Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  About how large is the Mars Rover, "Curiosity"?

2)  In Belgium, which language is most widely spoken?

3)  On this date in 1907, two Seattle teenagers started a local delivery service called the American Messenger Service.  It is still in business.  What's the current name of this delivery service?

4)  On this date in 1922, the first radio commercial aired on New York City's WEAF. What was the product?

Answers:

1)  Curiosity is roughly the size of a car.

2)  Dutch

3)  The American Messenger Service ultimately became UPS - United Parcel Service.

4)  The Queensboro Realty Company paid $100 for 10 minutes of airtime.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)   Brass is comprised of these two metals.

2)   This gas makes up 78% of the earth's atmosphere.

3)   He was the author of On the Road.

4)   The Society of Friends are more commonly known as what?

Answers:

1)  Copper and zinc

2)  Nitrogen

3)  Jack Kerouac

4)  Quakers

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What color is a polar bear's skin?

2)  How many compartments does a cow's stomach have?

3)  A nephrectomy is the surgical removal of which organ?

4)  Who was regarded as the "James Dean of Jazz" in the 1950s?

Answers:

1)  black

2)  4

3)  kidney

4)  Chet Baker

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions: 

1)  Who was first to put together a jazz trio of piano, guitar and bass?

2)  What iconic car was featured in Back to the Future?

3)  He was Captain Midnight's mechanic in the 1940's radio program.

4)  Wes Montgomery taught himself to play guitar while still a teenager and consequently developed an interesting playing style. What was unique about it?

Answers:

1)  Nat King Cole

2)  The DeLorean

3)  Ichabod, "Icky" Mudd.

4) He played with his thumb.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This U.S. President was the first to ride in an automobile.

2)  These two U.S. cities are known for producing some of the best thoroughbred horses in the world.

3)  Which blood type is the most rare?

4)  In the comic strip, B.C., what purpose do the talking clams serve?



Answers:


1)  President Theodore Roosevelt

2)  Lexington, KY and Ocala, FL

3)  Type AB

4)  Clams are used for money.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  On this date in 1935, this band leader introduced a new "big band" jazz style at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles and was thereafter hailed as the "King of Swing."

2)  What kind of doctor was Bill Cosby's character, Cliff Huxtable?

3)  How many bees, working their entire lifetimes, does it take to make a single tablespoon of honey?

4)  In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, what was the city Ferris and his friends go to for their fun-filled day?

Answers:

1)  Benny Goodman

2)  Dr. Huxtable was a pediatrician.

3)  It takes 12 bees to make one tablespoon of honey.

4)  Chicago

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  In which film did singer Connie Francis make her acting debut?

2)  Which cola was so named in recognition of its energy-giving and digestion-aiding properties?

3) According to the American Kennel Club, this breed was the most popular of pedigreed dogs in the U.S. in 2011.

4)  What was the Rolling Stone's first number one song in the U.S.?

Answers:

1) Although the New Jersey native songstress provided vocal tracks for Rock Rock Rock! and The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (where she provided the singing voice for Jayne Mansfield) Where the Boys Are was her first acting role.

2)  Pepsi Cola

3)  Labrador was the number one choice, followed by, in order: Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Poodle, Beagle, Dachsund, Cocker Spaniel, Yorkie and Pomeranian.

4)  "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" reached the number one spot on this date in 1965. Forty-seven years later, it still holds up.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  How many different animal shapes do Animal Crackers offer?

2)  On this date in 1994, David Caruso quit the gritty cop drama, NYPD Blue.  He joined the show just one year earlier and after just one season, Caruso reportedly demanded a huge pay increase. The New York City tabloids treated the gossip of the increasingly contentious contract negotiations like a sub-plot in the ongoing drama. Four episodes into the second season, Caruso left to pursue what turned out to be an ill-considered movie career (Time.com). Who replaced him on NYPD Blue?

3)  What is the periodic table's symbol for mercury?

4)   Mars is the name of the Roman god for what?

Answers:

1)  18

2)   Jimmy Smits

3)   Hg

4)   war

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What is the approximate percentage of oxygen in the air we breathe?

2)  What was the name of Tarzan's chimpanzee companion?

3)  Which U.S. county occupies the smallest area?

Answers:

1)  21%

2)  "Cheetah"

3)  New York County, also known as the borough of Manhattan.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  In terms of mass, which country is second largest?

2)  How many humps does a dromedary camel have?

3)  In Greek mythology, a minotaur has the body of a man and the head of what?

4)  Which two states have the highest speed limits?

Answers:

1)  Canada is second to Russia


2)   One

3)  bull

4)  Utah and Texas both have stretches of highway that allow drivers to go 80 mph.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)   It's the 9th astrological sign in the zodiac, and those born under it are said to be unusually adaptable.

2)   The first encyclopaedias came from this ancient civilization.

3)   The BBC's audio recording of this event became the number one album in Great Britain in 1981.

Answers:

1)  Sagittarius

2)  Ancient Greece

3)  The Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  A living situation where two people marry and leave their respective parents in order to live together is referred to as what?

2)  The island of Ceylon is now called what?

3)  Where was the site of the first hostile action in the Civil War?

Answers:

1)  "neolocal"

2)  Sri Lanka

3)  Fort Sumter, SC

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Who was the first to wear a white bridal gown?

2)  On this date in 1776, Ben Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson suggested the United States adopt "E pluribus unum" for its motto. This Latin phrase means what?

3)  This U.S. Senator was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.

4)  On this date in 1996, Senator Bob Dole chose this former congressman, Cabinet secretary and NFL quarterback to be his running mate in that year's presidential campaign in an attempt to unseat President Clinton.

Answers:

1)  In ancient times, the traditional color of bridal gowns was red. Napolean III's bride broke with tradition and wore white. Brides have been wearing white gowns (that were to be worn only once) as a symbol of wealth.

2)  Out of many, one.

3)  Senator Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky

4)  Jack Kemp

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Where was Interpol founded?

2)  What was Victoria's first act as Queen?

3)  Musophobia is an irrational fear of what?

Answers:

1)  Vienna, Austria

2)  She had her bed moved from her mother's room to a room of her own.

3)   It should be "mice-a-phobia" because it's the fear of mice and rats.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Whether or not English was a second language for Queen Victoria is the cause for much debate.  Why the controversy?

2)  Chicago's Wrigley Field experienced this first back on this date in 1988.

3)  What does a Jeroboam contain?

4)  A 19th-century entrepreneur started out with a ferry service between Staten Island and Manhattan. Who was he?

Answers:

1)  According to UK/Irish History, during her infancy, Victoria said that she spoke nothing but German, but at the age of three, her mother decided that is was imperative that her daughter must not turn out like the senior members of the royal family whose English was engulfed by their guttural Germanic accents. From that age she was permitted to read but not speak German, and she was taught English - the language of her nation and French - the language of the courts, with some Italian and Latin instruction. Though she ruled England for 64 years, she was never able to speak English perfectly.

2)  39,012 fans were in attendance for Wrigley Field's very first night game.

3)  A Jeroboam is a double magnum-sized bottle containing champagne or wine. As the picture (courtesy of Wikipedia - public domain) shows, the bottles are named after Biblical kings.

Side-by-side comparison of champagne bottles (left to right), on the ladder: magnum, full, half and quarter; on the floor: Balthazar, Salmanazar, Methuselah and Jeroboam

4)  Cornelius Vanderbilt, Sr.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  According to the U.S. flag code, no flag may fly higher than the U.S. flag. What is the one exception to this rule?

2)  Of all vegetables, these are the only two that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. Other vegetables have to be replanted every season.

3)  Which appliance consumes the most energy per hour of use?

 Answers:

1)  The U.N. building

2)  asparagus and rhubarb

3) the lowly toaster

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Who was the first woman to swim the English Channel?

2)   This track star won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics.

3)  When did the first income tax law become effective?

4)  Mesothelioma is thought to be caused by what?


Answers:

1)  Gertrude Ederle forever disproved the popular notion that women couldn't swim the  English Channel when she completed the swim on August 7, 1926.

2)   Jesse Owens won the four gold medals, greatly upsetting Hitler, who was hoping to prove his theory of a "superior" Aryan race.

3)  Abraham Lincoln signed into law a 3% tax on incomes exceeding $800, which became effective January 1, 1861. It was rescinded in 1872.

4)  Asbestos inhalation

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

!)  This river is the longest river in Europe.

2)  What do the Roman numerals "XC" stand for?

3)  Who was the first American to win gold in Olympic Women's Gymnastics competition?

4)  Who wrote the song, "Tuxedo Junction"?

Answers:

1)  the Volga.

2)  90 (C = 100; X = 10; the X before the C means less than)

3)  Mary Lou Retton edged past the Romanian gymnast, Ekaterina Szabo on this date in 1984.

4)  Erskine Hawkins

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Michael Phelps' medal count makes him the most decorated Olympian ever. This has to be the easiest trivia question ever: how many Olympic medals as of August 1, 2012, does Phelps have?

2)  What does the "DC" in DC Comics stand for?

3)  Which comic strip was the first to appear in 2,000 newspapers?

4)  What was the name of the musical group Roy Rogers performed with?

Answers:

1) As of 3:50 PM, ET, 20! Update 8/6/12: Phelps finished his Olympic career with 22 medals, 18 of which were gold, making him the most awarded Olympian in modern times.

2)  Detective Comics





















3)  Peanuts

4)  Sons of the Pioneers

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:


1)  What is the name of the trophy given to the winning team of the NBA Finals?

2)  On this date in 1964, Hasbro Toys introduced an action figure based on a 1945 movie. What was the action figure's and the movie's name?

3)  On this date in 1790, the first U.S. census was completed. What was the population then?

4)  On The Garry Moore Show, Dom DeLuise became popular as the recurring character, Dominic the Great. What was the bit?

Answers:

1)  The Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy - here with Julius Irving:









 
2)  G.I. Joe



3)  The U.S. population in 1790 was reported as being just under 4 million people.

4)  DeLuise played a terribly inept magician, to great comical effect.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  On this date in 1971, David R. Scott and James B. Irwin were the first to do this.

2)  Best known for having founded the American Red Cross, she had a number of other careers in her life. She taught school, was a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office, and during the Civil War she was known as the "Angel of the Battlefield."

3)  On this date in 1792, the cornerstone was laid for this building, the first to be designated as a U.S. government .building.

Answers:

1)  They were the first astronauts to ride a vehicle on the moon. The "moon buggy" traveled five miles on the lunar surface.

2)  Clara H. Barton

3)  The U.S. Mint. Here's how it looked:

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This president signed the bill for Medicare. The program became effective a year later.

2)  This one-time teen idol wrote the theme for The Tonight Show and the song, "My Way."


3)  Hilary Swank, who turns 37 today, won Oscars for which two films?

4)  On July 27th, 2004, Mike Tyson was knocked out by this boxer in the first round.

Answers:

1)  Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the legislation on this date in 1965.

2)  Paul Anka

3)  Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby.

4)  British heavyweight, Danny Williams. In his early years, Tyson had achieved 16 first round knockouts in 35 professional bouts.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Who was the first comic - in the movies - to get a pie in the face?

2)  This president signed legislation requiring cigarette packages and ads come with health warnings.

3)  It was revealed this week that North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un had quietly done this.

4)  Bruxism is more commonly known as what?

Answers:

1)  Actress Mabel Normand chucked one at Fatty Arbuckle in the 1913 silent film,  A Noise from the Deep.

2)  Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the legislation on this date in 1965.


3)  Kim Jong-Un, son and successor of Kim Jong-Il, got married.

4)  grinding one's teeth

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)   This former U.S. territory once belonged to Russia.

2)   He was Time magazine's "Person of the 20th Century."

3)  On this date in 1984, this show became the first television show in the U.S. to be broadcast in stereo.

4)  Which state is home to Fort Knox?


Answers:

1)  Alaska

2)  Albert Einstein

3)  The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson

4)  Kentucky

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What  about Louise Joy Brown made her noteworthy?
2)   What item is used to commemorate a couple's first anniversary.

3)  This president was the only one to have also served as Chief Justice on the Supreme Court.

4)  Which of the world's deserts is the largest?

Answers:

1)  Born on this date in 1978, Louise was the first test-tube baby.

2)  Paper

3)  William Howard Taft

4)  The Sahara desert is the largest, covering 3.5 million square miles.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) What was Oscar de la Hoya's sport?

2)  Fishtail, French and Herringbone are types of these.

3)  Who wrote And Then There Were None?

4)  Of all the musical instruments Americans learn to play, which is the favorite?

Answers:

1)  boxing

2)  braids

3)  Agatha Christie

4)  piano (guitar is # 2)

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This detective novel author created private detective Philip Marlowe.

2)  On this date in 1999, Col. Eileen Collins achieved this milestone.

3)  He was the first person to be designated by the FBI as "Public Enemy #1."

4)  In South America,  he is known for having been "The Liberator."


Answers:

1)  Raymond Chandler

2)  She was the first woman to command a space shuttle.

3)  John Dillinger

4)  Simon Bolivar

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  On this date in 1940, Billboard published its first "music popularity chart." What was the first song to be ranked as # 1?

2)  What type of gemstone is the Star of India?

3)  Which London venue will play host to the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremonies?

4)   If you are a hedenophobe, what are you abnormally fearful of?

Answers:

1)  The Tommy Dorsey Band's "I'll Never Smile Again" was the first # 1.  The song featured Frank Sinatra on vocals.

2)   sapphire

3)  The Olympic Stadium

4)  You're extremely queasy over the prospect of experiencing pleasure.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Which planet has the shortest day?

2)  Our Miss Brooks debuted on CBS Radio on this date in 1948. Who played Miss Brooks?



3)  On this date in 1957, American International Pictures released Michael Landon's first feature film.  What was it?

Answers:

1)  Jupiter's days are a little under 10 hours. Its years are 12 times longer than Earth's.









2)  Eve Arden

  3) I Was a Teenage Werewolf

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This industry spends the most money on advertising, beating out the cereal industry.

2)  Cereal in the U.S. uses enough sugar every year to cover every American in this much sugar.

3)  What is an autodidact?

4)  Ford Motors bought this luxury car line in 1990.

Answers:

1)  Automobile manufacturers

2)  3 pounds

3)  A person who is self-taught

4)  Jaguar

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  On this date in 1963, the U.S. Postal Service began using ZIP codes, which now total over 43000. "ZIP' is an acronym meaning what?

2)  On this date in 1945, a plutonium device equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT became the the first atomic bomb. Where was it detonated?

3)  Mary Baker Eddy was born on this date in 1821.  She is regarded as this movement/organization's founder.

4)  This film was Stanley Kubrick's last. It opened on this date in 1999 and starred Tom Cruise and his then-wife, Nicole Kidman. What was the film's title?

Answers:

1)  Zone Improvement Plan
















2)  Visible for 180 miles, the blast went off in Alamagordo, NM.

3)  Church of Christian Science

4)  Eyes Wide Shut

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What country has the most doughnut shops per capita?

2)  Which of the Great Lakes is the only one that is entirely within U.S. territory?

3)  Which Constitutional Amendment provided women with the right to vote?

4)  Depressed at how his career was going in the early '70s, Harrison Ford (temporarily) gave up acting to work in what profession?

Answers:

1)  Canada

2)  Lake Michigan

3)  The Nineteenth Amendment, also known as the Women's Suffrage Amendment.

4)  Ford worked as a carpenter, then got his big break in American Grafitti (1973) - the same film that launched the careers of Richard Dreyfuss, Suzanne Somers, Rick Moranis, Cindy Williams and others - and introduced Ron Howard in his first adult role, leading to the TV hit, Happy Days.

Harrison Ford in American Grafitti

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Which Bond girls were voiced by Ms. Nikki van der Zyl?

2)  Where would you find a gnomon?

3)  What is the English translation of the French word, "beaucoup"?

4)  When and where was it fashionable for a bride to wear red?

Answers:

1)  Ursula Andress, Shirley Eaton, Eunice Gayson and Claudine Auger all had voices that were less attractive than their visual presentations, so Nikki was the voice for these bombshells.

 
2)  On a sundial

3)  "Beaucoup" indicates "much" or "a lot."

4)  American brides wore red during the American Revolution as a sign of solidarity with the revolutionary soldiers.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  How many novels are in the entire Harry Potter series?

2)  Whose portrait is on the $20 bill?

3)  The adenoids are found in this part of the body.

Answers:

1)  7

2)  Andrew Jackson

3)  the throat

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Who or what is Esperanto?

2)  The Thirty Year War was fought on this continent.

3)  Which bird lays its eggs in a nother bird's nest?

4)  Marie Antioinette was born in this country.

Answers:

1)  Esperanto is a constructed language, created with the intent of having a language that could be used universally.
From Wikipedia: "As a constructed language, Esperanto is not genealogically related to any ethnic language. It has been described as 'a language lexically predominantly Romance, morphologically intensively agglutinative, and to a certain degree isolating in character.'  The phonology, grammar, vocabulary, and semantics are based on the western Indo-European languages. The phonemic inventory is essentially Slavic, as is much of the semantics, while the vocabulary derives primarily from the Romance languages, with a lesser contribution from the Germanic languages and minor contributions from Slavic languages and Greek." 

2)  Europe

3)  The cuckoo

4)  Austria

Alan Rock's Trivia

Questions:

1)  On July 9, 1955 the first Rock and Roll song hit number one.  Song and artist?

2)  Many people collect things like stamps and coins.  What does actor Tom Hanks collect?

3)  Speaking of Tom Hanks, what part did he play on the sitcom Family Ties?

4)  What entertainer is best known for singing "Alice's Restaurant" and "City of New Orleans"?


Answers:

1)  "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets.

2)  Typewriters.

3)  He was Alex's (Michael J. Fox) alcoholic uncle.

4)  Arlo Guthrie.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  In addition to Thomas Jefferson, how many other presidents signed the Declaration of Independence?

2)  Scientists at this research center think they've found the Higgs Boson particle.

3)  Who wrote the lyric, "you gotta have a dream, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?"

Answers:

1)  just one: John Adams

2)  CERN

3)  The lyric comes from "Happy Talk" (South Pacific), and was written by Oscar Hammerstein.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  On this date in 1947 the first African-American Major League baseball player signed with the Cleveland Indians. Who was he?

2)  On this date in 1975 Arthur Ashe defeated this player, thus becoming the first African-American to win the Men's Singles at Wimbledon.

3)  He was the first president to have been voted out of office after one term. Who was he and who defeated him?

4)  The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution guarantees this.

Answers:

1)  Larry Doby

2)  Ashe defeated Jimmy Connors

3)  John Adams was voted out after one term; he was defeated by Thomas Jefferson

4)  The 2nd Amendment guarantees citizens the right to keep and bear arms and to form militias

Alan Rock's Trivia

Questions:

1)  The Declaration of Independence begins with what words?

2)  Who said, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"?

3)  Which two patriots died on July 4, 1826?

4)  How many people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776?  Kuddos if you can name them!


Answers:

1)  "When in the course of human events..."

2)  Thomas Jefferson.

3)  John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

4)  Two -- Charles Thomson as Secretary and John Hancock as President of the Continental Congress.

Alan Rock's Trivia

Questions:

1)  On July 3, 1922, Fruit Garden and Home magazine published its first issue.  Two years later the publication became known as what?

2)  Ambrosia, Smitten, and Lemonade are varieties of what?

3)  What was the name of the forerunner to Scientology?


Answers:

1)  Better Homes and Gardens.

2)  Apples

3)  Dianetics.

Alan Rock's Trivia

Questions:

1)  What did President Lyndon Johnson sign into law on July 2, 1964?

2)  On July 2, 1881, which U.S. president was shot and fatally wounded by an assassin?

3)  On July 2, 1776, the delegates from the twelve North American colonies signed the Declaration of Independence to declare themselves the United States of America.  On July 3 and 4, the delegates made a few changes to the document and approved it again on July 4th, the day the United States now celebrates as Independence Day.  However, one of the delegates thought that July 2nd would be remembered in history as Independence Day.  Which founding father stated this belief in a letter to his wife?


Answers:

1)  The Civil Rights Act of 1964.  In the speech he gave prior to signing this act into law, President Johnson said, "We believe that all men are created equal, yet many are denied equal treatment... let us close the springs of racial poison."

2)  President James Garfield was shot by embittered attorney Charles Guiteau in a Washington railroad station.  The President struggled with his health over the next few months, and he ultimately died on September 19, 1881 from an infection and internal hemorrhage.  Garfield served as U.S. President for less than one year.

3)  John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail, "The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epochs in the history of America... It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shews, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more."