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!
