The Impossible Theme - Random Trivia Answers

• A1) Keith Richards. Originally, I had the Who instead of the Rolling Stones, but fortunately an astute Triv user set me straight.
• A2) Roberto Alomar. The commissioner suspended him for five games. I originally unintentionally incriminated his brother Sandy. The siblings pulled off an impressive feat by capturing back-to-back MVP awards in 1997 and 1998. (I also once listed the 1981 Indy 500 winner as Al Unser instead of his brother Bobby.)
• A3) November 15. The day of gender role reversal is often celebrated on February 29 now, but the change occurred much later on college campuses. The character Sadie Hawkins joined the comic strip in 1937.
• A4) Einstein. I managed to get this question backwards. Somehow I don't think Brooks is a very popular last name in Germany. (I also reversed the musical Hair and the song "Aquarius" once.)
• A5) Gene Sarazen. He was only 21 years and 7 months when he captured his second consecutive PGA Championship in 1923 (to go with his 1922 U.S. Open title). I thought he was the youngest to win three of the four majors, but he needed another nine years to win the British Open.
• A6) Hang on Sloopy. This is the question that inspired the quiz, as I had the embarrassing Hang on, Snoopy.
• A7) Short-tailed shrew. The original factoid I incorrectly learned from The Book of Why was that the duckbill platypus is the only poisonous mammal in the world. Various shrews and the solenodon also employ poison against insects.
• A8) 2. Call it a trick question if you want (it certainly tricked me), but the other eight appendages are called arms.
• A9) Oxygen. I gave aluminum as the answer, but that is only the most abundant metal.
• A10) Henry McCarty. He often used the alias William Henry Bonney, which I incorrectly thought was his given name.
• A11) Joe Theismann. I originally elevated the scenario to the Super Bowl, probably confusing the hit with the one that felled Tim Krumrie in 1989.
• A12) Newt Gingrich. I referred to him as the Secretary of State, but Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright would disagree with me.

Of course, I'm also guilty of lots of misspellings that snuck by the spellchecker, and I have confused movies' release and award years numerous times. I misplaced the Holland Tunnel in Holland, thought the state flower of Oregon (Oregon grape) really was the plant that bore the fruit, called Babylonia a city (Babylon was the capital city of the state), believed a "zebra crossing" on the Beatles' Abbey Road album cover was an actual animal (it's the painted stripes marking the crosswalk), and included the American Revolution in with the other wars that ended with a Treaty of Versailles (it was Paris).

So, if you see an error in this blog, please let me know, and I'll be happy to correct it.