On the hottest night of the year and coming off the July 4th weekend, I wondered what kind of a crowd would turn out for Trivia. Fortunately, we had a good turnout, as 17 teams made their way into Professor Thom's.
It was close all night. One thing I have to say is that I may have made some of the questions a bit tough on this night. Let me assure you that I try to find a perfect balance to satisfy most folks. It's not an easy thing to do, writing trivia. But I will try to lighten things a bit next week.
At first I thought we had a tie at the end, and we have yet to have a tie in this calendar year. But the team of Your Mother's a Whore, Michael Steele pointed out to me that I didn't give them proper credit on one of the IQ Trivia. So it turns out they won by five points.
Well, The Omnipotent Q isn't always perfect. (We also had a question that was actually true and not false, in True or False Trivia, as both George Washington and Benjamin Franklin had their individual stamps released on the same day. So I gave everyone credit for the last question in that round.)
Current Events
1. The president of this African country suspended (and later reinstated) the national soccer team from international competition for 2 years after their poor showing at the World Cup, although FIFA prohibits government interference with national teams.
2. This Northern European country became the first nation in the world last week to make access to broadband internet a legal right.
3. Pal Schmitt, a former gold medal-winning fencer was elected president of what European country last week?
4. This American celebrity was arrested in South Africa after the Holland-Brazil World Cup match for allegedly smoking marijuana, but the charges were later dropped.
5. The journal Nature announced that the fossilized remains of this type of marine mammal called Leviathan Melvillei, over 12 million years old, were found in Peru in 2008.
6. Siena College did their survey of scholars recently to rank all the US presidents. FDR was #1, but this 19th century man, who succeeded one of the greatest presidents, came in dead last for the first time.
7. This European country is preparing to sell thousands of national treasures like palaces and castles, and even some islands it owns worth nearly $4 billion to pay back some spiraling debts it owes.
Answers: 1. Nigeria; 2. Finland; 3. Hungary; 4. Paris Hilton; 5. whale; 6. Andrew Johnson; 7. Italy.
Q-Tip Trivia
1. Which of these presidents were born in New York State? a. Martin Van Buren; b. Zachary Taylor; c. Theodore Roosevelt; d. Grover Cleveland.
2. Which of these men did not sign the Declaration of Independence? a. Benjamin Franklin; b. George Washington; c. James Madison; d. Samuel Adams.
3. Which of these countries are in the British Commonwealth of Nations? a. Australia; b. Canada; c. Cameroon; d. South Africa.
4. Which of these actors & actresses never won an Academy Award? a. Richard Burton; b. Cary Grant; c. Glenn Close; d. Vanessa Redgrave.
5. Which of the following countries did not qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa? a. Russia; b. Ireland; c. South Korea; d. New Zealand.
6. As of 2009, which of the following US cities are not in the Top 10 in population? a. San Francisco; b. Detroit; c. San Diego; d. Philadelphia.
7. Which of the following artists are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? a. James Brown; b. Eric Clapton; c. James Taylor; d. Little Richard.
Answers: 1. a, c; 2. b, c; 3. all; 4. a,b,c; 5. a,b; 6. c,d; 7. none.
True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. The Super Bowl actually got its name from the Wham-O Superball.
2. The President and his family pay for their own food and incidentals while in the White House.
3. Transylvania is part of Albania.
4. Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays is a distant cousin of actress Eva Longoria.
5. Sylvester Stallone was once nominated for an Oscar and a Razzie Award (for Worst Actor) for playing the same role.
6. "Call Me Ishmael" is the first line of the book "Moby Dick."
7. The US Open is the first tennis tournament of the Grand Slam every calendar year.
8. "Flyer" was the name of the Wright Brothers plane.
9. The term "Rock and Roll" was coined by DJ Alan Freed.
10. George Washington appeared on the first US postage stamp.
Answers: 1. true; 2. true; 3. false, Romania; 4. false, they aren't related; 5. true; 6. true; 7. false, Australian Open; 8. true; 9. true; 10. Both Benjamin Franklin & George Washington had their stamps released on the same day, so I accepted both answers.
General Knowledge
1. Logan Airport is found in what US city? ( 1 pt)
2. The Battle of Edgehill in 1642 was the first battle in what country's civil war? ( 1 pt)
3. "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" was hit song in 1983 for what pop singer? ( 1 pt)
4. What military alliance of eight European communist states was dissolved in 1991? ( 2 pt)
5. Gamel Nasser became president of what country in 1956 after leading a bloodless coup? ( 2 pt)
6. Woody Allen won his Oscar for Best Director for what film? ( 2 pt)
7. In 1988, what was the name of the first space shuttle to fly after Challenger disaster? ( 3 pt)
Answers: 1. Boston; 2. England; 3. Cyndi Lauper; 4. Warsaw Pact; 5. Egypt; 6. "Annie Hall;" 7. Discovery.
IQ Trivia
1. What annual holiday celebration began in Spokane, WA in June, 1910? ( 3 points)
2. Reduced levels of catalase enzyme in the human body can cause what to happen? ( 4 points)
3. Who is the only female director to win the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival? ( 5 points)
4. What former US president represented the defendants in the famous United States vs. The Amistad Africans Supreme Court case of 1841? ( 4 points)
5. Revolutionary leader Che Guevara was executed in 1967 for attempting to incite revolution in what South American country? ( 4 points)
Answers: 1. Father's Day; 2. Hair turning gray; 3. Jane Campion ("The Piano"); 4. John Quincy Adams; 5. Bolivia.
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