Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Trivia Q&A: December 29

On a brutally cold night in New York, we had a large crowd come out for the final Trivia Night of the year, as well as the decade. No matter the weather, people have to have their Trivia! The Syracuse basketball game brought some folks in, but 18 teams took part in our Trivia contest.

The scores were a bit low for Current Events, which surprised me a bit, as I thought they were rather easy. We brought back the audio round for The Q Train, and most folks did quite well in it, and the scores for Trivia of the Decade were pretty respectable too.

We had three teams get all five questions in IQ Trivia correct, and one of those teams, Charlie Sheen's Kids, captured the title with that, jumping from second place to win by a single point. Nice job everyone.

Thanks for making it yet another special year, everyone. I am especially grateful to all the regulars who turn out week in and week out, and I thank you all so much for your loyalty. Running our Trivia Night is a joy for me to do, and hopefully it will be better than ever in 2010.

We will be back with our first Trivia Night of the new decade and year next Tuesday, January 5th, at 9 PM. Happy New Year everyone.

Current Events
1. This capital city's Legislative Assembly legalized same-sex marriage last week, the first such recognition in Latin America.
2. This tennis superstar was selected as the Associated Press' "Female Athlete of the Year" for 2009, and award she also won in 2002.
3. This legendary rock star's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame went missing last week, and at first it was thought to have been stolen, but it was moved next to one of his bandmates as a tribute to his group.
4. This troubled pop singer was arrested last week in England and charged in connection with an assault after she was heckled at a performance.
5. TV star Charlie Sheen spent Christmas Day in jail after he was arrested in this town on domestic violence charges.
6. A 23-year-old man, a native of this country, was charged with attempting to destroy a Detroit-bound airliner from Amsterdam on Christmas Day.
7. This singer/songwriter died on Christmas Day after spending a number of days in a coma after taking an overdose of muscle relaxants.

Answers: 1. Mexico City; 2. Serena Williams; 3. John Lennon; 4. Amy Winehouse; 5. Aspen, CO; 6. Nigeria; 7. Vic Chestnutt.

Trivia of the Decade
1. This NFL team won their first Super Bowl title in 2002 at Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans.
2. In 2001, this European country became the first to grant same-sex marriage.
3. On December 20th of this year, the New York City transit system was shut down for three days by a strike.
4. In 2007, 13 people were killed when a bridge collapsed in this US city during the late afternoon rush hour.
5. This film won a record-tying 11 Oscars in 2004, including Best Picture and Best Director.
6. In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger wins a California election for governor, after this man, who was the current governor, was recalled.
7. Northwest Airlines merged with this airline in 2008 to form the world's largest commercial airline.

Answers: 1. New England Patriots; 2. Netherlands; 3. 2005; 4. Minneapolis; 5. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King;" 6. Gray Davis; 7. Delta Air Lines.

Classic TV Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. I Dream of Jeannie
2. The Addams Family
3. Peter Gunn
4. The Munsters
5. Hawaii Five-O
6. Mary Tyler Moore Show
7. Taxi
8. The Twilight Zone
9. Laverne and Shirley
10. Mission Impossible

General Knowledge
1. In 1986, who, at age 20, became the youngest heavyweight champion in history? (1 pt)
2. Who did Friedrich Engels collaborate with to write The Communist Manifesto? (1 pt)
3. What actor is best known for his role as the monster in the 1931 film, "Frankenstein?" (1 pt)
4. How many Academy Awards did the classic film "Ben Hur" win in total? (2 pt)
5. Elvis Presley made his acting debut in 1956 in what film? (2 pt)
6. What magazine devoted to music and popular culture was first published in 1967? (2 pt)
7. In 1847, Sir James Simpson was the first surgeon to use what substance as an anaesthetic? (3 pt)

Answers: 1. Mike Tyson; 2. Karl Marx; 3. Boris Karloff; 4. eleven; 5. "Love Me Tender;" 6. Rolling Stone; 7. chloroform.

IQ Trivia
1. What astronomer in 1922 proved the existence of other galaxies besides the Milky Way? ( 5 points)
2. In 1493, Christopher Columbus set foot on an island he called San Juan Bautista. What is it called today? ( 4 points)
3. Civil war broke out when what country gained independence from Portugal in 1975? ( 4 points)
4. If you suffer from entomophobia, what are you afraid of? ( 3 points)
5. What was the first state admitted to the United States after the original thirteen? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. Edwin Hubble; 2. Puerto Rico; 3. Angola; 4. insects; 5. Vermont (1791).

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