Post a general knowledge trivia question & see if anyone knows the answer without using Google

[red dog 1]

Here's a sports question to start the thread:

What baseball player was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) in both leagues? (answered)

[Captain Zero]

1. Frank Robinson

And I did not look .
I'm an Orioles fan but live 90 miles from Cincy.

[red dog 1]

3. Well done!

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

52. F. Robby is my all-time favorite Oriole.

He spent only six years of his twenty-one year playing career in Baltimore but what a six years it was!

And his HOF plaque has him wearing an O’s cap.

[Liberty Belle]

151. Which county has the most Native American tribes of any U.S. county (19) ?

The answer will probably surprise most folks.

[JoseBalow]

162. My guess is Los Angeles County

because of it's size.

My second guess would be someplace in Oklahoma, where I couldn't name a single county.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

167. Hmm. I live in New Mexico, and

we have the 19 Pueblos here, although they'd be scattered around several different counties.

[AltairIV]

2. my baseball era

Frank Robinson for the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles.

[red dog 1]

4. You got it!

[Captain Zero]

5. What's the largest US city on a non-navigable river

Take a guess...

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. My guess: Los Angeles.

People drive through it in “Repo Man,” and ants nest there in “Them,” so how navigable could that river be?

[Grumpy Old Guy]

26. Tucson

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

53. Albuquerque.

I think the Rio Grande is narrow and not all that deep in Albuquerque’s vicinity.

[susanr516]

226. Dallas TX?

Trinity River

[FM123]

7. What is the oldest city in the United States?

(Hint : it was settled by Europeans in 1565)

[rsdsharp]

8. St. Augustine.

[FM123]

9. Yes!

And a beautiful city to visit!

[VGNonly]

21. St. Augustine FL

[FM123]

24. Yes!

And one of my fav cities to visit!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

168. The oldest capital is Santa Fe, NM, founded in 1610.

[FM123]

184. I hear Santa Fe is beautiful!

Sure like to visit one day....

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

185. It is beyond beautiful.

I do hope you make that visit.

[FM123]

186. Yes, I hope so too. Thank you!

[Harker]

10. What's the longest U.S. river not used for commercial shipping?

[efhmc]

11. My curiosity was killing me so looked it up. Not going to put it here but I had never heard of ti.

[RazorbackExpat]

16. My guess is the Colorado River

[Harker]

18. That was mine, too, initially, but there is some commercial traffic.

[RazorbackExpat]

19. Commercial traffic? From where to where?

Needles to Lake Havasu City?

[Harker]

20. Between poor question forming, and even poorer knowledge, I'm going to eat it.

What I was aiming for was the Susquehanna, at 444 miles, is the longest river entirely within the U.S. that has no commercial traffic, while the Colorado no longer has any shipping, but is home to commercial "traffic" in the recreational sense.

My embarrassment is intensified by having lived in Colorado for 50 years, and now crossing the Susquehanna a couple times each week.

[brush]

35. Wouldn't the damning of the Colorado disqualify it?

Last edited Thu Jun 19, 2025, 02:34 PM - Edit history (2)

[Harker]

40. There was some limited freight traffic prior to the damming, brush.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboats_of_the_Colorado_River

I should stick to subject areas I know for better questions.

[LNM]

115. The Snake?

[Harker]

117. No, but a good guess.

I bundgled the phrasing of the question, which ought to have included, "entirely within the US.", resulting in The Susquehanna River.

[Liberty Belle]

152. I'll guess the Yukon River, due to icy conditions?

[tornado34jh]

12. Name 5 chemical elements whose chemical symbol is not same as its name

There are 11 in total.

[KitFox]

13. Off the top of my head: Gold (Au think); silver (Ag)

lead (Pb) sodium (Na),; tin ( Sn) Mercury but I can’t remember the symbol. Can’t think of any more. I used to have that chart memorized- dang that was eons ago😁

[Wolf Frankula]

14. Mercury is Hg

Or it's Freddie. You decide.

Wolf

[RazorbackExpat]

15. Potassium K

Tungsten W
Iron Fe
Copper Cu
Antimony Sb

[ProfessorGAC]

44. Also, Potassium....

...( K), Antimony (Sb), Iron (Fe), Tungsten (W), Copper (Cu).
Also, the symbol for mercury is Hg.
I spent 43 years working ss a chemist, so shame on me if I didn't know this one.

[VGNonly]

23. Gale singing the elements.

[link:

[Kittycatkat]

57. awesome!

[jmowreader]

85. None of them!

Natrium is the Latin word for sodium. They could have used So if they wanted to use the English name for it, because no other element uses that
Kalium is the Latin word for potassium. Polonium is Po, so that wouldn't work.
Ferrum is the Latin name for iron. Ir is Iridium.
Cuprum is the Latin name for copper. Co is Cobalt.
Stannum is the Latin name for tin. Ti is titanium.
Stibium is the Latin name for antimony. They could have called it An because that's not in use.
Wolfram is several languages' word for tungsten, after the name of its ore Wolframite. Tu isn't in use, so it could have been that.
Aurum is the Latin name for gold. Go was available.
Argentum is the Latin name for silver. Si is silicon.
Hydrargum is the Latin name for mercury. Me was available.
Plumbum is the Latin name for lead. Le was available.

Scientists really like Latin, especially "noli me tangere," so it makes sense they'd give as many elements as they could Latin-derived symbols.

[lapfog_1]

251. not an answer to your question but a cute T-shirt

Florine
Uranium
Carbon
Potassium

Yttrium
Oxygen
Uranium

[RazorbackExpat]

17. What was the first state admitted to the Union in the 19th century,

but not officially admitted until 1953?

[dweller]

38. Guess

Alaska


✌🏻

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

169. Definitely NOT Alaska which was finally admitted

in 1959.

[Earl_from_PA]

102. Ohio

...

[RazorbackExpat]

124. Correct

[VGNonly]

22. What was the largest wood-walled fortification in North America?

A reconstruction still exists.

[applegrove]

29. Louisbourg, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia?

[VGNonly]

43. Good guess but Louisbourg is stone and brick.

Ft . Meigs in Perrysburg OH is said to the largest wooden fort. I grew up there, close enough to the fort site to occasionally find musket balls and other bits of metal.

[applegrove]

46. Oh great. I was at Louisburgh when I was 4 and before

it was fully reconstructed. I just assumed the insides were wood.

[VGNonly]

50. Wow, Louisbourgh is very impressive!

I've never been in Nova Scotia, did pass the Quebec/Gaspe and New Brunswick while at Expo 67.

Ft. Meigs was constructed during the winter/spring of 1813 in 3 months during The War of 1812. The British General Henry Proctor along with Chief Tecumseh led the attacks. I believe that Canadian militia also took part. Two sieges advanced, both were repulsed. The fort was then taken down. The reconstruction took place in the early 1970s.

[applegrove]

59. I remember going to Old Fort Henry as a child. The tour

guide told us about a tunnel prisoners had dug to escape. I was beside myself with intrigue. That was in Kingston, Ontario. Been to the Citadel in both Halifax, NS and Quebec City. Redoubt in Halifax. Vibes that we are beyond war at this point.

[hedda_foil]

108. Cahokia in Missouri.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

254. I think it's Ft. Stanwyx in Rome, NY.

And even if that's not the one you're looking for, I can recommend everyone visit there. At least when I went some -- make that quite a few years ago, they had costumed interpreters there who were amazing.

[red dog 1]

25. What is the name of the spot farthest away from any land in the world?

[applegrove]

28. It is that dead zone in the Pacific. I never know names.

[VGNonly]

42. Point Nemo

48 52 6 S 123 23 6 W

That is the location where satellites and other space objects are crashed at. The International Space Station is planned to be sunk there in 2031.

[red dog 1]

58. Ding!

[applegrove]

27. Canada is the country with the most coastline in the world. Who is second?

It starts with the letter "N".

[Harker]

41. Norway, I would think.

[applegrove]

47. Right on!

[Harker]

48. Takk!

[brush]

30. Where is the southern-most point in the US?

[EverHopeful]

39. Key West, FL?

Or is that just a brag. Did you mean the continental US?

[ProfessorGAC]

45. My Answer, Too

Though Brownsville Texas claims the same because they actually on the continent.
There's a hotel in Key West called the "Southernmost". It's around 8 blocks from where my wife's college roommate lived for over 40 years.

[greatauntoftriplets]

78. I've stayed at the Southernmost!

[ProfessorGAC]

81. We Had Lunch There Once

Long time ago. They had a key shrimp salad our friend said we had to try.
We also used to hang out at the Green Parrot which is only 6 to 8 blocks away!
Played at a few jam sessions there, too.

[greatauntoftriplets]

83. I know where the Green Parrot is.

Key West is a great place. It has lots of the old Florida left, plus tons to do.

[brush]

49. Key West is correct. There's an actual monumemt there to signigfy it as the southern-most point of the continental US.

However, a point in Hawaii is even closer to the equator.

https://planetofthepaul.com/the-most-southern-point-in-the-us-key-west-vs-hawaii/

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

55. It isn't in Hawaii?

[brush]

56. Key West is the southern-most point in the continental US

You are correct however as a point in Hawaii is closer to the equator.

https://planetofthepaul.com/the-most-southern-point-in-the-us-key-west-vs-hawaii/

[brush]

31. Who said this?

"The Arc of the Moral Universe Is Long, But It Bends Toward Justice."

[dweller]

32. MLK

My question : Name the only two people to have won both an Oscar and a Nobel prize .


✌🏻

[brush]

33. You are correct on my question. Is Barrack Obama one of the two of your question?

[dweller]

34. Not to my knowledge

✌🏻

[brush]

36. What's the answer?

[dweller]

37. The only 2 people to win both an Oscar and a Nobel prize

Are George Bernard Shaw and Bob Dylan

Both Nobels in Literature.

Oscars : Shaw for the cinema production of Pygmalion ,
and Dylan for for the song Things Have Changed from the movie Wonder Boys


✌🏻

[macwriter]

80. Al Gore

Didn't Gore win both for his environmental work? I seem to remember that.

[dweller]

95. Nope

Won (shared) a Nobel , never won an Oscar


✌🏻

[VGNonly]

51. What was the name of the ship

that completed the Northwest Passage?

[dweller]

60. Well it wasn't

https://m.

&pp=ygUzdGhlIHdyZWNrIG9mIHRoZSBlZG11bmQgZml0emdlcmFsZCBnb3Jkb24gbGlnaHRmb290


Was it ?


✌🏻

[VGNonly]

61. No... it wasn't the Edmund.

This ship was a fishing boat with a crew of seven. The NW Passage was sailed from 1902-1906 by a well known polar explorer.

[dweller]

62. Well

I got the earworm out there anyway


✌🏻

[justaprogressive]

118. Shackleton?

now I have to look darn you!

[VGNonly]

119. The ship was the Gjoa.

The explorer Roald Amundsen.

[Brother Buzz]

217. I'm late to the party, but I could have named it because

The Gjøa was beached at the west of Golden Gate park in San Francisco all through my childhood. It was parked there for decades and was deteriorating horribly. I understand it was yanked, restored (arrested decay) and shipped back to Norway in the early seventies. It has since had a full and proper restoration.

[VGNonly]

220. The Gjoa is now at The Fram Museum in Oslo.

The Fram vessel itself was in 3 expeditions led by Nansen, Sverdrup and Amundsen. Another ship there is The Maude also led Amundsen. The famous Kon-Tiki is in an adjacent museum.

Someday I'll go to Oslo!

[Brother Buzz]

224. For years I thought the Gjøa was Dutch because it was beached next to Golden Gate Park's windmills

Someday I'm gonna invent a time machine so I can go back and watch them drag the Gjøa out of the ocean.

[VGNonly]

63. Mia Farrow, Sally Field,

Tuesday Weld, Sandra Locke and singer Karen Carpenter were all considered for the lead role in what film? (none were chosen)

[Harker]

65. "Coalminer's Daughter"?

Purely a guess.

[VGNonly]

66. The role was Mattie Ross in True Grit.

Kim Darby was 21 at the time of filming.

[red dog 1]

64. What's the most remote populated spot on Earth?

[Angleae]

68. McMurdo AFB in antarctica.

[red dog 1]

71. Good guess but no

[VGNonly]

70. Tristan da Cunha

In the South Atlantic

[red dog 1]

72. Yes

[VGNonly]

67. Aside from Alaska

what is the northernmost US state?

[Angleae]

69. Minnesota

[VGNonly]

73. Which WW2 plane was nicknamed The Jug?

[Harker]

75. The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.

[VGNonly]

82. Yes!

Fast and durable, they could take a lot of fire from enemy planes and flak. Their only real flaw, slow climbing rates.

What US plane was known as Whistling Death?

[Harker]

92. The Vought F4U Corsair, I believe.

[VGNonly]

98. Corsair is correct.

The US Navy had 112 carriers during WW2. Many were built during the war, some sank. Which 3 carriers served for the duration of the war, from Pearl Harbor to VJ Day?

[Harker]

99. I got only "Enterprise."

[VGNonly]

111. The Ranger and Saratoga

The Ranger was underpowered and lightly armored. She spent almost the entire war in the Atlantic, spending the remainder of the war as a night training carrier in the Pacific. The Saratoga was a sister ship to the Lexington. She was torpedoed in January of 42 needing repairs and modernization. The Lex was lost at The Battle of the Coral Sea. The Yorktown was damaged in the same battle, but was patched up well enough to fight along side the Big E and the Hornet at Midway. The Yorktown then sank at Midway. The Hornet was lost in The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.

[Harker]

113. Good work, VGNonly!

I grew up with a set of Samuel Eliot Morison's works on navel operations of WWII in the house, but never cracked it.

[VGNonly]

120. My Father served on a LST 1944-46

An Ensign, later Lt.(jg), he was the engineering officer.

[Harker]

138. My father listened to the radio at night, hoping your father would win the war before he was old enough to fight...

Then invented totally unbelievable tales of his heroism.

[red dog 1]

74. In what California city was "Believe It or Not" cartoonist Robert Ripley born in?

[Historic NY]

129. Santa Rosa

[red dog 1]

132. You Got it!

[Sneederbunk]

76. Excluding Alaska, what state extends farthest north?

[The Madcap]

77. Minnesota?

[Sneederbunk]

79. Correctamundo.

[jmowreader]

84. Only two players have been voted MVP of both leagues

They are Frank Robinson and Shohei Ohtani.

[jmowreader]

86. The blue ink in your printer is called Cyan. Why?

[Harker]

93. The chemical cyanide has a blue cast to it, and was/is an ingredient in colorants?

[ProfessorGAC]

103. Fun Fact On That

The cyanide is so tightly bound to the iron atoms that it's non-toxic.
Not many cyano compounds that aren't toxic. Prussian blue is. It was actually used orally to reduce absorption of radioactive thallium in the gastrointestinal system.

[Harker]

105. That is fun, Professor... thanks! n/t

[Buzz cook]

127. κυανός Kyanos Cyanos Cyan

From the Greek for a shade of blue.

[jmowreader]

87. What makes Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium unique among MLB ballparks?

[LNM]

116. Wild guess. It's the furthest distance from any other park?

[jmowreader]

121. No. It's only a couple hundred miles from Busch Stadium

T-Mobile Park in Seattle is the farthest from any other stadium.

I’ll give you a hint: It has to do with the fences.

[jmowreader]

88. What makes San Diego's Petco Park unique among MLB ballparks?

[Brother Buzz]

114. Western Metal Supply Building, a historical warehouse that could not be demolished was..

Incorporated into the left field design?

That, and I understand Petco Park has a lot of dogs allowed days.

[jmowreader]

122. You got it

As to the dogs-allowed days…considering it’s sponsored by a pet store chain, I’m surprised every game isn’t dogs-allowed!

[Brother Buzz]

123. Maybe some games are 'Cats only' days

All I know is I could never, EVER take my dog to a game because, faster than you can spit, she’d be out on the field with the ball in her mouth and play a hilarious game of keep away with the umpires and security. I guarantee she would get a standing ovation from the fans.

[jmowreader]

89. In New York City, what's the difference between a street and an avenue?

[ProfessorGAC]

104. Avenues Have Trees Bordering Them?

Just a guess, but I'm thinking about 5th Avenue vs the numbered streets there.

[jmowreader]

106. Orientation

Streets run east-west, avenues north-south.

[ProfessorGAC]

107. Same As Chicago

I should have guessed that.
Avenues run north/south here, too.

[ProfessorGAC]

212. Yeah, I Saw That

I should have known that Chicago is the same way.

[CrispyQ]

205. In Denver avenues run E/W & streets run N/S & in Downtown Denver, all bets are off.

I get lost every time I drive there. No kidding, every time. The streets are all diagonal to N/S & they butt up to areas that are square to N/S. Apparently, back in olden days, part of Denver aligned itself with the Platte River & another part with Cherry Creek & when the two areas grew together it created the mess known as downtown Denver.

[Historic NY]

130. Direction Avenues north-south Streets east- west.

[Wiz Imp]

90. What country has the most islands in the world?

[red dog 1]

91. (wild guess) Indonesia?

My 2nd guess would be the Philippines.

[Wiz Imp]

94. Good guesses, but no.

Last edited Tue Apr 29, 2025, 12:36 PM - Edit history (1)

Indonesia is 7th and the Philippines 10th in total number of islands.

However, in terms of inhabited islands, Indonesia does have the most*. So maybe, get a half point for that.

*The unofficial number for the US is actually higher, but that number is considered dubious.

[VGNonly]

96. Sweden?

[Wiz Imp]

100. Correct!

Sweden has an incredible 267,570 islands, but only around 1000 are inhabited.

[ProfessorGAC]

97. Indonesia?

I've been there a few times & when you fly in it looks like hundreds of islands.

[Wiz Imp]

101. They are probably #1 in terms of inhabited islands, but 6 countries have more total islands.

Indonesia has 17,508 total islands, 6,000 of which are inhabited

[CanonRay]

109. Which country has the most pyramids?

[Harker]

110. Peru?

[CanonRay]

112. Nope!

[red dog 1]

131. Mexico?

[CanonRay]

133. No sir.

Good guess though

[CanonRay]

134. Hint: There are 220 of them.

[GoCubsGo]

215. Guatemala.

[CanonRay]

216. No, sorry!

It's Sudan.

[VGNonly]

125. What WW2 plane was nicknamed

the Fork-Tailed Devil?

[Historic NY]

128. Lockheed's P-38

[Bayard]

126. How did Harrison Ford keep his famous fedora on in filming the Indiana Jones movies?

[Harker]

136. A couple of discreet screws under the hat band?

Bobby pins?

[Bayard]

137. Nope

[JoseBalow]

142. By reading his own press releases?

[underpants]

154. Two sided tape or doubled up duct tape (?)

[rsdsharp]

158. Staples.

[underpants]

166. Yep. I looked it up.

Staple gun.

[Bayard]

172. Ding ding ding!

[Harker]

135. What were the last names of blues harmonica greats Big Walter and Little Walter?

[red dog 1]

140. I knew Little Walter's last name but I can't remember it now. He played with McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters)

among others, and had his own band as well.

My favorite LW song is "My Babe" which was written for him by Willie Dixon.

Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry & Etta James all recorded for Chess Records, which was founded by Phil & Leonard Chess.

Have you seen the movie "Cadillac Records"?
It's one of my favorite movies.
The acting is superb! (Etta James is played by Beyonce' Knowles)

[Harker]

141. I enjoyed it, too, Red.

I grew up with blues records being played in the house by my mom, and I'm pretty well versed in it, from the 1930s Delta recordings to Chess, mostly, and beyond.

I was lucky enough to have the honor of taking my mom to see Albert Collins late in her life.

[Harker]

139. From what SAC air base did General Jack D. Ripper implement "Wing Attack Plan R"

Last edited Wed May 7, 2025, 09:38 PM - Edit history (1)

in "Dr. Strangelove"?

[jmowreader]

146. Burpelson Air Force Base

[Harker]

147. You know it!

[VGNonly]

143. Which civil war general born in Virginia

but stayed loyal to the Union? Was known as The Rock of Chickamagua.

[UnderThisLaw]

149. George Thomas

[red dog 1]

145. Who was the first Black player to sign an NBA contract?

[underpants]

156. Charley Cooper

I think he was the first black player in the ACC.

[red dog 1]

178. So that was college hoops

I'm looking for the first Black player to sign an NBA contract (without using Google)

[underpants]

182. I had to look into up.

Lloyd, Cooper, and Clifton entered the National Basketball Association in 1950 and became pioneers for today’s African-American basketball players. Cooper was the first African-American to be drafted by an NBA team. Clifton was the first to sign an NBA contract. And on Oct. 31, 1950, Lloyd, a member of the Washington Capitols, became the first African-American to play in an NBA game when he entered a game against the Rochester Royals.

[underpants]

170. Looked it up

Earl Lloyd

[red dog 1]

179. Earl Lloyd was the first Black player to play in the NBA

I'm looking for the first Black player to sign an NBA contract (without using Google) and it wasn't Earl Lloyd

[Harker]

148. What was the fastest piston engine aircraft of WWII?

[rsdsharp]

160. Vought F4U Corsair?

[Harker]

174. No, it's not an American plane.

Good that you gave it a go!

[Angleae]

175. Ta152?

[Harker]

180. Great guess, but not it. Right on the country!

I'll hold off for further guesses.

[Harker]

228. The Dornier Do-335 Pfeil (Arrow.)

VG+PH is the only existing example. I got a good close look at it at the National Air & Space Museum a few weeks ago.

Pierre Clostermann, in "The Big Show" recounted having encountered one in a combat situation. He considered giving chase in his Hawker Tempest Mk. V only briefly, as he had no real hope of overtaking it.

[red dog 1]

150. What well-known politician was one of the first people to recreationally run the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon

He had been a department store manager and was a pilot in WW2

[underpants]

153. Poppa Bush?

[red dog 1]

155. No, good guess though.

He was a Navy pilot in WW2.

[underpants]

165. Okay I've given this much thought

ON EDIT - I thought had to be a President

and smoked on this matter.

So there are 3 Presidents left (JFK to Reagan) of WWII service age. I have no idea about their military service but they had to have because so much was made of Clinton not serving. B

Nixon doesn’t strike me as much of an outdoorsman.
LBJ was a teacher. Must’ve served in WWII but as a pilot?
Ford was a male model after his football days so there’s a connection there.

I’m…going ….with….LBJ.

[red dog 1]

181. It was Barry Goldwater

He was hired for the Ripley's Believe It or Not Radio program in 1940 to act as the "live" announcer while he was in a small boat with a guy who was "piloting" the boat down the Colorado rapids.

Goldwater was 6' 2" & weighed 200 lbs.
Ripley didn't choose him, and when he saw Goldwater, (the guy they hired to be the announcer), Ripley said:
"Why didn't they get someone smaller? That guy might sink the boat!"

[rsdsharp]

157. Barry Goldwater.

[red dog 1]

161. Yep.

[rsdsharp]

164. The department store manager kinda gave it away.

[JoseBalow]

159. John McCain?

I know he was shot down as a Navy pilot... He was from Arizona, wasn't he?

[red dog 1]

163. It was Barry Goldwater.

And yes, McCain was from Arizona too.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

171. Barry Goldwater?

I should have read through the next few answers.

[VGNonly]

177. Who was the politician that reached

a unclimbed Canadian summit in 1965? (he had no previous climbing experience)

[red dog 1]

187. Was he a Democrat?

[VGNonly]

189. A very well known Democrat

[red dog 1]

190. I'm probably wrong but I'll take a wild guess...Jimmy Carter?

[VGNonly]

192. Good try but...

This person was the first ever on this peak as tribute to his deceased brother. The leader of the expedition, Jim Whittaker is still living.

[Harker]

197. George McGovern?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

253. RFK.

[snot]

173. Quote a line or passage from Shakespeare

in which the subjunctive mood is deployed.

[Harker]

193. "Would that he were here alone..."

Henry V.

[snot]

194. Yay!

I think of "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well/
It were done quickly" (Macbeth I, vii); but that's 1.5 lines.

[Harker]

195. I'm sure my citation is but a fragment of a more expansive idea. Would that I were able to recall the rest.

Your example is a treat. Two weres and a 'twere.

[gab13by13]

176. Normally, for the most part,

how many ears of corn per stalk?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

255. I remember two ears per stalk back when

we lived in the country, had a very large vegetable garden, and grew lots of corn, among other things.

[red dog 1]

188. What Triple Crown-winning horse set the record for fastest time in all 3 races & won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths?

(No fair using Google)

[Harker]

196. Who finished second? A donkey?

[red dog 1]

198. Hint: There were only five horses racing that day because it was a kind of "match race" between 2 fast race horses

In the movie about this horse, there's a scene when the horse begins to run so fast he gets 10-12 lengths ahead of the other horses and keeps extending his lead, the owner of the other fast horse exclaims "That's impossible!"

[Harker]

199. I'm hopeless, Red.

I bet I could name no more than half a dozen horses, aside from the few I've known personally.

[red dog 1]

213. Well, there aren't that many movies about racehorses, so you might try to guess from that fact

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

256. Secretariat.

And yes, in over 50 years now his times have never been beaten, and and probably never will be. In all three races, he ran each quarter faster than the one before, and was still accelerating at the finish.

I already knew what I just wrote, and so here's a link to the three races:

[VGNonly]

191. Which president suffered permanent partial vision loss

from a friendly boxing match with a military aide?

[boonecreek]

258. Theodore Roosevelt.

The only reason I know that is from watching the movie "The Wind and the Lion" in which he was played by Brian Keith.

[VGNonly]

200. Aircraft Carriers on Lake Michigan

Two passenger steamships were converted to carriers to provide for training during WW2. They were side paddled and coal fired. About 17,000 fliers and landing operations personnel were trained. Lt. jg GWH Bush learned on one of these vessels.

What were the ships names?

[Angleae]

202. USS Sable & USS Wolverine

[VGNonly]

204. Yes

The Wolverine was converted from the steamer Seeandbee, the Sable from the Greater Buffalo. Both were scrapped after the war.

[brush]

201. Name the five freedoms of the 1st Amendment.

[Harker]

207. Freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and to seek redress

[brush]

210. Absolutely right. You know your "Bill of Rights."

And the trump cabal should be reminded of the 'freedom of assembly and freedom to redress grievances'...re: their horrendous actions in LA recently.

[Harker]

211. You know it, brush!

I've been exercising my rights to keep them strong, and my next workout session is on my calendar in ink.

[The Madcap]

276. I think he's already tried to kill all five

But that's not why we're in this particular discussion...

[CrispyQ]

203. What author has written a book in every category of the Dewey Decimal System except one?

I would argue that their most famous fictional concept fulfills that missing category. 🤖

Fun thread, RD1!

[Harker]

206. Isaac Asimov?

[CrispyQ]

208. Ding, ding!

Yes, every category except philosophy and psychology (100s) & I think his Three Laws of Robotics falls under that.

[Harker]

209. I read his autobiography last year.

It's difficult to fault him for having an epic ego. CQ!

[VGNonly]

214. Apollo 13

In the film Captain James Lovell was portrayed by Tom Hanks. Who was also considered in the role, based on a stronger resemblance to Lovell than Tom Hanks?

[Harker]

218. Edward Norton?

Purely a guess. He's no ringer, either.

[VGNonly]

219. Not Edward Norton

He was about 26 at the time of filming. Lovell was 42 at the time of the accident. Tom Hanks was 39 in the film. The actor in question was only about a year and a half older than Hanks. Lovell recommended him as possibly playing Lovell. The film development team had him in mind.

[Harker]

221. There's that big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff again.

It's too hot to work outdoors much, so I'll just spend the next few hours staring at pictures of Jim Lovell, and try to avoid further unlikely anachronisms to the best of my questionable abilities.

[Harker]

222. If he had access to a time machine, Carl Reiner could have pulled it off.

[Harker]

223. How about Kevin Costner?

[VGNonly]

225. Congratulations!

"I once convinced a woman that I was Kevin Costner"- Better Call Saul

[Harker]

227. Aha! Thanks to the Norton fiasco,

I did a little math to see who were the popular stars who would've been about the right age.

[VGNonly]

229. James Lovell is 97

and longest living former astronaut.

[Harker]

230. I've read his book "Lost Moon" and seen several interviews.

He seems like a real straight shooter and a good man.

is right, VGNonly.

[VGNonly]

231. Can you tell what is noteworthy of these famous ships/boats?

All of them still exist, only one is in a dry-docked exhibit.

Sundowner

SS Nomadic

Santana

James Caird

Pilar

Western Flyer

Maya

[Brother Buzz]

232. Commanded by authors?

Steinbeck and Ed Rickets collected marine specimens in the Sea of Cortez in the Western Flyer, and Pilar was Ernest Hemingway’s fishing boat/rum runner during his Cuban adventure days

I understand the Western Flyer needed a ton of restoration. Is it dry-docked?

[VGNonly]

233. The blue heart that sustains us all.

[Brother Buzz]

234. That's great, but was I kinda right, is there a connection to authors with the other boats I've never hear of?

The last I read of the Western Flyer, she was total mess, sitting on the hard in a boatyard, but that was decades ago.

[VGNonly]

235. A musician did own one, the Maya.

an actor another, the Santana. One was owned by the survivor of marine disaster who survived another heroic wartime epic, the Sundowner. Another ship is associated with the aforementioned disaster SS Nomadic. Another took place in the rescue of an Antarctic expedition, the James Caird.

[Brother Buzz]

236. David Crosby owned the Mayan

The Mayan was a drop dead beautiful schooner, a fixture in Sausalito for year, and actually became David Crosby's home when he was asked to leave Mill Valley after a sordid incident involving a handgun.

I don't know the Maya.

Perhaps we can add Wanderer, owned by writer/actor/sailor/spy, Sterling Hayden, to the list.

[VGNonly]

237. The Santana

was the vessel of Humphrey Bogart. The Sundowner was the ship of Charles Lightoller, the surviving senior officer on the Titanic. He took it to the evacuation of Dunkirk, crammed over 120 into it, a boat built for 21. The SS Nomandic was a lighter (ferry) boat, transporting Titanic passengers before the fateful voyage. It was designed by Thomas Andrews, the same designer of the Titanic. The Caird was a 6 crew whaleboat, used in the 800+mile open boat journey of Shackleton after the loss of his main ship the Endurance.

Sorry about Maya/Mayan, all this is from memory.

[Harker]

239. I think the hotel boat in "Key Largo" was named "Santana".

[VGNonly]

240. Yes the Key Largo boat was also named the Santana.

It was a 38' Matthews cabin cruiser. The same vessel was used in To Have and To Have Not, renamed the Queen Conch for the film.

Bogarts actual boat was 55', originally a schooner. The rigging was changed several times by different owners before and after Bogart owned it. Apparently Lauren Bacall didn't spend a lot of time on it, she was prone to seasickness.

[VGNonly]

238. I heard that Crosby

considered living at sea permanently; a floating exile, a man without a country. But where would he get weed, women and booze?

Had a cousin that lived on a houseboat in Sausalito for a number of years. She lives in Healdsburg these days.

[red dog 1]

242. Was that when David Crosby was arrested after he drove into a fence & the cops found a .45-caliber gun in his car

plus some cocaine?

[Brother Buzz]

243. Yes. The word on the street was police were not happy, and they insinuated it would be best for him to leave town.

[red dog 1]

241. Wasn't the James Caird one of three lifeboats carried by "The Endurance," the boat James Shackleton captained

trying to reach the South Pole?

[VGNonly]

244. Ernest Shackleton attempted to cross the whole Antarctic continent

by sledge. His ship was the Endurance. He would start from the Weddell Sea side, traverse the South Pole, cross all the way to the Ross Sea side. Another ship would land on the Ross leaving supply depots. The Endurance however got stuck in the sea-ice, and eventually was crushed. Shackleton took the 3 lifeboats north to Elephant Island, an uninhabited chunk of rock and mountain with very few resources (small numbers of penguins and seals). Leaving most of the crew there, they then covered over 800 miles in the open boat James Caird. They reached South Georgia Island, crossed its 9000' mountains reaching a whaling station. The party was saved, no deaths.

Iron men in wooden ships!

[red dog 1]

245. It was called "The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition"

I've read Shackleton's book about it called "South"
I also read Alfred Lansing's "The Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage," which is a much better book, imo.

btw, on the other side of the continent,
"The Ross Sea Party overcame great hardships to fulfill its mission. The Aurora was blown from her moorings during a gale and was unable to return, leaving the shore party stranded.....three people died before the party was eventually rescued." (Wikipedia)

[VGNonly]

246. The definitive Shackleton work

is the biography by Roland Huntford, a lengthy nearly 3" thick book. Shackleton's skipper and navigator, Frank Worsley also wrote a worthy account.

The Ross Sea Party was an unorganized affair with divided command (Aeneas Mackintosh and Ernest Joyce) and unclear objectives. Some of the crew refused to eat fresh seal, contacting scurvy leading to death. The depot laying party managed to meet their objectives with some difficulty. Mackintosh and Hayward took a dangerous and risky route over the sea-ice and were never seen again.

One of the survivors 20 year old Dick Richards lived until 1986 age 91, the last man of The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

[red dog 1]

247. For the record, I didn't use Google for my answer about the James Caird...I remembered that name from books I'd read

about Shackleton's expedition.

[VGNonly]

248. Nor did I use google or any other source.

I'm a polar history geek, all from memory.

[red dog 1]

249. Roald Amundsen's ship, The Gjoa, which was the first ship to cross the Northwest Passage,

was donated to the city of San Francisco in 1909 and dragged up the beach to the northwest corner of Golden Gate Park, where it stayed until 1972, when it was returned to Norway.

I remember as a kid visiting Playland at the Beach with my friends (as often as we could), crossing Fulton Street and visiting The Gjoa.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/gjoa

[VGNonly]

250. Laura Ingalls Wilder

of Little House on the Prairie fame visited San Francisco and stopped to see the Gjoa. She lived until 90, passed in 1957.

[red dog 1]

252. I wonder if she visited Playland at the Beach across the street?

The Big Dipper roller coaster was one of the rides...It opened in 1922 and was demolished in 1955.

[VGNonly]

257. She was there 1915 Worlds Fair with her daughter Rose.

It was a 600+ acre site centered around the Marina District/Fort Mason. She saw the Palace Of Fine Arts and the remains of 06 earthquake. (My former wife is a big fan of the Little House books)

I have a good buddy, lives in Ely MN. He is friends of Will Seeger leader and Paul Schurke navigator of the successful 1986 dog sled journey to the North Pole. These days, Will is the founder of Steger Wilderness Center. Paul runs Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge and Wintergreen Northern Wear. Paul lives just across the lake from my friend, at night you hear the huskies howling for chow.

[boonecreek]

259. This probably is easier than I think,

but what 70s sitcom was adapted from a Martin Scorsese film?

[Harker]

261. Not "Taxi"?

[boonecreek]

263. No, not "Taxi."

But I hadn't thought of that. Had to go to IMDb to make sure.

[Harker]

264. Whew! "I got some bad ideas in my head!"

[JoseBalow]

267. No actual grits were kissed in the making of that sitcom

[boonecreek]

268. You got it!

[VGNonly]

260. Which WW2 plane was nicknamed the Aleutian Zero?

[Harker]

262. Are you referring to the Zero that crashed there, and was rendered airworthy by the US?

[VGNonly]

265. Yes

This Japanese Zero crashed after the diversionary attack, part of. the Midway Campaign. The IJN sent a small force to attack Alaska in June 42. The Zero had attacked Dutch Harbor Alaska, either by flak or Catalina PBY attack (there is some discrepancy). Petty officer Koga's plane crashed relatively intact, however he was killed in the crash. After about a month the plane was discovered. It was sent to Seattle, later San Diego, repaired by Sept. Much intelligence was able to be garnered by both physical evidence and tactics.

[Harker]

266. What a coup. I vaguely recall having read of an Fw-190 mistakenly landed at an RAF base, too.

Dusk, or dark.

[VGNonly]

269. Two IJN planes tried to land on the US Yorktown

during the Battle of the Coral Sea. Lost and with adverse weather, they really thought they were landing on Japanese carriers. US anti-aircraft fire chased them off, it's likely they ditched into the sea, low on fuel.

[VGNonly]

270. The flight of Rudolf Hess

was another strange tale. Hess took a BF110 fighter-bomber to Scotland in a deranged attempt to convince Great Britain to surrender. He parachuted out his plane and soon captured. Was charged and convicted in the Nuremberg Trials. He was locked up in prison, committed suicide in 1987.

[Harker]

271. Oh, yes.

He was trying to get to the estate of a Duke, or Earl, or such that he thought could be made to see "reason."

[VGNonly]

272. In the Blues Brothers

what was the make, model and year of the Bluesmobile?

How many cubes was the engine?

[VGNonly]

273. In the film Lonely Are The Brave

what is the name of the horse?

[VGNonly]

274. In Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino plays Jimmie, a bit role as the guy who needs his house cleaned. What was the name of his wife? What was her occupation?

[red dog 1]

275. I forgot her name but she was a nurse.

[JoseBalow]

279. Oh right, I remember the uniform when he imagines her walking in.

Was it Bonnie? For some reason that triggers that name for me.

I remember Aunt Ginny, who gifted them the furniture, but I forget the Uncle's name.

[VGNonly]

281. Uncle Conrad

Lots of cream, lots of sugar.

[VGNonly]

280. Yes Nurse Bonnie

Something that I always thought was kind of weird, Winston Wolf arrives in a tux from a dinner party about 9 AM.

[red dog 1]

283. It might have been an all-night affair.

It looked like Wolf was in a hotel suite with call girls (hookers)

I always wondered why when Vincent & Jules "visited" the guys who owed Marcellus money, it was 7:30 AM.
Yet despite the early hour, they already had bought take-out burgers from Big Kahuna Burger.
Except for meth addicts & tweakers, I would think that most drug dealers wouldn't even be awake that early.

[VGNonly]

284. Vincent isn't much of a hitman.

First he ventilates Marvin with his hand cannon, then he leaves his gun on the table while taking a dump.

[Sneederbunk]

277. What famous tv persona was named Galen Adams?

[Harker]

278. The "Doc" on "Gunsmoke."

[VGNonly]

282. In The Andy Griffith Show

Otis the town drunk was played by Hal Smith. It what film did Smith play a drunken Santa?