Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What country started the Christmas tradition of exchanging gifts?

2)  Which U.S. President had the most pets while in the White House?

3)  On this date in 1947, Tennessee Williams' play, A Streetcar Named Desire opened on Broadway. Who were the stars of the original Broadway production?

4)  From 1941 until 1950, violet was one of the colors of M&Ms candies. What color replaced violet?

Answers:

1)  The custom began with the Romans in Italy.

2)  Theodore Roosevelt was responsible for the menagerie, which included cats, dogs, ponies, guinea pigs, lizards - and kangaroos! He even had a one-legged rooster as a pet.

3)  Jessica Tandy played Blanche and Marlon Brando was Stanley.

4)  In 1950 the violet-colored M&Ms were replaced by tan ones.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Where is The Hague located?

2)  In colonial America, people in this profession were called upon to make flags.

3)  On this date in 1913, Charlie Chaplin made his screen debut in a Mack Sennett short. What was the film's name?

4) Where is the Nubian Desert located?


Answers:

1)  The Hague the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is home to the Dutch government and parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Council of State, but the city is not the capital of the Netherlands which constitutionally is Amsterdam.^[4] Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands lives at Huis ten Bosch and works at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. Most foreign embassies in the Netherlands and 150 international organizations are located in the city, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, which makes The Hague one of the major cities hosting the United Nations, along with New York, Vienna, Geneva, and Nairobi (Wikipedia).

2)  upholsterers

3)  Making a Living

4)  The Sudan

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Which Apollo mission was the first to land on the moon?

2)  Who was the president at the time of the moon landing?

3)  "Twit" is a popular slang term for moron or idiot, but its original meaning is something else entirely. What is the original meaning of "twit"?

4)  Where are the biceps femoris muscles located?

Answers:

1)  Apollo 11

2)  Richard Nixon took office January 20, 1969 and the Apollo 11 landing was seven months later, touching down July 20.

3)  A "twit" is a pregnant goldfish.

4)  The thighs

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  John Lennon thought this song was the greatest rock 'n' roll record ever made.

2)  This nerve is the largest in the human body

3)  Singer Tom Jones hails from the village of Pontypridd in South Wales. What other famous individual comes from Pontypridd?

Answers:

1)  Jerry Lee Lewis's "Whole Lotta Shakin'"

2) The sciatic nerve

3)  Richard Burton

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This film was the first American feature-length 3D film in color, sparking a short-lived 3D movie craze in theaters in the 50s.

2)  He once said, "history is written by the victors."

3)  This. UNICEF ambassador played the character Holly Go Lightly in this film, which was based on a book by Truman Capote.

4)  How many cardinals have been promoted in recent days?

Answers:

1)  Bwana Devil

2)  Winston Churchill

3)  Audrey Hepburn

4)  six

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This deceased celebrity made more money in the past year than any other deceased celebrity.

2)  This metal is the most common one found in the composition of the earth's crust.

3)  What does the name "Puerto Rico" mean in English?

4)  This was the first U.S. holiday to be designated by presidential proclamation.

Bonus Question:  What is an orrery?

Answers:

1)  Elizabeth Taylor

2)  aluminum

3)  Literally means "rich port"

4)  Thanksgiving Day was declared by George Washington on this day in 1789.

Bonus Answer:  An orrery is a mechanical model of the solar system. Here's one made of wood.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Alfred E. Neuman was the fictional mascot for what?

2)  This president was the first to travel in a submerged submarine.

3)  On this date in 1980, a plot twist happened on a popular television show that kept viewers in suspense over the show's holiday hiatus.

4) Which side of the turkey has more feathers?

Answers:

1)  Mad Magazine

2) President Harry Truman

3)  After that evening's episode of Dallas aired, viewers were left wondering, "who shot JR?"

4) That was a joke question. The side with more feathers would be....(wait for it)....the outside.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  The common name for the flowering plant, Gypsophila, is what?

2)  The first state to ratify the Bill of Rights did so on this date in 1789. Which state was it?

3)  This seven-year old hosted SNL on this date in 1982.

4)  What is the official language of Belize?

Answers:

1)  "Baby's Breath"

2)  New Jersey

3)  Drew Barrymore

4)  English

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  The U.S. Army is the nation's largest employer of folks with this skill.

2)  What word refers to an important part of both a computer and a piano.

3)  This planet is the only one in our solar system that rotates clockwise.

4)  What is the maximum number of folds one can fold a piece of paper in half?

Answers:

1)  Musicians

2)  keyboard

3) Venus

4)  The answer is seven. They did this test on Mythbusters once. They got to eight - but it was a gigantic piece of paper to start with. Generally speaking, it's seven.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This Hollywood actress patented a missile guidance system.

2)  This president established the fourth Thursday in November as the Thanksgiving holiday.

3)  This cartoon character was the first balloon character in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Answers:

1) Hedy Lamarr

2) Lincoln

3)  Felix the Cat

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Composed in the early 1980s by British songwriter Andrew Lloyd Weber, name this musical and the book that inspired it.

2) Cats are one of only three four-footed animals that walk by moving their front and hind legs, first on one side and then the other.  Name the other two animals with this trait.

3) In what year did President Lincoln make his historic Gettysberg address?

Answers:

1) The musical is Cats, which is based on T.S. Eliot's book entitled Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.

2) Camels and giraffes walk similarly to cats.

3) 1863

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) On November 14, 1954, Bill Haley's first hit record peaked at number 7.  What was the name of the song?

2) On November 14, 1980, Martin Scorsese's film Raging Bull opened in the U.S.  Actor Robert DeNiro played which boxer?

3) Who originally sang Do You Know The Way To San Jose?

4) What color is cerise?

Answers:

1) Shake, Rattle & Roll

2) Jake LaMotta

3) Dionne Warwick

4) Reddish pink

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Who said in a letter to a friend, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes"?

2) On November 13, 1977, the comic strip Li'l Abner appeared in newspapers for the last time.  Who was the creator of that comic?

3) Who was the first major league pitcher to win four consecutive Cy Young Awards?

4) Which breed of dog is historically associated with the fire service?

Answers:

1) Benjamin Franklin 

2) Al Capp

3) Greg Maddox of the Atlanta Braves

4) Dalmation

 

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Who was the first NFL coach to win 100 regular season games in ten seasons?

2) Where would you wear a snood?

3) On what peninsula is Portugal situated?

Answers:

1) Don Shula

2) On your head.  A snood is historically a type of European female headgear or, in modern times, a tubular neck scarf.  In the most common form, the headgear resembles a close-fitting hood worn over the back of the head.  A tighter mesh band may cover the forehead or crown, then run behind the ears and under the nape of the neck.

              
3) Iberian

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What are the world's three most populous cities?

2)  What are the three most populous countries?

3)  On this date in 1997, this running back became the first player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in nine straight seasons.

Answers:

1)  Tokyo's population is 32,450,000; Seoul's is 20,550,000 and Mexico City's population is 20,450,000.

2)  The three most populous countries are 1) China - 1.3 billion, 2) India - 1.2 billion and 3) The U.S. - 312 million

3)  Barry Sanders 

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  She once said, "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."

2)  He was the vibraphonist in the Modern Jazz Quartet.

3)  This song was and still is the theme song of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Answers:

1)  Miss Mae West.

Mae West also said, "Those who are easily shocked, should be shocked more often."

2)  Milt Jackson

3)  "Moonlight Serenade"

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  In Paul Simon's song, how many ways are there to leave your lover?

2)  Who played the lead character, Jack Ryan, in the 1992 film, Patriot Games?

3)  Kenny Rogers' song "The Gambler" expresses the philosophy that the best you can hope for is this.

4)  This author once said of Huckleberry Finn that "all American writing comes from that. There was nothing before."

Answers:

1) "there must be 50"

2)  Harrison Ford

3) "The best you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

4)  Hemingway

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What is the oldest weekly television program?

2)  What did television news anchor Catherine Crier do before becoming a news presenter?

3) What does "bruxism" mean?

4)  The first organized football game was played on this date in 1869.  What two teams played?

Answers:

1)  Meet the Press is the oldest program; it was first broadcast on this date in 1947.

2) As a teenager Crier worked on her family's farm near Dallas. There she hauled hay, cleaned stalls, and competed in Arabian horse shows across the Southwest. In 1984, she was elected to the 162nd District Court in Dallas County as a State District Judge, becoming the youngest elected state judge in Texas history. During her tenure on the bench, Crier also served as Administrative Judge for the Civil District Courts and worked extensively with the ABA, National Judicial College, and Texas Legislature on legal issues.She has also authored 5 books: her first book, the NY Times bestseller, The Case Against Lawyers in October, 2002. Her second book, A Deadly Game: The Untold Story of the Scott Peterson Investigation became a #1 NY Times bestseller and was followed by Contempt—How the Right is Wronging American Justice, and Final Analysis: The Untold Story of the Susan Polk Murder Case. Her fifth book, Patriot Acts — What Americans Must Do to Save the Republic, was published on November 1, 2011. Fun fact: when Crier got married, she was escorted down the aisle by her favorite dog.



3) It means to grind one's teeth.

4) The game was between Rutgers and Princeton. Loosely based on Rugby and modified rules of the London Football Association, Princeton won with 6 goals to Rutgers' 4.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This university was the first to award athletic scholarships to women.

2)  On this date in 1946, this Boston Celtic player became the first to shatter a glass backboard.

3)  How many sovereign nations are there in the European Union?

4)  This automaker was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922.



Answers:

1)  The University of Miami was the first to awards athletic scholarships to women and started doing so on May 5, 1973.

2)  It was TV's Rifleman star, Chuck Connors. Connors also played pro baseball for the Los Angeles Angels, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs.

3)  27

4)  Jaguar

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  The first U.S. postage stamps were sold in 1847. Whose images were on the 5-cent stamp and the 10-cent stamp?

2)  This letter is the oldest in the Phoenician alphabet.

3)  What's the difference between a nook and a cranny?

4)  How many letters are in the Greek alphabet?

Answers:

1)  Ben Franklin was on the 5-cent stamp and George Washington was on the 10-cent stamp.

2)  The letter "O" is the oldest, remaining unchanged from 1300, BCE.

3)  A nook is a corner and a cranny is a crack.


4)  24

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This song was set to the tune of what was once a popular drinking song and its original lyrics came from an 1814 poem. How is the song known today and what was its original title?

2)  Who are the top three best-selling music artists of all time?

3)  This alto/soprano sax player from Brooklyn achieved wide acclaim with his smooth jazz group, Spyro Gyra.

4)  This alto sax man is remembered for his solo on the 1974 Billy Joel hit, "Just the Way You Are." He comes in at about 2:58 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjCoBTzrN9E

Answers:

1)  The drinking song, originally known as "Defence of Fort McHenry."

2)  The Beatles, Elvis and Michael Jackson

3)  Jay Beckenstein

4)  Phil Woods

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Who was the only Peanuts character to believe in the Great Pumpkin?

2)  Snoopy dressed as a WWI flying Ace and imagined this as his airplane.

3)  This country is associated most closely with mummies.

4)  Who kept getting rocks instead of candy when the gang was out trick-or-treating?

Answers:

1)  Linus

2)  Snoopy imagined his dog house was his airplane.

3)  Egypt

4)  Charlie Brown

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Who was the first woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capital Rotunda?

2)  On this date in 1938, Orson Welles stirred a national panic with his radio drama. Listeners believed the "simulated" news bulletins in the drama were real and that Grovers Mill, NJ, actually was being invaded by men from Mars.

3)  Boxing fans may recall that on this date in 1974, Muhammed Ali regained the world championship title by knocking out this heavyweight champ.

4)  On this date in 1984, Linda Ronstadt performed

Answers:

1)   Rosa Perks was interred in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on this date in 2005.

2)  It was a dramatization of H.G. Wells' novel War of the Worlds.

3)  George Foreman

4)  Ronstadt attempted the role of Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme.  The performance was a production of Joseph Papp for the New York Shakespeare Festival.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What was Superman's given name by his father?

2)  Cleek, mashie and niblick are varieties of these.


3)  On this date in 1997, he was made an honorary U.S. veteran at the age of 94.

4)   On this date in 1956, The Huntley-Brinkley Report debuted on NBC TV, replacing what other news show?

Answers:

1)  Kal-El

2)  golf clubs

3)  Bob Hope was awarded this honor, the first of its kind in recognition of his many years entertaining U.S. troops via the USO.

4)  The Huntley-Brinkley Report's predecessor was The Camel News Caravan. Its catchphrase was "bringing you today's news today," which now seems silly, but then the idea of getting news of events in the same day was a new technological development.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions: 

!)  Kilts were first worn in which country?

2) This style of jazz, at the height of popularity in the 30s and 40s, dominated social events and dances. What was the name of this style?

3) In a deck of playing cards, which king does not have a moustache?

4)  This jazz genre, associated with Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan and Lee Konitz, de-emphasized blues in favor of crisper tones. What was the name of this style of jazz?

Answers:

1)  Though most strongly associated with Scotland, kilts first appeared in France. Here's some history if you're interested.

2)  Swing

3)  The King of Hearts

4)  "Cool Jazz"

Alan Rick's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Gout is a condition caused by elevated levels of this.

2)  Saturday Night Live debuted on NBC on this date in 1975. Who was the first host?

3)  This auto maker recently recalled 7.43 million cars due to a problem with a sticky power window switch.

4)  This female shuttle astronaut was the first woman to walk in space.

Answers:

1)  uric acid

2)  George Carlin

3)  Toyota. "Recalled in North America are the Yaris, Corolla, Matrix, Camry, RAV4, Highlander, Tundra, Sequoia and Scion models xB and xD, spanning 2.47 million vehicles" (Detroit Free Press, October 11, 2012).

4) Kathy Sullivan

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)   As of 2012, only five jazz musicians have been featured the cover of Time magazine. Who were they?

2)  Who wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People?

3)  What is the capital of Pakistan?

4)  What is the current official name of Chicago's Sears Tower?

Answers:

1)  Louis Armstrong (Feb. 1949), Dave Brubeck (Nov. 1954), Duke Ellington (Aug. 1956), Thelonius Monk (Feb. 1964), and Wynton Marsalis (Oct. 1990).

2)  Stephen R. Covey

3)  Islamabad

4)  Though Sears' naming rights expired in 2003, people persist in still referring to the skyscraper as the Sears Tower.  In 2009, Willis Group Holdings purchased the building and its official name became the Willis Tower.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  On this date in 1930, Laura Ingalls Wilder became the first woman to do this.

2)  On this date in 1967, Doc Henderson became the new musical director for The Tonight Show.  Who did he replace?

3)  In our solar system, which planet is the largest?

4)  What color is Midori liqueur?

Answers:

1)  She was the first woman to fly across the U.S., completing a nine-stop journey from Roosevelt Field in New York to Glendale, California.

2)  Skitch Henderson

3)  Jupiter

4)  green

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:


1)  Who was the only pitcher to pitch a perfect game in the World Series?

2)  What do deltiologists collect?

3)  In what sport is sabermetrics used for analysis?

4)  When is the next presidential election?

Answers:

1)  Don Larson pitched a perfect game for the Yankees on this date in 1956.

2)  postcards

3)  Baseball. Saber metrics gets its name from the acronym, SABR, which stands for the Society of Baseball Research. The book and subsequent movie, Moneyball, made Sabermetrics famous.

4)  November 6.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What was Che Guevera's given first name?

2)  According to Greek mythology, Arges, Brontes and Steropes were all  _______________.

3)  The temporalis muscle is used to do this.

Answers:

1)  Ernesto

2)  They were all cyclops.

3)  The temporalis muscle is used for chewing.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) When was Halley's Comet last visible to the naked eye?

2)  The Beatles released their first single ____ years ago.

3)  For what film did Susan Sarandon win an Oscar for Best Actress?

4)  This is blood type the rarest.

Answers:

1) 1986

2)  The song was "Love Me Do." It was released 50 years ago, October 5th, 1962.

3)  Dead Man Walking.

4)  Type AB is rarest. There is even the extremely rare type A-H; it's so rare, only three people in the world are known to have it.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  In filming Janet Leigh's famous shower scene in the Hitchcock thriller, Psycho, what was used for blood?

2)  Who was the mother of Queen Mary I?

3)   Lachanophobia is the fear of what?

Answers:

1)  Chocolate syrup - remember the movie was filmed in black and white.


2)  Catherine of Aragon, the youngest daughter of Duke Ferdinand and Queen Isabella; she was Henry VIII's first wife.

3)  vegetables

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Which character is usually associated with Gepetto?

2)  Charles Schulz' comic strip Peanuts debuted on this date in 1950. What were the names of the four original characters?

3)  What position did Snoopy play on Charlie Brown's baseball team?

4)  What were Bonnie and Clyde's full names?

Answers:

1)  Pinocchio

2)  The original Peanuts characters were Charlie, Snoopy, Patty and Shermy.

3)  shortstop

4)  Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What is the term for a baby oyster?

2)  According to Great Britain's Imperial system of measurement, how many pounds equal one stone?

3)  On TV's The Simpsons, what is Homer Simpson's brother's name?

4)  What is the birthstone for October?

5)  What is the flower associated with October?


Answers:

1)  A baby oyster is called a "spat."

2)  14 pounds are considered to be one "stone."

3)   Homer's brother is a half-brother named Herb Powell. The character was introduced in the 15th show of the second season and was voiced by Danny DeVito.

4)  Both tourmaline and opal are gemstones for October.

5)  Calendula and cosmos are the flowers for October.