Trivia Q&A: September 8

We had 17 teams in for Trivia Night, as the end of the Labor Day weekend seemed to keep some of the regulars away. Hopefully we'll have a bigger turnout next week. But we still had a good evening of Trivia.

The numbers on Tennis Trivia were actually fairly good, but the question about the last man to win the Grand Slam was a bit cloudy, as Roger Federer was the last to win it, but not all in the same calendar year. (Rod Laver was the last to do that, in 1969.) I tossed out the question and gave everyone a point.

During the evening, we gave out free passes to the Harpoon beer tasting night this Friday night at Thom's to every team that won a round. We had a good response to that (everyone likes free beer, even just to taste!).

The numbers in the final two categories were among the lowest I have seen in awhile, as I made it a bit harder. We had five teams within two points of the top going into IQ Trivia, and one of the teams tied for first, Oudin't Come to Trivia, had the best score of the final round, with just 11 points, to hold on and win by only 2 points.

Nice job guys, and Matt, of the winning team, informed me that his team won last year in the Labor Day edition of Trivia Night, which also featured a round of Tennis Trivia.

Some traditions never die.

Current Events
1. This company acquired Marvel Entertainment, which included all the superheroes from Marvel Comics, for a staggering $4 billion last week.
2. This legendary baseball announcer was named by the Wall Street Journal "Baseball's Chattiest Announcer," as he averaged more than 140 words per minute during his team's broadcasts.
3. Steve Mazan, a standup comic dying of liver cancer, achieved a dream he wanted before his death and finally appeared on this TV show last Friday, and a documentary about his dream is currently in production.
4. LeGarrette Blount, a running back from this Pac-10 school, was suspended for the 2009 season after punching a Boise State player in the face following his team's loss last Thursday.
5. A group noted for domestic terrorism claimed responsibility for knocking down two radio towers in this western state last week, claiming radio waves cause higher rates of cancer and harms wildlife.
6. This man was accused by a choreographer of fixing the last few Miss Universe pageants, as he is said to meet with the contestants and decides who will make it to the final six.
7. Van Jones, who held this position in the Obama administration, resigned on Sunday over some past inflammatory statements he made, but also said he quit because of a "vicious smear campaign" against him.

Answers: 1. Disney; 2. Vin Scully; 3. "The Late Show With David Letterman;" 4. Oregon Ducks; 5. Washington; 6. Donald Trump; 7. Green jobs czar.

Tennis Trivia
1. Who has won the most career singles titles in professional men's tennis? a. Jimmy Connors; b. John McEnroe; c. Bjorn Borg; d. Pete Sampras.
2. Which female tennis player won more French Open singles titles than anyone else? a. Billie Jean King; b. Martina Navratilova; c. Chris Evert; d. Venus Williams.
3. Who was the last man to win the Grand Slam, the 4 major tennis titles in the same year? a. John McEnroe; b. Roger Federer; c. Bjorn Borg; d. Andre Agassi.
4. Which of the four major tennis tournaments are played on a clay court? a. Wimbledon; b. US Open; c. Australian Open; d. French Open.
5. Which tennis player won the first "Golden Slam," the Grand Slam plus an Olympic Gold Medal, in 1988? a. Steffi Graf; b. Monica Seles; c. Pete Sampras; d. Boris Becker.
6. Which of the four majors is the oldest tournament? a. French Open; b. US Open; c. Wimbledon; d. Australian Open.
7. What country was Roger Federer born in? a. Austria; b. Switzerland; c. France; d. Canada.

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

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. 7-Eleven stores got their name from the original store's hours of operation in 1946.
2. Bill Clinton never received more than 50% of the popular vote in either of his pesidential victories.
3. The second "D" in DVD stands for download.
4. Lake Nasser is found mostly in the nation of Kenya.
5. Benjamin Franklin designed the first pair of bifocal lenses.
6. The explorer Eric the Red is credited with the discovery of Iceland.
7. The original name of the TV series "Friends" was "Insomnia Cafe."
8. Simon Legree was a villain in the novel "Tom Sawyer."
9. The samurai of medieval Japan were members of the warrior class.
10. When you see a lunar eclipse from Earth, a person on the Moon would see a solar eclipse.

Answer: 1. true; 2. true; 3. false, disc; 4. false, Egypt; 5. true; 6. false, Greenland; 7. true; 8. false, Uncle Tom's Cabin; 9. true; 10. true.

General Knowledge
1. The Civil War battles of Bull Run are known by what other name?
2. What NL pitcher once hurled no-hitters in four consecutive seasons?
3. What classic sitcom's very first line in its first show was "I'd give anything if Ralph would get me a set?"
4. Name 1 of the 2 planets that rotate on their axis in a different direction than the other six planets of our solar system.
5. What state's toll booths are the only ones that accepts pennies?
6. What actor, best known for his comedy work, won three consecutive Emmy awards from 1966-68 as Best Drama Actor?
7. What is the third largest country in area in the world after Russia and Canada?

Answers: 1. Manassas; 2. Sandy Koufax; 3. "The Honeymooners;" 4. Venus and Uranus; 5. Illinois; 6. Bill Cosby; 7. China.

IQ Trivia
1. What baseball Hall of Famer hit his 500th home run in 1984 at Anaheim (now Angel) Stadium, the same place he hit his first home run? ( 3 points)
2. If you are suffering from a condition called podobrohidrosis, what exactly do you have? ( 4 points)
3.What immortal actor provided the voice of the never-seen Robin Masters on the TV series "Magnum PI" from 1981-85? ( 4 points)
4. What British actor was the first male to appear on the cover of Playboy magazine in 1964? ( 5 points)
5. What 20th century US president was the last one to wear a mustache while he was still in office? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. Reggie Jackson; 2. smelly feet; 3. Orson Welles; 4. Peter Sellers; 5. William Howard Taft.