Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac (155 page)

SEPTEMBER 16

1918
W
ITH TWELVE
M
ODEL
T Fords, twenty-year-old Chicagoan Walter Jacobs opens America’s first car rental company.

AUTO MOTIVE

1.
What scientific unit of frequency is named for the German physicist who invented the world’s first radio antenna?

2.
What chapel, built in 1744, takes its now-famous name from the Spanish word for “cottonwood”?

3.
At current rates, Zimbabwe has the world’s least valuable, and the Cayman Islands the world’s most valuable, what?

4.
In tennis scoring, what word describes the situation of a player winning a point from deuce and therefore being just one point away from winning a game?

5.
The first space shuttle, OV-101, was set to be named
Constitution,
but, after NASA received 100,000 letters from sci-fi fans, its name was changed to what?

1956
P
LAY
-D
OH HITS SHELVES,
originally invented as a wallpaper cleaner but now retooled as a children’s toy.

GREECE IS THE WORD

In honor of Play-Doh, answer these questions on Greek philosophy.

1.
In Plato’s
Symposium,
Aristophanes’ speech is interrupted by what medical condition, which is eventually cured by sneezing?

2.
“The blood of Socrates” is a nickname for the red spots found on the stems of what plant, also called “spotted parsley”?

3.
What Canadian actor has played Rudyard Kipling, Mike Wallace, Sherlock Holmes, and Aristotle on screen?

4.
The paradoxes of Zeno, which featured Achilles, a tortoise, and an arrow, were designed to show that what is illusory or even impossible?

5.
What philosopher-mathematician led a cultlike secret society where divulging secrets was punishable by death and eating beans was forbidden?

1975
P
APUA
N
EW
G
UINEA
achieves independence from Australia.

I WANNA BE FREE

From what country did these nations declare independence?

Easy

1.
Brazil, 1822

2.
Vatican City, 1929

3.
Korea, 1945

4.
The Philippines, 1946

5.
India, 1947

Harder

1.
Finland, 1917

2.
Iceland, 1944

3.
Kuwait, 1961

4.
Bangladesh, 1971

5.
East Timor, 2002

Yeah, Good Luck

1.
The Dominican Republic, 1844

2.
Madagascar, 1960

3.
Rwanda, 1962

4.
Suriname, 1975

5.
Eritrea, 1993

SEPTEMBER 17

1771
S
COTTISH COMIC NOVELIST
T
OBIAS
S
MOLLETT,
the creator of alliterative, picaresque protagonists like Ferdinand Fathom, Roderick Random, and Peregrine Pickle, dies at his Italian villa.

ALLITERATURE

Name these literary classics from tongue-twisting plot summaries.

1.
Puritan preacher provokes parishioner Prynne’s peccadillos, producing pregnancy, penitence, and Pearl.

2.
Tyke trades tattered togs with twin Tom, triggering troubles transferring Tudor title.

3.
Local landowner’s loftiness looks loathsome to Lizzy; little Lydia leaves with lieutenant lothario.

4.
Suspicious surgeon sees sickness spread in Saharan seaport. Serum solves squat; spouse succumbs in sanatorium.

5.
Limey Lemuel’s log lampoons London’s ludicrousness, limning landings at Lilliput, Laputa, and Luggnagg.

6.
Depressed Danish dauphin, disturbed by dad’s death, dethrones depraved dastard, despite doubt, delay, and darling’s drowning.

7.
Emasculated expatriate emptily esteems elegant English-woman, enters España, enjoys extreme entertainment.

8.
Paradoxical policy punishes patrols of pilots posted in Pianosa, producing paranoia.

9.
Alabama attorney Atticus attempts to absolve African American accused of assault.

10.
Separated from society, schoolkids solemnly sanctify seashell, skewer sow skull on stake, steal sissy’s spectacles, slay Simon.

11.
Bitter bureaucrat and beautiful brunette are beguiled by bogus “Brotherhood,” brainwashed by Big Brother.

12.
Man, maltreated when Mom marries Mr. Murdstone, moves in with money-mismanaging Mr. Micawber.

13.
Sensitive Starkfield serf, suicidally saddened by suspicious spouse, suffers sled smashup.

14.
Close-mouthed cripple clings to crystalline critters, crushes on clever clerk.

15.
Dick Diver diagnoses depressed dame, deflowers dewy debutante, drinks, divorces.

16.
Wicked waif warns woodcarver of his whoppers when his wooden whiffer widens, wins wisdom when wolfed by whale.

17.
Flames of futuristic fireman’s fondness for fiction are fanned by former faculty fellow Faber.

18.
Beautiful Bathsheba brushes off Boldwood but bonds with benevolent bailiff.

19.
Kompany kaptain kruises up Kongo to kollect karismatic konverted kolonialist Kurtz.

20.
Pumblechook presents Pip to presumed patroness, preoccupied with past. Petrifying prisoner proves to be Pip’s promoter.