Trivia of the Day Copyright 2000-2006
A week of questions about newspaper comic strips:
The long-running comic strip Beetle Bailey first appeared in 1950. But the strip didn't initially center around life in the Army. What was the original, short-lived setting Beetle was featured in?
Life at a university. Beetle and his fraternity brothers were the focus. One day in 1951, Beetle ducked into an Army recruiting office to avoid running into both of the women he was dating at the same time. All other characters were dropped and the focus switched to Beetle Bailey in the Army.
In relation to Beetle Bailey, his sister was spun off from his strip to one featuring her and her family. What is this also long-running comic strip?
Hi and Lois. This strip debuted in 1954. Occasionally, the strips will do small cross-overs.
Which comic strip, created in 1994, features a dog named Earl and a cat named Mooch?
Mutts, created by Patrick McDonnell.
In the comic strip Cathy, the two leads, Cathy and Irving, each brought a dog into their marriage. Cathy's dog is named Electra, what is the name of Irving's dog?
Vivian. Both rescued the dogs from shelters.
The long-running strip Blondie premiered in 1930 and centered around the fun-loving flapper Blondie. What was the character's maiden name then, before she married Dagwood Bumstead in 1933?
Boopadoop. The characters had two children: Alexander in 1934 and Cookie in 1941.
Who was honored with the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on February 9, 1960?
Actress Joanne Woodward.
What nickname is given to the Canadian dollar coin due to the bird pictured on it?
(A) Loonie
(B) Duckie
(C) Pigeon
(D) Sparrow
Ans: (A) Loonie.
What is the winter counterpart to estivation?
Hibernation.
What are items are grouped in the following categories: Ladies, Seniors, Regular, Stiff, and Tour?
Golf clubs. They go in order of strength or stiffness, from Ladies up to Tour.
What film opened on Valentine's Day in 1931 and was billed as “The strangest love story of all"?
Dracula, directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi.
How many double-word-score spaces are there on a Scrabble board?
(A) Ten
(B) Twelve
(C) Fifteen
(D) Seventeen
Ans: (D) Seventeen.
What AL Central team angered fans by muzzling its operatic hot dog vendor Charley Marcuse?
The Detroit Tigers.
From player Maggie:
Where in sci-fi would you find a character named "The Mule"?
In THE FOUNDATION SERIES by Isaac Asimov.
From player Snowflake:
Rougly translated, what does actor Johnny Depp's surname mean in German?
I accepted any of the following: twit, fool, idiot, moron, etc.
What did "human fly" D.D. Roland carry on his shoulders while walking on building ledges blindfolded?
(A) A baby carrier
(B) A backpack
(C) His wife
(D) A parachute
Ans: (C) His wife.
Easy Monday question:
Which film won the Oscar for Best Motion Picture last night at the Academy Awards?
(A) "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
(B) "Frost/Nixon"
(C) "Milk"
(D) "The Reader"
(E) "Slumdog Millionaire"
Ans: (E) "Slumdog Millionaire", which also won seven other awards for Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Directing, Best Achievement in Editing, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures - Original Score, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures - Original Song, Best Achievement in Sound and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.
From player ChristmasFun:
How many straight matches has Connecticut's Trinity College Men's Squash team won?
With the game the team won Sunday, they have 202 straight wins and their 11th consecutive national championship.
The calendar once had months named Quintilius and Sextilius, but, using names of Roman leaders, they were renamed what?
Quintilius and Sextilius were renamed Julius (July) and Augustis (August). March was originally the first month of the year of 10 months, making July and August the fifth and sixth months. Eventually Januarius and Februarius were added at the beginning to make the twelve months we know now.
Mary Katherine Campbell is the only Miss America to do what?
Win the title twice. She was Miss America in 1922 and again in 1923. In the 1924 pageant, she was the First Runner Up. Upon this near-third win, the rules were changed so that a contestant may only win the title once. She was 16 when she won the crown for the first time. She died in 1990.
What is horology?
The art or science of making timepieces or of measuring time.