Trivia Q&A: March 16

On the night before St. Patrick's Day, I was sure we'd have a smaller turnout for Trivia Night, and I was indeed correct. I thought we'd have 10 or 11 teams in, and we did have exactly 10. It was a good night of Trivia, and definitely an interesting one.

We had some good scores for the first two rounds, which included Irish Trivia. My buddy and bartender Jim suggested a "bonus question," and since we are both of Irish descent, we decided to it. The bonus was "What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish wake?" The answer is: "One less drunk." A few teams actually got it and a bonus point.

I got some positive feedback from "1-2-3-4 Trivia" where each answer is one of those numbers. I may bring it back again in two weeks. But the numbers for General Knowledge were rather low, as it was on the difficult side (and I heard about it from one of the regulars). But the team of Erin Go Braghless got a perfect score in that round and had a five point lead going into IQ Trivia.

The scores in the final round were a bit low too, as only three teams got as many as 3 out of 5 right. But the leaders held on for a very narrow one-point win. Congratulations to Matt and his crew on their win.

We will be back next week at our regular day and time, Tuesday, March 24th at 9 PM.

Current Events
1. A long-rumored secret was finally revealed last week to be true when the pocket watch of this US president was opened and a message his watchmaker put in it was indeed there.
2. This actor/musician jumped off the stage during a performance in Miami Beach last week and confronted a heckler before security guards dragged him away.
3. Governor Jack Markell of this Eastern state introduced a bill last week to make sports betting legal in his state.
4. This man regained the title of The World's Richest Man as Forbes magazine's annual survey says he is now worth $40 billion.
5. A teenager from this country burst into his former high school last week and began shooting students, killing 15 before committing suicide.
6. This famous skyscraper was recently acquired by the Willis Group of London and they plan to change the name of the building, to the consternation of many of the residents of the city where the building is.
7. CNBC's "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer and this talk show host got into a war of words over the past few weeks on their shows and it culminated when the two appeared on the latter's show last week.

Answers: 1. Abraham Lincoln; 2. Joaquin Phoenix; 3. Delaware; 4. Bill Gates; 5. Germany; 6. Sears Tower; 7. Jon Stewart.

Irish Trivia
1. What is Ireland's second largest city by population after Dublin? a. Belfast; b. Cork; c. Derry; d. Limerick.
2. What is Ireland's most popular team sport? a. soccer; b. rugby; c. Gaelic football; d. hurling.
3. What year did Ireland become an independent country? a. 1916; b. 1918; c. 1922; d. 1926.
4. Bob Geldof was once a member of what Irish rock band? a. The Corrs; b. Thin Lizzy; c. The Pogues; d. The Boomtown Rats.
5. To make Irish coffee, what alcohol ingredient would you use? a. rye; b. whiskey; c. vodka; d. bourbon.
6. In what US city did Irish-Americans have the first St. Patrick's Day parade in 1737? a. New York; b. Boston; c. Philadelphia; d. Baltimore.
7. In which century did Ireland's Potato Famine take place in? a. 17; b. 18; c. 19; d. 20.

Answers: 1. a; 2. c; 3. c; 4. d; 5. b; 6. b; 7. c.

1-2-3-4 Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. This is the maximum number of times Friday the 13th can happen in any given year.
2. The number of US state capitals named after US presidents.
3. The number of Super Bowls won by the NY Giants in their history.
4. This is the number of future presidents who signed the Declaration of Independence.
5. This number was a hit song for The Bee Gees, Faith Hill and U2.
6. In astrology, Taurus is this number sign of the Zodiac.
7. This was the number of the car driven by NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt.
8. This is the atomic number of helium.
9. On a telephone, the letters G,H,and I are found on this number.
10. The number of MLB teams who've won more than one World Series in the 21st Century.

Answers: 1. three; 2. four (Jefferson City, MO, Lincoln, NE, Madison, WI, Jackson, MS); 3. three; 4. two (Adams and Jefferson); 5. one; 6. two; 7. three; 8. two; 9. four; 10. one (Boston Red Sox).

General Knowledge
1. What actor played Ben Cartwright on the long-running TV series "Bonanza?"
2. Hominy is what type of food?
3. On TV, what "middle ground" lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge?
4. Dan Simmons' new book "Drood" is based on the troubled last years of what immortal writer?
5. What modern holiday is believed to be descended from the Roman holiday of Lupercalia?
6. What screen legend's final film was the 1981 movie "Ragtime?"
7. Which of the four major North American pro sports currently has the most number of teams?

Answers: 1. Lorne Greene; 2. corn; 3. "The Twilight Zone;" 4. Charles Dickens; 5. St. Valentine's Day; 6. James Cagney; 7. football (32).

IQ Trivia
1. James Boswell is best known for his biography of what 18th century literary figure? ( 5 points)
2. In 2002, the House passed a resolution declaring that Antonio Meucci was the true inventor of what? ( 4 points)
3. What immortal Hollywood male star played the most leading roles in history, with 142? ( 4 points)
4. How many time zones are there in North America? ( 3 points)
5. What historic 19th century European military figure said, "Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever?" ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. Samuel Johnson; 2. telephone; 3. John Wayne; 4. eight; 5. Napoleon Bonaparte.