Trivia Q&A: December 26

It was another fine evening of Trivia, and we had a very good crowd turn out for it. I was a little worried, as it being the day after Christmas, that the crowds might stay away. But fortunately we ended up having 13 teams compete. And it was won by a team called Fresh Pair, who won by five points over Ram Rod. I spoke to one of the members of the winning team afterwards, and she explained to me that she discovered the Trivia Night by a Google search that led her to my blog. I was very pleased to hear that, and that she and her team enjoyed it and would return again.

The three new categories went down very well, especially the Movie Characters, as it was two points per question. It looks like that category will definitely return next week.

Current Events
1. James Brown, "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,"died on Christmas morning at the age of 73. In which state did he pass away in? Georgia
2. This new Microsoft Windows operating system has proven to be an easy pushover for Internet hackers. Vista
3. Rumors have begun that this Yankees player may very well be traded, and possibly back to his old NL club. Randy Johnson
4. This Academy Award-nominated director was arrested last week in Portland, Oregon for DUI. Gus Van Sant
5. This governor suffered a broken right femur on the ski slopes in Idaho last week. Arnold Schwarzenegger
6. An oil pipeline burst and dumped more than 21,000 gallons of oil off the coast of this state on Tuesday. Texas
7. The Postal Service said today that the most popular US postage stamp continues to be an image of this late entertainer. Elvis Presley
8. An earthquake in this Asian country briefly started fears of a possible tsunami on Tuesday. Taiwan
9. This film grossed over $30 million this past weekend to become number one at the box office. "A Night At The Museum"
10. This African nation sent fighter jets into Somalia in order to stop the Islamist movement in that country. Ethiopia

State Nicknames
1. The First State: a. Delaware; b. Connecticut; c. Maine; d. Virginia. Answer: a
2. The Centennial State: a. Nevada; b. Colorado; c. Utah; d. Arizona. Answer: b
3. The Hawkeye State: a. North Dakota; b. Nebraska; c. Kansas; d. Iowa. Answer: d
4. The Pelican State: a. Louisiana; b. Arkansas; c. Indiana; d. Kentucky. Answer: a
5. The Sunflower State: a. Florida; b. Mississippi; c. Kansas; d. Oklahoma. Answer: c
6. The Granite State: a. New Hampshire; b. Vermont; c. Maine; d. Rhode Island. Answer: a
7. The Tar Heel State: a. South Carolina; b. Alabama; c. Georgia; d. North Carolina. Answer: d
8. The Buckeye State: a. Ohio; b. Illinois; c. Indiana; d. Missouri. Answer: a
9. The Equality State: a. Washington; b. Idaho; c. Wyoming; d. Montana. Answer: c
10. The Keystone State: a. Massachusetts; b. Pennsylvania; c. West Virginia; d. Maryland. Answer: b

General Knowledge
1. Which "Saturday Night Live" regular used the catch phrase, "Isn't That Special?" Dana Carvey
2. Which author penned the classic book, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X?" Alex Haley
3. Which early US president is credited with inventing both the dumb waiter and the lazy susan? Thomas Jefferson
4. In which US city did the infamous "Tailhook" Navy scandal take place? Las Vegas
5. Which TV soap opera had the long-running relationship between the characters Luke and Laura? General Hospital
6. When you combine the colors yellow and blue, what color do you get? Green
7. The Great Barrier Reef is located off the northeastern coast of which country? Australia
8. Who portrayed Jodie Dallas, the first openly gay character on TV? Billy Crystal
9. What year was the first US satellite, Explorer, launched into space in? 1957
10. Name 2 of the 3 NFL teams to win the Super Bowl 5 times. Dallas, San Francisco, Pittsburgh

New Year's Trivia
1. Which European country started using the symbol of a baby to signify the New Year nearly 2600 years ago? Greece
2. Which poet is credited with writing most of the lyrics to the song "Auld Lang Syne?" Robert Burns
3. What does the term "A.D." stand for? Anno Domini
4. Which European Senate made January 1 the first day of the New Year in 153 B.C.? Rome
5. In which California city is the New Year's Tournament of Roses Parade held in? Pasadena
6. Under which calendar is New Year's Day January 1? Gregorian
7. Which Canadian bandleader from the 1940s/50s was most closely associated with New Year's Eve? Guy Lombardo
8. Within 5 years, what was the first year that the ball was dropped above Times Square on New Year's Eve? 1907
9. In which city is the Orange Bowl football game played in, normally around New Year's Day? Miami
10. Which rock band had a hit song in the 1980s called "New Year's Day?" U2

Movie Characters
1. Popeye Doyle (1971)- Gene Hackman, "The French Connection"
2. Clark Griswold (1983)- Chevy Chase, "Vacation"
3. Kevin McCallister (1990)- Macauley Culkin, "Home Alone"
4. Tommy DeVito (1990)- Joe Pesci,"Goodfellas"
5. Capt. Jack Sparrow (2003)- Johnny Depp, "Pirates of the Caribbean"
6. Bill "The Butcher" Cutting (2002)- Daniel Day-Lewis,"Gangs of New York"
7. Judy Benjamin (1980)- Goldie Hawn, "Private Benjamin"
8. The Dude (1998)- Jeff Bridges, "The Big Lebowski"
9. Ellen Ripley (1979)- Sigourney Weaver, "Alien"
10. Oda Mae Brown (1990)- Whoopi Goldberg, "Ghost"