Saturday, March 31, 2007

Happy Birthday - Random Trivia Questions

Your birthday is a very special day. Only eighteen million other people share it (unless you were born on February 29, in which case you really are special since only 4.5 million people have your birthday). I have only one friend who shares my birthday (Happy Birthday, Seth!), which either means I don't have that many friends or I don't know their birthdays. One of our best friends and his wife (especially his wife) will likely have their first baby between the time I started writing this and the time I post the answers, and I'm rooting for a March 31st delivery because April Fools' Day is a really tough day for a kid to celebrate his or her birthday on (how many trick candles and gag gifts can a person stand?).

Of course, your mom remembers your actual birthday much better than you do, but celebrating the occasion every year is still a great idea, especially when you consider the alternative to having another birthday.

Happy Birthday Questions

  • Q1) What music groups "Birthday" song begins, "You say it's your birthday"?
  • Q2) What was the original song that became "Happy Birthday to You"?
  • Q3) Who added the current lyrics to the song in 1935?
  • Q4) Who currently owns the copyright to "Happy Birthday to You"?
  • Q5) Who celebrated his fiftieth birthday in July 1996 with a 27-million dollar party, including three concerts featuring Michael Jackson?
  • Q6) For what birthday number did Marilyn Monroe sing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy?
  • Q7) What television show's birthday song goes, "What day is today? It's ______'s birthday; What a day for a birthday; Let's all have some cake!"
  • Q8) In England, what is the youngest birthday on which you would receive a telegram from the Queen?
  • Q9) On which birthday do Jewish boys celebrate their Bar Mitzvah?
  • Q10) What is your golden birthday?
  • Q11) What is the most common month for birthdays in the U.S. (according to Hallmark)?
  • Q12) What is the most common birthday (month and day) in the U.S.?

High-Strung Capital -- Quiz Quilt 13 Solution

Category Answers:
Sports
&
Games
BRISTOLThe sports cable network debuted from the Connecticut town on September 7, 1979 and originally filled the hours with Australian Rules Football and tractor pulls before signing its first major sports contracts.
Math
&
Science
CILIAThe word comes directly from the Latin. The singular is cilium.
Literature
&
Arts
JAINISMThe religion believes that all living things have souls and preaches nonviolence.
Geography
&
Nature
POLYPSThe cylindrical cnidarians can reproduce asexually and can form immense colonies. The 1,200-mile Great Barrier Reef is composed of billions of dead polyp shells.
History
&
Government
WESSEXThe youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II wed Sophie Rhys-Jones on June 19.
Entertainment
&
Food
HOUDINIProfessional performer Harry Houdini died on October 31, 1926 from peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix after he was caught unprepared by a punch.

Quiz Quilt Answer: TAIPEI (Fifth letters)

The capital of Taiwan and a pun on "Type A" personality.

Friday, March 30, 2007

High-Strung Capital -- Quiz Quilt 13 Puzzle

Category Questions:
Sports
&
Games
In what town are ESPN's headquarters located?
Math
&
Science
What is the scientific name for the eyelashes?
Literature
&
Arts
What religion did Mahavira found in India in the 6th century B.C.?
Geography
&
Nature
What kind of animal created the Great Barrier Reef in Australia?
History
&
Government
Of what region did Prince Edward become Earl when he got married in 1999?
Entertainment
&
Food
What American magician, born in Hungary as Erich Weiss, was known as an escape artist?

General Trivia Answers #385-390

Answer 385: Entertainment & Food -- Missing Mouseketeer

d) Mandy Moore

Spears and Aguilera made the cut, but Simpson "froze" in the finals.

Answer 386: History & Government -- Governor Agnew

b) Maryland

The Republican was born in Towson and graduated from Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland.

Answer 387: Math & Science -- Mister Lister

a) Carbolic acid

The disinfectant Listerine is named for the British surgeon.

Answer 388: Geography & Nature -- Peninsula People

a) Jacksonville

736,000 people inhabit 874 square miles, an area larger than any other city in the 48 contiguous states.

Answer 389: Literature & Arts -- Truth or Fiction

b) Robert Graves

The English scholar followed his story about the Roman emperor Claudius with the sequel Claudius the God in 1943.

Answer 390: Sports & Games -- G.I. Games

c) Nintendo

They originally intended to provide jukeboxes and pinball games for U.S. military bases.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

General Trivia Questions #385-390

Question 385: Entertainment & Food -- Missing Mouseketeer

Which singer below did not audition for the Mickey Mouse Club?

a) Britney Spears
b) Christina Aguilera
c) Jessica Simpson
d) Mandy Moore

Question 386: History & Government -- Governor Agnew

Which state was Spiro Agnew governor of before he became Vice President of the U.S.?

a) Maine
b) Maryland
c) Massachusetts
d) Missouri

Question 387: Math & Science -- Mister Lister

What acid did Joseph Lister use as the first antiseptic in 1860?

a) Carbolic acid
b) Formic acid
c) Hydrochloric acid
d) Salicylic acid

Question 388: Geography & Nature -- Peninsula People

What is the most populous city in Florida?

a) Jacksonville
b) Miami
c) Orlando
d) St. Petersburg

Question 389: Literature & Arts -- Truth or Fiction

What writer fictionalized history with the 1934 novel I, Claudius?

a) Richard Llewellyn
b) Robert Graves
c) Robert Stone
d) Roger Bacon

Question 390: Sports & Games -- G.I. Games

What video game company was founded by American G.I.s after the Korean War?

a) Atari
b) NEC
c) Nintendo
d) Sega

General Trivia Answers #379-384

Answer 379: Entertainment & Food -- Parisian Pole

d) Roman Polanski

The Paris-born, Polish film director dedicated Tess to his wife Sharon Tate, who told him that the book would be a good movie and was murdered by members of Charles Manson's cult.

Answer 380: History & Government -- First Fort

d) Fort Sumter

The military post in South Carolina was attacked on April 12.

Answer 381: Math & Science -- Caduceus Critter

d) Snake

The staff, which is an insignia of the medical profession, was originally adorned with ribbons, which eventually transformed into the reptiles.

Answer 382: Geography & Nature -- Dam Tall

b) California

Oroville is 770 feet tall.

Answer 383: Literature & Arts -- Speak-a My Language

b) Newspeak

The language is based on English, now called Oldspeak, but is simplified to make subversive thoughts and speech more difficult.

Answer 384: Sports & Games -- Hush, Rush

a) Donovan McNabb

Saying, "I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well" and other related opinions cost him his job as a football commentator at ESPN.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

General Trivia Questions #379-384

Question 379: Entertainment & Food -- Parisian Pole

Who was the director of Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, Frantic, and Tess?

a) Bernard Kowalski
b) Krzysztof Kieslowski
c) Peter Bogdanovich
d) Roman Polanski

Question 380: History & Government -- First Fort

What Union fort was fired upon in 1861 to begin the U.S. Civil War?

a) Fort Blakeley
b) Fort Heiman
c) Fort Sanders
d) Fort Sumter

Question 381: Math & Science -- Caduceus Critter

What animal is found on a caduceus?

a) Eagle
b) Horse
c) Rabbit
d) Snake

Question 382: Geography & Nature -- Dam Tall

Which state is home to the highest dam in the U.S.?

a) Arizona
b) California
c) Idaho
d) Washington

Question 383: Literature & Arts -- Speak-a My Language

What contradictory language did George Orwell concoct for his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four?

a) Doublespeak
b) Newspeak
c) Speakspeak
d) Totalspeak

Question 384: Sports & Games -- Hush, Rush

About which quarterback did Rush Limbaugh make controversial remarks on Sunday NFL Countdown in October 2003?

a) Donovan McNabb
b) Kordell Stewart
c) Michael Vick
d) Steve McNair

General Trivia Answers #373-378

Answer 373: Entertainment & Food -- Repair Doctor

b) Hunter

Robin Williams's character, based on a real-life doctor, earned his nickname by repairing a coffee cup.

Answer 374: History & Government -- Nobel? No, Thanks

d) Physics

Richard Kuhn and Adolf Butenandt both refused the Chemistry award, Boris Pasternak and Jean-Paul Sartre the Literature, and Le Duc Tho the Peace.

Answer 375: Math & Science -- Water Works

d) Richard Arkwright

The Englishman was knighted in 1786 for his cotton thread-making invention which helped spur the Industrial Revolution.

Answer 376: Geography & Nature -- Wide Wings

c) Marabou stork

The wading bird's wings can stretch up to thirteen feet.

Answer 377: Literature & Arts -- Honor Among Thieves

d) Ralph Waldo Emerson

The quip is from The Conduct of Life, a collection of his lectures.

Answer 378: Sports & Games -- K King, Nay Ring

a) Don Sutton

The Hall of Famer had 3,574 strikeouts, forty more than Perry.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

General Trivia Questions #373-378

Question 373: Entertainment & Food -- Repair Doctor

In the 1998 movie Patch Adams, what was the title character's given first name?

a) Adam
b) Hunter
c) Jackson
d) Peter

Question 374: History & Government -- Nobel? No, Thanks

Which Nobel Prize has never been declined by its intended recipient?

a) Chemistry
b) Literature
c) Peace
d) Physics

Question 375: Math & Science -- Water Works

Who developed the water frame spinning machine in 1769?

a) Benjamin Franklin
b) Eli Whitney
c) Leonardo da Vinci
d) Richard Arkwright

Question 376: Geography & Nature -- Wide Wings

What bird has the longest wingspan?

a) Albatross
b) California condor
c) Marabou stork
d) Trumpeter swan

Question 377: Literature & Arts -- Honor Among Thieves

In 1860, what author related, "The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons"?

a) Charles Dickens
b) Harper Lee
c) Mark Twain
d) Ralph Waldo Emerson

Question 378: Sports & Games -- K King, Nay Ring

Which pitcher struck out the most batters in his career without winning a World Series?

a) Don Sutton
b) Ferguson Jenkins
c) Gaylord Perry
d) Phil Niekro

General Trivia Answers #367-372

Answer 367: Entertainment & Food -- Travolta Tune

a) "All You Need Is Love"

His title character is a drinking, smoking, cursing, and womanizing angel.

Answer 368: History & Government -- Grab Bag

b) Larceny

The crime becomes robbery if force is used or threatened.

Answer 369: Math & Science -- Work It Out

d) Power

In the International System of Units, power is measured in watts (joules per second).

Answer 370: Geography & Nature -- Coal Country

a) China

With over 80% of its power plants relying on coal, the country experienced disastrous shortages in 2004.

Answer 371: Literature & Arts -- Shakespeare's Sisters

c) Lavinia

The rape victim appears in Titus Andronicus, a play that is seldom performed because of its violence.

Answer 372: Sports & Games -- Root for the Fruit

c) Wrestling

They are leg holds.

Monday, March 26, 2007

General Trivia Questions #367-372

Question 367: Entertainment & Food -- Travolta Tune

In the movie Michael, which Beatles song does John Travolta sing in the car?

a) "All You Need Is Love"
b) "Hey Jude"
c) "Yellow Submarine"
d) "Yesterday"

Question 368: History & Government -- Grab Bag

What is the general legal term for "unlawful taking and carrying away of another's property"?

a) Burglary
b) Larceny
c) Robbery
d) Theft

Question 369: Math & Science -- Work It Out

In physics, what unit of measure is the time rate of doing work?

a) Energy
b) Force
c) Inertia
d) Power

Question 370: Geography & Nature -- Coal Country

What country uses the most coal?

a) China
b) India
c) Russia
d) U.S.

Question 371: Literature & Arts -- Shakespeare's Sisters

Which character below was not one of King Lear's daughters in Shakespeare's play?

a) Cordelia
b) Goneril
c) Lavinia
d) Regan

Question 372: Sports & Games -- Root for the Fruit

What sport uses the terms grape vine and double grape vine?

a) Gymnastics
b) Synchronized swimming
c) Wrestling
d) Yachting

General Trivia Answers #361-366

Answer 361: Entertainment & Food -- Brown Bride

d) Whitney Houston

The following year, the couple had their only child, a daughter named Bobbi Kristina Brown.

Answer 362: History & Government -- Dead Lee

a) Jack Ruby

The Mafia member and nightclub owner shot the assassin on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald shot Kennedy.

Answer 363: Math & Science -- Oh Deer

c) Lyme disease

The infectious disease is spread by ticks carrying the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.

Answer 364: Geography & Nature -- Almost Annihilated Animals

a) Penguin

Penguins are native only to the southern hemisphere but are not restricted to cold climates.

Answer 365: Literature & Arts -- Ancient Architecture

a) Aeolian

Aeolus was the Greek god of the winds but has nothing to do with architecture.

Answer 366: Sports & Games -- Football's Finest

c) Knute Rockne

His Notre Dame teams won 88.1% of their games and captured six national titles during his thirteen seasons.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

General Trivia Questions #361-366

Question 361: Entertainment & Food -- Brown Bride

What singer wed Bobby Brown on July 18, 1992?

a) Chaka Khan
b) Donna Summer
c) Paula Abdul
d) Whitney Houston

Question 362: History & Government -- Dead Lee

Who killed Lee Harvey Oswald?

a) Jack Ruby
b) James Earl Ray
c) John Wilkes Booth
d) Sirhan Sirhan

Question 363: Math & Science -- Oh Deer

What disease is transmitted by deer ticks and was named after the Connecticut town where it was identified in 1975?

a) Dengue fever
b) Encephalitis
c) Lyme disease
d) Malaria

Question 364: Geography & Nature -- Almost Annihilated Animals

What animal's African, Rockhopper, Humboldt, Royal, and Erect-Crested species are all in danger of extinction?

a) Penguin
b) Sea lion
c) Sea otter
d) Seal

Question 365: Literature & Arts -- Ancient Architecture

Which of the following is not one of the three main styles of Greek architecture?

a) Aeolian
b) Corinthian
c) Doric
d) Ionic

Question 366: Sports & Games -- Football's Finest

Which college football coach had the highest career winning percentage?

a) Barry Switzer
b) Frank Leahy
c) Knute Rockne
d) Tom Osborne

Time - Random Trivia Answers

  • A1) 5 weeks. The start was moved up four weeks, from the first Sunday in April to the second Sunday in March (some years will have a three week difference), and the end was moved back one week from the last Sunday in October to the first Sunday in November.
  • A2) Summer. In 2007, it will last 93 days, while spring is 92 days, autumn 90, and winter 89 (ending in 2008). The eccentricity of the Earth's orbit can be thanked for this oddity.
  • A3) Hourglass. The spiders sport a red hourglass-shaped marking, the second novel is titled "Bearing an Hourglass", and the evil sorcerer Jafar holds Jasmine captive in an supersized hourglass.
  • A4) Gnomon. In 1966, MIT engineering graduate students borrowed the Greek word, meaning "indicator", for their new copy shop, Gnomon Copy.
  • A5) Water. The Egyptians began using the relatively inaccurate measuring devices as far back as the 16th century B.C.
  • A6) 11 days. The day after September 2, 1754 was September 14, 1754. George Washington was born on February 11, 1732 by the old system and February 22 by the new.
  • A7) Cesium. One second has equaled 9,192,631,770 transition cycles between two radiation states of the cesium-133 atom since 1967.
  • A8) 24 leap years. Every fourth year from 2004 to 2096 is a leap year, while 2100 is not a leap year because it is not divisible by 400.
  • A9) Common. Common years have 365 days, and leap years have 366.
  • A10) 7 years. The last two leap seconds were observed on December 31, 1998 and December 31, 2005. The shortest gap was six months between the first two leap seconds, as the second one occurred on December 31, 1972.
  • A11) B. Planck time. This is the time (5.4x10-44 seconds) a photon needs to cover one Planck length (1.6x10-35 meters) at light speed. The prefix "yocto-" means 10-24, "zepto-" means 10-21, and "atto-" means 10-18.
  • A12) B. Thousands of minutes in a month. A month can range from 40.3 (40,320 minutes in a non-leap February) to 44.6 (44,640 minutes in a 31-day month). There are 36 hundred seconds in an hour, about 31.5 million seconds in a year (31.6 leap), and just under 31.7 years in a billion seconds.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Time - Random Trivia Questions

In the early 1980s, Styx sang "Too Much Time on My Hands". Those summers in high school were the last time I could have agreed with them. Miles Davis, Yes, and others echo my feelings ever since: "Tempus Fugit" ("Time Flies").

This week's themed quiz has nothing to do with the Alan Parsons Project song "Time" and everything to do with time itself. Even before I've written a single question, I know I will spend longer on this than I planned to, I will go to sleep later than I hoped, and my deadline will arrive sooner than I'd like.

Time Questions

  • Q1) In the United States, how many weeks longer will Daylight Saving Time be in effect in 2007 compared to what it would have been under last year's rules?
  • Q2) In the northern hemisphere, which season is the longest?
  • Q3) What timekeeping device connects North American black widow spiders, Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality book series, and Walt Disney's Aladdin?
  • Q4) What part of a sundial casts the shadow used for telling the time?
  • Q5) What did the ancient clocks known as clepsydras use to keep time?
  • Q6) How many days are missing from September 1752 because of the switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar?
  • Q7) What chemical element helps define the duration of a second in the International System of Units?
  • Q8) How many leap years will there be in the 21st century?
  • Q9) What adjective refers specifically to a year that is not a leap year besides "non-leap"?
  • Q10) Since the first leap second was added on June 30, 1972, what has been the most years between leap seconds?
  • Q11) What is the shortest of the following units of time: A. Attosecond; B. Planck time; C. Yoctosecond; D. Zeptosecond?
  • Q12) What is the highest of the following numbers: A. Hundreds of seconds in an hour; B. Thousands of minutes in a month; C. Millions of seconds in a year; or D. Years in a billion seconds?

Car Guard Guitar -- Quiz Quilt 12 Solution

Category Answers:
Math
&
Science
BRAHEIn 1566, Tycho Brahe got the worse of a sword fight with classmate Manderup Parsbjerg and ended up wearing gold and silver bridges the rest of his life.
History
&
Government
REAGANRonald Reagan's grandson Cameron was convicted for participating in two car burglaries in November 1998.
Sports
&
Games
IDITARODThe dog sled competition began as a 25-mile contest near Anchorage in 1967.
Entertainment
&
Food
ANDREWSBorn as Julia Elizabeth Wells and famous as The Sound of Music governess, Julie Andrews is rumored to have won about $9 million from an undisclosed settlement.
Literature
&
Arts
BETASThe alphas are the highest class, while gammas, deltas, and epsilons are the lower classes. Babies are born into their castes and trained accordingly from birth.
Geography
&
Nature
AFRICAIt is also the only continent that intersects the equator, the Tropic of Cancer, and the Tropic of Capricorn.

Quiz Quilt Answer: FENDER (2nd letters going up)

A fender protects a car wheel, and a Fender is a type of electric guitar.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Car Guard Guitar -- Quiz Quilt 12 Puzzle

Category Questions:
Math
&
Science
What Danish astronomer lost his nose in a duel with another mathematician?
History
&
Government
Which U.S. President's grandson Cameron was sentenced to six months in jail in 1999 for receiving stolen property?
Sports
&
Games
What thousand-mile race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska is held every March?
Entertainment
&
Food
What Oscar-winning actress sued Mount Sinai Hospital doctors Scott Kessler and Jeffrey Libin in 1999 for damaging her voice?
Literature
&
Arts
In Brave New World, what name refers to the middle class of people?
Geography
&
Nature
What is the only continent located in the northern, southern, eastern, and western hemispheres?

General Trivia Answers #355-360

Answer 355: Entertainment & Food -- Raking in the Rubles

d) Pepsi

By both selling and producing the soft drink there, Pepsi has managed to outsell its rival Coca-Cola in Russia by a 6 to 1 ratio.

Answer 356: History & Government -- Haraldry and Hairaldry

c) Norway

The Viking unified several small kingdoms in Scandinavia.

Answer 357: Math & Science -- Gradzooks!

d) 400

The grad, also called a gon, equals one percent of a right angle and was introduced with the metric system but never widely adopted.

Answer 358: Geography & Nature -- Ice Ice Baby

d) 90%

The continent is almost entirely covered by a blanket of ice that is an average of 7,000 feet thick.

Answer 359: Literature & Arts -- Super Start

c) The Human Torch

In 1939, the first incarnation of the Human Torch was an android created by Professor Phineas T. Horton. Johnny Storm later became the second Human Torch.

Answer 360: Sports & Games -- Awesome Aussie

c) Rod Laver

Rocket Rod won the major four times between 1961 and 1969.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

General Trivia Questions #355-360

Question 355: Entertainment & Food -- Raking in the Rubles

In 1972, what became the first American consumer product sold in the Soviet Union?

a) Coca-Cola
b) Levi's jeans
c) McDonald's hamburgers
d) Pepsi

Question 356: History & Government -- Haraldry and Hairaldry

What country's first ruler was Harald Fairhair in A.D. 872?

a) Denmark
b) Finland
c) Norway
d) Sweden

Question 357: Math & Science -- Gradzooks!

In mathematics, how many grads are in a circle?

a) 100
b) 200
c) 300
d) 400

Question 358: Geography & Nature -- Ice Ice Baby

What percent of the world's ice does Antarctica contain?

a) 30%
b) 50%
c) 70%
d) 90%

Question 359: Literature & Arts -- Super Start

What superhero debuted in "Marvel Comics No. 1"?

a) Batman
b) Captain Marvel
c) The Human Torch
d) Superman

Question 360: Sports & Games -- Awesome Aussie

Which Australian male won the most Wimbledon titles?

a) John Newcombe
b) Lew Hoad
c) Rod Laver
d) Roy Emerson

General Trivia Answers #349-354

Answer 349: Entertainment & Food -- The Three-Fourths Monty

c) Terry Gilliam

The animator and cartoonist was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 22, 1940.

Answer 350: History & Government -- Start Spreading the News

a) A dance

The swing dance originated in South Carolina.

Answer 351: Math & Science -- Monkey Business

b) Chimpanzees

HIV is very similar to SIV, the simian immunodeficiency viruses.

Answer 352: Geography & Nature -- Sea to Shining Sea

c) North Carolina

The city's latitude is about 34° North.

Answer 353: Literature & Arts -- Lots of Languages

a) Don Quixote

The story has been printed in over sixty languages.

Answer 354: Sports & Games -- Running Up the Score

b) Barry Sanders

The Oklahoma State running back tallied 234 points on 39 touchdowns in 1988.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

General Trivia Questions #349-354

Question 349: Entertainment & Food -- The Three-Fourths Monty

Who was the only American-born member of Monty Python's Flying Circus?

a) Eric Idle
b) John Cleese
c) Terry Gilliam
d) Terry Jones

Question 350: History & Government -- Start Spreading the News

What was New York City nicknamed the Big Apple after?

a) A dance
b) A fruit
c) A geographical feature
d) A song

Question 351: Math & Science -- Monkey Business

In what animal is the AIDS virus believed to have originated?

a) Apes
b) Chimpanzees
c) Gorillas
d) Monkeys

Question 352: Geography & Nature -- Sea to Shining Sea

Which U.S. state's Atlantic coast would you reach if you traveled directly east from Los Angeles?

a) Florida
b) Georgia
c) North Carolina
d) South Carolina

Question 353: Literature & Arts -- Lots of Languages

After the Bible, what publication has been translated into the most languages?

a) Don Quixote
b) Hamlet
c) Reader's Digest
d) Tom Sawyer

Question 354: Sports & Games -- Running Up the Score

What college football player scored the most points in a season?

a) Art Luppino
b) Barry Sanders
c) Lydell Mitchell
d) Mike Rozier

General Trivia Answers #343-348

Answer 343: Entertainment & Food -- Roaming Home

b) The Honeymooners

The Kramdens' and Nortons' Brooklyn, New York address was also variously given as 358½ and 728.

Answer 344: History & Government -- Novel Nobel

a) Economic science

Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen won the first award for having "developed and applied dynamic models for the analysis of economic processes."

Answer 345: Math & Science -- Bone Builder

c) Vitamin D

Also known as calciferol, it helps maintain calcium and phosphorous levels in the bloodstream.

Answer 346: Geography & Nature -- Towering Town

b) Denver, Colorado

One of the steps of the state capitol stands exactly 5,280 feet above sea level.

Answer 347: Literature & Arts -- A Pen of Poets

c) Lake Poets

The name comes from the English Lake District of Cumberland and Westmorland where the authors lived in the early 19th century.

Answer 348: Sports & Games -- Hammerin' Cycle

c) Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Hammerin' Hank started with the Milwaukee Braves in 1954 and finished with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1976.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

General Trivia Questions #343-348

Question 343: Entertainment & Food -- Roaming Home

What TV show's main family lived at 328 Chauncey Street?

a) The Dick Van Dyke Show
b) The Honeymooners
c) I Love Lucy
d) I Married Joan

Question 344: History & Government -- Novel Nobel

What new Nobel Prize was added in 1969?

a) Economic science
b) Geology and archaeology
c) Social science
d) Technology

Question 345: Math & Science -- Bone Builder

Which vitamin found in sunlight and milk products is important for bone development?

a) Vitamin A
b) Vitamin C
c) Vitamin D
d) Vitamin E

Question 346: Geography & Nature -- Towering Town

What is the Mile High City that is the financial and administrative center of the Rocky Mountain region?

a) Casper, Wyoming
b) Denver, Colorado
c) Helena, Montana
d) Provo, Utah

Question 347: Literature & Arts -- A Pen of Poets

What type of poets were William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey?

a) Cavalier Poets
b) Fugitive Poets
c) Lake Poets
d) Transcendental Poets

Question 348: Sports & Games -- Hammerin' Cycle

In what city did Hank Aaron begin and end his Major League Baseball career?

a) Atlanta, Georgia
b) Boston, Massachusetts
c) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
d) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

General Trivia Answers #337-342

Answer 337: Entertainment & Food -- European Western

d) Spain

The Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson film was directed by Italian Sergio Leone and initially released under its Italian name, C'era una volta il West.

Answer 338: History & Government -- Just a Normal College

b) Duke

The Durham university was renamed in 1924 following donations by the wealthy Duke family that created the Duke Power and Duke Energy companies.

Answer 339: Math & Science -- Break a Leg Fever

a) Dengue

Like malaria, dengue fever is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes.

Answer 340: Geography & Nature -- Animal Control

c) Goat

The grazing animals have been serving us for about 10,000 years.

Answer 341: Literature & Arts -- Our State

c) New Hampshire

The 1938 play takes place in Grover's Corners.

Answer 342: Sports & Games -- Pinochle Pinnacle

b) 150 points

The game is usually played to 500 points.

Monday, March 19, 2007

General Trivia Questions #337-342

Question 337: Entertainment & Food -- European Western

In what country besides the U.S. was the 1968 movie Once Upon a Time in the West filmed?

a) France
b) Germany
c) Italy
d) Spain

Question 338: History & Government -- Just a Normal College

What university was founded in 1838 as Union Institute and chartered in 1852 as Normal College?

a) Clemson
b) Duke
c) Maryland
d) North Carolina

Question 339: Math & Science -- Break a Leg Fever

What viral infectious disease, also known as breakbone fever, is more commonly found in warm climates?

a) Dengue
b) Encephalitis
c) Malaria
d) Typhoid

Question 340: Geography & Nature -- Animal Control

What was the second animal that humans domesticated?

a) Cat
b) Cow
c) Goat
d) Sheep

Question 341: Literature & Arts -- Our State

In which state is Thornton Wilder's play Our Town set?

a) Maine
b) Massachusetts
c) New Hampshire
d) Vermont

Question 342: Sports & Games -- Pinochle Pinnacle

In pinochle, how much is a royal flush worth when melding?

a) 100 points
b) 150 points
c) 200 points
d) 250 points

General Trivia Answers #331-336

Answer 331: Entertainment & Food -- Quarrel Moral

a) Be careful who your friends are

The story is about an ant who tries to save his colony from grasshoppers but mistakenly recruits circus performers instead of warriors.

Answer 332: History & Government -- Thai Dough

a) Baht

Each baht has equalled 100 satangs since the 1940s when the tical was renamed.

Answer 333: Math & Science -- Gas Mass

c) Kerosene

A gallon weighs around 6.75 pounds.

Answer 334: Geography & Nature -- Red Renamed

c) Manitoba

The Red River begins in North Dakota and flows northward into Canada.

Answer 335: Literature & Arts -- Getty's Garden

b) Los Angeles, California

The industrialist was born in Minneapolis but attended USC and UC Berkeley. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of 25 to "retire" to a life of luxury.

Answer 336: Sports & Games -- Power Pitcher

b) He won a strikeout title

George Herman Ruth's high of 170 strikeouts in 1916 would have led the National League but was 58 fewer than Walter Johnson in the American League.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

General Trivia Questions #331-336

Question 331: Entertainment & Food -- Quarrel Moral

Which of the following is not one of the morals of Disney's A Bug's Life?

a) Be careful who your friends are
b) Don't follow the herd
c) Little ones grow up to do big things
d) There is strength in numbers

Question 332: History & Government -- Thai Dough

What currency is used in Thailand?

a) Baht
b) Dong
c) Won
d) Yuan

Question 333: Math & Science -- Gas Mass

Which fuel below weighs the most per gallon?

a) Butane
b) Gasoline
c) Kerosene
d) Propane

Question 334: Geography & Nature -- Red Renamed

Which Canadian province was originally called the Red River Settlement?

a) Alberta
b) British Columbia
c) Manitoba
d) Saskatchewan

Question 335: Literature & Arts -- Getty's Garden

What city houses the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Center?

a) Dallas, Texas
b) Los Angeles, California
c) Minneapolis, Minnesota
d) New York, New York

Question 336: Sports & Games -- Power Pitcher

Which of the following was not true about Babe Ruth's major league pitching career?

a) He won an ERA title
b) He won a strikeout title
c) He won 20 games in a season
d) He won a World Series game

Card Games - Random Trivia Answers

  • A1) Whist. The main difference between the games is the addition of bidding in bridge, a feature that has been added to some newer variations of whist.
  • A2) 7,600. Losing every trick in a redoubled grand slam gives the opponents 400 points for the first trick and 600 for each of the other twelve. By contrast, making that same contract is worth only 2,980 points in no trump, 2,940 in a major, and 2,660 in a minor. Add 150 points to all of these for the absolute maximums with honors.
  • A3) Canasta. The game uses two full decks with jokers, and all of the 2's and jokers are wild for a total of 12 wild cards.
  • A4) Baccarat. The highest total in the game is 9.
  • A5) The Four of spades and Four of diamonds (4S 4D). This gives you four-of-a-kind, topping the potential full houses, flushes, and straights out there.
  • A6) Surrender. This option is sometimes available on all hands and sometimes only if your hand has a certain total. There are also early and late surrender variations against a dealer's ace. Fewer casinos now allow surrender, partly because the added complication confuses casual bettors more than it attracts them.
  • A7) 108. There are four 25-card colored suits (one 0; two of the other denominations from 1 to 9; and two Reverses, Skips, and Draw Twos), four Wild cards, and four Wild Draw Four cards.
  • A8) Concentration. Contestants attempted to find matches in a six-by-five game board, which revealed a hidden rebus as the numbers were removed. NBC broadcast the original show from 1958 to 1979, with Ed McMahon as the host for a few months in 1969.
  • A9) Euchre. With hearts as the trump suit, this is the highest possible hand. The Jack of the trump suit, the right bower, is the highest card. The Jack of the same color, the left bower, is the second highest card. And the remaining cards in the trump suit follow from Ace down to Two.
  • A10) Big Two and Dai Hin Min. As the name implies, Big Two places the Two above the Ace. The seemingly unrelated Dai Hin Min does the same, although both were developed in Asia.
  • A11) 15. If one player has no cards to Spit after creating the layout, there is only one pile in the middle. The standard layout has piles of one, two, three, four, and five cards, for a total of fifteen cards.
  • A12) 30. If four 7's and four 6's are played in order, the second player scores two pairs (4 points), two four-of-a-kinds (24 points), and two Gos (2 points). I.e., 7-7-7-7 Go 6-6-6-6 Go (the second set can be 5's or 4's instead).

What's your favorite card game that I haven't mentioned? Please post your thoughts in the comments.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Card Games - Random Trivia Questions

I've always loved cards. They're small, universal, portable, and conveniently organized into a nice, neat four suits and a contrastingly untidy thirteen denominations. You can build houses with them, throw them (Chris "Jesus" Ferguson is amazing; check out this fruit slicing video), put them between the spokes of your bicycle (much better than destroying your baseball cards), and of course play games with them. I could fill your screen with an unadorned list of the card games I've played, but below I'll describe only the ones I've spent the most time with. All of the main games mentioned can be played with a single, standard deck of 52 playing cards.

  • Children's Games: good games for the young ones
    • Concentration -- try to find matching pairs among face down cards; one of the few kids' games that most people get worse at as they get older.
    • Crazy 8s & Uno -- suit and denomination matching with some twists. Uno usually requires a special deck, but it can be played with a regular set of playing cards (e.g., 3 = reverse, 5 = skip, and you can figure out the others).
    • Go Fish -- simple memory and matching game; needs 3 or more players to be interesting.
    • I Doubt It -- get rid of your cards through strategy and bluffing; apologies for the main synonym under which this game is known.
    • Old Maid -- simple matching game whose name is no longer politically correct; a more random version of Go Fish.
    • War -- mindless but good for learning/reinforcing the order of the denominations.
  • Speed Games: use an old deck for these!
    • Slapjack & Ratslap -- take turns flipping cards until a pair shows up, then try to slap first. The latter usually goes by the PG-13 name in the link.
    • Spit -- try to get rid of all of your cards by building up or down on two piles in the middle (2-player game only).
    • Spoons -- collect 4-of-a-kind while continually passing cards to your left; the speed isn't in passing the cards but in grabbing the spoons.
  • Trick-Taking Games: usually best with four players
    • Bridge -- two 2-person teams, an auction with natural and conventional bids, and play with three hidden hands and a dummy. I finally learned to play the king of non-betting card games during my sophomore year spring break in college, and more recently it was my main card game for several years until the family expanded.
    • Euchre -- a trump game with two 2-person teams, a smaller deck, and fewer tricks.
    • Hearts -- pass three cards (or not), avoid the queen of spades (13 points) and the hearts (1 point each) or try to get them all (-26 points for "shooting the moon"). Team play is interesting as are variations making the ten of clubs (double your score) and jack of diamonds (-10 points) special. My parents call the queen of spades the "pig".
    • Pitch -- bid on how many tricks you'll win in the trump suit you specify in an auction (can be played with 2-person teams). In college, we played a simple variation of this called Trumps.
    • Spades -- bid on how many tricks you'll win with spades as the trump suit (can be played with 2-person teams). Notable rules include bidding to take no tricks (nil) and bidding blind (before looking at your cards).
  • Betting Games: gamble for chips, money, or pride
    • Blackjack -- starting with two cards, try to beat the dealer by getting as close to 21 as possible without going over. Besides poker, it's the only casino game you can win in the long run (if you count cards and are willing to risk the ire of the management).
    • Draw Poker variations -- each player is dealt a given number of hidden cards and can exchange some of them for new ones. Five-card draw was once very popular (one of the two mainstays, along with seven-card stud, in our penny-ante games as kids).
    • Guts Poker variations -- all or nothing pot-sized bets on whether or not you've been dealt the best cards. We played with a "1, 2, 3, Drop!" count, and I'll admit, I had no guts.
    • Stud Poker variations -- each player is dealt some hidden cards and possibly some exposed cards; some variations also have community cards, with Texas Hold 'Em (2 hidden cards, no exposed cards, and 5 community cards) being the most popular game right now (and my current favorite). In fact, Hold 'Em is so popular that the recent Casino Royale movie replaced James Bond's favorite Baccarat with it.
  • Other Games
    • Big Two -- get rid of your cards by beating what's on top of the pile. If everyone passes, the last person to play starts over with any card, pair, triplet, or quad, or 5-card poker hand. We played tons of Dai Hin Min, a Japanese variation (which we called Revolution), my freshman year in college.
    • Cribbage -- complex game involving adding to 15, straights, flushes, and more. Players race to score 121 points, usually tracked on a special peg board.
    • Gin Rummy -- organize the cards in your hand and, in some versions, play them onto the table in sets and suited sequences of 3 (or more). Some gin variants have a knocking rule, in which you only need to have the fewest points in your hand to win. Canasta is a complicated variation of Rummy. I grew up playing Rummy 500, a 7-card variation, but now my parents prefer Rummikub, played with plastic tiles, where groups on the table can be rearranged and wild cards add to the possibilities.
    • Solitaire -- countless ways to pass the time by yourself, usually involving building up or down in sequence or matching denominations.

The three games with special cards that I've played the most are:

  • Mah Jong -- complicated version of Rummy. Usually played with tiles, but it's basically a card game, and you can get Mah Jong playing cards.
  • Mille Bornes -- car race using a special deck including mileage cards, obstacles, and specials.
  • Set -- find matching sets of three cards that have shared or exclusive shapes, counts, foreground colors, and background colors; great mental exercise. (Another mathematical game that uses cards is 24.)

Card Games Questions

  • Q1) What card game was developed in the 18th century from a game called triumph and was a precursor to contract bridge?
  • Q2) Ignoring points for honors, if both sides are vulnerable, what is the most points a team can win or lose in a single bridge hand?
  • Q3) Which card game mentioned anywhere above uses the most wild cards?
  • Q4) In which game mentioned above are face cards worth zero points.
  • Q5) In Texas Hold 'Em, what two cards would be the nuts if the board shows the Eight of spades, the Nine, Seven, and Four of hearts, and the Four of clubs (8S 9H 7H 4H 4C)?
  • Q6) What is the Blackjack term for conceding your hand in return for half of your bet back?
  • Q7) How many cards are in an official Uno deck?
  • Q8) Which card game was turned into a successful television game show that ran for over twenty years in the U.S.?
  • Q9) In which game above can the following hand be very special: Ace of hearts, King of hearts, Queen of hearts, Jack of hearts, and Jack of diamonds (AH KH QH JH JD)?
  • Q10) In which two games above is the Three the lowest denomination (give yourself a point if you can name either of them and a bonus point if you can name them both)?
  • Q11) In the standard version of Spit, how many cards (or fewer) does a player need to have to win the game during the play?
  • Q12) In a two-player cribbage game, what is the most points a player can score during the play of a single hand (not counting his heels or the show)?

Fern, Ivy, or Lettuce -- Quiz Quilt 11 Solution

Category Answers:
Math
&
Science
DIABETESType 2 diabetes can usually be controlled by weight loss and diet changes.
Sports
&
Games
AARONHall of Famer Hank Aaron currently ranks first in career home runs, first in RBIs, and third in hits. Voting was later added, by broadcasters and color analysts in 2000 and by fans in 2003.
Literature
&
Arts
DAISYThe gray female "purebred mongrel" has given birth to five puppies and is usually seen lying around.
Geography
&
Nature
SANTIAGOThe city was founded by Pedro de Valdivia in 1541 and has been the country's capital since 1818.
History
&
Government
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization now has 25 members.
Entertainment
&
Food
LEONLourdes was born to Madonna and Carlos Leon on October 14, 1996.

Quiz Quilt Answer: BOSTON (4th Letters)

Ferns, ivy, and lettuce all have Boston varieties.

Fern, Ivy, or Lettuce -- Quiz Quilt 11 Puzzle

Category Questions:
Math
&
Science
What disease's prevalence increased by almost half in the U.S. from 1990 to 2000, mainly because of obesity?
Sports
&
Games
In 1999, for what player did Major League Baseball create an award, based on home runs, RBIs, and hits?
Literature
&
Arts
What is the name of the family dog in the comic strip Blondie?
Geography
&
Nature
What is the capital of Chile?
History
&
Government
What military alliance did the United Kingdom and eleven other countries form in 1949 for mutual protection?
Entertainment
&
Food
Who was Madonna's fitness trainer and the father of her first daughter?

General Trivia Answers #325-330

Answer 325: Entertainment & Food -- 001

a) Dr. No

Sean Connery starred in the 1962 film. Thunderball would have been the first James Bond movie but for a lawsuit between Ian Fleming and some other writers.

Answer 326: History & Government -- Lincoln Link

b) $5

The $1 bill features the Great Seal of the United States, the $10 bill shows the Lincoln Memorial, and the $20 bill depicts the White House.

Answer 327: Math & Science -- Two Timeser

d) Distributive Law

The multiplier 'a' is distributed over the addends 'b' and 'c'.

Answer 328: Geography & Nature -- There Yugo

a) Belgrade

The city was founded in A.D. 878 and became the country's capital in 1403.

Answer 329: Literature & Arts -- Teen Trouble

b) J.D. Salinger

The novel and the short story appeared a decade apart, in 1951 and 1961.

Answer 330: Sports & Games -- End Run

c) Mr. Irrelevant

Ryan Hoag, Andre Sommersell, and Kevin McMahan claimed the honor in 2003, 2004, and 2006 as seventh round picks of the Raiders and Andy Stokes in 2005 for the Patriots.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

General Trivia Questions #325-330

Question 325: Entertainment & Food -- 001

What was the first James Bond movie?

a) Dr. No
b) From Russia With Love
c) Goldfinger
d) Thunderball

Question 326: History & Government -- Lincoln Link

On which U.S. bill does the Lincoln Memorial appear on the back?

a) $1
b) $5
c) $10
d) $20

Question 327: Math & Science -- Two Timeser

In mathematics, if 'x' stands for multiplication, what is "a x (b + c) = a x b + a x c" called?

a) Additive Law
b) Associative Law
c) Commutative Law
d) Distributive Law

Question 328: Geography & Nature -- There Yugo

What was the capital and most populous city in Yugoslavia?

a) Belgrade
b) Nis
c) Novi Sad
d) Pristina

Question 329: Literature & Arts -- Teen Trouble

Who was the author of Catcher in the Rye and "Franny and Zooey"?

a) H.T. Webster
b) J.D. Salinger
c) P.D. James
d) T.H. White

Question 330: Sports & Games -- End Run

What honorary title is given to the last player selected in each year's NFL draft?

a) Mr. Immaterial
b) Mr. Insignificant
c) Mr. Irrelevant
d) Mr. Unimportant

General Trivia Answers #319-324

Answer 319: Entertainment & Food -- Too Spicy

b) Ginger Spice

Geri Halliwell claimed that there were "differences between us", but rumors suggest that she lost a power struggle with Melanie Brown.

Answer 320: History & Government -- War Lore

c) A solar eclipse

The armies took the sudden darkness as a sign from God and agreed to cease their six-year war.

Answer 321: Math & Science -- Tell Me No Lies

a) Aphasia

Because the impairment makes it difficult to understand speech, sufferers may become more attuned to people's facial clues.

Answer 322: Geography & Nature -- Frog Men

a) France

The derivation of the nickname is uncertain. Various stories involve frog eating, army camouflage, royal robes, and Parisian swamps.

Answer 323: Literature & Arts -- All Hale Sarah

c) "Mary Had a Little Lamb"

She also spurred the creation of Thanksgiving, writing to Congressmen and Presidents for forty years until Abraham Lincoln declared the national holiday in 1863.

Answer 324: Sports & Games -- Bicycle Power

a) Cannondale

Within four years, the company went bankrupt and was forced to sell out to Pegasus.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

General Trivia Questions #319-324

Question 319: Entertainment & Food -- Too Spicy

Which spice left the Spice Girls in 1998?

a) Baby Spice
b) Ginger Spice
c) Scary Spice
d) Sporty Spice

Question 320: History & Government -- War Lore

What phenomenon caused the war between Lydia and Media to come to end abruptly and peacefully on May 28, 585 B.C.?

a) An asteroid
b) A comet
c) A solar eclipse
d) A tornado

Question 321: Math & Science -- Tell Me No Lies

On May 11, 2000, people with which disorder were reported as being better at detecting lies?

a) Aphasia
b) Color blindness
c) Dyslexia
d) Tourette's Syndrome

Question 322: Geography & Nature -- Frog Men

What country's residents do the British refer to as "frogs"?

a) France
b) Germany
c) Spain
d) United States

Question 323: Literature & Arts -- All Hale Sarah

What famous verse did Sarah Josepha Hale write in 1830?

a) "God Bless America"
b) "Happy Birthday to You"
c) "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
d) "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star"

Question 324: Sports & Games -- Bicycle Power

What leading bicycle manufacturer added motorized vehicles to its line in 2000?

a) Cannondale
b) Huffy
c) Raleigh
d) Schwinn

General Trivia Answers #313-318

Answer 313: Entertainment & Food -- Blackboard Magic

d) Teller (of Penn and Teller)

When Penn and Teller first met in 1974, the now-silent magician was teaching in Trenton, New Jersey.

Answer 314: History & Government -- Undercover

a) Orange

The headgear was known as the flammeum ("flames of joy").

Answer 315: Math & Science -- Where in the Universe?

b) Mars

They are both volcanic mountains.

Answer 316: Geography & Nature -- I Love Man

b) Irish Sea

The 221-square-mile island is almost centered between England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Answer 317: Literature & Arts -- Calendar Conversion

c) 5760

Their numbering begins in 3761 B.C., a year before their traditional date of Creation.

Answer 318: Sports & Games -- Hurts So Good

b) Football

The rate for college games is 36.1 injuries per 1,000 players per game.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

General Trivia Questions #313-318

Question 313: Entertainment & Food -- Blackboard Magic

What magician was formerly a high school Latin teacher?

a) David Copperfield
b) Harry Houdini
c) Siegfried (of Siegfried and Roy)
d) Teller (of Penn and Teller)

Question 314: History & Government -- Undercover

What color was the veil traditionally worn by brides in ancient Rome?

a) Orange
b) Red
c) White
d) Yellow

Question 315: Math & Science -- Where in the Universe?

Which planet has areas called Tharsis and Elysium?

a) Earth
b) Mars
c) Mercury
d) Venus

Question 316: Geography & Nature -- I Love Man

In what body of water is the Isle of Man located?

a) Atlantic Ocean
b) Irish Sea
c) Mediterranean Sea
d) Pacific Ocean

Question 317: Literature & Arts -- Calendar Conversion

What year was on the Hebrew calendar on January 1 in A.D. 2000?

a) 3380
b) 4570
c) 5760
d) 6950

Question 318: Sports & Games -- Hurts So Good

Which sport below has the highest rate of injury?

a) Basketball
b) Football
c) Ice hockey
d) Wrestling

General Trivia Answers #307-312

Answer 307: Entertainment & Food -- Trading Paint

d) White

The #53 Volkswagen Beetle debuted in theaters in The Love Bug in 1968 and returned to the big screen after a 24-year absence in Herbie: Fully Loaded in 2005.

Answer 308: History & Government -- You Gotta Represent!

b) 25 years old

Seven years of residency are also needed.

Answer 309: Math & Science -- Bones of Steel

a) Femur

The thigh bones support most of the body's weight.

Answer 310: Geography & Nature -- Top Dog

c) Greyhound

They were first raced on a track in 1876, but the sport developed in the U.S. during the 1920s.

Answer 311: Literature & Arts -- Guess Who?

d) Sandro Botticelli

The tempera work, now hanging in the Uffizi Gallery, dates from around 1485. A popular parlor guessing game is named for the Italian artist.

Answer 312: Sports & Games -- Untie Me

b) 7

The strange name comes from the fact that a 7 to 5 victory is the shortest possible with only one mini-break.

Monday, March 12, 2007

General Trivia Questions #307-312

Question 307: Entertainment & Food -- Trading Paint

What color is Herbie the Love Bug?

a) Light blue
b) Pink
c) Red
d) White

Question 308: History & Government -- You Gotta Represent!

What is the minimum age required to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives?

a) 21 years old
b) 25 years old
c) 30 years old
d) 35 years old

Question 309: Math & Science -- Bones of Steel

What is the strongest bone in the human body?

a) Femur
b) Radius
c) Tibia
d) Ulna

Question 310: Geography & Nature -- Top Dog

What breed of dog can run the fastest?

a) German Shepherd
b) Golden Retriever
c) Greyhound
d) Labrador Retriever

Question 311: Literature & Arts -- Guess Who?

Who painted the Birth of Venus?

a) Leonardo da Vinci
b) Michelangelo
c) Raphael
d) Sandro Botticelli

Question 312: Sports & Games -- Untie Me

What is the minimum number of points needed to win a twelve-point tiebreaker in tennis?

a) 6
b) 7
c) 11
d) 12

General Trivia Answers #301-306

Answer 301: Entertainment & Food -- Reddy or Not, Here I Come

a) Australia

The "I Am Woman" singer was born in Melbourne on October 4, 1942.

Answer 302: History & Government -- Marchteenth

c) Mississippi

The state had initially rejected the amendment on December 4, 1865, as did Delaware, Kentucky, and New Jersey.

Answer 303: Math & Science -- Half a Billion Years Ago

c) Paleozoic

The era spanned the first hard-shelled animals to the first large reptiles and is known as the Age of Fishes and the Age of Amphibians.

Answer 304: Geography & Nature -- TLA

c) Houston, Texas

The code is short for Intercontinental Airport of Houston.

Answer 305: Literature & Arts -- Marie in Paris

c) Stendhal

The pen name may honor German archaeologist Johann Joachim Winckelmann's home town of Stendal.

Answer 306: Sports & Games -- MVP! MVP! MVP!

a) Jimmie Foxx

Double X won the award in 1932 and 1933 with the Philadelphia Athletics and in 1938 with the Boston Red Sox.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

General Trivia Questions #301-306

Question 301: Entertainment & Food -- Reddy or Not, Here I Come

In what country was singer Helen Reddy born?

a) Australia
b) Canada
c) England
d) United States

Question 302: History & Government -- Marchteenth

Which U.S. state finally officially abolished slavery by ratifying the 13th Amendment on March 16, 1995?

a) Georgia
b) Louisiana
c) Mississippi
d) Tennessee

Question 303: Math & Science -- Half a Billion Years Ago

Which geological era lasted from approximately 550 million years ago to 355 million years ago?

a) Archaeozoic
b) Mesozoic
c) Paleozoic
d) Proterozoic

Question 304: Geography & Nature -- TLA

What city's three-letter airport code is IAH?

a) Hartford, Connecticut
b) Honolulu, Hawaii
c) Houston, Texas
d) Huntsville, Alabama

Question 305: Literature & Arts -- Marie in Paris

What French author was born as Marie-Henri Beyle?

a) Colette
b) Moliere
c) Stendhal
d) Voltaire

Question 306: Sports & Games -- MVP! MVP! MVP!

Who was the first Major League Baseball player to be named MVP three times?

a) Jimmie Foxx
b) Joe DiMaggio
c) Mickey Mantle
d) Stan Musial

Battle of the Band Names - Random Trivia Answers

  • A1) Wang Chung. Their 1982 debut album was Huang Chung, the original spelling of the name, but the group later claimed it was the sound of a guitar on American Bandstand.
  • A2) Orville Richard Burrell. His nickname comes from the Scooby-Doo's best friend, Norville "Shaggy" Rogers.
  • A3) C.S. Lewis. The book Mere Christianity included his 1943 chats on BBC radio.
  • A4) John Ondrasik. The ice hockey phrase is short for "five-minute major penalty for fighting".
  • A5) Spandau Ballet. Spandau, a borough of Berlin, formerly housed a prison for war criminals.
  • A6) The Guess Who. The Canadian band was covering British classics and wanted to appear British, so a record was shipped out labeled "Guess Who?". A few years later the band became Bachman Turner Overdrive, for the members' names and a trucker magazine.
  • A7) Wild Cherry. The group reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with "Play That Funky Music" on September 18, 1976.
  • A8) Steamroller. The band was called Herd until the road in front of the house they were rehearsing in got repaved.
  • A9) The Kooks. After selling over a million albums in the U.K., the band began a U.S. tour and currently has "Naive" climbing the Billboard Modern Rock chart.
  • A10) Nickelback. He would often tell customers, "Here's your nickel back".
  • A11) Timithy Abdole Quagmire. His grandfather nicknamed him Tip, but the Southern singer confused fans by pronouncing it like "Chip", so he spelled it out as "T.I.P." and later dropped the 'P'.
  • A12) Fallout Boy. When a fan recommended the name at a concert, the band didn't know where it came from, but they stuck with it and haven't been sued.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Battle of the Band Names - Random Trivia Questions

Every music group has a story to tell about how it came up with its name. Sometimes just trying to understand what the name means is complicated. The following dozen questions about singer and band names span the decades all the way back to the 1960s.

  • Q1) What 1980s British pop group's name means "yellow bell"?
  • Q2) What was the given name of the D.J. and singer known as Shaggy?
  • Q3) What writer's words did Sixpence None the Richer borrow for their name?
  • Q4) What singer named his band Five for Fighting?
  • Q5) What 1980s band originally called itself The Makers but changed its name after visiting Germany?
  • Q6) What 1960s and 1970s band started as Chad Allen and the Expressions but was renamed during a publicity stunt?
  • Q7) What 1970s band did Rob Parissi name for a box of cough drops?
  • Q8) A sign on what type of construction equipment led to Buffalo Springfield's name?
  • Q9) What English rock band named itself for a song on David Bowie's album Hunky Dory?
  • Q10) What Canadian band is named for a phrase from Mike Kroeger's brother's coffee shop job?
  • Q11) What name was rapper T.I. born with?
  • Q12) What band took its name from superhero Radioactive Man's sidekick on the The Simpsons cartoon?

Salad Section -- Quiz Quilt 10 Solution

Category Answers:
Sports
&
Games
FREDERICKSSprinter Frankie Fredericks captured silver in the 100 meters and 200 meters at both the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
History
&
Government
TRUMANMissouri native Harry Truman enlisted in the National Guard at the beginning of the war and commanded a regimental battery in France.
Entertainment
&
Food
ERASUREThe group covered Abba's "Lay All Your Love on Me", "S.O.S.", "Take a Chance on Me", and "Voulez-Vous".
Literature
&
Arts
LEEBorn as Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1922, Stan Lee started as a copyboy for Timely Comics and earned a promotion to editor when he was only seventeen.
Geography
&
Nature
NAURUOnce known as Pleasant Island, the South Pacific republic measures only 8.2 square miles.
Math
&
Science
CLAVICLEThe bone, named from the Latin clavis because it was "key" that fastened the shoulder, is the most frequently broken bone in the body, especially among teenage boys.

Quiz Quilt Answer: CAESAR (Upside Down Diagonal)

There are Caesar salads and Caesarian sections (spelled in a variety of ways).

Friday, March 9, 2007

Salad Section -- Quiz Quilt 10 Puzzle

Category Questions:
Sports
&
Games
Who was the first person from Namibia to win an Olympic medal?
History
&
Government
Which U.S. President had been a field artillery captain in World War I?
Entertainment
&
Food
What band took the Abba-esque tribute album to #1 in the U.K. in 1992?
Literature
&
Arts
Who came up with name Marvel Comics and created the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, and Spiderman?
Geography
&
Nature
What is the smallest island country in the world?
Math
&
Science
What is the scientific name for the collarbone?

General Trivia Answers #295-300

Answer 295: Entertainment & Food -- Mystery Man

c) Peter Ustinov

David Suchet played the sleuth in the 2004 TV version.

Answer 296: History & Government -- NATiOn

a) Belgium

In 1967, the political headquarters moved to Brussels and the military headquarters to Mons. They had both been based in France.

Answer 297: Math & Science -- Building Blocks

c) Glycine

The fourth is guanine. Glycine is an amino acid.

Answer 298: Geography & Nature -- Age Old

d) Marine clam

The mollusk can live about 200 years.

Answer 299: Literature & Arts -- Frill Me

d) Rococo

The movement began in France in the 1760s and lasted a few decades.

Answer 300: Sports & Games -- League Leaping

c) Milwaukee Brewers

The arrival of expansion teams in Arizona and Tampa Bay motivated the move.

Thursday, March 8, 2007

General Trivia Questions #295-300

Question 295: Entertainment & Food -- Mystery Man

What actor played Hercule Poirot in the 1978 movie Death on the Nile?

a) Albert Finney
b) Louis Hayward
c) Peter Ustinov
d) Tony Randall

Question 296: History & Government -- NATiOn

In what country are NATO's headquarters located?

a) Belgium
b) France
c) Netherlands
d) Switzerland

Question 297: Math & Science -- Building Blocks

Which of the following is not one of the four nucleotides of DNA?

a) Adenine
b) Cytosine
c) Glycine
d) Thymine

Question 298: Geography & Nature -- Age Old

What animal can live the longest?

a) Giant tortoise
b) Human
c) Killer whale
d) Marine clam

Question 299: Literature & Arts -- Frill Me

What art movement's style was especially ornate, frilly, and elegant?

a) Abstract Impressionism
b) Dadaism
c) Impressionism
d) Rococo

Question 300: Sports & Games -- League Leaping

Which Major League Baseball team switched from the American League to the National League in 1998?

a) Arizona Diamondbacks
b) Colorado Rockies
c) Milwaukee Brewers
d) Tampa Bay Devil Rays

General Trivia Answers #289-294

Answer 289: Entertainment & Food -- The Animals

d) Wolf

Their first release on a major label was How Will the Wolf Survive? in 1984.

Answer 290: History & Government -- Ex-Pres Yourself

b) 2/3

Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution discusses impeachment.

Answer 291: Math & Science -- Flow-er Power

b) Canada

In some parts of Canada, "hydro" is slang for any form of electricity.

Answer 292: Geography & Nature -- Testudo

d) Turtle

Terrapins are web-footed, freshwater turtles.

Answer 293: Literature & Arts -- Whale's Tales

a) Ahab

The whaling novel was published in 1851.

Answer 294: Sports & Games -- Super Power

d) San Francisco 49ers

The first major West Coast sports franchise has emerged victorious all five times it reached the championship game.

General Trivia Questions #289-294

Question 289: Entertainment & Food -- The Animals

For what animal was the band Los Lobos named?

a) Bear
b) Eagle
c) Lion
d) Wolf

Question 290: History & Government -- Ex-Pres Yourself

What fraction of votes in the U.S. Senate is required to remove the President from office?

a) 1/2
b) 2/3
c) 3/4
d) 4/5

Question 291: Math & Science -- Flow-er Power

What country produces the most hydroelectric power?

a) Brazil
b) Canada
c) China
d) U.S.

Question 292: Geography & Nature -- Testudo

What is the common, generic name for a terrapin?

a) Alligator
b) Crocodile
c) Toad
d) Turtle

Question 293: Literature & Arts -- Whale's Tales

Who was the monomaniacal captain of Herman Melville's Moby Dick?

a) Ahab
b) Blie
c) Ishmael
d) Queequeg

Question 294: Sports & Games -- Super Power

Which NFL team has won the most Super Bowls without any losses?

a) Chicago Bears
b) New York Giants
c) New York Jets
d) San Francisco 49ers

General Trivia Answers #283-288

Answer 283: Entertainment & Food -- Time Travelers

d) WABAC

The bow tie-wearing white dog and his pet human were the main characters in the Peabody's Improbable History segment of the Rocky and His Friends cartoon.

Answer 284: History & Government -- The Col' (Hard) Fax

d) Ulysses Grant

Colfax served one term with Grant but was not renominated because of his involvement with a corruption scandal between Credit Mobilier of America and Union Pacific Railroad.

Answer 285: Math & Science -- Health Solution

a) Vitamin C

It is water-soluble.

Answer 286: Geography & Nature -- Isle 5

b) Malta

The archipelago is located in the Mediterranean Sea south of Italy.

Answer 287: Literature & Arts -- A Gift to Die For

b) Handkerchief

The Venetian general had given the "napkin" to Desdemona but spotted Cassio with it and killed him under the assumption that she had presented it to him.

Answer 288: Sports & Games -- Best of the Best

c) Ted Williams

In 1946, the Kid scored four runs and had five RBIs, including a home run off a Rip Sewell ephus pitch. The All Star Game MVP now receives the Ted Williams Trophy.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

General Trivia Questions #283-288

Question 283: Entertainment & Food -- Time Travelers

With what machine did Dr. Peabody and Sherman journey through time?

a) BACBACBAC
b) BACINTIME
c) GOBAC
d) WABAC

Question 284: History & Government -- The Col' (Hard) Fax

Which U.S. President's Vice Presidents were Schuyler Colfax and Henry Wilson?

a) Grover Cleveland
b) James Garfield
c) Rutherford Hayes
d) Ulysses Grant

Question 285: Math & Science -- Health Solution

Which vitamin below is not fat-soluble?

a) Vitamin C
b) Vitamin D
c) Vitamin E
d) Vitamin K

Question 286: Geography & Nature -- Isle 5

Aside from the island for which it is named, what country's major islands are Gozo, Comino, Comminotto, and Filfawith?

a) Malaysia
b) Malta
c) New Guinea
d) Philippines

Question 287: Literature & Arts -- A Gift to Die For

What item did Shakespeare's Othello describe as "an antique token my father gave my mother"?

a) Dagger
b) Handkerchief
c) Necklace
d) Ring

Question 288: Sports & Games -- Best of the Best

Who was the only Major League Baseball hitter to go 4-for-4 in an All Star Game?

a) Joe DiMaggio
b) Mickey Mantle
c) Ted Williams
d) Willie Mays

General Trivia Answers #277-282

Answer 277: Entertainment & Food -- Write Wine

b) Neil Diamond

The Brooklyn-born singer also composed the Monkees' "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" and "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", his 1978 duet with high school classmate Barbra Streisand.

Answer 278: History & Government -- Walking to Work

a) Alaska

7.5% of the people there walked to work, nearly one-third more than in Montana.

Answer 279: Math & Science -- Caution: Hot Liquid

d) Tungsten

The transition metal finally turns to gas at 10,220° Fahrenheit.

Answer 280: Geography & Nature -- A Little Big

d) Reno, Nevada

The second largest city in Nevada, behind Las Vegas, was named for Union officer Jesse L. Reno, whose last name was originally spelled "Renault".

Answer 281: Literature & Arts -- Caseworker

b) Erle Stanley Gardner

The lawyer debuted in 1933 in The Case of the Velvet Claws.

Answer 282: Sports & Games -- Prolific Puckster

b) Mario Lemieux

The Pittsburgh Penguin averaged 0.75 goals and 1.88 points per game. Mike Bossy averaged 0.76 goals per game, and Wayne Gretzky averaged 1.92 points per game.

Monday, March 5, 2007

General Trivia Questions #277-282

Question 277: Entertainment & Food -- Write Wine

What singer and songwriter composed the #1 hits "I'm a Believer" and "Red, Red Wine"?

a) Barry Manilow
b) Neil Diamond
c) Paul Anka
d) Paul McCartney

Question 278: History & Government -- Walking to Work

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, in which state did the highest percent of workers walk to work?

a) Alaska
b) Montana
c) New York
d) Wyoming

Question 279: Math & Science -- Caution: Hot Liquid

Which chemical element has the highest known boiling point?

a) Carbon
b) Osmium
c) Rhenium
d) Tungsten

Question 280: Geography & Nature -- A Little Big

What city is known as the Biggest Little City in the World?

a) Austin, Texas
b) Colorado Springs, Colorado
c) Framingham, Massachusetts
d) Reno, Nevada

Question 281: Literature & Arts -- Caseworker

What author created Perry Mason?

a) Ed McBain
b) Erle Stanley Gardner
c) Harry Kemelman
d) Peter Lovesey

Question 282: Sports & Games -- Prolific Puckster

What NHL player scored the most goals per game and second most points per game in his career?

a) Jaromir Jagr
b) Mario Lemieux
c) Mike Bossy
d) Wayne Gretzky

General Trivia Answers #271-276

Answer 271: Entertainment & Food -- Baby Beatle

a) George Harrison

The guitarist was born on February 25, 1943, eight months after Lennon.

Answer 272: History & Government -- Strong Man

a) Chile

The dictator was arrested in London in 1998 for human rights abuses.

Answer 273: Math & Science -- Three Sides Jive

a) Acute

Every equilateral triangle has three 60-degree angles.

Answer 274: Geography & Nature -- Sail On, Ceylon

d) Sri Lanka

The country adopted its Singhalese name when it became a republic in 1972.

Answer 275: Literature & Arts -- Conversation Killer

b) Ann Landers

Esther Pauline Friedman Lederer also used her pen name to lament, "Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them."

Answer 276: Sports & Games -- Passing Passion

b) Larry Bird

The Hick from French Lick averaged 6.3 assists per game, almost an assist per game better than Philip and Pippen.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

General Trivia Questions #271-276

Question 271: Entertainment & Food -- Baby Beatle

Who was the youngest of the Beatles?

a) George Harrison
b) John Lennon
c) Paul McCartney
d) Ringo Starr

Question 272: History & Government -- Strong Man

What South American country did General Augusto Pinochet lead from 1973 to 1990?

a) Chile
b) Colombia
c) Ecuador
d) Peru

Question 273: Math & Science -- Three Sides Jive

What mathematical term below applies to all equilateral triangles?

a) Acute
b) Obtuse
c) Right
d) Scalene

Question 274: Geography & Nature -- Sail On, Ceylon

What is Ceylon now known as?

a) Bangladesh
b) Burma
c) Laos
d) Sri Lanka

Question 275: Literature & Arts -- Conversation Killer

What advice columnist moaned, "Television has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other"?

a) Abigail Van Buren
b) Ann Landers
c) Erma Bombeck
d) Judith Martin

Question 276: Sports & Games -- Passing Passion

What NBA forward who played at least 400 games had the most assists per game in his career?

a) Andy Philip
b) Larry Bird
c) Rick Barry
d) Scottie Pippen

Detective Fiction - Random Trivia Answers

  • A1) Agatha Christie. Poirot debuted in The Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1920 and Marple debuted in Sketch magazine before appearing in the novel The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930?
  • A2) Sherlock Holmes. The stories appeared as a serial in 1887 and as a book illustrated by his father Charles the following year.
  • A3) Nick Carter. The sleuth appeared in over 100 books from the 1890s to the 1950s.
  • A4) The Hardy Boys. The brothers have appeared in almost 400 books since 1926.
  • A5) Alibi. 'A' Is for Alibi began the alphabetical sequence in 1982, and 'S' Is for Silence was book number nineteen in 2005.
  • A6) Encyclopedia Brown. The Donald J. Sobol series began in 1963.
  • A7) Mike Hammer. The strong-armed sleuth debuted in I, the Jury in 1947.
  • A8) Robert B. Parker. Robert Urich played the Boston-based private detective from 1985 to 1988, a few years removed from his similar role as Dan Tanna in Vega$.
  • A9) Charlie Chan. The sleuth debuted in A House Without a Key in 1925.
  • A10) Raymond Chandler. The sleuth debuted in The Big Sleep in 1939.
  • A11) P.D. James. The Scotland Yard inspector debuted in Cover Her Face in 1962.
  • A12) Nero Wolfe. The detective first appeared in Fer-de-Lance in 1934.

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Detective Fiction - Random Trivia Questions

There's no mystery about this week's topic: identify the following novel and short story sleuths and authors...

Detective Fiction Questions

  • Q1) What author chronicled the detective work of Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple?
  • Q2) What fictional detective debuted in the book A Study in Scarlet?
  • Q3) Who was the fictional detective of dime novels written by J.R. Coryell and several other authors?
  • Q4) What were the famous fictional teenage detectives Frank and Joe collectively known as?
  • Q5) What does the letter 'A' stand for in the first novel in Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone detective series?
  • Q6) What fictional child detective is the 10-year-old son of the chief of police in Idaville?
  • Q7) What famous fictional detective did author Mickey Spillane create?
  • Q8) What author's best-selling novels was the TV show Spenser: For Hire based on?
  • Q9) What famous fictional detective did author Earl Derr Biggers create?
  • Q10) Who created the fictional detective Philip Marlowe?
  • Q11) What author created detective Adam Dagliesh?
  • Q12) Who is the hero of Rex Stout's mystery novels?

Opposites Attract -- Quiz Quilt 9 Solution

Category Answers:
Sports
&
Games
BELGIUMGreat Britain swept them 5-0 in 1904, and the country has never reached the final again.
Entertainment
&
Food
FRITTATAThe egg dish, which can contain almost any kind of vegetable, is fried in one pan then moved to another after the bottom has firmed up.
History
&
Government
SHILLINGThe coin disappeared with the decimalization of the country's currency in 1971.
Geography
&
Nature
WELLINGTONArthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, was the prime minister from 1828 to 1830. Auckland was the former capital.
Math
&
Science
MOLECULEThe atoms in a molecule determine the compound's empirical formula, which is always an integer ratio of elements such as H(2)O for water and CO(2) for carbon dioxide.
Literature
&
Arts
FROSTFour-time Pulitzer winner Robert Frost also quipped, "A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday... but never remembers her age."

Quiz Quilt Answer: MAGNET (last letters)

The north pole of a magnet attracts the south pole and vice versa.

Friday, March 2, 2007

Opposites Attract -- Quiz Quilt 9 Puzzle

Category Questions:
Sports
&
Games
What was the first nation other than the United States and Great Britain to play in the Davis Cup final?
Entertainment
&
Food
What is an Italian fried zucchini omelet called?
History
&
Government
What former monetary unit of the United Kingdom was equal to twelve pence?
Geography
&
Nature
What city, named after a British prime minister, has been the capital of New Zealand since 1865?
Math
&
Science
What is the smallest particle of a compound that has all the chemical properties of that compound?
Literature
&
Arts
What poet observed, "The world is filled with willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them"?

General Trivia Answers #265-270

Answer 265: Entertainment & Food -- Talk of the Town

b) Errol Flynn

The swashbuckling Australian also commented, "Any man who has $10,000 left when he dies is a failure."

Answer 266: History & Government -- Train Gang

c) Reno Gang

Seven gang members stole cash, gold, and bonds from the train's safe in Indiana.

Answer 267: Math & Science -- On My Own

c) Singleton

In the U.S. from 1980 to 1999, multiple births rose by over half mostly because of older mothers and fertility drugs.

Answer 268: Geography & Nature -- There Goes a Narwhal

a) Cetacean

The word means that the animal has no nails, as opposed to being nailed, clawed, or hoofed.

Answer 269: Literature & Arts -- Like Pulling Teeth

d) Zane Grey

The Ohio native also played some minor league baseball but eventually quit his day job and became a millionaire through writing.

Answer 270: Sports & Games -- Color By Number

c) Pink

Black scores 7 points, pink 6, blue 5, brown 4, green 3, and yellow 2.

Thursday, March 1, 2007

General Trivia Questions #265-270

Question 265: Entertainment & Food -- Talk of the Town

What actor remarked, "It isn't what they say about you, it's what they whisper"?

a) Clark Gable
b) Errol Flynn
c) Kirk Douglas
d) Robert Redford

Question 266: History & Government -- Train Gang

What gang made off with $96,000 in the Great Train Robbery on May 22, 1868?

a) Bonney Gang
b) James Gang
c) Reno Gang
d) Siegel Gang

Question 267: Math & Science -- On My Own

What is the medical term for any human baby that is not part of a multiple birth?

a) Loner
b) Prima
c) Singleton
d) Solo

Question 268: Geography & Nature -- There Goes a Narwhal

Which adjective below applies to a narwhal?

a) Cetacean
b) Primate
c) Unguiculate
d) Ungulate

Question 269: Literature & Arts -- Like Pulling Teeth

What mystery author supported his writing career by working as a dentist?

a) Earl Derr Biggers
b) Mickey Spillane
c) Rex Stout
d) Zane Grey

Question 270: Sports & Games -- Color By Number

In snooker, what color ball is worth the second most points, after the black ball?

a) Brown
b) Green
c) Pink
d) Yellow

General Trivia Answers #259-264

Answer 259: Entertainment & Food -- Late Night Movie

a) Blade

Snipes played the half-mortal title character, also known as Eric Brooks and the Daywalker.

Answer 260: History & Government -- Pretty Plane Question

c) Ohio

The museum opened in Dayton in 2003.

Answer 261: Math & Science -- No Hypocrites

a) Apollo

The statement of ethics also mentions Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panaceia.

Answer 262: Geography & Nature -- Smart Simians

b) Chimpanzees

They share over 98% of their DNA with humans.

Answer 263: Literature & Arts -- Novel Football Film

d) Pete Gent

The book, which was based loosely on the Dallas Cowboys, was released in 1973, six years before the movie with Nick Nolte and Mac Davis.

Answer 264: Sports & Games -- Hardwood Hero

c) Red Auerbach

Arnold Jacob Auerbach coached the Celtics from 1950 to 1966, winning NBA championships in each of the last eight seasons and nine overall.