October 4, 2010 question: Trivia on Strike

The frosting's on the punkin muffins, too.

The Cubs' season is over. The Bears' fantasy is over. And the frigid part of fall season is officially upon us. The frost is on the punkin, people. It's time for spices and Cool Whip and sweatshirts and early-morning ankle sensitivity. The leaves, they are a changin'.

Today's Question
Sports
Which is farther: the distance from the foul line to the head pin in bowling or the distance from the pitcher's plate to home plate in baseball?

Previous Question
And the people who knew it
The movie in question with the earth-saving humpback whales was Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Here's who knew, more or less: Micaela, Laurie, Kyle, Paul C (the C stands for Contact), Steve J (the J stands for James Tiberius), John H (the H stands for Holla back, Spock!), Karen M (the M stands for Monday needs a whale named after it, too), and Heather M (the M stands for Maybe the Fail Whale could be Monday's sea mammal). Congrats to all of you, condolences to the rest of you, and kudos to three of you. You know who you are.

September 29, 2010 question - Hump (back) Day

It's Wednesday. Hump day. The day everyone realizes the week is half over and they should probably get to work. Excuse me for interrupting. But before I leave you to the sweet relief that Friday is near and the shocking realization that the end of your to-do list is not, please take a moment to appreciate this bit of random knowledge that won't help you in the least.

Today's Question
The Animal Kingdom . . . no, wait, Movies


In what film do two humpback whales named George and Gracie travel into the future and save the world?

Previous Answer
And the People Who Knew It


Steve J ( the J stands for Joad Family) and Karen M (the M stands for Make My Salad A César) knew that César Chávez founded United Farm Workers of America. Their trivial reign may never end, because who knows when the next question will go out. Congrats!

September 28, 2010 question - Mr. Snark Goes to Washington

A guy with a sense of humor, or any sense for that matter, has no place in Washington.
Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA

Stephen Colbert makes a pretty decent living making fun of politicians, but apparently they don't like it when he shows up at their workplace to do it. When the crown prince of Comedy Central appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Friday, its chairman, Rep. John Conyers D-Mich, asked the comic to submit his written statement and leave so that people who actually knew what they were talking about could take the floor. "I don't have a problem with a little levity, but you have no expertise in the matters we're most concerned about," Conyers chided. "Your style of comedy draws attention only to yourself and away from the very serious topic of . . . um . . . whatever it is we're supposed to be talking about."

Today's Question
Labor Unions
Who founded the United Farm Workers of America?

Yesterday's Answer
And the People Who Knew It
Cap'n Crunch's first name is Horatio. It says so on the Limited Edition Collector Card on the back of my throwback cereal box. Eat that, America. Seriously, it stays crunchy in milk and is delicious.

September 27, 2010 question - Welcome Back

Ladies and gentlemen, this is not me.

I know what you're thinking: Adam stopped sending trivia because he doesn't like me. It's personal. He doesn't care. He's got more important things to worry about. He's also a slacker, an ingrate, a sociopath, a bad dancer, a heretic, an Elton John impersonator, one of the people who got confused by the butterfly ballot, the one who let the dogs out, stinky, selfish, and also not much good. 


Well I'm writing today to tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that several of those things are debatable. But the real reason trivia has come to be more of a semiannual affair instead of a daily one is that you people know everything. In the infotainment age, it became almost impossible for me to come up with any questions you didn't know. So, like Willy Wonka withdrawing into his subterranean Oompa-Loompan sweatshop to perfect his ideas,  I have secluded myself in the bowels of the trivia monster to . . . wait, that's gross. I have sequestered myself in the nether regions of knowledge to create the . . . okay, also gross. I'm in my basement trying to do better, okay? Here's the question.

Today's Question

Breakfast Cereal

What is Cap'n Crunch's first name?

Previous Answer

And the People Who Knew It

The only Sesame Street muppet with five fingers is Cookie Monster. Nobody knew it. Wait, Adam, doesn't that make everything you said above just a horrendous lie? Also, I knew it! Okay, let's not analyze the situation to death. Let's just let trivia be trivia, you dig? And sure, you knew it, but I don't want to make the others feel bad. It will spoil the trivia renaissance.

March 8, 2010 question - 5-finger Trivia

So, it's been awhile since the trivia office sent anything over the wire. Don't worry. Everything's okay. Our fax machine is broken. Our coffee machine is in dire need of a replacement. And our calendar is still on February. But don't worry. Your trivia is important to us, and we're sorry about the wait. Also, we aren't really we. We're just me. But it sounds more official to pluralize myself. We know, we're pretentious.

But let's catch up on what we've missed. Happy Halloween! Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Happy President's Day! Happy Valentine's Day! Happy Casimir Pulaski Day! Oscars! Happy International Women's Day! Aw, it's Monday. Booo. Let's get to the question, which I just had fed to me by my Sesame Street friends.

Today's Question
Sesame Street
Who is the only Sesame Street Muppet with five fingers? (the rest have four)

Previous Answer
And the People Who Knew It
Little Richard was the guy James brown credited for bringing funk into rock 'n' roll. I'm pretty sure Jason knew. That was 6 months ago.

September 9, 2009 Question - Out of the Funk

Trivia Funk
Brought to you by George Clinton
I've been in a funk. But today, I'm coming out of it. Here is my trivia pledge:

• I will send trivia out today. I will try to do it again tomorrow.
• I will limit my funk to bouncy, heavy-handed bass lines, the emphasis on the down beat, and spasmodic dancing.
• I will shower.

These are my goals. They are not as lofty as some might expect, but they are not as simple as they seem.

Okay. I'm getting a call on my other brain, so I need to cut this short. Here's some trivia for you.

Today's Question
Funk
Who did James Brown credit as being the first to put the funk in the rock 'n' roll beat?

Previous Answer
And the people who knew it
I think the answer was Cornell. I'm giving credit to the entire month of August. Sorry, August. It wasn't personal.

July 30, 2009 question - Stupidist

Racism or Intellectualism?
Obama's "stupid" comments costing him; but why?
Barack Obama said that the police officers who arrested Harvard prof William Henry Gates acted "stupidly," a word he later wished he had calibrated differently.

Now the news is out that the way he handled his comments (and the comments about the comments about the comments) are costing him where it hurts a president most: his approval rating.

Most reactions seem to categorize this flap as a matter of racism. I see it as something different. Stupid is not just a bad word for kids to say anymore. Now the president can't even say it. If he had calibrated his thoughts as, "The police would have been wiser to approach matters differently," Obama probably would have been okay. But he called the police "stupid," and that will land anybody in time out.

Yeah, I think Obama's big mistake was offending stupid people. While that may be fun here at trivia, the White House isn't just supposed to defend Harvard professors. The Constitution begins, "We the people," not, "We the smart people."

Let's not use stupid as an insult any longer. Don't judge on mental might. Everybody has the potential to improve their intellect; even the prez.

Today's Question
History
What is the youngest school in the Ivy League?

Previous Answer
And the people who knew it
Karen M (the M stands for My Prince Better Be Tough) alone knew that the Grimm Brothers' princess didn't kiss the frog; she tossed him against the wall to transform him. Congrats! (And frogs, look elsewhere for a smooch.)

July 28, 2009 question - Grimm Reality

Will EA Ever Learn?
Luring geeks to girls like showing Superman kryptonite
EA's latest video game shocker is called Dante's Inferno, and they have resorted to their standard publicity tactic: intentionally offending people to get in the news. Congratulations, EA, your game made trivia.

The big marketing stunt was a promotion during last weekend's ComicCon, where sci-fi geeks, Star Trek lovers, and comic book aficionados were told to take pictures of themselves committing "acts of lust" with EA spokesmodels.

Obviously, EA expected the outrage over the offensive and suggestive and degrading ploy (garnished with a tiny legal disclaimer saying "don't you dare do anything untoward or we'll sue your pants off"). What they weren't expecting was the class-action lawsuit accusing EA of exposing hordes of nerds to uncontrolled cooties.

Lesson to all video game makers: don't anger the geek squad. They know how to end you.

Today's Question
Fairy Tales
In the tale of the Frog King by the brothers Grimm, how does the princess transform the disgusting frog into a handsome prince?

Previous Answer
And the people who knew it
Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea, and here's who knew: Karen M (the M stands for Mother Goose), Heather M (the M stands for Mary Q. Contrary), Steve T (the T stands for Thumbelina), Micaela, Charles, and Tonia. As they say in North Korea, "Your genius has saved your life . . . for now."

July 23, 2009 question - Kim Jong-il Wants To Be Your Friend

International Name-Calling Brouhaha
Did Secretary of State Clinton Unfriend North Korea

Hilary Clinton said North Korea was acting like unruly teenagers. Then North Korea called her a schoolgirl. They even called her a "funny lady," which goes to show how little the North Korean government knows about A) Hilary Clinton and B) humor. How junior high is this?

It's so bad, Hilary and Kim Jong-il are no longer Facebook friends. No word on who unfriended whom. I'm just worried they'll make me pick sides. Drama!




Today's Question
Geography

What is the capital city of North Korea?

Previous Answer

And the people who knew it

"Earth Song," by Michael Jackson somehow became a mega-hit in the UK, despite its tragic theme (suckiness) and unreleased status in the states. Even more shocking: none of you knew that. My world is collapsing.

July 22, 2009 question - Too Crooked for Iran?

Ayatollah to Ahmadinejad: VP is Creepy
The brutality and oppression I can live with

Things are getting testy in Iran. Okay, Iran is pretty much neck-deep in testiness for the foreseeable future, but there's another drop in the bucket.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (and where was the fuss about democracy when he was elected Supreme Leader, anyway?) has rejected Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's pick for Vice President.

Said the Big 'Tollah, "The view of the exalted leader is final and unwavering: I just don't think Satan was the best choice for a running mate."

The Lord of Darkness took the news in stride, expressing his intentions to get more involved in his role of president of the NCAA Bowl Championship Series committee.

Today's Question
Music

What Michael Jackson single became his all-time top-selling hit in the UK, despite never being released as a single in the US?

Previous Answer
And the people who knew it

In a perfect game, a bowler records a score of 30 in each and every frame (a strike earns the bowler 10 points, plus a point per pin on the next two balls bowled), so the final score recorded in the 7th frame is 210. Here's who knew:

Nancy K (the K stands for Kingpin)
Heidi
Steve T (the T stands for Tenpin)
Steve J (the J stands for Just Perfect)

Well struck. That question was right up your alley. Spare me. Will you print this out and frame it? I'll stop now.

July 21, 2009 question - Where Have You Gone, Mr. Trivia?

With Apologies to Simon and/or Garfunkel
And Joe DiMaggio

Where have you gone, Mr. Trivia?
Did Walter Cronkite's passing get to you?
Boo hoo hoo.

What's that you say, Mr. Trivia?
The trusted one has left and gone away.
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Try to write a question that nobody else will know.
Who discovered sodium biphosphate?
How'd they ever figure out that it would work that way?
So, let's change the subject. How about those Bears?

So here's to you, Mr. Trivia.
It looks like you have grossed us out, but why?
That's TMI.

That's two weeks off, Mr. Trivia,
And now you're back, we're wond'ring what we missed.
Yeah, we insist . . .

Please, no more songs about enemas.
Some trivia is better left unknown.
You make us groan. Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Today's Question

Sports & Leisure

What is the final score in the seventh frame of a perfect game of bowling?

Previous Answer
And the people who knew it

Captain America is the answer. I've forgotten the question. Here's who knew: Paul C (the C stands for Captain Canada, Hero Of The Great White North), Kyle, Karen H (the H stands for Hombre De Guam), and Micaela. Congrats, glory, and honor to you all, Avengers of ignorance. That was supposed to be a compliment. Forgive me if it didn't work out that way.

July 7, 2009 question - Glee

The Bright Side
It only took me four years to find one.
Glee: noun The feeling evoked by the 2005 World Series Champion White Sox sharing a theme song with a series about show choir


Today's Question
Really Cool Literature
Who is the alter ego of Steve Rogers?

Previous Answer
And the people who knew it
For real, it wasn't a trick question yesterday, and the answer was The Sun Also Rises, as Karen H (the H stands for Hemingway) knew quite well. Nicely done!

July 6, 2009 question - Gore '09

It's Pamplona Time.

Keep a close eye on your upper thigh.
The economy is wearing on the city of Pamplona and its annual running of the bulls.

Call me old school, but I'd rather be pinched by a recession than gored by a bull.

Today's Question
Literature
What Hemingway novel popularized the San Fermín festival in Pamplona?

Previous Answer
And the people who knew it
I'm a little disappointed in you for trusting me so much. I tried to tell you overtly that I would not be asking trick questions anymore . . . which is exactly what someone who is about to ask yet another trick question would say. Because there are no, zero, nada free-standing structures that reach higher than the Sears Tower antennas. By most classifications, antennae do not count in the "world's tallest" argument. Spires count, antennas don't. I can't pretend to understand it, but that's the way it is. So in my mind (where anyone is free to roam around, although I don't recommend it) the Sears tower is the world's tallest building. There are four structures that go higher than the top of the actual building, but those red and white feelers touch rarified air. So congrats to Sears, Willis, and all future names of Chicago's most altitudinous location!

July 2, 2009 question - I'm a Tricky Sicky

Once, Doce, Trece, Catorce
Sears Tower now a little place called Vertigo
The Sears Tower is set to change its name to Willis Tower later this summer, but for now it will test out a series of temporary names: Vertigo Tower, Wetmypants Place, Faintville, and Holycrap, just to name a few. That's because the Sears Tower skydeck now features a number of glass-box observatories collectively called "The Ledge," allowing people to stand suspended 103-stories above the Chicago pavement with an unobstructed view of the descent to their doom, one engineers claim will probably not occur.

Reading the story about this "innovation," I almost threw up and fainted. They say the idea for The Ledge came from all the forehead smudges they had to clean from the observatory windows. Guess what, fellas? If people of my ilk frequent the 103rd floor, the messes you'll have to clean up from those ill-begotten boxes of death will make you pine for the good-old days of forehead smudges.

For real, Willis, watchu talkin' 'bout?

Today's Question
Superlatives
How many buildings/free-standing structures in the world reach higher than the top of the Sears Tower's antennas?

Previous Answer
And the people who knew it
Some of you knew how to spell Albuquerque, some of you didn't, and the very sharpest among you didn't care. The capital of New Mexico is Santa Fe. Here's who overcame that spelling challenge:

Melinda
Karen H (the H stands for How Do You Spell, Jerk? A-D-A-M)
Charles

I'll try to keep my trick questions at a bare minimum from now on. Congratulations, all who doubt me.

July 1, 2009 question - No X-Ray Necessary

Birds Fly With No Clothes On
Why, oh, why can't I?
A man aboard a US Airways flight from North Carolina to LA found a brand new way to get comfortable on his cross-country flight. He donned a suit his parents had given him on his birthday . . . you know, his birthday suit. Figuratively.

So there he was, sitting in his assigned seat (complete story with photos) when two off-duty police officers who just happened to be onboard (the plane, not with the plan to fly in the buff) wrestled him to the ground, covered him up, and restrained him with what appears to be an extension cord and some luggage straps.

Meanwhile, the flight was diverted to New Mexico (ABQ). Talk about taking a wrong turn at AL-buh-KUR-kee.

Today's Question
Geography
What is the correct spelling of the state capital of New Mexico?

Previous Answer
And the people who knew it
Congrats to Kyle and Heidi who knew that the Elephant Man's doc was also the first to perform an appendectomy. I don't know if it was successful or not, but their trivia efforts certainly were. Nicely done!

June 29, 2009 question - Trivia Saves Lives

What's with the Dying?
Trivia was never meant to be an obit
Ed McMahon. Farrah Fawcett. Michael Jackson. Billy Mays. I guess the lesson here is, when I don't send Trivia, celebrities die. I'm on it.

Today's Question
History
Sir Frederick Treves, the physician famed for treating "Elephant Man" Joseph Merrick, was also the first to perform what surgical procedure?

Previous Answer
And the people who knew it
Dorothy Gale was the central character in The Wizard of Oz, although the Ozzians knew her by one name only, a la Madonna and Cher. Congrats to Jocelyn, John H (the H stands for Happy Birthday), Karen H (the H stands for Howling Winds Of Genius), Stephen K (the K stands for Knocked Out During House Relocation), and Karen M (the M stands for Emily), all of whom knew Dorothy long before she hit it big on the Yellow Brick Road. Your intellect blows me away.

June 23, 2009 question - Ed Signs Off

Hiyoooooo In Peace
Ed & Johnny Together in the Late, Late, Late Show
Ed McMahon worked in a business in which appearing on screen is life. So to all of us who say he will be missed, let's be realistic. In our minds, he's been dead for years. We don't miss him more today than we did yesterday. We merely realized he was gone.

However, Ed was the master of being invisible unless called upon, a humble page in Johnny's royal court. He'd chime in for a laugh at the perfect moment at the service of the show, not to polish his own ego.

So from the guy who knew when to be quiet and when to boom hilariously into America's consciousness, Ed McMahon has simultaneously ended his silence and entered his peace with perfect irony and, as always, impeccable comedic timing.

Today's Question
Literature/Film
I'm pretty sure we've asked this question before, but my son asked it of me out of the blue during a series of questions that went like this:

What's that movie with the green witch? The Wizard of Oz

What's the girl's name who lives in Kansas? Dorothy

(And today's question)

What's her last name?

Previous Answer
And the people who knew it
Beverly Hills is the only (one) city in the 90210 ZIP code. Kyle, Karen M (the M stands for Melrose Place), Nancy K (the K stands for Knows Rodeo Drive Like The Back Of Her Hand), and Charles all guessed one, although a few of you confused the Hills with LA and/or Hollywood. Beverly Hills and West Hollywoood are actually 2 distinct cities surrounded by Los Angeles.

Kinda confusing. Not sure I even want to figure it out. Congrats to you all, regardless of trivial discrepancies.

June 17, 2009 question - Leakage

Sammy's in a Jammy
The Voices in my head are debating
First of all, sorry for the trivia rain-out yesterday. So frustrating for all of us, I'm sure. Secondly, if you're wondering how the so-called news of Sammy's so-called positive drug test are affecting me, let me fill you in: I'm angry. I'm so tired of news stories that rest solely on the word of unnamed sources without the slightest shred of corroboration or investigation whatsoever. Citing an anonymous source doesn't make you a journalist, it makes you a gossip, an email rumor generator, a snitch.

And while we're on the topic of anonymous leaks, isn't that what Sammy thought he was doing in the first place?

Today's Question
Going Postal
How many cities share the 90210 ZIP code?

Monday's Answer
And the people who knew it
Bumblebee's can sting, but not all of them. Females (the queen and the worker bumbles) have stingers, but the males are just good for birds & bees related activities. I was prepared to give credit to all who answered yes, but Karen M (the M stands for Make Way For The Trivia Queen) knew the answer in vivid detail and will share her trivia throne with no one. Way to know your buzz biz!

June 15, 2009 question

Sorry for the 2-week layoff
I take Flag Day very seriously
The results of the Iranian election are being disputed from the streets of Tehran to the halls of D.C. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes it was a fair and free election. His reformist adversary, Mir Hossein Moussavi, thinks the entire process has been a mullah-generated fraud. And Al Gore still thinks he has enough votes in Florida to win the thing.

Everything old is new again.

Today's Question
Nature
Can Bumblebees sting?

Yesterday's (give or take 2 weeks) Answer
And the people who knew it

Johnny Carson was the longest tenured host of The Tonight Show by far. I thought it might be so easy you'd second guess yourselves. I thought wrong.

June 2, 2009 question - Hemorrhiffic

Conan the Red-Hairy Man
Say that like "barbarian" and it should all make sense
The Conan era has begun on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, which makes sense now that they're calling it that. Conan's first show was received well by everyone but himself (he compared it to "a Backstreet Boys reunion, only not as good"). My favorite part was his cross-country jaunt that included a mad dash past an Amish buggy and a streaker-esque shortcut through Wrigley Field. (Thanks for the clip, hulu.)

I'm glad to see Conan take the reins of the big show, although I truly will miss Jay Leno. I know no one really thinks he's all that funny or talented, but Leno is a great guy who always works hard and never takes himself too seriously. And I'll be darned if I ever watched a "Headlines" segment without belly laughing.

Welcome, Conan. I'll miss you, Jay.

Today's Question
Television
Which Tonight Show host had the longest tenure in the show's history?

Yesterday's Answer
And the people who knew it
We actually have two days' worth of awards to give out. And all apologies to Karen H, Nancy K, and Mike K, but Kristin and her not-even-all-that-correct Mouseketeering answer won the popular vote and earned her short-lived trivia glory.

And . . . the moment has passed. Yesterday's champs were Maridee, Paul C (the C stands for C-E-A-U-C-E-S-C-U), and Heather M (the M stands for M-I-C-H-A-E-L-O-F-F-E-D-M-O-R-T-I-M-E-R). Congrats on being able to spell hemorrhoids and I hope that hasn't come from experience.