Before production ended in 2003, there were a record 23 million Volkswagen Beetles made. correct
6. Sir Bedivere of the Round Table and the Norse war-god Tyr are both mythical heroes missing what body part? Both were missing a hand. Tyr lost his to Fenrir, a terrible wolf-monster. But he's not in the Thor movies, so who cares, right? not correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these novels? Devil in a Blue Dress, From Russia with Love, The Hunt for Red October, Lost Horizon, Lush Life, The Middle Temple Murder, Netherland, Prayers for Rain, The Virginian. All these novels got a big sales boost when a U.S. president read and/or recommended them. Teddy Roosevelt loved The Virginian, JFK liked Bond, Reagan was an early Tom Clancy fan, and so on. correct. Yesssss!
