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Rich Uncle Pennybags | Rich Uncle Pennybags is a portly old man with a moustache in a top hat who serves as the mascot of the game Monopoly. In large parts of the world he is also, or even exclusively, known as Mr. Monopoly. He also appears in the related games Advance to Boardwalk, Free Parking, Don't Go to Jail, Monopoly City, Monopoly Junior, and Monopoly Deal. | What is the name of the man in the top hat that serves as the mascot of the game Monopoly? |
Golf | The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named after the English businessman Samuel Ryder who donated the trophy. The event is jointly administered by the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe, the latter a joint venture of the PGA European Tour (60%), the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland (20%), and the PGA of Europe (20%). Silversmith Thomas Lyte became an official supplier of Ryder Cup trophies and awards in 2008, including two-third size replicas of the trophy, awarded to the players and management of the team. | The Ryder cup is presented as trophy in what sport? |
Wind | The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale. | The Beaufort scale is used to measure the speed of what? |
Pitch | Cricket is played on a grassy field. The Laws of Cricket do not specify the size or shape of the field, but it is often oval. In the centre of the field is a rectangular strip, known as the pitch. | What is the name of the field on which a rousing game of Cricket is played? |
Down | The down feathers of eider ducks, and some other ducks and geese, are used to fill pillows and quilts—they have given the name to the type of quilt known as an eiderdown. | Often used in making pillows and comforters, what are the small feathers of the eider duck known as? |
Peace | The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awards the Nobel Prize in Physics, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences; the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; the Swedish Academy grants the Nobel Prize in Literature; and the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded not by a Swedish organisation but by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. | Which of the Nobel prizes is awarded in Norway, not Sweden? |
Lancelot | In French chivalric romances, Guinevere is the daughter of King Leodegrance, who served Uther Pendragon and was entrusted with the Round Table after Pendragon's death. In these histories, Leodegrance's kingdom lies near the Breton city of Carhaise (the modern Carhaix-Plouguer). In the fields to the south and east of Carhaise, Arthur defends Leodegrance by defeating Rience, which leads to his meeting and marriage with Guinevere. This version of the legend has Guinevere betrothed to Arthur early in his career, while he was garnering support. When Lancelot arrives later, she is instantly smitten, and they have an affair that eventually leads to Arthur's fall. Their affair is exposed by two of King Lot's sons, Agravain and Mordred, and Lancelot flees for his life while Arthur reluctantly sentences his wife to be burned at the stake. Knowing Lancelot and his family would try to stop the execution, Arthur sends many of his knights to defend the pyre, though Gawain refuses to participate. Lancelot arrives and rescues the queen. Gawain's brothers Gaheris and Gareth are killed in the battle, sending Gawain into a rage so great that he pressures Arthur into a direct confrontation with Lancelot. When Arthur goes to France to fight Lancelot, he leaves Guinevere in the care of Mordred, who plans to marry the queen himself and take Arthur's throne. In some versions of the tale, Guinevere assents to Mordred's proposal; in others, she hides in the Tower of London and later takes refuge in a convent. Hearing of the treachery, Arthur returns to Britain and slays Mordred at Camlann, but his wounds are so severe that he is taken to the isle of Avalon. Guinevere meets Lancelot one last time, then returns to the convent where she spends the remainder of her life. | According to legend, King Arthur's queen consort, Guinevere, had a torrid affair with which Knight of the Round Table? |
Tears | The lacrimal-glands are paired, almond-shaped glands, one for each eye, that secrete the aqueous-layer of the tear film. They are situated in the upper-outer portion of each orbit, in the lacrimal fossa of the orbit formed by the frontal-bone. Inflammation of the lacrimal-glands is called dacryoadenitis. The lacrimal-gland produces tears which then flow into canals that connect to the lacrimal sac. From that sac, the tears drain through the lacrimal duct into the nose. | What does the body secrete from the lacrimal glands? |
Louisiana | Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910 – May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut Barrow a.k.a. Clyde Champion Barrow (March 24, 1909 – May 23, 1934) were American criminals who traveled the central United States with their gang during the Great Depression, robbing and killing people. At times, the gang included Clyde's older brother Buck Barrow and his wife Blanche, Raymond Hamilton, W. D. Jones, Joe Palmer, Ralph Fults, and Henry Methvin. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "Public Enemy Era," between 1931 and 1935. Though known today for their dozen-or-so bank robberies, the two preferred to rob small stores or rural gas stations. The gang is believed to have killed at least nine police officers and several civilians. The couple were eventually ambushed and killed by law officers near the town of Sailes, in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Their reputation was revived and cemented in American pop folklore by Arthur Penn's 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, in which they were played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. | Notorious bank robbing duo Bonnie and Clyde were eventually ambushed by law enforcement agents in what U.S. state? |
Hotel room | 'Rack rate' is the travel industry term for the published full price of a hotel room, which the customer would pay by just walking into the hotel off the street and asking for a room. In some jurisdictions a customer may be entitled to overstay a reservation by paying the rack rate. While lower than the maximum rate that the hotel may be allowed to charge under local laws, it is higher than the rate most travel agents can book for their customers. Sometimes the terms "run of the house" or "walk-up rate" are used to refer to the same highest rate. | In the travel business, the "rack rate" refers to the published price for what commodity? |
Haiti | Haitian Vodou (,, also written as Vaudou; Vodun or Vodoun; and commonly Voodoo) is a syncretic religion practiced chiefly in Haiti and the Haitian diaspora. Practitioners are called "vodouists" (French: vodouisants) or "servants of the spirits" (Haitian Creole: sèvitè). | The religion of vodou (or voodoo) originated in what country? |
SOS | SOS is the International Morse code distress signal (· · · – – – · · ·). This distress signal was first adopted by the German government in radio regulations effective April 1, 1905, and became the worldwide standard under the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention, which was signed on November 3, 1906, and became effective on July 1, 1908. SOS remained the maritime radio distress signal until 1999, when it was replaced by the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. SOS is still recognized as a visual distress signal. | In Morse code, what international distress signal replaced the original CQD in 1908? |
Sideburns | Ambrose Everett Burnside (May 23, 1824 – September 13, 1881) was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a United States Senator. As a Union Army general in the American Civil War, he conducted successful campaigns in North Carolina and East Tennessee, as well as countering the raids of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan, but suffered disastrous defeats at the Battle of Fredericksburg and Battle of the Crater. His distinctive style of facial hair became known as sideburns, derived from his last name. He was also the first president of the National Rifle Association. | What fashion did Union General Ambrose Burnside start during the Civil War? |
Asgard | In Norse mythology, Bifröst ( or sometimes Bilröst or Bivrost) is a burning rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard (the world) and Asgard, the realm of the gods. The bridge is attested as Bilröst in the Poetic Edda; compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and as Bifröst in the Prose Edda; written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in the poetry of skalds. Both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda alternately refer to the bridge as Ásbrú (Old Norse "Æsir's bridge").Simek (2007:19). | Bifrost is a burning rainbow bridge between Earth and what realm of the gods? |
Decoration Day | Copying a practice that began in the Southern states, on May 5, 1868, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, the veterans' organization for Union Civil War veterans, General John A. Logan issued a proclamation calling for "Decoration Day" to be observed annually and nationwide. It was observed for the first time that year on Saturday May 30; the date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle. According to the White House, the May 30 date was chosen as the optimal date for flowers to be in bloom. | Which holiday, which had its first official recognition in 1868, was originally called Decoration Day? |
Coxswain | The coxswain (or simply the cox) is the member who sits in the boat facing the bow, steers the boat, and coordinates the power and rhythm of the rowers - by communicating to the crew through a device called a cox box and speakers. They usually sit in the stern of the boat, except in bowloaders where the coxswain lies in the bow. Bowloader are usually seen as the coxed four and coxed pair type of boat. | What is the name of the crew member who steers the boat in competitive rowing? |
Telegraph | An electrical telegraph was independently developed and patented in the United States in 1837 by Samuel Morse. His assistant, Alfred Vail, developed the Morse code signalling alphabet with Morse. The first telegram in the United States was sent by Morse on 11 January 1838, across two miles (3 km) of wire at Speedwell Ironworks near Morristown, New Jersey, although it was only later, in 1844, that he sent the message "WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT" from the Capitol in Washington to the old Mt. Clare Depot in Baltimore. From then on, commercial telegraphy took off in America with lines linking all the major metropolitan centres on the East Coast within the next decade. The overland telegraph connected the west coast of the continent to the east coast by 24 October 1861, bringing an end to the Pony Express. | On May 24, 1844, Alfred Vail received the message “WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT” in Baltimore, MD, sent via what means? |
Tommy | Colin Fleming of The Atlantic has identified The Story of Simon Simopath (1967) by British psychedelic band Nirvana as the first recorded rock opera. Later in 1967, Montreal's Influence recorded a long suite titled "Mad Birds of Prey (A Mini-Opera)", which closed out their sole album, which was released in January 1968. Nevertheless, Neil Strauss of The New York Times wrote that S.F. Sorrow (1968) by The Pretty Things is "generally acknowledged as the first rock opera." Although Pete Townshend denied taking any influence from S.F. Sorrow, critics have compared The Who's Tommy to it. Scott Mervis of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that, although Tommy was not the first rock opera, it was the first album to be billed as such. Tommy would go on to influence On and On, a rap opera by The Fat Boys and American Idiot, a punk rock opera by Green Day. In an effort to appeal to more modern audiences, opera companies have welcomed more pop and rock influences. The resulting rock operas have met varying degrees of success as the worlds of high art and low art mix. | May 23, 1969 saw the release of the world's first rock opera, when the English rock band The Who released what album? |
Cruiserweight | In amateur boxing, light heavyweight is a weight division above 165 lb and up to 178 lb, falling between middleweight and heavyweight. In professional boxing, the division is above 168 lb and up to 175 lb, falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight. The light-heavyweight class has produced some of boxing's greatest champions: Bernard Hopkins (who, upon becoming champion, broke the record for oldest man to win a world title), Evander Holyfield, Tommy Loughran, Billy Conn, Joey Maxim, Archie Moore, Michael Moorer, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks, Dariusz Michalczewski, Roy Jones, Jr., Joe Calzaghe and Zsolt Erdei. | With a weight limit of 200 pounds, what boxing class comes between light heavyweight and heavyweight? |
Ripley's Believe It or Not! | LeRoy Robert Ripley (December 25, 1890 – May 27, 1949), better known by the name Robert Ripley, was an American cartoonist, entrepreneur, and amateur anthropologist, who is known for creating the Ripley's Believe It or Not! newspaper panel series, radio show, and television show which feature odd facts from around the world. | May 27, 1949 saw the death of Robert Ripley, who made his fame by publishing what newspaper series? |
Jimmy Carter | The Jimmy Carter rabbit incident, dubbed the "killer rabbit" attack by the media, involved a swamp rabbit that swam toward then–U.S. President Jimmy Carter's fishing boat on April 20, 1979. The incident caught press imagination after Carter's press secretary mentioned the event to a correspondent months later. | What U.S. president claimed that he was once attacked by a mysterious swamp rabbit while on a fishing trip? |
Baton | A baton is a stick that is used by conductors primarily to enlarge and enhance the manual and bodily movements associated with directing an ensemble of musicians. | What is the name of the stick used by a conductor to control an orchestra? |
Thomas Jefferson | The United States two-dollar bill ($2) is a current denomination of U.S. currency. The third U.S. President (1801–09), Thomas Jefferson, is featured on the obverse of the note. The reverse features a reproduction of the painting The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull. Throughout the $2 bill's pre-1929 life as a large-sized note, it was issued as a United States Note, National Bank Note, silver certificate, and Treasury or "Coin" Note. When U.S. currency was changed to its current size, the $2 bill was issued only as a United States Note. Production went on until 1966, when the series was discontinued. Ten years went by before the $2 bill was reissued as a Federal Reserve Note with a new reverse design. $2 bills are seldom seen in circulation as a result of banking policies with businesses which has resulted in low production numbers due to lack of demand. This comparative scarcity in circulation, coupled with a lack of public knowledge that the bill is still in production and circulation, has also inspired urban legends and occasionally has created problems for people trying to use the bill to make purchases. | Who on featured on the 2 dollar bill? |
Klondike | Coastal and inland First Nations had extensive trading networks. European incursions into the area only began early in the 19th century with the fur trade, followed by missionaries. By the 1870s and 1880s gold miners began to arrive. This drove a population increase that justified the establishment of a police force, just in time for the start of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897. The increased population coming with the gold rush led to the separation of the Yukon district from the Northwest Territories and the formation of the separate Yukon Territory in 1898. | What area of the Yukon Territory experienced the gold rush of 1897? |
Milk | The winner of the Indianapolis 500 receives many prizes, many based on past tradition. One of the most iconic traditions is for the winner of the Indianapolis 500 to drink a bottle of milk, a tradition started by Louis Meyer who won the race in 1936. The winner is also presented with a wreath in victory lane, and has the opportunity to kiss the yard of brick (the start/finish line), an Indianapolis Motor Speedway tradition started by NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett in 1996 at the Brickyard 400 and adopted by 500 winners since 2003. The winner of the race also receives the pace car used during that race, and will have on the Borg-Warner Trophy a bas-relief sculpture of their face added to the base. The Borg-Warner Trophy has been used since 1936 and along with the sculpture on the original trophy, the winning driver and car owner receive a small replica. The Indianapolis 500 winner also receives a large purse, most recently at $2.49 million, given to Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2014. Other prizes have been given to the race winner over the years, including a quilt, made by Jeanetta Holder, which is presented to the driver annually at the winner's photo shoot. | What is the traditional victory beverage guzzled in the Winner's Circle of the Indianapolis 500? |
Pork | "Pork. The Other White Meat." was an advertising slogan developed by advertising agency Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt in 1987 for the National Pork Board. The campaign was paid for using a checkoff fee (tax) collected from the initial sale of all pigs and pork products, including imports. In traditional culinary terminology, pork is considered a white meat, but the nutritional studies comparing white and red meat treat pork as red, as does the United States Department of Agriculture. | What product advertises itself as "the other white meat"? |
Mr. Burns | Waylon J. Smithers, Jr., usually referred to as Mr. Smithers or simply Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although his voice could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the consummate executive and personal assistant of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's owner Mr. Burns. | Waylon Smithers is the personal assistant to what well known fictional character? |
1911 | At the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, his use of what would now be called a rear-view mirror, rather than the riding mechanic specified in the rules, created controversy, but was ultimately allowed. Harroun went on to win at an average speed of . Harroun, who came out of retirement to race in the first 500, would not race after 1911. Harroun's historic Firestone-shod yellow #32 Marmon "Wasp," in which he won the Indianapolis 500, is on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. | Won by Ray Harroun at the amazing speed of 74.602mph, the first Indianapolis 500 race was held in what year? |
Jellystone | The plot of most of Yogi's cartoons centered on his antics in the fictional Jellystone Park, a variant of the real Yellowstone National Park. Yogi, accompanied by his constant companion Boo-Boo Bear, would often try to steal picnic baskets from campers in the park, much to the displeasure of Park Ranger Smith. Yogi's girlfriend, Cindy Bear, sometimes appeared and usually disapproved of Yogi's antics. | In which park do Yogi Bear and his little buddy Boo Boo live? |
Cancer | Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄνκος (ónkos), meaning "tumor", "volume" or "mass". | Oncology is the study of what? |
5 | The object of the game is to score points by rolling five dice to make certain combinations. The dice can be rolled up to three times in a turn to try to make various scoring combinations. A game consists of thirteen rounds. After each round the player chooses which scoring category is to be used for that round. Once a category has been used in the game, it cannot be used again. The scoring categories have varying point values, some of which are fixed values and others where the score depends on the value of the dice. A Yahtzee is five-of-a-kind and scores 50 points; the highest of any category. The winner is the player who scores the most points. | How many dice are used in the games of Yahtzee? |
Pretty Boy | Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd (February 3, 1904 – October 22, 1934) was an American bank robber. He operated in the Midwest and West South Central States, and his criminal exploits gained widespread press coverage in the 1930s. Like most other prominent outlaws of that era, he was killed by policemen. Historians have speculated as to which officers were at the event, local or the FBI, known accounts document that local officers Robert "Pete" Pyle and George Curran were present at his fatal shooting and also at his embalming. Floyd has continued to be a familiar figure in American popular culture, sometimes seen as notorious, but at other times viewed as a tragic figure, partly a victim of the hard times of the Great Depression in the United States. | What was the awesome nickname of depression era bank robber Charles Arthur Floyd? |
200 | The Indianapolis 500 is held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.5 mile oval circuit. Drivers race 200 laps, counterclockwise around the circuit, for a distance of 500 miles. Since its inception in 1911, the race has always been scheduled on or around Memorial Day. Since 1974, the race has been scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Practice and time trials are held in the two weeks leading up to the race. | The Indianapolis 500 race, held over the Memorial Day weekend, takes how many laps to complete the full 500 miles? |
Shoeshine Boy | Underdog, Shoeshine Boy's heroic alter ego, appears whenever love interest Sweet Polly Purebred is being victimized by such villains as Simon Bar Sinister or Riff Raff. Underdog nearly always speaks in rhyming couplets, as in "There's no need to fear, Underdog is here!" His voice was supplied by Wally Cox. | What is the alter ego of everyone's favorite hero, Underdog? |
40% | Another way of specifying the amount of alcohol is alcohol proof, which in the United States is twice the alcohol-by-volume number, while in the United Kingdom it is 1.75 times the number (expressed as a percentage). For example, 40% abv is 80 proof in the US and 70 proof in the UK. However, since 1980, alcoholic proof in the UK has been replaced by abv as a measure of alcohol content. | In the United States, if liquor is defined as 80 proof, what is the percentage of alcohol by volume? |
Superman | Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster saw their creation, Superman (also known as Kal-El, originally Kal-L), launched in Action Comics #1 on April 18, 1938 (cover dated June), an event which began the Golden Age of Comic Books. Siegel and Shuster had tried for years to find a publisher for their Superman character originally conceived as a newspaper strip without success. Superman was originally a bald madman created by Siegel and Shuster who used his telepathic abilities to wreak havoc on mankind. He appeared in Siegel and Shuster's book Science Fiction. Siegel then commented, "What if this Superman was a force for good instead of evil?" The writer and artist had worked on several features for National Allied Publications' other titles such as Slam Bradley in Detective Comics and were asked to contribute a feature for National's newest publication. They submitted Superman for consideration and, after re-pasting the sample newspaper strips they had prepared into comic book page format, National decided to make Superman the cover feature of their new magazine. After seeing the published first issue, publisher Harry Donenfeld dismissed the featured strip as ridiculous and ordered it never to be on the cover of the series again. Subsequent reports of the first issue's strong sales and follow up investigations revealed that Superman was the reason, thus the character returned to the covers, becoming a permanent presence in issue 19 onward. | With a June, 1938 cover date, Action Comics #1 introduced what iconic character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster? |
FedEx | *FedEx: "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight."1978–1983". FedEx was the first company to specialize in overnight air freight and first to implement package tracking. This pioneering advantage was made possible by a new system outlined in the founder's 1965 Yale paper. | The advertising slogan for what company was "When it absolutely, positively, has to be there overnight"? |
Sherlock Holmes | The original Baker Street Irregulars are fictional characters featured in the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle. The group of street urchins is led by an older boy called Wiggins, whom Holmes paid a shilling per day (plus expenses), with a guinea prize (worth one pound and one shilling) for a vital clue, to collect data for his investigations. | A group of street urchins, the Baker Street Irregulars are employed by whom? |
Butterfly | Ali had a highly unorthodox boxing style for a heavyweight, epitomized by his catchphrase "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". Never an overpowering puncher, Ali relied early in his career on his superior hand speed, superb reflexes and constant movement, dancing and circling opponents for most of the fight, holding his hands low and lashing out with a quick, cutting left jab that he threw from unpredictable angles. His footwork was so strong that it was extremely difficult for opponents to cut down the ring and corner Ali against the ropes. He was also able to quickly dodge punches with his head movement and footwork. | In addition to stinging like a bee, Muhammed Ali described his fighting style as floating like a what? |
Memorial Day | Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. The holiday, which is observed every year on the last Monday of May, originated as Decoration Day after the American Civil War in 1868, when the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans founded in Decatur, Illinois, established it as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the Union war dead with flowers. By the 20th century, competing Union and Confederate holiday traditions, celebrated on different days, had merged, and Memorial Day eventually extended to honor all Americans who died while in the military service. It marks the start of the unofficial summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end. | What federal holiday, first enacted to honor the Union soldiers of the Civil War, was formerly called Decoration Day? |
Johann Strauss II | Johann Strauss II (October 25, 1825 – June 3, 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger, the Son (), Johann Baptist Strauss, was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. In his lifetime, he was known as "The Waltz King", and was largely then responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century. | Which famed Viennese composer, who died on June 3, 1899, was known as the Waltz King? |
Richard Dawson | The ABC network version of the show and the first syndicated series were hosted by Richard Dawson. Ray Combs hosted the CBS series and the first six seasons of the accompanying syndicated version, then was replaced by Dawson for the final season. The 1999 syndicated series has been hosted by Louie Anderson (1999–2002), Richard Karn (2002–06), John O'Hurley (2006–10), and Steve Harvey (2010–present). Announcers for the series have included Gene Wood (1976–95), Burton Richardson (1999–2010), Joey Fatone (2010–15), and Rubin Ervin (2015–present). | Who’s missing: Ray Combs, Louie Anderson, Richard Karn, John O’Hurley, Steve Harvey |
Patty and Selma Bouvier | Julie Deborah Kavner (born September 7, 1950) is an American film and television actress, voice actress and comedian. She first attracted notice for her role as Valerie Harper's character's younger sister Brenda in the sitcom Rhoda for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She is best known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons. She also voices other characters for the show, including Jacqueline Bouvier, and Patty and Selma Bouvier. | Voiced by Julie Kavner, who are the older twin sisters of Marge Simpson? |
Skunk | Pepé Le Pew is a fictional character from the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, first introduced in 1945. A French striped skunk that always strolls around in Paris in the springtime, when everyone's thoughts are of "love", Pepé is constantly seeking "l'amour" of his own. However, he has two huge turnoffs to any prospective mates: his malodorous scent and his penchant for sexual harassment, refusing to take "no" for an answer, even when she rejects his advances to the point of physically assaulting him, making him the antagonist of his shorts. In the same vein as Speedy Gonzales being stereotypically Mexican, Pepé le Pew is a French stereotype from speaking with an exaggerated accent, to his quest for love (French being culturally portrayed as synonymous with romance). His name Pepé is a common nickname in France while his surnane is a pun; Pew being a reference to P.U., a remark regarding foul odor, in this case Pepé's smell. | What type of animal is cartoon character Pepe Le Pew? |
Tin | Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12% tin and often with the addition of other metals (such as aluminium, manganese, nickel or zinc) and sometimes non-metals or metalloids such as arsenic, phosphorus or silicon. These additions produce a range of alloys that may be harder than copper alone, or have other useful properties, such as stiffness, ductility or machinability. | What is added to copper to make bronze? |
Tobacco | The brand is the basis of a practical joke, usually made in the form of a prank call. The prankster typically calls a store and asks if they have "Prince Albert in a can." When the unsuspecting clerk responds "yes" (because the tobacco is typically packaged in a can, though other forms of packaging also existed), the caller follows up with, "Well, you'd better let him out!" or "Then why don't you let him out before he suffocates!?" Another, more crass form of this call went "Do you have Prince Albert in the can?" When the respondent said "yes", the caller rejoined, "Well let him out before he drowns!" (with "can" being slang for "toilet"). | If I prank call a store asking if they have Prince Albert in a can, what type of product am I looking for? |
Timex | The new watch movement design faced resistance from traditional jewelers. Lehmkuhl made two more decisions that proved pivotal to the company's long-term success. The company would go on to, or continue to pursue innovative marketing programs and develop new channels of distribution. A marketing decision was made to use the most credible newsman in the United States at that time, John Cameron Swayze, as a spokesperson for live torture tests on television with the tag line created by Russ Alben, "Timex – Takes a Licking and keeps on Ticking" – a well-recognized campaign in advertising history. These commercials were developed by Hirshon Garfield as elaborations on tests originated by United States Time Corporation salesmen. The commercials included high-divers, water skiers, a dolphin, dishwashers, jackhammers, paint mixers and the propeller of an outboard motor, all torturing a Timex watch. | What product was advertised by the slogan "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking" |
He-Man | The show takes place on the fictional planet of Eternia, a planet of magic, myth and fantasy. Its lead character is Prince Adam, the young son of Eternia's rulers, King Randor and Queen Marlena. Whenever Prince Adam holds the Sword of Power aloft and proclaims "By the Power of Grayskull!" he is endowed with "fabulous secret powers" and transformed into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. Together with his close allies, Battle Cat (who undergoes a similar transformation from being Adam's cowardly pet tiger Cringer), The Sorceress, Teela, Man-At-Arms and Orko, He-Man uses his powers to defend Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor. Skeletor's main goal is to conquer the mysterious fortress of Castle Grayskull, from which He-Man draws his powers. If successful, Skeletor would have enough power to rule Eternia and possibly the entire universe. | By the power of Greyskull, who, alongside Teela and Man-At-Arms, battled Skeletor to defend Eternia? |
32 | The current format of the competition involves a qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, to determine which teams qualify for the tournament phase, which is often called the World Cup Finals. 32 teams, including the automatically qualifying host nation(s), compete in the tournament phase for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month. | How many teams compete in the World Cup? |
Brazil | With five titles, Brazil are the most successful World Cup team and also the only nation to have played in every World Cup (20) to date. Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) are the only nations to have won consecutive titles. West Germany (1982–1990) and Brazil (1994–2002) are the only nations to appear in three consecutive World Cup finals. Germany has made the most top-four finishes (13), medals (12), as well as the most finals (8). | Winner of 5, what is the only nation who has sent a team to every World Cup? |
Montana | Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973) was the first woman to hold federal office in the United States when, in 1916, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives by the state of Montana. She won a second House term 24 years later, in 1940. | Born June 11, 1880, Jeanette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, represented which Northwestern state? |
Jimmy Carter | Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter became involved with Habitat for Humanity in 1984 and has since become its highest profile proponent. He has been involved in fund-raising and publicity as well as actual homebuilding, taking part in the annual Jimmy Carter Work Project "blitz build". | What former U.S. president, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, is known for his staunch support of Habitat for Humanity? |
James Earl Jones | Darth Vader was portrayed by bodybuilder David Prowse and by stunt performer Bob Anderson during the character's intense lightsaber fight scenes. James Earl Jones provided Vader's voice, but was initially uncredited in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back because he felt his contributions were too small to warrant recognition. The character has also been voiced by Scott Lawrence and Matt Sloan for several video games. Hayden Christensen portrays Vader in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Brock Peters provided the voice of Darth Vader in the NPR/USC radio series. Spencer Wilding will portray Vader in Rogue One. | Which actor provided the voice for Darth Vader and "This is CNN"? |
Painkiller | An analgesic or painkiller is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve analgesia, relief from pain. | An analgesic drug is used as what? |
Tittle | * In Turkish, the dot above lowercase i and j (and uppercase İ) is not regarded as an independent diacritic but as an integral part of the letter. It is called a tittle. | In English, what is the name for the dot that appears over the lower case letters i and j? |
Crescendo | Three Italian words are used to show gradual changes in volume. Crescendo, abbreviated cresc., translates as "growing", and diminuendo, abbreviated dim., or decrescendo, abbreviated to decresc., mean "gradually becoming softer". Signs sometimes referred to as "hairpins" are also used to stand for these words (See image). If the lines open up, then the indication is to get louder; if they close gradually, the indication is to get softer. The following notation indicates music starting moderately strong, then becoming gradually stronger and then gradually quieter: | Which musical term means to gradually get louder? |
Delta | *Delta Air Lines : Sky Magazine | Which airline's in-flight magazine is called Sky? |
Heat | In conduction, the heat flow is within and through the body itself. In contrast, in heat transfer by thermal radiation, the transfer is often between bodies, which may be separated spatially. Also possible is transfer of heat by a combination of conduction and thermal radiation. In convection, internal energy is carried between bodies by a moving material carrier. In solids, conduction is mediated by the combination of vibrations and collisions of molecules, of propagation and collisions of phonons, and of diffusion and collisions of free electrons. In gases and liquids, conduction is due to the collisions and diffusion of molecules during their random motion. Photons in this context do not collide with one another, and so heat transport by electromagnetic radiation is conceptually distinct from heat conduction by microscopic diffusion and collisions of material particles and phonons. But the distinction is often not easily observed, unless the material is semi-transparent. | Convection, conduction, and radiation are three of the ways what type of energy can be transferred? |
Diaphragm | In human anatomy, the thoracic diaphragm, or simply the diaphragm (), is a sheet of internal skeletal muscle that extends across the bottom of the thoracic cavity. The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity containing the heart and lungs, from the abdominal cavity and performs an important function in respiration: as the diaphragm contracts, the volume of the thoracic cavity increases and air is drawn into the lungs. | What is the name of the chief muscle used in breathing, which separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity? |
Five | The standard form of a limerick is a stanza of five lines, with the first, second and fifth rhyming with one another and having three feet of three syllables each; and the shorter third and fourth lines also rhyming with each other, but having only two feet of three syllables. The defining "foot" of a limerick's meter is usually the anapaest, (ta-ta-TUM), but catalexis (missing a weak syllable at the beginning of a line) and extra-syllable rhyme (which adds an extra unstressed syllable) can make limericks appear amphibrachic (ta-TUM-ta). | How many lines are there in a limerick? |
Sally Kristen Ride | Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012) was an American physicist and astronaut. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978 and became the first American woman in space in 1983. She remains the youngest American astronaut to have traveled to space, having done so at the age of 32. After flying twice on the Orbiter Challenger, she left NASA in 1987. She worked for two years at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Arms Control, then at the University of California, San Diego as a professor of physics, primarily researching nonlinear optics and Thomson scattering. She served on the committees that investigated the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters, the only person to participate on both. Ride died of pancreatic cancer on July 23, 2012. | A current member of the staff at Stanford, who became the first American woman in space on June 18, 1983? |
President Theodore Roosevelt | Big Stick ideology, Big Stick diplomacy, or Big Stick policy refers to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy: "speak softly, and carry a big stick." Roosevelt described his style of foreign policy as "the exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any likely crisis". | The policy of what total bad ass, and US President, was to speak softly and carry a big stick? |
Georgetown | The team name is derived from the mixed Greek and Latin chant, "Hoya Saxa," (meaning "What Rocks") which gained popularity at the school in the late nineteenth century. The name Hoyas came into use in the 1920s. Most teams have their athletic facilities on the main campus of Georgetown University. The men's basketball team plays most of their home games at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. and the baseball team plays at Shirley Povich Field in Cabin John, Maryland. Lee Reed took over as the school's athletic director in April 2010. | What Big East university, located in Washington, D.C., is nicknamed The Hoyas, from the Latin Hoya Saxa? |
Andy Warhol | 15 minutes of fame is short-lived media publicity or celebrity of an individual or phenomenon. The expression is credited to Andy Warhol, who included the words "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes" in the program for a 1968 exhibition of his work at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sweden. Photographer Nat Finkelstein claims credit for the expression, stating that he was photographing Warhol in 1966 for a proposed book. A crowd gathered trying to get into the pictures and Warhol supposedly remarked that everyone wants to be famous, to which Finkelstein replied, "Yeah, for about fifteen minutes, Andy." | Who famously opined that "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes"? |
German Shepherd | Eventually, the appendage "wolf dog" was dropped, after numerous campaigns by breeders who were worried that becoming known as a wolf-dog hybrid would affect the breed's popularity and legality. The name Alsatian remained for five decades, until 1977, when successful campaigns by dog enthusiasts pressured the British kennel clubs to allow the breed to be registered again as German Shepherds. The word "Alsatian" still appeared in parentheses as part of the formal breed name and was only removed in 2010. | What is the more common name for the dog known as the Alsatian? |
Office of Strategic Services | William Joseph ("Wild Bill") Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was a United States soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat. Donovan is best remembered as the wartime head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency, during World War II. He is also known as the "Father of American Intelligence" and the "Father of Central Intelligence".[https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/gen.-william-j.-donovan-heads-oss.html CIA: Look Back … Gen. William J. Donovan Heads Office of Strategic Services], cia.gov; accessed February 27, 2016.[https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol3no3/html/v03i3a07p_0001.htm CIA: William J. Donovan and the National Security], cia.gov; accessed February 27, 2016. | Founded on June 13, 1942, Wild Bill Donovan headed what wartime intelligence agency that eventually became the CIA? |
Pisum sativum | Gregor Mendel, who is known as the "father of modern genetics", was inspired by both his professors at the Palacký University, Olomouc, (Friedrich Franz and Johann Karl Nestler) and his colleagues at the monastery (such as Franz Diebl) to study variation in plants. In 1854 Napp authorized Mendel for the investigation, who conducted his study in the monastery's 2 ha experimental garden, which was originally planted by Napp in 1830. Unlike Nestler, who studied hereditary traits in sheep, Mendel focused on plants. After initial experiments with pea plants, Mendel settled on studying seven traits that seemed to inherit independently of other traits: seed shape, flower color, seed coat tint, pod shape, unripe pod color, flower location, and plant height. He first focused on seed shape, which was either angular or round. Between 1856 and 1863 Mendel cultivated and tested some 28,000 plants, majority of which were pea plants (Pisum sativum). This study showed that one in four pea plants had purebred recessive alleles, two out of four were hybrid and one out of four were purebred dominant. His experiments led him to make two generalizations, the Law of Segregation and the Law of Independent Assortment, which later came to be known as Mendel's Laws of Inheritance. | Which type of plant did Gregor Mendel use in his famous genetic experiments? |
Great Britain | On June 1, 1812, President James Madison sent a message to Congress recounting American grievances against Great Britain, though not specifically calling for a declaration of war. After Madison's message, the House of Representatives deliberated for four days behind closed doors before voting 79 to 49 (61% in favor) the first declaration of war, and the Senate agreed by 19 to 13 (59% in favor). The conflict began formally on June 18, 1812, when Madison signed the measure into law and proclaimed it the next day. This was the first time that the United States had declared war on another nation, and the Congressional vote would prove to be the closest vote to formally declare war in American history. (The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 1991, while not a formal declaration of war, was a closer vote.) None of the 39 Federalists in Congress voted in favor of the war; critics of war subsequently referred to it as "Mr. Madison's War". | June 18, 1812 saw the start of the War of 1812 when the US Congress declared war on who? |
Charleston | West Virginia's capital and seat of government is the city of Charleston, located in the southwest area of the state. | One of the few states where the capital is also its largest city, what is the seat of government for West Virginia? |
The Soviet Union | Operation Barbarossa (German: Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the code name for Nazi Germany's World War II invasion of the Soviet Union, which began on 22 June 1941. The operation was driven by Adolf Hitler's ideological desire to conquer Soviet territory as outlined in his 1925 manifesto Mein Kampf ("My Struggle"). | June 23, 1941 saw the German army launch Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of what state? |
Mississippi | Hernando de Soto (c. 1500 – May 21, 1542) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States (Florida, Georgia, Alabama and most likely Arkansas), and the first documented European to have crossed the Mississippi River. | Hernando de Soto was the first European documented to have crossed what U.S. river? |
Missouri | The state's capital is Jefferson City. The land that is now Missouri was acquired from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase and became known as the Missouri Territory. Part of this territory was admitted into the union as the 24th state on August 10, 1821. | Known as The Show-Me State, what was the 24th state to join the union on August 10, 1821? |
CenturyLink Field | CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally called Seahawks Stadium it became Qwest Field on June 23, 2004, when telecommunications carrier Qwest acquired the naming rights. It received its current name in June 2011 after the acquisition of Qwest by CenturyLink. The complex also includes the Event Center with the WaMu Theater, a parking garage, and a public plaza. The venue hosts concerts, trade shows, and consumer shows along with sporting events. Located within a mile (1.6 km) of Seattle's central business district, the venue is accessible by multiple freeways and forms of mass transit. | What is the current name for the stadium formerly known as Qwest Field, home of the Sounders and the Seahawks? |
Julian calendar | The Gregorian calendar was a reform of the Julian calendar instituted in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by papal bull Inter gravissimas dated 24 February 1582. The motivation for the adjustment was to bring the date for the celebration of Easter to the time of year in which it was celebrated when it was introduced by the early Church. Although a recommendation of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 specified that all Christians should celebrate Easter on the same day, it took almost five centuries before virtually all Christians achieved that objective by adopting the rules of the Church of Alexandria (see Easter for the issues which arose). | The Gregorian calendar, which was adopted by papal bull in 1582, replaced which other western calendar? |
Obscene | The Miller test (also called the Three Prong Obscenity Test) is the United States Supreme Court's test for determining whether speech or expression can be labeled obscene, in which case it is not protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and can be prohibited. | June 21, 1973, saw the US Supreme Court establish the Miller Test, which determines whether something is, or isnt, what? |
Yugoslavia | *1991 – Croatia and Slovenia declare their independence from Yugoslavia. | On June 25, 1991, Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence from what country? |
Tom Green | Barrymore began dating MTV host and comedian Tom Green in 1999. They lived together for a year before getting engaged in July 2000. They wed in July 2001. Green filed for divorce in December 2001. The divorce was finalized on October 15, 2002. Before their divorce, they starred together in Charlie's Angels and Green's first directorial film Freddy Got Fingered. | Had an eponymous show on MTV in 1999-2000; Had a short lived marriage to Drew Barrymore |
Mickey Spillane | I, the Jury is the 1947 debut novel of American crime-fiction writer Mickey Spillane, the first work to feature private investigator Mike Hammer. | The 1947 novel "I, the Jury", which was the first to feature detective Mike Hammer, was written by what New York author? |
Borzoi | The system by which Russians over the ages named their sighthounds was a series of descriptive terms, not actual names. "Borzói" is the masculine singular form of an archaic Russian adjective that means "fast". "Borzáya sobáka" ("fast dog") is the basic term used by Russians, though "sobáka" is usually dropped. The name "Psovaya" derived from the word Psovina, which means "wavy, silky coat", just as "Hortaya" (as in Hortaya Borzaya) means shorthaired. In Russia today the breed we know as the borzoi is officially known as "Russkaya Psovaya Borzaya". Other Russian sighthound breeds are "Stepnaya Borzaya" (from the steppe), called "Stepnoi"; and "Krimskaya Borzaya" (from the Crimea), called "Krimskoi". | Which old Russian word meaning 'fast' is the other name for the Russian Wolfhound? |
Recto | In a book, the side of a leaf one reads first is called the recto page, and the back side of that leaf is called the verso page. In a spread, one reads the verso page first and then reads the recto page of the next leaf. In English-language books, the recto page is on the right and the verso page is on the left. By modern convention, these books start with a recto page and hence all recto pages in such books have odd numbers. | If verso is the left side page of a book, what name is given to the right? |
Hedgehog | Sonic the Hedgehog is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis console. The game was first released in North America, Europe and Australia in June 1991, and in Japan the following month. The game features an anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic in a quest to defeat Dr. Robotnik, a scientist who has imprisoned animals in robots and stolen the magical Chaos Emeralds. Sonic the Hedgehogs gameplay involves collecting rings as a form of health and a simple control scheme, with jumping and attacking controlled by a single button. | What type of animal is the video game character Sonic, introduced by Sega on June 23, 1991? |
A dog | The Rhodesian ridgeback is a dog breed developed in Rhodesia now Zimbabwe. Its European forebears can be traced to the early pioneers of the Cape Colony of southern Africa, who crossed their dogs with the semi-domesticated, ridged hunting dogs of the Khoikhoi. | What sort of animal is a Rhodesian ridgeback? |
Sir Galahad | Sir Galahad (; sometime referred to as Galeas or Galath), in Arthurian legend, is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail. He is the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic, and is renowned for his gallantry and purity. Emerging quite late in the medieval Arthurian tradition, Sir Galahad first appears in the Lancelot–Grail cycle, and his story is taken up in later works such as the Post-Vulgate Cycle and Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. | Which Knight of the Round Table found the Holy Grail? |
9-0 | In rare cases, baseball games are forfeited, usually when a team is no longer able to play. In the event of forfeiture, the score is recorded as 9-0, as stated in rule 2.00 of the Major League Baseball Rules Book. However, the actual game statistics are recorded as they stand at the time of the forfeit; the game is recorded as a loss in the standings for the forfeiting team and a win for the other team, even if the forfeiting team is ahead at that point. The 9-0 score equates to the number of innings in a regulation game. Sports with seven-inning games, such as high school baseball or softball, generally award a rule-based score of 7-0. | How is the score of a forfeited baseball game reported? |
Lower | The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter. A lens typically has a set of marked "f-stops" that the f-number can be set to. A lower f-number denotes a greater aperture opening which allows more light to reach the film or image sensor. The photography term "one f-stop" refers to a factor of √2 (approx. 1.41) change in f-number, which in turn corresponds to a factor of 2 change in light intensity. | If you wanted to let more light into a camera lens, would you choose a lower or a higher aperture number (f-stop)? |
Apple | Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston. In practice, by the mid-1970s, the roster had become dominated with releases by the former Beatles as solo artists. | What is the name of the recording label founded by the Beatles? |
Wyoming | Approximately 96 percent of the land area of Yellowstone National Park is located within the state of Wyoming. Another three percent is within Montana, with the remaining one percent in Idaho. The park is 63 mi north to south, and 54 mi west to east by air. Yellowstone is 2219789 acre in area, larger than the states of Rhode Island or Delaware. Rivers and lakes cover five percent of the land area, with the largest water body being Yellowstone Lake at 87040 acre. Yellowstone Lake is up to 400 ft deep and has 110 mi of shoreline. At an elevation of 7733 ft above sea level, Yellowstone Lake is the largest high altitude lake in North America. Forests comprise 80 percent of the land area of the park; most of the rest is grassland. | The largest portion of Yellowstone National Park is located in which state? |
The Bill of Rights | Since the Constitution came into force in 1789, it has been amended twenty-seven times. In general, the first ten amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the powers of government. The majority of the seventeen later amendments expand individual civil rights protections. Others address issues related to federal authority or modify government processes and procedures. Amendments to the United States Constitution, unlike ones made to many constitutions world-wide, are appended to the end of the document. At seven articles and twenty-seven amendments, it is the shortest written constitution in force. All five pages of the original U.S. Constitution are written on parchment. | The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution are collectively known as what? |
Apple | Martin and American actress Gwyneth Paltrow married on 5 December 2003, in a quiet ceremony in the absence of their friends and family. Their daughter Apple Blythe Alison Martin, was born May 14, 2004 in London. Martin and the band released a song "I am your baby's daddy" under the name "The Nappies" in anticipation of the birth of Apple. The band's song "Speed of Sound" was also inspired by Martin's experience and awe at becoming a father. Their second child, Moses Bruce Anthony Martin, was born April 8, 2006 in New York City. Moses's name was inspired by a song, "Moses", that Martin wrote for Paltrow. Simon Pegg and Martin's bandmate Jonny Buckland are Apple's godfathers, and in exchange Martin is the godfather to Pegg's daughter. Martin and Paltrow announced their separation in March 2014, after ten years of marriage. Paltrow filed for divorce in April 2015. A judge finalized their divorce on July 15, 2016. | With what unfortunate name did Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin dub their first born daughter? |
76 | Halley's Comet or Comet Halley ( or, named after astronomer Edmond Halley), officially designated 1P/Halley, is a short-period comet visible from Earth every 75–76 years. Halley is the only known short-period comet that is clearly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked-eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061. | After how many years does Halley's comet appear? |
12 | There are 12 troy ounces per troy pound, (373.24 g) rather than the 16 ounces per pound (453.59 g) found in the more common avoirdupois system. The troy ounce is 480 grains, compared with the avoirdupois ounce, which is grains. Both systems use the same grain defined by the international yard and pound agreement of 1959 as exactly 0.064 798 91 gram. Although troy ounces are still used to weigh gold, silver, and gemstones, troy weight is no longer used in most other applications. | How many troy ounces are in a troy pound? |
Saudi Arabia | Acting on the Carter Doctrine's policy, and out of fear the Iraqi Army could launch an invasion of Saudi Arabia, U.S. President George H. W. Bush quickly announced that the U.S. would launch a "wholly defensive" mission to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia under the codename Operation Desert Shield. Operation Desert Shield began on 7 August 1990 when U.S. troops were sent to Saudi Arabia due also to the request of its monarch, King Fahd, who had earlier called for U.S. military assistance. This "wholly defensive" doctrine was quickly abandoned when, on 8 August, Iraq declared Kuwait to be Iraq's 19th province and Saddam named his cousin, Ali Hassan Al-Majid, as its military-governor. | The United States launched Operation Desert Shield in 1990 to prevent Iraq from invading what country? |
California | The Mojave Desert ( ) is a rain-shadow arid desert area that occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona in the United States. | The majority of the Mohave Desert is located in which state? |
Mike Tyson | Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II, billed as "The Sound and the Fury" and afterwards infamously referred to as "The Bite Fight", was a professional boxing match contested on June 28, 1997 for the WBA Heavyweight Championship. It achieved notoriety as one of the most bizarre fights in boxing history, after Tyson bit off part of Holyfield's ear. Tyson was disqualified from the match and lost his boxing license, though it was later reinstated. | Who gnawed a chunk from Evander Holyfield's ear on June 28, 1997? |
Berlin | The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutsche mark from West Berlin. | In response to a Soviet blockade, June 26th, 1948, saw the Western Allies begin an airlift to what city? |
James Fenimore Cooper | Nathaniel "Natty" Bumppo is the protagonist of James Fenimore Cooper's pentalogy of novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales. | What 19th century author wrote the pentalogy of Leatherstocking Tales novels featuring the protagonist Natty Bumppo? |
Perry Mason | Della Street is the fictional secretary of Perry Mason in the long-running series of novels, short stories, films, and radio and television programs featuring the fictional defense attorney created by Erle Stanley Gardner. | What famous fictional detective, created by Erle Stanley Gardner, had a famous secretary named Della Street? |
Ronald Reagan | Bedtime for Bonzo is a 1951 comedy film directed by Fred de Cordova, starring Ronald Reagan, Diana Lynn, and Peggy as Bonzo. It revolves around the attempts of the central character, psychology professor Peter Boyd (Ronald Reagan), to teach human morals to a chimpanzee, hoping to solve the "nature versus nurture" question. He hires a woman, Jane Linden (Diana Lynn), to pose as the chimp's mother while he plays father to it, and uses 1950s-era child rearing techniques. | What future politician starred alongside a chimp named Bonzo in the 1951 movie Bedtime for Bonzo? |
Guilder | The Dutch guilder (,) or fl. was the currency of the Netherlands from the 17th century until 2002, when it was replaced by the euro. Between 1999 and 2002, the guilder was officially a "national subunit" of the euro. However, physical payments could only be made in guilder, as no euro coins or banknotes were available. The Netherlands Antillean guilder is still in use in Curaçao and Sint Maarten (two countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands), but this currency is distinct from the Dutch guilder. In 2004, the Surinamese guilder was replaced by the Surinamese dollar. | What currency was used in the Netherlands until 2002 and in Suriname until 2004? |
Greenwich | The meridian through Greenwich (inside Greenwich Park), England, also called the Prime Meridian, was set at zero degrees of longitude, while other meridians were defined by the angle at the center of the earth between where it and the prime meridian cross the equator. As there are 360 degrees in a circle, the meridian on the opposite side of the earth from Greenwich, forming the other half of a circle with the one through Greenwich, is 180° longitude, and the others lie between 0° and 180° of West longitude in the Western Hemisphere (West of Greenwich) and between 0° and 180° of East longitude in the Eastern Hemisphere (East of Greenwich). Most maps show the lines of longitude. | What city serves as the Prime Meridian, 0 degrees for longitude calculations? |
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