Totally Random Trivia: 2022

2. The mantle

Answers to Wednesday, June 19, 2024

1. Joan Rivers provided the voice of a robot named Dot Matrix in what 1987 Mel Brooks movie?

“Spaceballs”

2. What geologic layer lies just below the Earth's crust, and shares its name with a garment traditionally worn by European kings and queens during their coronations?

Mantle

3. What university's athletics program briefly adopted a live racoon named “Regdab” as its mascot, after its actual namesake animal proved too dangerous to keep on campus?

University of Wisconsin  ("Regdab" is "badger" backwards)

Editorial Content:  Aren’t all badgers backward? 😆 

4. “The Butcher” was a short-lived ring name of wrestler Ed Leslie, aka “Brutus Beefcake,” who was much better known among wrestling fans for portraying what other sharp-edged profession?

Barber

5. The muffuletta is one of the signature sandwiches of what city?

New Orleans

Questions for Theme Thursday, June 20, 2024

The Birds and the Bees: Five questions about birds and bees!

1. The ostrich is the world’s tallest extant bird. What is the world’s second-tallest bird, which is native to Australia?
2. Queen bees are, pound for pound, one of the most valuable exports of which U.S. state, whose official flower is the yellow hibiscus?
3. Birds evolved from the theropod dinosaurs. If you’re hiding in a kitchen cabinet in “Jurassic Park,” what theropod is chasing you?
4. Bee stings usually prevent animals from eating beehives. What crazy nasty-ass mammal, also known as a ratel, will raid hives anyway, 'cause it’s a hungry little bastard that just takes what it wants?
5. “Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it.” According to a song famously covered by Ella Fitzgerald, what do they all do?

1.  Emu

3 Velociraptor

4 Honey Badger

2) Hawaii

5) fall in love

Answers to Thursday, June 20, 2024 

The Birds and the Bees: Five questions about birds and bees!

1. The ostrich is the world’s tallest extant bird. What is the world’s second-tallest bird, which is native to Australia?

Emu

2. Queen bees are, pound for pound, one of the most valuable exports of which U.S. state, whose official flower is the yellow hibiscus?

Hawai'i

3. Birds evolved from the theropod dinosaurs. If you’re hiding in a kitchen cabinet in “Jurassic Park,” what theropod is chasing you?

Velociraptor

4. Bee stings usually prevent animals from eating beehives. What crazy nasty-ass mammal, also known as a ratel, will raid hives anyway, 'cause it’s a hungry little bastard that just takes what it wants?

Honey Badger  (those are quotes from a viral video from 2011)

5. “Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it.” According to a song famously covered by Ella Fitzgerald, what do they all do?

“Fall in love”

Questions for Friday, June 21, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in Monday’s email. Answers to yesterday’s questions below.

1. Quit While You’re Ahead: There are five U.S. National Parks in the state of Utah. Name as many of those parks as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any wrong.
2. What 1987 novel contained a lesbian relationship and the words “at the Whistlestop Cafe” in its title — all of which was cut from the 1991 movie adaptation starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy?
3. What seven-letter navigation instrument is used to determine a ship’s location by measuring the angle between celestial objects and the horizon, though it’s largely been replaced by newer technologies since the beginning of the 20th century?
4. Groom Lake is a salt flat just south of Rachel, Nevada. It was the subject of a 2019 meme phenomenon that culminated in two festivals and seven arrests. It’s commonly known by what nickname?
5. Today is June 21. On this day in 1997, the Women's National Basketball Association debuted with the playing of the league's first game, in which the New York Liberty defeated what team, featuring rookie Lisa Leslie?

2.  Fried Green Tomatoes 

3. Sextant - and, yes, I have used one.

1 Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon and.. ???

4 Area 51

Posted by: @steve-mn

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1 Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon and.. ???

Capitol Reef

Posted by: @mnnavy

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3. Sextant - and, yes, I have used one.

LOL, I thought of you when I read the questions this morning. 

When I sub for Zwak I get the advantage of a head start reading the questions so I limit myself to one answer and bypassed this one hoping GPL's Navy rep got a shot at it.   😆   

Posted by: @greyeagle

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Posted by: @steve-mn

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1 Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon and.. ???

Capitol Reef

 

5) Los Angeles Sparks

Answers to Friday, June 21, 2024

1. Quit While You’re Ahead: There are five U.S. National Parks in the state of Utah. Name as many of those parks as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any wrong.

Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Zion

2. What 1987 novel contained a lesbian relationship and the words “at the Whistlestop Cafe” in its title — all of which was cut from the 1991 movie adaptation starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy?

“Fried Green Tomatoes”

3. What seven-letter navigation instrument is used to determine a ship’s location by measuring the angle between celestial objects and the horizon, though it’s largely been replaced by newer technologies since the beginning of the 20th century?

Sextant

4. Groom Lake is a salt flat just south of Rachel, Nevada. It was the subject of a 2019 meme phenomenon that culminated in two festivals and seven arrests. It’s commonly known by what nickname?

Area 51  

5. Today is June 21. On this day in 1997, the Women's National Basketball Association debuted with the playing of the league's first game, in which the New York Liberty defeated what team, featuring rookie Lisa Leslie?

Los Angeles Sparks

Zwak note…I’m back from a week in the Smokey Mountains.  Thanks GE for filling in for me!!!  (p.s.  going on an Alaska Cruise in late August.  I’ll be in touch.  😄)

Questions for
Monday, June 24, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email. 

1. Netflix adapted the first book in Liu Cixin’s “Remembrance of Earth's Past” trilogy into a 2024 series made, in part, by “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. What is the name of that sci-fi series?

2. Street artist Shepard Fairey is known today for his 2008 Barack Obama "Hope" poster, but he first came to prominence in the late '80s and early '90s for a widespread sticker campaign featuring images of what Frenchman?

3. Fans at Arrowhead Stadium set a world record for “Loudest Crowd Roar at a Sports Stadium” in 2014. Which NFL team were they supporting?

4. A large wheeled gun that fired rounds roughly three inches in diameter is largely credited with winning the Battle of Verdun during World War I. These guns are famously remembered by what name that is shared by a cocktail?

5. Gerald Ford’s vice president had a pretty familiar surname, if you watched a 2000s sitcom starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. What was Ford’s VP’s surname?

3.Chiefs

4. French 75

5. Rockefeller

1. 3 Body Problem
2. Andre the Giant

Answers to Monday, June 24, 2024

1. Netflix adapted the first book in Liu Cixin’s “Remembrance of Earth's Past” trilogy into a 2024 series made, in part, by “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. What is the name of that sci-fi series?

“Three Body Problem”

2. Street artist Shepard Fairey is known today for his 2008 Barack Obama "Hope" poster, but he first came to prominence in the late '80s and early '90s for a widespread sticker campaign featuring images of what Frenchman?

André the Giant

3. Fans at Arrowhead Stadium set a world record for “Loudest Crowd Roar at a Sports Stadium” in 2014. Which NFL team were they supporting?

Kansas City Chiefs

4. A large wheeled gun that fired rounds roughly three inches in diameter is largely credited with winning the Battle of Verdun during World War I. These guns are famously remembered by what name that is shared by a cocktail?

French 75
(75mm = about 3 inches)

5. Gerald Ford’s vice president had a pretty familiar surname, if you watched a 2000s sitcom starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. What was Ford’s VP’s surname?

Rockefeller

Questions for
Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email. 

1. “PTX” is an abbreviation for what acapella musical group, named after a musical scale containing five notes per octave?

2. Alain Robert is a free-climber known as “the Human Spider.” In 2011, he traveled to Dubai to climb to the top of the world’s tallest building. Name that building!

3. Two of the first ever inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, James Brown and Ray Charles, make appearances in what 1980 comedy as a reverend and musical instruments dealer, respectively?

4. In 1953, a Lockheed Constellation called "Columbine II" became the first vehicle to use what three-word call sign that Nike would introduce to a mainstream audience almost three decades later?

5. Billiards pro Jeanette Lee, Russian agent Natasha Romanova, and at least nine convicted murderers dating back to 1884 all share the same nickname. What is it?

3.  The Blues Brothers

1. Pentatonix

3. "The Blues Brothers"

2. Burj Khalifa

5. Black Widow

4. Air Force One

5. Black Widow

Answers to Tuesday, June 25, 2024

1. “PTX” is an abbreviation for what acapella musical group, named after a musical scale containing five notes per octave?

Pentatonix

2. Alain Robert is a free-climber known as “the Human Spider.” In 2011, he traveled to Dubai to climb to the top of the world’s tallest building. Name that building!

Burj Khalifa

3. Two of the first ever inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, James Brown and Ray Charles, make appearances in what 1980 comedy as a reverend and musical instruments dealer, respectively?

“Blues Brothers”

4. In 1953, a Lockheed Constellation called "Columbine II" became the first vehicle to use what three-word call sign that Nike would introduce to a mainstream audience almost three decades later?

Air Force One

5. Billiards pro Jeanette Lee, Russian agent Natasha Romanova, and at least nine convicted murderers dating back to 1884 all share the same nickname. What is it?

“Black Widow”

Questions for
Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email. 

1.The “Queen of Disco” whose biggest hit was 1978’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” shares a name with Tweety Bird’s nemesis. What is that shared name?

2. The Burma Railway was a key thoroughfare for Japanese forces in WWII. Its construction and partial destruction inspired what 1950s Oscar-winning movie?

3. The author of “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” once said, “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” What was his name?

4. Abdullah II appears on the 50-dinar banknote of a country where he has been king since 1999. Name that country.

5. The village of Supai is a settlement within the contiguous United States where mail is delivered exclusively by mule, because it is located inside what geologic formation?

2.  The Bridge Over The River Kwai

3 Douglas Adams

4 Jordan

1. Sylvester

5. Grand Canyon

Answers to Wednesday, June 26, 2024

1.The “Queen of Disco” whose biggest hit was 1978’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” shares a name with Tweety Bird’s nemesis. What is that shared name?

Sylvester

2. The Burma Railway was a key thoroughfare for Japanese forces in WWII. Its construction and partial destruction inspired what 1950s Oscar-winning movie?

“The Bridge on the River Kwai”

3. The author of “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” once said, “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” What was his name?

Douglas Adams

4. Abdullah II appears on the 50-dinar banknote of a country where he has been king since 1999. Name that country.

Jordan

5. The village of Supai is a settlement within the contiguous United States where mail is delivered exclusively by mule, because it is located inside what geologic formation?

Grand Canyon

Questions for
Theme Thursday, June 27, 2024

Not an Apple, Not From a Pine Tree: June 27 is Pineapple Day! In honor of this delicious fruit that is definitely not an apple and certainly doesn't come from a pine tree, here are five questions about other things with very misleading names.

Answers in tomorrow’s email.

1. The Isle of Dogs is a peninsula, not an island, and there aren't that many dogs there. It's home to Canary Wharf, where there are no canaries. In what city can you visit the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf?

2. If you combine milk, carbonated water, and chocolate syrup, you've created what beverage, whose name would lead you to believe there are at least two different ingredients in the recipe?

3. The English Horn is neither English, nor a horn. It was invented in Poland, and belongs to the double-reed woodwind family. Name one of the other two double-reed woodwinds most commonly found in orchestras.

4. “The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.” That famous quip is attributed to what French Enlightenment writer, who published “Candide” in 1759?  

5. The guinea pig is not a pig, and it doesn't come from Africa. It's a rodent, and it originated on what continent?

3: Oboe

4: Voltaire

1. London

4. Voltaire 

2. Egg Cream

3. Bassoon

5) South America.  

Answers to Thursday, June 27, 2024

Not an Apple, Not From a Pine Tree: June 27 is Pineapple Day! In honor of this delicious fruit that is definitely not an apple and certainly doesn't come from a pine tree, here are five questions about other things with very misleading names.

1. The Isle of Dogs is a peninsula, not an island, and there aren't that many dogs there. It's home to Canary Wharf, where there are no canaries. In what city can you visit the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf?

London

2. If you combine milk, carbonated water, and chocolate syrup, you've created what beverage, whose name would lead you to believe there are at least two different ingredients in the recipe?

Egg cream

3. The English Horn is neither English, nor a horn. It was invented in Poland, and belongs to the double-reed woodwind family. Name one of the other two double-reed woodwinds most commonly found in orchestras.

Oboe, Bassoon

4. “The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.” That famous quip is attributed to what French Enlightenment writer, who published “Candide” in 1759?

Voltaire

5. The guinea pig is not a pig, and it doesn't come from Africa. It's a rodent, and it originated on what continent?

South America

Questions for
Friday, June 28, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in Monday’s email. 

1. Seven U.S. states have split Senate delegations, meaning each senator from that state represents a different political party. Name as many of those states as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any incorrect.

2. In 1866, a Philadelphia man began selling ice cream on the street from a horse-drawn wagon. The company he founded is now one of the best-selling ice cream brands in the U.S. What was his last name?

3. What school mascot took its team name from a colorfully uniformed regiment of French WWI soldiers, with surprisingly little opposition from the university's Methodist leadership?

4. Director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan have made four films together: “Creed,” both “Black Panther” films, and a 2013 drama named for a stop on the Bay Area Rapid Transit line. Name that movie.

5. Today is June 28. Actor Pat Morita was born on this day in 1932. He’s arguably best known for playing a film character with an honorific in what ’80s and ’90s film franchise?

5.  Karate Kid.....but he will always be Arnold to me.  😀 

1. Ohio, Montana, West Virginia, Wisconsin...

2. Breyer

3. Blue Devils (Duke)

4) Fruitville Station

Posted by: @norm

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1. Ohio, Montana, West Virginia, Wisconsin...

Maine (Republican and Independent), Arizona (Democrat and Independent), Vermont (Democrat and Independent)

Answers to Friday, June 28, 2024

1. Seven U.S. states have split Senate delegations, meaning each senator represents a different political party. Name as many of those states as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any incorrect.

Arizona, Maine, Montana, Ohio, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin

2. In 1866, a Philadelphia man began selling ice cream on the street from a horse-drawn wagon. The company he founded is now one of the best-selling ice cream brands in the U.S. What was his last name?

Breyer

3. What school mascot took its team name from a colorfully uniformed regiment of French WWI soldiers, with surprisingly little opposition from the university's Methodist leadership?

Duke Blue Devils

4. Director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan have made four films together: “Creed,” both “Black Panther” films, and a 2013 drama named for a stop on the Bay Area Rapid Transit line. Name that movie.

“Fruitvale Station”

5. Today is June 28. Actor Pat Morita was born on this day in 1932. He’s arguably best known for playing a film character with an honorific in what ’80s and ’90s film franchise?

“The Karate Kid”

Questions for
Monday, July 1, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email. 

1. The corporate headquarters of Waffle House, Home Depot, and Delta Air Lines are all located in which state?

2. What author was 16 years old when he had a daydream about a half-man, half-goat creature carrying a bundle of packages through the woods on a snowy day — an image he kept with him for decades, before finally writing it into a story at age 40?

3. The Straits of Mackinac is a body of water that separates the upper and lower parts of which state?

4. In 1894, the U.S. Congress declared what holiday to honor the American worker, exactly 63 days from today?

5. In a 1997 NBA game, Violet Palmer became the first woman ever to perform what job at the highest level of a major U.S. professional sports league?

3. Michigan

1. Georgia

4.  Labor Day

5.  Game Referee?  

2. Sounds like the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - written by C.S. Lewis.  
Love those movies!