Trivia Quiz?

[phkrause]

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which music artist changed his name to a symbol in the 1990s?

George Michael Ozzy Osborne Tupac Shakur Prince

Answer: Prince was born Prince Rogers Nelson on this day in 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prince later changed his name to unpronounceable symbol that, he sort of explained, was a combination of the symbols for man and woman. Verbally and in the press he became "the Artist Formerly Known as Prince," despite his insistence that the correct term for his new moniker was Love Symbol No. 2. After a number of years using that symbol, the Artist changed his name back to Prince. Prince died from a fentanyl overdose on April 21, 2016, at the age of 57.

[phkrause]

What is Internet sensation Grumpy Cat's real name?

A. Tardar Sauce
B. Pokey
C. Weasley
D. Kitty

[phkrause]

How much does it currently cost the U.S. Mint to produce a penny?

½ cent 1 cent 1.5 cents 2.3 cents

[phkrause]

Try Answering These Trivia Questions About Andrew Jackson

June 8, 1845, marked the death of Andrew Jackson. He was certainly one of the more interesting, if not likable, presidents, with a reputation for fighting and having some not-too-pleasant policies. Test your knowledge on the seventh president of the United States with these trivia questions...

What Caused Andrew Jackson's Death?

Why Has Jackson's Reputation Been Associated With the Current Presidential Administration?

What Accusation Contributed to Jackson's Belligerent Reputation?

Why Was Jackson's Portrait Put on the $20 Bill?

[phkrause]

Which animated character's trademark expression is "D'oh!"?

Fat Albert Popeye Homer Simpson Charlie Brown

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

What is Internet sensation Grumpy Cat's real name?

A. Tardar Sauce
B. Pokey
C. Weasley
D. Kitty

A. Tardar Sauce

The perpetually cranky cat was actually named Tardar Sauce by her 10-year-old co-owner, Chyrstal Bundesen, who had just tried tartar sauce for the first time and thought Grumpy Cat's color resembled it.

[phkrause]

17 hours ago, phkrause said:

How much does it currently cost the U.S. Mint to produce a penny?

½ cent 1 cent 1.5 cents 2.3 cents

Answer: According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Mint spent 1.5 cents to produce every one-cent coin, or penny, during fiscal year 2016. The rising cost of producing pennies has prompted calls to discontinue this coin altogether. The 1.5-cent production cost, however, represented a decline from the 2.4 cents it cost to produce a penny in 2011. Despite efforts to cut the costs of manufacturing the copper coin, it seems unlikely that the cost of making it will ever sink below one cent. Source: wsj.com

[phkrause]

17 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Caused Andrew Jackson's Death?

After years of fighting, duels, war, and generally being one of the more argumentative men to grace the presidency, Jackson's past caught up with him in a literal way. Two of those duels he'd been in resulted in him being shot, and the bullets were never removed; the lead from the bullets slowly poisoned him, finally killing him years later at the age of 78. Given that at least one of the bullets was lodged in his chest, it's safe to say that Jackson was likely as tough as his reputation made him out to be.

 

17 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Has Jackson's Reputation Been Associated With the Current Presidential Administration?

Current President Donald Trump is a big admirer of Jackson, to the point where Jackson seems to be a personal hero. Trump's colleagues have repeatedly tried to compare the two, and Trump even has a portrait of Jackson nearby in the Oval Office and made a pilgrimage to the late president’s tomb in Nashville less than two months after being sworn in.  During an interview, the Donald Trump told the Washington Examiner's Salena Zito, “I mean, had Andrew Jackson been a little later you wouldn’t have had the Civil War….he had a big heart. He was really angry that he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War, he said ‘There’s no reason for this.'”  The problem? Andrew Jackson, of course, died in 1845 some 16 years before the Civil War began.

 

17 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Accusation Contributed to Jackson's Belligerent Reputation?

Jackson's wife, Rachel Robards, was already married when he met her. However, she was separated from her husband and in the process of getting a divorce. Jackson and Robards, though, apparently didn't realize that the divorce wasn't completely final when they married, which led to her being accused of bigamy and adultery. Jackson pretty much went ballistic over this, actively challenging accusers; one of those accusers was one of the people who shot Jackson during a duel, leaving one of those bullets that would eventually kill Jackson.

But while that incident certainly removed any doubt in people's minds that Jackson was confrontational, it wasn't the first. He'd been a Revolutionary prisoner of war and disobeyed his British captors, resulting in injury; he'd been involved in several duels and military battles; he actually chased and beat up the man who tried to assassinate him; and politically, he was responsible for the Cherokee Trail of Tears and the Indian Removal Act.

 

17 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Was Jackson's Portrait Put on the $20 Bill?

Get this -- no one knows. The Washington Post tried to find out why Jackson replaced Grover Cleveland on the bill in 1928. However, the reporters couldn't find anyone who knew why Jackson was chosen over other presidents. The U.S. Treasury didn't have a reason -- there were just a bunch of people chosen to appear on new bills in 1928, and that was it as far as the Treasury was concerned -- and even historians at the Hermitage, which is the museum dedicated to Jackson's history, didn't know. What makes this an even more baffling choice was that Jackson didn't like paper money. He didn't trust it because it was not really valuable itself; only gold and silver were real money in Jackson's mind. (You have to wonder if choosing him for the bill was some sort of prank.) Another reason this is baffling is that Jackson's decree that payment for land purchases be in gold and silver caused banks to fail -- they didn't have the gold and silver to meet the needs of everyone trying to purchase property -- and caused the Panic of 1837, which was basically the 19th-century version of the Great Depression. 

[phkrause]

Which animated character's trademark expression is "D'oh!"?

Fat Albert Popeye Homer Simpson Charlie Brown

Answer: Homer Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the animated television series The Simpsons. His signature catchphrase, the annoyed grunt "D'oh!" has been included in The New Oxford Dictionary of English since 1998 and the Oxford English Dictionary since 2001. Homer is one of the most influential characters in the history of television, and is widely considered to be an American cultural icon. The British newspaper The Sunday Times described him as "the greatest comic creation of time".

 

[phkrause]

Which of the following states did not secede from the Union during the Civil War?

A. Florida
B. Arkansas
C. Missouri
D. Louisiana

[phkrause]

Which Russian made history by becoming the first human to travel into space?

Mikhail Baryshnikov Nikita Khrushchev Mikhail Gorbachev Yuri Gagarin

Gotta be Yuri!!

[phkrause]

Trivia Questions About Comedian Richard Pryor

On June 9, 1980, comedian Richard Pryor suffered near-fatal burns at his home when a mixture of free-base cocaine exploded. See if you can answer these trivia questions about one of the top entertainers of the 1970s and '80s.

How Did Pryor Catch on Fire?

Which Movie Did Richard Pryor Help Write But Couldn't Act In?

For Which Television Shows Did Pryor Write Scripts?

What TV Shows Did Pryor Appear In?

[phkrause]

“Movin on up" was the theme song for which sitcom?

The Jeffersons Sanford & Son Laverne & Shirley Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

The Jeffersons!!

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which of the following states did not secede from the Union during the Civil War?

A. Florida
B. Arkansas
C. Missouri
D. Louisiana

C. Missouri

A dozen Southern states eventually seceded and formed the Confederate States of America, but Missouri wasn't one of them.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which Russian made history by becoming the first human to travel into space?

Mikhail Baryshnikov Nikita Khrushchev Mikhail Gorbachev Yuri Gagarin

Gotta be Yuri!!

Answer: Yuri Gagarin was a Soviet cosmonaut who in 1961 became the first man to travel into space. On April 12, 1961, Gagarin flew into orbit aboard the Soviet spacecraft Vostok I, becoming the first man in space. He orbited the Earth once before returning for a safe landing in the Soviet Union roughly 90 minutes later. His spaceflight brought him immediate worldwide fame. The flight was considered a political victory for the Soviet Union; the United States didn't put a man into space until Alan Shepard's sub-orbital flight on May 5, 1961.

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

How Did Pryor Catch on Fire?

While Pryor was in the middle of making the movie Bustin’ Loose, he was known to spend time freebasing cocaine at his home. In a film documentary entitled Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic, he admitted to the interviewer that catching himself on fire was a suicide attempt, not an accident. It was believed that he had poured most of a bottle of rum over his body and lit it. Help was called and he was found running down the street ablaze.

After being taken to the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks, his physician reported that he had third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body. However, he survived against the odds. He was in the hospital for six weeks.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which Movie Did Richard Pryor Help Write But Couldn't Act In?

Pryor helped write the script for the 1974 comedy, Blazing Saddles, writing the lines for Mongo. He is credited as one of the writers, along with director Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Al Uger and Andrew Bergman. Although Brooks originally wanted Pryor to play the starring role of Bart in the movie, it wasn’t possible for Brooks to get financing because of Pryor’s drug use and controversial comedy routines on stage.

Cleavon Little was chosen to play the role of Bart, the new sheriff of Rock Ridge. The movie also starred Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Dom DeLuise, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn and writer/director Mel Brooks.

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

For Which Television Shows Did Pryor Write Scripts?

Pryor wrote for several TV shows in the 1970s. He co-wrote episode 3 of season two of Sanford and Son with Paul Mooney, titled “Sanford and Son, The Dowry.” He also wrote episode 11 with Paul Mooney, titled “Sanford and Son and Sister Make Three."

Additionally, Pryor worked as a writer, along with George Carlin, on The Flip Wilson Show. The 1973 Lily Tomlin special, Lily had 15 writers onboard, and Pryor was one of them. All 15 writers shared an Emmy for their writing, including Pryor, who co-starred in the program along with Lily Tomlin and Alan Alda.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

What TV Shows Did Pryor Appear In?

Pryor made a lot of movies, but he also made some guest appearances on television over the years. His first appearance was in The Wild Wild West where he played Villar in “The Night of the Eccentrics.” He began his own show, The Richard Pryor Show in 1977. However, it was canceled after five episodes because of fights with the censors at NBC.

In 1993, he appeared as himself in an episode of Martin called “The Breakup.” On Chicago Hope, the medical show, in 1995, he played Joe Springer, a multiple sclerosis patient who’s in an MRI machine when it starts smoking. On Malcolm & Eddie in 1996, he portrayed Uncle Bucky, Eddie’s uncle who happened to be a pool “coach.” In 1999, he appeared as Mr. Johnson on Norm in the episode titled “Norm and the Boxer."  

On December 10, 2005, Pryor suffered a heart attack in Los Angeles. He was taken to a local hospital after his wife's attempts to resuscitate him failed. He was pronounced dead at 7:58 a.m. PST. He was 65 years old. His widow Jennifer was quoted as saying, "At the end, there was a smile on his face."

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

“Movin on up" was the theme song for which sitcom?

The Jeffersons Sanford & Son Laverne & Shirley Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

The Jeffersons!!

Answer: The Jeffersons was a sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons. The show focused on George and Louise Jefferson, a successful African-American couple who moved from Queens to Manhattan following the success of George's dry-cleaning business chain. Ja'net Dubois (from Good Times) and Jeff Barry co-wrote The Jeffersons theme song, "Movin' on Up", which was sung by Dubois with a gospel choir. The song was covered by Sammy Davis, Jr., in 1978.

[phkrause]

Out of what material was Michaelangelo's statue of David sculpted?

A. Wood
B. Marble
C. Glass
D. Granite

[phkrause]

Which state has been the birthplace of the most U.S. presidents?

Maryland Pennsylvania New York Virginia

I'm gonna guess Virginia!

[phkrause]

Enjoy This Lightning Round of Benjamin Franklin Trivia

It's June 10th, largely recognized as the anniversary of the day Benjamin Franklin flew a kite in a lightning storm and demonstrated the electrical nature of lightning.  Test yourself with this lightning round of Benjamin Franklin trivia.

What Are Some of the Electrical Terms Franklin Invented?

What Musical Instrument Did Franklin Invent?

What Other Things Did Franklin Invent?

Did Franklin Invent Daylight Saving Time?

[phkrause]

Who is known as the "Father of Geometry"?

Euclid Isaac Newton Archimedes Galileo Galilei

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

Out of what material was Michaelangelo's statue of David sculpted?

A. Wood
B. Marble
C. Glass
D. Granite

B. Marble

The iconic statue is sculpted from marble.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which state has been the birthplace of the most U.S. presidents?

Maryland Pennsylvania New York Virginia

I'm gonna guess Virginia!

Answer: Virginia has the honor of being the birthplace of the most U.S. presidents, with eight. The list of U.S. Presidents born in Virginia include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson. Virginia was the wealthiest and most populous state in country’s earliest days which explains why so many of the young nation’s first few leaders came from there. To date, only 21 states have been the birthplace of a commander in chief.

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Are Some of the Electrical Terms Franklin Invented?

When conducting his research, experiments, and general pontificating on lightning and electricity, Franklin was entering into some pretty uncharted territory. In fact, it was so uncharted that he had to invent his own words just to describe what the heck was going on. In a letter to a friend, he once wrote "I feel a Want of Terms here and doubt much whether I shall be able to make this intelligible." Many believe he invented in the neighborhood of 25 words including battery, charge, conductor, and electrician. He also is believed to be the first to apply the terms plus, minus, positive and negative to this field.

 

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Musical Instrument Did Franklin Invent?

He invented the glass armonica around 1761. It was so popular that Beethoven and Mozart composed music to be played on it. Franklin hired a glassmaker to produce the instrument, which was composed of 37 glass hemispheres with a rod running through a hole positioned at the top of each hemisphere to hold them all together. Each was marked with a different color to mark the notes. A foot treadle made the instrument rotate, and it was played by passing the fingers over the glass hemispheres.

The instrument became so popular that thousands were sold. Even Marie Antoinette bought one and took lessons to learn to play it. Although the glass armonica fell out of favor for a long time, its popularity is rising again. The instrument was used in the score of the Game of Thrones finale in Season Six. In addition to his invention, Franklin also played the viola de gamba, harp, violin, whistle and guitar.

 

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Other Things Did Franklin Invent?

Benjamin Franklin was always concerned with fires, even setting up what is believed to be the first volunteer fire company in 1736 and penning a number of articles on fire prevention. And lightning was one of the biggest fire culprits of the time. So Franklin invented the lightning rod which would attract the bolt of lightning and then send its charge directly to the ground, thus avoiding people's homes and the homes' inhabitants. He called this his most important invention.  The lightning rod is pretty impressive we guess, but all Ben Franklin aficionados know that the guy invented about 800 other things too.   He invented bifocals because he needed them. Because of this invention, people started wearing bifocals in the 1780s.  He also invented the Franklin stove. Until his invention, people only warmed their homes by using a fireplace.  He was 11 years old when he invented the first version of swim fins, worn on the hands. In 1968, he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame for this invention. In the medical field, he invented the flexible tube catheter because an older brother of his suffered from kidney disease. His lifelong curiosity also led to the invention of the first odometer, which could be attached to the wheels of a carriage to determine the distance it traveled.

 

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

Did Franklin Invent Daylight Saving Time?

Not really but he certainly suggested it. Franklin had written a letter in 1784 to the Journal of Paris, reportedly making fun of Paris society for sleeping in late during the day and staying up all hours of the night. In his letter, he suggested that families in Paris could save an enormous amount of money spent for tallow and candles by getting up at an earlier hour. In World War I, Daylight Saving Time was introduced in the countries of Germany and Austria in 1916, followed by Great Britain and the United States. The aim was to save money and lower fuel consumption, just as Franklin suggested.

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

Who is known as the "Father of Geometry"?

Euclid Isaac Newton Archimedes Galileo Galilei

Answer: Euclid is known as the father of Geometry. He was a Greek mathematician that taught mathematics in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Ptolemy I. He wrote ‘Elements’, the most influential mathematical works of all time, which served as the main textbook for teaching mathematics from its publication until the late 19th or early 20th century. In the Elements, Euclid deduced the principles of what is now called Euclidean geometry from a small set of axioms. His works were heavily influenced by Pythagoras, Aristotle, Eudoxus, and Thales to name a few.