Trivia Quiz?

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

Where Did the Term "Southpaw" Come From?

This cute-sounding term -- which may actually be seen as kind of annoying by some left-handers -- originated in sports. The real question is, which sport and why? The popular answer usually puts the term's origin in baseball, claiming that baseball diamonds were designed so that pitchers faced west and batters faced east, supposedly to avoid having the batter stare into the afternoon sun. That would mean a lefty pitcher's pitching hand would be on the south. However, many baseball diamonds were not aligned this way, and there is evidence that the term "southpaw" was first used in boxing. There are also political cartoons showing left-handed punches with "southpaw" appearing in the caption or punchline.

 

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Used to Happen to Left-Handers in School?

Left-handers used to not have it so good. While life may still have its annoyances for lefties, at least now lefties are allowed to be lefties. This used to not be the case, with schools forcing left-handers to learn to write with their right hands. 

The left hand has long been associated with concepts like evil and uncleanliness. Some of these associations stemmed from historical uses, such as using the left hand as, well, toilet paper several centuries ago. There was also the audible connection between the Latin roots and words meaning left, sinistra, and the modern-day word sinister, and the mere fact that lefties are a minority. As a result, children were forced, often in ways that were rather traumatic, to switch hands.

 

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

How Much More Likely is a Left-Handed Person to Die in an Accident Than a Right-Handed Person?

We all know that most items are designed with righties in mind. And that's not just notebooks, it also includes such deadly items as scissors, knives, and cars.

Considering that, you might not be too surprised to learn that lefties die in accidents more often than righties, but what might shock you is just how often it happens. Left-handed people are a whopping five times more likely to die in accidents than righties. But if you're left-handed, there is some good news. Studies show lefties have lower instances of ulcers than righties. So we guess what that means is you're more likely to die in an accident, but at least that fear isn't really stressing you out.

 

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Do Lefties Need Left-Handed Scissors?

It's obvious how a left-handed desk, notebook, and can opener would benefit a left-hander. But why do scissors have to be left-handed? Part of the problem is visual; if you're trying to cut along a line, you need to be sure the scissors line up with that line, something that's harder to do when using right-handed scissors in the left hand (the top blade blocks your view). But it's also a matter of pressure. When you use righty scissors with your right hand, you place some pressure on the blades that holds them tightly together to make a cut. But if you place righty scissors in your left hand, the pressure exerted by your hand on the blades can be skewed somewhat, creating a tiny gap that's enough to make the scissors fail. Lefty scissors are configured so that hand pressure keeps the two blades together.

[phkrause]

16 hours ago, phkrause said:

"Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song" are lyrics from which song?

"Stand By Me" "That's What Friends Are For" "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" "With a Little Help from My Friends"

With a Little Help from My Friends! If I'm not mistaken

Answer: "With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and originally performed by the Beatles on the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; it has been inducted into both the Grammy Award Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Joe Cocker version was the theme song to the TV series The Wonder Years, starring Fred Savage. There have been at least 50 cover versions of the song and it has achieved the number one position on the British singles charts three times.

[phkrause]

A recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development survey found that which country was second to the United States when it came to having the highest obesity rates in the world?

A. United States
B. Germany
C. Australia
D. Mexico

[phkrause]

In the Republican party abbreviation “GOP,” what does the “G” stand for?

Good Great Grand Global

[phkrause]

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

A recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development survey found that which country was second to the United States when it came to having the highest obesity rates in the world?

A. United States
B. Germany
C. Australia
D. Mexico

D. Mexico

No bueno - Mexico is a close second to the United States with an obesity rate of 32.4 percent. The good ole US of A tops the scale and the survey with 38.2 percent of the population classified as obese.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

In the Republican party abbreviation “GOP,” what does the “G” stand for?

Good Great Grand Global

Answer: The acronym GOP stands for Grand Old Party, which is a name used interchangeably with the Republican Party. The party is named after republicanism, the dominant value during the American Revolution. Founded by anti-slavery activists, economic modernizers, ex-Whigs, and ex-Free Soilers in 1854, the Republicans dominated politics nationally and in the majority of northern States for most of the period between 1860 and 1932. There have been a total of 19 Republican presidents, the most from any one party.

[phkrause]

Which U.S. President proposed to his wife on their first date?

Bill Clinton Barack Obama John F. Kennedy Richard Nixon

[phkrause]

Which cable TV news host once served in Congress as a Florida Republican?

Bill O'Reilly Joe Scarborough Chris Matthews Sean Hannity

[phkrause]

22 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which U.S. President proposed to his wife on their first date?

Bill Clinton Barack Obama John F. Kennedy Richard Nixon

Answer: At age 25, Richard Nixon auditioned for a community theater production of The Dark Tower, where he met Thelma “Pat” Ryan, a schoolteacher. Richard Nixon proposed to Pat on their first date; she laughed him off. "I thought he was nuts or something!" she recalled. He courted the redhead he called his "wild Irish Gypsy" for two years, even driving her to and from her dates with other men. Eventually they married at the Mission Inn in Riverside, California, on June 21, 1940.

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which cable TV news host once served in Congress as a Florida Republican?

Bill O'Reilly Joe Scarborough Chris Matthews Sean Hannity

Answer: Joe Scarborough is the co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel. Scarborough served in the U.S House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 as a Republican from the 1st district of Florida. Scarborough served on the Armed Services, Judiciary, Government Reform, and Education committees. He announced his intent to resign to spend more time with his children five months into his fourth term in Congress. He was named in the 2011 Time 100 as one of the most influential people in the world.

[phkrause]

Which musician once tried to break into Graceland?

Bruce Springsteen Buddy Holly David Bowie Neil Diamond

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which musician once tried to break into Graceland?

Bruce Springsteen Buddy Holly David Bowie Neil Diamond

Answer: In one of the coolest stories in Rock ‘n’ Roll, 26-year-old Bruce Springsteen decided to pay a 3 a.m. visit to Graceland. In April 1976, Bruce Springsteen performed in Memphis and, after the show, decided to drive to Graceland. Springsteen jumped the fence, climbed over a wall, and raced to the front door. Elvis wasn’t home, and Springsteen was led away by security. Elvis died at Graceland the following year. Regardless, he is forever united with Springsteen on the cover of Born to Run, where the Boss's guitar strap bears an Elvis fan club button.

[phkrause]

"The Card Players," one of the most expensive paintings ever sold, is the work of which artist?

Vincent van Gogh Paul Cézanne Pablo Picasso Edvard Munch

[phkrause]

Trivia: The Killing of Peter Fechter

On August 17, 1962, East German guards gunned down a young man trying to escape across the Berlin Wall into West Berlin.  Try answering these trivia questions about one of the ugliest incidents to take place at one of the ugliest symbols of the Cold War.

Why Was This Death So Important?

Why Wasn't Medical Aid Rendered?

What Happened to the Guards Who Shot Fechter?

What Was the "Death Strip"?

[phkrause]

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

"The Card Players," one of the most expensive paintings ever sold, is the work of which artist?

Vincent van Gogh Paul Cézanne Pablo Picasso Edvard Munch

Answer: The Card Players is a series of oil paintings by the French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Cézanne. Painted during Cézanne's final period in the early 1890s, there are five paintings in the series. The versions vary in size, the number of players, and the setting in which the game takes place. Each painting depicts Provençal peasants immersed in their pipes and playing cards. One version of The Card Players was sold in 2011 to the Royal Family of Qatar for a price estimated at between $250 million and $320 million, making it the third most expensive work of art ever sold.

[phkrause]

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Was This Death So Important?

Fechter was not the first person to die at the wall; he was the 50th. But what made his death stand out was the callous manner in which it happened. Not only did the guards shoot him several times, but they never rendered aid, they sat by while he screamed for help for about an hour, and they were not concerned with his death other than to just get his corpse away from the wall (it turned out later that Fechter was still alive when the guards carried him away, and he died in a hospital). All of this was witnessed by helpless West Germans who had gathered at the wall.

 

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Wasn't Medical Aid Rendered?

Well, as far as the East German guards were concerned, Fechter pretty much didn't deserve to live after his escape attempt. Basically, you were a loyal East German, or you were dead. As for the West German guards and nearby U.S. military police, they couldn't reach him. When Fechter was shot, he fell back onto land that was behind the main wall. West German guards couldn't physically reach him, though they did attempt to throw bandages to him (sadly, these would have been useless to a man who had several bullets in him, but it was really all the guards could do). West Berlin police were also under orders to not shoot into the East Berlin side. U.S. military police tried to help, but they were turned back by tear gas that the East German guards threw into the area.

 

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Happened to the Guards Who Shot Fechter?

Three guards were accused of his murder in the 1990s; one died before trial, but the other two were convicted in 1997, and they apologized for their role. Both were sentenced to probation. The sentences seem light, but these trials were dogged by the issue of "following orders." East Germany was a very difficult state to be in, to put it lightly; this was the country where you never knew who was informing on whom, where your apartment could be bugged, and where your own family could suddenly turn on you. The Stasi, the East German secret police, had engaged in a decades-long campaign to torment residents to gain psychological control. Many of those accused of carrying out brutal attacks like the killing of Peter Fechter claimed they had to follow orders, and even the people responsible for the deadly policy claimed they were following the Soviet Union's orders. Courts had to balance the idea of personal ethics and responsibility with the utter fear that East Germans had of consequences.

 

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Was the "Death Strip"?

The Berlin Wall did contain a wall, but that was not the only border-security structure at the site. Along the East German border was a strip of land called the "Death Strip," which was the land between the wall and a series of barbed-wire fences, watchtowers, and other prisonlike features. The strip varied in width at different points, but all along the strip, the guards used to smooth out the dirt so that they had a better view of footprints that could lead them to potential escapees. It was in this strip that many people attempting to flee East Berlin met unfortunate fates.

[phkrause]

Popularized in the show The Walking Dead, Terminus was the name given in the 1830s to the spot where the Western and Atlantic railroad lines met. What is it called today?

A. Rome
B. Jacksonville
C. Macon
D. Atlanta

[phkrause]

Which U.S. state borders only one other state?

Florida Maine Delaware Michigan

If I'm not mistaken I believe its Maine?

[phkrause]

Trivia: The First Female Students to Enroll at Virginia Military Institute

On August 18, 1997, the first co-ed class enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), ending the school's status as the one public male-only military school in Virginia. Try answering these trivia questions about the ruling that opened up the school, and the results it got.

Why Did VMI Go Co-ed?

What Really Worried the Administration at VMI Once the Supreme Court Ruling Was Issued?

How Many Women Were in the First Co-ed Class and How Many Graduated?

Were Female Cadets Still Required to Shave their Heads?

[phkrause]

22 hours ago, phkrause said:

Popularized in the show The Walking Dead, Terminus was the name given in the 1830s to the spot where the Western and Atlantic railroad lines met. What is it called today?

A. Rome
B. Jacksonville
C. Macon
D. Atlanta

D. Atlanta

The settlement formerly known as Terminus is now Atlanta. "Sanctuary for all"? Maybe...

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

22 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which U.S. state borders only one other state?

Florida Maine Delaware Michigan

If I'm not mistaken I believe its Maine?

Answer: The unique distinction of only bordering a single state belongs to Maine. Located far up the east coast of the United States, Maine shares a single state border with New Hampshire. The rest of Maine’s borders are shared with the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, as well as the Atlantic Ocean. Maine is popularly known for its coastline, rolling mountains, seafood cuisine, mainly the lobster and the clams, and its continental climate. Alaska and Hawaii are the only two states that share no borders at all with any other state.

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Did VMI Go Co-ed?

VMI is a public institution, which means it has to abide by the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment. This clause states that anyone in U.S. territory deserves the same protections under the law. This is often used to combat discrimination or exclusion based on characteristics like gender. VMI's policy of admitting only men was deemed to be in violation of the clause and thus unconstitutional. 

VMI was taken to court several times, with the case, U.S. vs. Virginia, eventually reaching the Supreme Court. In a 7-1 ruling (with one recusal) in 1996, the court ruled against VMI. The school could not show that remaining all-male helped diversity (obviously), and all of the alternatives that VMI suggested, such as creating a separate institution for women, could not provide women with the same benefits as if they'd attended VMI itself, such as the prestige that usually comes with graduating from the school. In the end, VMI was told it either had to go co-ed, or become a private school, which could remain all-male.

 

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Really Worried the Administration at VMI Once the Supreme Court Ruling Was Issued?

VMI's administration was pragmatic. Once the Supreme Court issued its ruling, the admins got to work on retrofitting the school to accommodate female students. But one other action they took to prepare was based on what happened at the Citadel, a military academy in South Carolina. In the Citadel case, two female cadets claimed they were repeatedly physically abused and sexually harassed. Incidents included being repeatedly beaten while upperclassmen demanded one cadet stop breathing; one cadet's clothing was set on fire twice while she was wearing it (and it was stomped out while she was still wearing it); that same cadet was also doused with lighter fluid and nearly set on fire. 

The administration at VMI did not want anything like that to happen, and they knew there were other students and alumni who were vehemently opposed to women enrolling. They held seminars to discuss sexual harassment and did what they could to add safeguards against violent hazing. While the female students at VMI did not have it easy -- a male cadet was expelled for demanding sex, and several female students did experience sexual harassment -- they did not have to deal with the violence that the women at the Citadel experienced.

 

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

How Many Women Were in the First Co-ed Class and How Many Graduated?

That first co-ed class had 31 women; 19 actually graduated. This was actually not alarming; several men left as well. Students usually leave because they determine the life at the school is not for them, and they are given counseling beforehand to see if the issues can be resolved without leaving. Beth Ann Hogan, the first woman to sign up that year, was one of the women who left. In Hogan's case, a physical injury had left her unable to participate in many of the activities, and that plus general unhappiness led to her decision to leave.

 

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

Were Female Cadets Still Required to Shave their Heads?

VMI is not for the faint of heart. In fact, they kind of pride themselves on treating their new recruits like garbage and making them hate their lives, relying heavily on that screaming drill sergeant technique. And, oh yeah, you of course have to get your head shaved.  The school was quick to clarify that yes, female cadets would be treated like men, in every sense. Even getting their heads shaved. Referring to getting the haircut, upperclassman Tom Warburton said, "At that point, you know you've arrived ... You could uncommit yourself, but then you go home with a funny haircut.'' 

[phkrause]

What is Scout Finch's full name in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

A. Jane Louise Finch
B. Jean Elizabeth Finch
C. Jean Louise Finch
D. June Beth Finch

[phkrause]

4 Trivia Questions about Everybody's Favorite Search Engine

On August 19th, 2004, Google went public. Today we invite you to try your luck and see how much you know about the world's most famous search engine... 

What Was Google Originally Called?

Why Does the Google Homepage Look So Simple?

How Does Google Mow Their Fields?

What Was The First Google Doodle?

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

What is Scout Finch's full name in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

A. Jane Louise Finch
B. Jean Elizabeth Finch
C. Jean Louise Finch
D. June Beth Finch

C. Jean Louise Finch

Jean Louise Finch is better known by her nickname, Scout.

Source: various web sites.