Three Bits o Trivia

Timely Debarkation, Unsolved Problems and Missing Fingers

Twelve lucky passengers disembarked the Titanic when she reached her final port of call at Cobh.

The inspiration for the 1997 movie Good Will Hunting came from a 1939 Cal student named George Dantzig, who arrived late to his statistics class and wrote down two problems from the chalkboard that he thought were homework assignments. When he solved them and turned in the answers, he learned they were not homework assignments, but examples of unprovable statistical theorems.

James Montgomery Doohan, who played "Scottie" on Star Trek, lost his right middle finger when he was shot during the D-Day invasion at Juno Beach in Normandy.

Jawbreakers, Successors and Buddies

The gumball center of a jawbreaker is made with rubber, among other things.

Had President Andrew Johnson been impeached in 1868, Benjamin Franklin Wade would have become President, as Johnson never had a vice-president, and Wade was the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, which was then next in line for the presidency.

Buddy Holly's name was Charles.

Spiders, Chameleons and Cemetary Felonies

Robert the Bruce retreated to Rathlin Island in 1306 after being defeated by the English at Perth. He was inspired to return to claim the Scottish throne after watching the persistence of a spider trying to spin a web on the roof of a cave.

A chameleon has no ears.

In Tennessee, it is a felony to play at any game or amusement in or about a cemetary. (Tenn. Code 46-1-313)

Sand Dunes, Volcanos and Heirs to the Throne

The largest sand dunes in the Western Hemisphere are the 19,600 square miles of grassy sand dunes in Nebraska. These dunes cover a much smaller area than the largest dunes in Africa, Arabia, Asia and Australia.

Australia has no active volcano.

Queen Elizabeth II's oldest grandchild is just 10th in line to the British throne.

Monarchs, Smart Animals and Termites

The Negro League's Kansas City Monarchs had Jackie Robinson before the Montreal Royals, the minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

One common characteristic of the smartest animal species on the planet is that they all eat meat. Each is either a carnivores or omnivores.

Termites cause over $2 billion in damage each year.

Late Starts, Silent Applause and Lingering Doorholders

Van Gogh began painting when he was 27 years old.

Oklahoma State football fans know and use the American Sign Language expression for applause. They hold both hands up and wave them when linebacker Martel Van Zant, deaf from birth, makes a play.

In Oregon, you can be ticketed if you leave your car door open longer than necessary.

Monkeys, Pandas and Hurricanes

The names of the three wise monkeys are Mizaru (who sees no evil), Kikazaru (who hears no evil) and Iwazaru (who speaks no evil).

The female panda is only fertile once a year, for three days.

The first specifically recorded hurricane was the "Columbus Hurricane" of 1495, which sank three of the explorer's ships.

Shopping, Queens and Entertainment Expenses

The biggest shopping day of the year is usually either the Saturday before Christmas or December 23. The day after Thanksgiving generally ranks no higher than fifth, after the two Saturdays and Sundays preceding Christmas.

Neither Maryland nor Virginia were named after the mother of Jesus. Maryland was named for Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of English King George I. Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I.

Queen Elizabeth I spent 600 pounds a month on food and entertainment, at a time when the average English family made about ten pounds a year.

Third-Bests, Missing Hands and Softball Games

Arizona State has the third-most College World Series championships, the third-most CWS game victories and the third-most number of alumni who played major league baseball.

Brice Taylor, USC's first All-American football player, had a stub for a left hand. Earning All-American honors as an offensive guard in 1925, he was also one of the first African-American stars at USC.

The first softball game was played in Chicago on Thanksgiving Day in 1887.

Robert E. Lee, Presidents and Bar Results

Robert E. Lee applied for, but did not receive amnesty and restoration of his U.S. citizenship until 1975, when Gerald Ford pardoned him posthumously for all crimes of treason, and Congress declared his citizenship restored.

To be eligible for the Presidency, a candidate must be a natural-born citizen, must have lived in the United States for a minimum of 14 years and must be at least 35 years old. Any lunatic, bankrupt or convicted criminal who meets those criteria can become president.

Kathleen Sullivan, a former Harvard Law School professor and former dean of Stanford Law School who was rumored to be on John Kerry's "short list" of potential Supreme Court nominees, failed the California bar exam in 2005.

Termites, Bungholes and Bingo

Termite colonies can contain up to 1 million members.

The stopper cork in a wine cask or bottle is called a bung. The barrel hole that the wine comes out of is a bunghole.

Sailor Jack and his dog Bingo are the characters on Cracker Jack boxes.

River Sharks, Big Buildings and Banks

The Ganges River is inhabited by fresh-water sharks.

The Great Pyramid of Giza was the world's tallest building from approximately 2570 BC to approximately 1300 AD, when the 575 foot tall Lincoln Cathedral was built in England.

The Bank of America was the result of a merger between the American Bank of Italy and the Bank of America, Los Angeles.

Eagle Scouts, Familiarity and the Jinx

Neil Armstrong was an Eagle Scout.

The line from Lady Marmalade, "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?", translates into English as "do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?" French speakers would find the subject a bit formal, given the predicate, however, and would be more likely to use "Tu veux coucher avec moi (ce soir)?", which would indicate more familiarity between the speaker and the listener.

Fifty years ago today, the Sports Illustrated Jinx made one of its earliest and most impressive appearances. The November 18, 1957 issue featured a photograph of some of the Oklahoma Sooners football players, and asked "Why Oklahoma Is Unbeatable." The Sooners, however, had been beaten two days earlier in Norman by Notre Dame, snapping an NCAA record 47 game winning streak.

Realms, Old Rocks and Empty Stands

The sixteen countries that recognize Elizabeth II as Queen are known as Commonwealth Realms; their combined population is 128 million.

Kakadu National Park in northern Australia has rocks that are more than two billion years old.

Only 6,200 fans attended the Brooklyn Dodgers' last game at Ebbets Field.

Hurricanes, First Widows and Comics

In 1979, male names were added to the mix of hurricane names. Hurricane Bob was the first storm to be given a masculine name.

After Lincoln's assassination, his widow was briefly committed to the Bellevue Insane Asylum.

Superman dates back to June 1938. Batman arrived in May 1939.

Sculptures, Distaffs and Real Estate Booms

The Dublin Spire is the world's tallest sculpture.

The female side of your family is the "distaff" side. The male side of your family is the "spear" side.

One month after Walt Disney announced his plans to build Disney World, the price of land immediately surrounding the Disney property rose from $180 per acre to $80,000 per acre.

Month Names, Winning Streaks and Equatorial Glaciers

The word November means “ninth month” in Latin. It was indeed the ninth month in the early Roman calendar, which began with March. September was the seventh; October the eighth; December the tenth.

From Thursday, November 9, 1899, to Tuesday, November 14, 1899, Sewanee's college football team played and won five games, all on the road, by a combined score of 91-0, defeating Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, LSU and Ole Miss. Six days later, they defeated Cumberland 71-0.

Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador is topped with glaciers, in spite of its location on the equator.

Electrocution, Weather and Facial Flags

No one survives electrocution. If it wasn't fatal, it wasn't an electrocution.

The troposphere is where all weather takes place.

An image of George Washington can be found on Washington's state flag.

Rich Sisters, Divisions and Survivors

The two richest women in the world are sisters.

The NCAA no longer has Division I-A and Division I-AA football. The divisions are now called the Football Bowl Subdivision and the Football Championship Subdivision.

Elizabeth Gladys "Millvina" Dean of Southampton, England, who was 2 months old at the time of the Titanic sinking, is the only remaining survivor of the Titanic sinking.

Marines, Veterans Day and Weekends

Veterans Day (November 11) falls one day after the anniversary date of the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps, created November 10, 1775.

The reason Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11 is because that was the date on which hostilities ended in 1918 in the "war to end all wars," now known as World War I.

The Uniform Holiday Bill of 1968 fixed the observation of four holidays (Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day) on Mondays, so as to create three-day weekends and encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities. Currently, however, the law only moves the observance of Veterans Day from November 11 when that date falls on a weekend. This year, the closing of federal offices will be on Monday, November 12.

Balance, Faults and Swimmers

In 1975, California's football team was not only the leading team in the country in total offensive, but it was the most balanced team ever, rushing for 2,522 yards (229.3 per game) and also passing for exactly 2,522 yards.

The Hayward Fault, a major fault extension of the San Andreas, passes directly beneath Memorial Stadium, home of the California Golden Bears.

In addition to the U.S., the University of California has sent its swimmers and divers to the Summer Olympics to compete for Thailand, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Switzerland and Sweden.

Dogs, Kills and Survivors

Alaska's state sport is dog mushing.

In Gaelic, a "kill" is a church.

Lillian Gertrud Asplund, the last American Titanic survivor, died in Massachusetts last year at age 99.

Checkers, Chambers and Hammers

Chubby Checker attended South Philadelphia High School with Frankie Avalon and Fabian.

Notorious pornographic film star Marilyn Chambers had a brief legitimate career as a model and was featured as the wholesome looking mother on the boxes of Ivory Snow detergent.

Hank Aaron, who holds the major league record for most extra-base hits in a career, never had a single season extra-base tally that ranks among the top 40 of all time.

Destiny, Seafood and High Above Sea Level

Miley Cyrus's real name is Destiny.

About 80-85% of the seafood eaten in the U.S. is imported. That's about 80-85% less than the amount of chicken eaten in the U.S. that is imported.

Lesotho is the only independent state in the world that is entirely situated entirely more than 1000 meters feet above sea level.

Billy Bob, Recycling for Bombs and Actress Heirs

Billy Bob Thornton tried out for the Kansas City Royals but a ball broke his collarbone, sending him into another profession, which worked out well enough for him.

During World War II, Americans were urged to recycle bacon grease for the military to use to extract glycerines, which were used to make explosives.

Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus's future inheritance is many times greater than what Paris Hilton can ever expect. Her father's fortune from the Louis-Dreyfus Group is worth about $3.4 billion.

French Lyrics, Covers and Cardinal Losses

Some of the lyrics from the The Beatles' 1966 Grammy Award winning song "Michelle" — "these are words that go together well" — are repeated in French: "sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble."

When the Beatles decided not to release "Michelle" as a single in the U.K. or the United States, The Overlanders recorded and released a cover version that topped the U.K. charts in 1966.

No NFL team has more than the 654 losses suffered by the Chicago / St. Louis / Arizona Cardinals, the oldest existing professional football club in the United States.

Landlocked Lands, Swedish Drives and Time Zones

The Principality of Liechtenstein is not only landlocked, but each of the nations on its border is also landlocked.

Drivers in Sweden drove on the left side of the road until 1967, when the laws literally switched the practice overnight.

Before the start and end of Daylight Saving Time was made uniform, for five weeks each year, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia were not on the same time as Washington D.C., Cleveland, or Baltimore, but Chicago was.

Nobel Winners, Underdogs and Serial Upsets

When Linus Pauling, winner of Nobel Prizes in two different categories (1954 Chemistry and 1962 Peace) graduated from Oregon State University, it was called the Oregon Agricultural College.

Oregon State once won a football game against the University of Washington in which the Beavers were 38 point underdogs.

In 1967, over a four-week period, the Oregon State football team defeated 2nd-ranked Purdue 22-14 in Indiana, tied 2nd-ranked UCLA in Los Angeles 16-16 and defeated 1st-ranked USC 3-0 in Oregon. USC won the national championship that season.

Morocco, Bangladesh and Irish Poofs

The North African port towns of Ceuta and Melilla are surrounded by Morocco on all dry sides, but belong to Spain.

In Bangladesh, the world's 7th largest country by population, live more than 150 million souls, over an area slightly smaller than Iowa.

In Irish slang, a poof is a homosexual.

Chile, Muslim Nations and Volcanoes

The Pacific coast of Chile is more than 2,700 miles, but the nation never extends more than 150 miles inland.

None of the world's ten largest Muslim populations are found in Arab countries. Iran, which has the world's 6th largest Muslim population, is not ethnically Arab.

Alaska has more than 100 volcanoes. At least 70 of the world's 500 active volcanoes are in Alaska.