Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Trivia Q&A: July 14

We had a big and historic night of Trivia on Tuesday. The All-Star Game was going on (which I could only sneak peeks as I was busy for most of it) and we had 19 teams in for the festivities.

We had the lowest scores I could remember for Current Events (I guess I made it too hard?) as seven teams got just one answer right. The Baseball Trivia numbers were pretty good (I specifically made it a bit easy) and the Q Train numbers were rather strong.

There were teams tied for the top spots throughout the night. We had four teams get perfect scores in IQ Trivia, and it set up one of the closest finishes in our history. Between first and fifth place, the final numbers were separated by just a single point, and that has never happened before.

And we had a three-way tie for the top spot (I believe that has never happened before either), with all of those teams at 41 points, so we had to break the tie. I had a prepared question, "The Arizona Cardinals have now have the longest drought in NFL history since they won an NFL title. How many years has it been?" The answers by the teams was really varied, from 30 to 93. But the team of Gareth Loves Weintraub and Cheese was the closest, as they guessed 60 and missed by just two, as the answer is 62.

My congratulations to them on their victory. And thanks to everyone who made it quite a memorable night on Tuesday.

Current Events
1. Robert McNamara, who served under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson as this cabinet secretary, died last week at 93.
2. Alexis Arguello, a three-time world boxing champion and a politician in this, his home country, committed suicide earlier this month at age 47.
3. British police are investigating this British tabloid newspaper over allegations the paper's reporters paid private investigators to hack into phones of many politicians and celebrities.
4. 71 people died this past week after they consumed contaminated liquor at a party in this Asian country.
5. Four former employees were accused of digging up bodies and reselling plots at a historic cemetery outside this major city last week.
6. According to Mercer's 2009 Worldwide Cost of Living survey, this world capital city is the world's most expensive city to live in, up from number 2 last year.
7. The Space Shuttle Endeavour was delayed from its scheduled launch in Florida this past Sunday for what reason?

Answers: 1. Secretary of Defense; 2. Nicaragua; 3. News of the World; 4. India; 5. Chicago; 6. Tokyo; 7. Launch pad area was hit by lightning 11 times.

Baseball Trivia
1. The Sporting News ranked Fenway Park as the number one park in all of MLB in their latest issue. Which team's stadium was ranked 30th, or dead last?
2. Which former MLB star declared bankruptcy last week, and is currently facing numerous lawsuits over his business dealings?
3. What NL team did Babe Ruth finish his MLB career with?
4. Who currently holds the AL record for home runs in a season?
5. What player was nicknamed "Charlie Hustle?"
6. Who was the first MLB player to have his uniform number retired?
7. Who was the first athlete to play in both the World Series and the Super Bowl?

Answers: 1. Tampa Bay Rays; 2. Lenny Dykstra; 3. Boston Braves; 4. Roger Maris; 5. Pete Rose; 6. Lou Gehrig; 7. Deion Sanders.

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Seaweed is a form of algae.
2. Ronald Reagan was the oldest person to become President of the United States at the time of his election.
3. The first novel featuring James Bond was "Dr. No."
4. Theodore Roosevelt is the US president on Mt. Rushmore wearing glasses.
5. Chianti is a white wine.
6. Approximately 90% of the Earth is covered by water.
7. Baking soda is a primary ingredient in Alka-Seltzer.
8. Dick Cheney once worked as a deputy press secretary for Ted Kennedy.
9. Nuclear explosions in the US have been in just one US state.
10. Black-eyed peas aren't peas at all, but beans.

Answers: 1. true; 2. true; 3. false, "Casino Royale;" 4. true; 5. false, red; 6. false, 70%; 7. true; 8. true; 9. false, five states (NV, NM, CO, AK and MS); 10. true.

General Knowledge
1. The Taiwan Strait separates the island of Taiwan from what nation?
2. What color is the applicator top on a bottle of Elmer's Glue-All?
3. What is the proper term for a group of antelopes?
4. What musical features the song known as "The Impossible Dream?"
5. Who wrote Janis Joplin's hit song "Me and Bobby McGee?"
6.Who was the first black male actor to star in a lead dramatic role on a television series?
7. What type of corn whiskey gets its name from a French royal family?

Answers: 1. China; 2. orange; 3. herd; 4. "Man of La Mancha;" 5. Kris Kristofferson; 6. Bill Cosby; 7. bourbon.

IQ Trivia
1. The Galapagos Islands are part of what South American country? ( 4 points)
2. From what university did the characters in the 1985 film "St. Elmo's Fire" graduate? ( 3 points)
3. What artist is known for a series of paintings depicting a man in a bowler hat? ( 5 points)
4. In 2003, 12 states sued the EPA for failing to enforce what 1970 law? ( 4 points)
5. "This isn't a hospital, it's an insane asylum!" is a famous line from what movie? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. Ecuador; 2. Georgetown; 3. Rene Magritte; 4. The Clean Air Act; 5. "M*A*S*H."

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