Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac (64 page)

APRIL 18

1924
T
HE VERY FIRST BOOK
of crosswords appears, from a brand-new publishing house.
The Cross Word Puzzle Book,
sold with a pencil attached, becomes a huge hit, sparking a national fad and ensuring the future success of Richard Simon and Max Schuster.

TRUE GRID

Match these familiar words of “crosswordese” to their definitions.

1948
C
LIFTON
H
ILLEGASS, THE CREATOR OF
the eponymous
CliffsNotes,
is born in Nebraska. His parents send out a bullet-pointed summary to friends who couldn’t be bothered to read the whole birth announcement.

FOR THOSE WHO DIDN’T DO THE ASSIGNED READING

Can you name these children’s classics from the title of their first chapter?

Easy

1.
“Down the Rabbit-Hole”

2.
“The Boy Who Lived”

3.
“The Cyclone”

4.
“Mowgli’s Brothers”

Harder

1.
“Up the Mountain to Alm-Uncle”

2.
“Mrs. Whatsit”

3.
“The Old Sea-dog at the Admiral Benbow”

4.
“Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Surprised”

Yeah, Good Luck

1.
“Into the Primitive”

2.
“The Shifting Reef”

3.
“In the Drain”

4.
“The River Bank”

1980
C
ANAAN
B
ANANA BECOMES
the first president of the new nation of Zimbabwe—largely a ceremonial office, since Prime Minister Robert Mugabe holds the real power.

MASS A-PEEL

Name these other famous people with fruity names.

1.
Whose second album is usually just called
When the Pawn…,
since the full title is ninety words long?

2.
What famous philanthropist was the only Treasury secretary ever to serve under three presidents?

3.
What
Desperate Housewives
creator broke into TV as a personal assistant to actress Dixie Carter?

4.
What basketball player sang a cover of “Sweet Georgia Brown,” appropriately enough, on his 1998 album
Welcome to My World
?

5.
In 1641, who married Mary Stuart, the daughter of England’s King Charles I?

APRIL 19

1948
ABC,
THE TELEVISION NETWORK,
goes on the air. The very first program is
On the Corner,
a variety show featuring second-rate nightclub acts and hosted by radio wit Henry Morgan.

EASY AS ABC

Each letter of the alphabet will be used once below.

1.
James Bond works for M, but what single initial is used for the real-life director of Britain’s MI6?

2.
In a departing prank, what letter did Clinton staffers remove from computer keyboards when they vacated their White House offices in 2001?

3.
For what movie did director Fritz Lang himself dub the whistling for star Peter Lorre?

4.
In photography, what kind of “number” is used to measure lens speed?

5.
What’s the only letter that doesn’t appear in the periodic table of elements?

6.
What’s the most common blood type in the U.S. today?

7.
On
Twin Peaks,
what letter was found under Laura Palmer’s fingernail?

8.
In what key is Johann Pachelbel’s famous
Canon
?

9.
Thanks to
Sesame Street,
which letter is
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
’s first word of English?

10.
A deficiency of which vitamin can lead to night blindness?

11.
What’s the only consonant sound that can end a word in Japanese?

12.
Which Washington, D.C., street is often used as shorthand for the lobbying industry?

13.
What spectral class does our sun belong to?

14.
What code name does Linda Fiorentino receive at the end of
Men in Black
?

15.
What letter of the alphabet do IATA airport codes for Canada begin with?

16.
On
The Today Show
in August 2005, what did Sean Combs say “was getting between me and my fans”?

17.
When actress Peg Entwistle committed suicide at the Hollywood sign in 1932, which letter did she jump from?

18.
Archie Andrews wears the letter
R
on his sweater, for Riverdale. What letter traditionally appeared on Jughead’s turtlenecks?

19.
What mysterious title character is Herbert Stencil hunting for in Thomas Pynchon’s first novel?

20.
What letter begins the three most kid-friendly video game ratings?

21.
What seminal L.A. punk band was discovered by Ray Manzarek of the Doors?

22.
What was the first letter ever turned by Vanna White on
Wheel of Fortune
?

23.
What’s the first letter of the alphabet that’s skipped in each year’s tropical storm naming?

24.
What is the Burmese word for “Mr.”?

25.
What did PAX TV change its name to on July 1, 2005?

26.
What’s the only letter to also name a Best Picture Oscar–nominated film?