Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Trivia Q&A: July 2

We had 12 teams in for Trivia on Monday night. It looked in the beginning it might be a slow night, with the July 4th holiday underway. But it was nice to see a good turnout, as a good number of Red Sox fans turned out to see their win over Texas.

We got going just after 9:30, as the game was still in progress. We were able to get all five categories in, as I thought if we started later we'd have to drop one category.

We had a good competitive game. Most teams did well with State Capitals, but not so great with July 4th Trivia. It was close until the end, when a team called Live Free With a Vengeance rolled up 20 points in the IQ Trivia round to win by five points. The scores in IQ Trivia were not very strong, as I once again threw in some rather difficult questions.

Next week we will be starting Monday Night Trivia around the normal time of 9:00, since there will be no baseball game on due to the All-Star Break, which begins next Monday. And speaking of which, we will have a special category of All-Star Game Trivia, in celebration of the Midsummer Classic.

Current Events
1. Name one of the two Midwestern states where people were forced to evacuate their homes due to overflowing rivers.
2. Which iconic person was remembered yesterday with a concert in her memory at Wembley Stadium.
3. In which UK city was a car set of fire at the city's airport in an apparent terror attack on Saturday?
4. Mike Hargrove, manager of this baseball team, resigned on Sunday, as he felt his passion for the game had gone out.
5. President Bush met with this foreign leader at his family's seaside Maine home to try to smooth over their rocky relationship.
6. This film, which premiered on Friday, was number 1 at the box office last week, taking in $47 million.
7. Fans of this famed author staged a marathon reading of his most famous book on its 50th anniversary at a university in Colorado on Saturday.
8. A new traffic law in this state could fine motorists who violate it up to $3000, and it took effect on Sunday.
9. This foreign leader called the US "still a killing machine" after it was revealed they once used mobsters to try to kill him.
10. This man, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, succeeded Tony Blair as British Prime Minister last week.

Answers: 1. Kansas and Missouri; 2. Princess Diana; 3. Glasgow; 4. Seattle Mariners; 5. Vladimir Putin; 6. "Ratatouille;" 7. Jack Kerouac; 8. Virginia; 9. Fidel Castro; 10. Gordon Brown.

July 4th Trivia
1. Which two presidents, both signers of the Declaration of Independence, died on July 4, 1826?
2. Which heavyweight champion, who held the title the longest, won his first pro fight on July 4, 1934?
3. Which country was granted their independence on July 4, 1946?
4. Which European country won their first ever soccer World Cup on July 4, 1954?
5. Israeli commandoes, on July 4, 1976, raided Entebbe Airport in which African country and rescued hostages being held by Palestinian terrorists?
6. Which 20th century US president was born on July 4, 1872?
7. The battle of Vicksburg was won by the Union on July 4, 1863. Which Union general did the rebels surrender to?
8. Ron Kovic, a Vietnam vet and peace activist, was born on July 4, 1946. Which Hollywood actor portrayed him in a movie based on his life?
9. This playwright, who authored such plays as "The Odd Couple" and "Lost In Yonkers," was born on July 4, 1927.
10. "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland," this author's most famous work, was published on July 4, 1865.

Answers: 1. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson; 2. Joe Louis; 3. The Philippines; 4. Germany; 5. Uganda; 6. Calvin Coolidge; 7. Ulysses S. Grant; 8. Tom Cruise; 9. Neil Simon; 10. Lewis Carroll.

State Capitals Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Ohio--Columbus
2. Montana--Helena
3. Maine--Augusta
4. New Mexico--Santa Fe
5. South Carolina--Columbia
6. Alabama--Montgomery
7. Wisconsin--Madison
8. Michigan--Lansing
9. Nevada--Carson City
10. West Virginia--Charleston

General Knowledge
1. Who named his fast-food chain after his daughter Wendy?
2. Before becoming a film star, actress Claire Danes starred on what TV show?
3. Editors from which publication choose the companies that make up the Dow Jones index?
4. What event inspired the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song, "Ohio?"
5. In the 1995 film, "Big Night," for which singer do the restauranteurs prepare a banquet?
6. What part of the human body would you traditionally groom with an emory board?
7. If you were watching the "Great White Shark" play golf, who would you be watching?
8. What medical condition often causes sufferers to suddenly and unexpectedly fall asleep?
9. The NBA's Memphis Grizzlies originally began in which other city, where they won just 78 games from 1995-2000?
10. Which boxer, who's life became a hit film, became the world middleweight champion in 1949?

Answers: 1. Dave Thomas; 2. "My So-Called Life;" 3. Wall Street Journal; 4. Kent State riots; 5. Louis Prima; 6. fingernails; 7. Greg Norman; 8. narcolepsy; 9. Vancouver; 10. Jake LaMotta.

IQ Trivia
1. Who wrote the book, "Vox: A Novel," which was cited in The Starr Report? (6 points)
2. Who, in 1973, was the first to be on the covers of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated in the same week? (5 points)
3. What country commemorates its confederation on July 1? (4 points)
4. After becoming "president for life" in 1971, who fled the country in the face of protest in February 1986? (5 points)
5. In 2001, Tony Benshoof set a record for the highest speed in which winter sport, also an Olympic sport, at 86.6 MPH? (5 points)

Answers: 1. Nicholson Baker; 2. Secretariat; 3. Canada; 4. "Baby Doc" Duvalier; 5. luge.

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