Did You Know? – Another Factoid Feast.

May 27, 2014May 23, 2014 fasab Factoids, Unusual 10000, A-1 Steak Sauce, Ace, Admiral, Alabama, Albatross, amir al bahr, Arabic phrase, atomic bomb, birthplace, born in Los Alamos, burn their houses down, Cathedral Caverns, Chinese ideogram, clans, contraction, crappy name, crespucular rays, Did You Know, education, Entertainment, expression, fact, factoid, factoid feast, factoids, facts, friends, Goliath, Grant, hole-in-one, hole-in-one insurance, Holland, IBM compatible computer, information, interesting, Jamie Farr, Japan, Japanese golfers, Japanese term, Klinger, Korean War, largest stalagmite, largest stalagmite forest, listed, lord of the sea, M*A*S*H, Manhattan Project, member of the cast, Microsoft's Flight Simulator, Mount Vernon, naval rank, New Mexico, orange peel, original name, picture cell, picture element, pixel, post office box in Albequerque, price, raisins, Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lifshitz, Random, samba, sending gifts, served as a soldier, share one's good luck, shining down, sunbeams, symbolizes, through the clouds, to get fired, to rub navels together, traditional, trivia, trouble, tulips, two women living under one roof, unusual selection, unwanted people, Washington, word, world's largest cave opening

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Indeed, it’s time for another factoid feast.

I would say that this is an unusual selection, but the truth is they are usually unusual, if you see what I mean.

I try to make the whole thing as random as possible so there is at least one or two things that you find interesting.

So here goes this week’s offering.

Many Japanese golfers carry “hole-in-one” insurance,

because it is traditional in Japan to share one’s good luck

by sending gifts to all your friends when you get an “ace.”

The price for what the Japanese term an “albatross”

can often reach $10,000.

Those sunbeams that you see shining down

through the clouds are called ‘crespucular rays’.

A-1 Steak Sauce contains

both orange peel and raisins.

The Chinese ideogram for ‘trouble’ symbolizes

‘two women living under one roof’.

Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of

their unwanted people without killing them

use to burn their houses down

– hence the expression “to get fired.”

The naval rank of “Admiral” is derived from

the Arabic phrase “amir al bahr”,

which means “lord of the sea”.

Mt. Vernon Washington grows more tulips

than the entire country of Holland.

Jamie Farr (who played Klinger on M*A*S*H)

was the only member of the cast who

actually served as a soldier in the Korean war.

Little known Cathedral Caverns near Grant, Alabama

has the world’s largest cave opening, the largest stalagmite (Goliath),

and the largest stalagmite forest in the World.

The word ‘pixel’ is a contraction of

either ‘picture cell’ or ‘picture element.’

Back in the mid to late 80’s, an IBM compatible computer

wasn’t considered a hundred percent compatible

unless it could run Microsoft’s Flight Simulator.

If you were born in Los Alamos, New Mexico

during the Manhattan project (where they made the atomic bomb),

your birthplace was listed as a post office box in Albequerque.

Ralph Lauren’s original name was Ralph Lifshitz.

(I can’t say I’m surprised he changed a crappy name like that.)

The word “samba” means “to rub navels together.”

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Monday. Quiz Day. Go On, Have A Go!

October 14, 2013October 2, 2013 fasab Questions, Tests 1940, 22 October 2015, Allied Troops, American Declaration of Independence, American town, andy warhol, Audrey Hepburn, Bernardo O'Higgins, birthday, breakfast, Burt Lancaster, car crash, celebrity, city, Clam Variation, common name, communist manifesto, confrontation, country, cult members, Deborah Kerr, East of Eden, education, Entertainment, ephemeral condition, evacuated, expression, fame constitute, federal agents, film, Frank Sinatra, Frasier, Frederich Engels, French town, From Here to, general knowledge, Giuoco Piano, Greek, HBO, history, join the American Union, killed, King's Indian, last state, leading roles, magnesium sulphate, minutes, Misc, Miscellaneous, Monkey's Bum, movie, movies, Name, New York City, organization, Oscar-winning, questions, quiz, Quiz Day, quizzes, Random, root, ruled, Ruy Lopez, Scotch Game, Semi Tarrasch, Sicilian, South American, star, Strait of Messina, syn, synonym, syntax, Taiwan, television, test, tests, Texas, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, The Graduate, The Newsroom, The Sopranos, town, TV series

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Time for twenty more questions. A mixture of general knowledge, history, television, movies, etc., so there should be a few in here that will suit you.

As usual the answers can be found waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please, NO cheating!

Enjoy and good luck.

Q. 1: When was the American Declaration of Independence?

Q. 2: Who wrote the communist manifesto with Frederich Engels?

Q. 3: Where did Audrey Hepburn famously have breakfast in New York City?

Q. 4: From which French town were more than 330,000 Allied Troops evacuated in 1940?

Q. 5: The 70th birthday of which organization will take place on 22 October 2015 in New York City?

Q. 6: In which American town or city was the TV series Frasier set?

Q. 7: In which town in Texas did 70 cult members die in a fire after four federal agents were killed during a confrontation?

Q. 8: What does the Strait of Messina separate?

Q. 9: Who was ‘The Graduate’ in the movie of the same name?

Q. 10: What was the last state to join the American Union?

Q. 11: Most of us have probably watched and enjoyed ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Newsroom’ both aired on HBO, but what does ‘HBO’ stand for?

Q. 12: The Greek root ‘syn’, found in words like synonym and syntax, means what?

Q. 13: From Here To where is the Oscar-winning movie with Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancaster and Frank Sinatra?

Q. 14: What is the more common name for magnesium sulphate?

Q. 15: What was the former name of Taiwan?

Q. 16: Which young star of the movie ‘East of Eden’ died in a car crash aged only 24?

Q. 17: According to the expression coined by Andy Warhol, how many minutes of fame constitute the ephemeral condition ‘celebrity’?

Q. 18: Which South American country was ruled by Bernardo O’Higgins?

Q. 19: ‘Ruy Lopez’, ‘Monkey’s Bum’, ‘King’s Indian’, ‘Semi Tarrasch’, ‘Sicilian’, ‘Clam Variation’, ‘Scotch Game’ and ‘Giuoco Piano’ are all examples of what?

Q. 20: In the movie ‘The Good, the Bad and The Ugly’, who played the three leading roles? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you get all three.)

ANSWERS

Q. 1: When was the American Declaration of Independence?

A. 1: 1776

Q. 2: Who wrote the communist manifesto with Frederich Engels?

A. 2: Karl Marx

Q. 3: Where did Audrey Hepburn famously have breakfast in New York City?

A. 3: At Tiffany’s.

Q. 4: From which French town were more than 330,000 Allied Troops evacuated in 1940?

A. 4: Dunkirk

Q. 5: The 70th birthday of which organization will take place on 22 October 2015 in New York City?

A. 5: The United Nations

Q. 6: In which American town or city was the TV series Frasier set?

A. 6: Seattle

Q. 7: In which town in Texas did 70 cult members die in a fire after four federal agents were killed during a confrontation?

A. 7: Waco

Q. 8: What does the Strait of Messina separate?

A. 8: Mainland Italy and Sicily

Q. 9: Who was ‘The Graduate’ in the film of the same name?

A. 9: Dustin Hoffman

Q. 10: What was the last state to join the American Union?

A. 10: Alaska

Q. 11: Most of us have probably watched and enjoyed ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Newsroom’ both aired on HBO, but what does ‘HBO’ stand for?

A. 11: Home Box Office

Q. 12: The Greek root ‘syn’, found in words like synonym and syntax, means what?

A. 12: It means ‘with’ or ‘together’.

Q. 13: From Here To where is the Oscar-winning movie with Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancaster and Frank Sinatra?

A. 13: Eternity

Q. 14: What is the more common name for magnesium sulphate?

A. 14: Epsom salts.

Q. 15: What was the former name of Taiwan?

A. 15: Formosa

Q. 16: Which young star of the movie ‘East of Eden’ died in a car crash aged only 24?

A. 16: James Dean

Q. 17: According to the expression coined by Andy Warhol, how many minutes of fame constitute the ephemeral condition ‘celebrity’?

A. 17: 15 minutes of fame.

Q. 18: Which South American country was ruled by Bernardo O’Higgins?

A. 18: Chile

A. 19: Chess openings.

Q. 20: In the movie ‘The Good, the Bad and The Ugly’, who played the three leading roles? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you get all three.)

A. 20: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef