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Tuesday, May 14
They say that close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. So, that made us wonder how horseshoes works. If your horseshoe connects, that's a ringer. You get three points. If it leans against the stake, that's a leaner, worth one point. …Read more.
Monday, May 13
Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote a series of books set on Darkover, an ice-age planet orbiting a fictional red giant star called Cottman. She also wrote a feminist version of the Arthurian legend called "The Mists of Avalon." Interestingly, she …Read more.
Saturday, May 11
George Read was the only person to vote against the Declaration of Independence. The Delaware representative was a moderate who hoped to negotiate a settlement with Britain. Since Delaware's Thomas McKean voted in favour, Caesar Rodney had to ride …Read more.
Friday, May 10
Ghana used to be called the Gold Coast, back when it was a British colony. It was called that, you'll be shocked to learn, because they region was littered with gold. However, nationalists liked Kwame Nkrumah felt the name belittled them, defining …Read more.
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PAUL'S TRIVIABITS (TM) - DAILY - CORWEEK OF APRIL 1
Monday, April 1 Some errata to report from our ever-vigilant readers. Wendell Doyle and Eldy Schultz note that Graham Nash was in the Hollies, not Buffalo Springfield. Schultz also corrected our spelling of Eugene O'Neill's name. Jeremy Reynolds noticed that our bit on Robert Lincoln put several presidents in the wrong century. Thanks again to everybody who writes in! It's always great to hear from Trivia Bits readers at paul@triviahalloffame.com The theme music for "The Colbert Report" is called "Baby Mumbles." What band plays that music? A) Cheap Trick B) The Decemberists C) Rush D) Vampire Weekend Previous answer: A twin-ion engine fighter is a TIE fighter, so you'd be defending the Death Star. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Tuesday, April 2 In West Texas, near the Mexican border, you'll find Marfa, the seat of Presidio County. And if you're on Route 67 at just the right time, you'll see mysterious lights known as Marfa lights. Despite tall tales of ghosts and other supernatural phenomena, the lights are probably just reflections from campfires or automobile headlights. The Society of Physics Students at the University of Texas at Dallas certainly came to that conclusion, when they studied the phenomenon in 2004. "Pulp Fiction" uses fractured storytelling that moves around in time. But if everything were shown on screen in the order in which it happened, who would be in the very last scene? A) Samuel L. Jackson B) Tim Roth C) Bruce Willis D) John Travolta Previous answer: Cheap Trick does the "Colbert" theme. They Might Be Giants do Jon Stewart's. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Wednesday, April 3 As smart as Sherlock Holmes is, he had an even smarter brother named Mycroft, who is either mentioned or appears in "The Greek Interpreter," "The Final Problem," "The Empty House" and "The Bruce-Partington Plans." Although he is smarter, he is too lazy to go out and do detective work, so he secretly runs the British bureaucracy from the comfort of the Diogenes Club. What falls from the sky in "The Gods Must Be Crazy"? A) A book of photos B) A Coke bottle C) A deluge of frogs D) A space satellite Previous answer: Bruce Willis would be in the last scene, driving off on Zed's motorcycle. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Thursday, April 4 Shirley Booth became the first person to win an Oscar and a Tony in the same year, back in 1953. She won the Oscar for “Come Back, Little Sheba” and the Tony for “The Time of the Cuckoo.” Then comes Audrey Hepburn, the very next year, who won a Tony for "Ondine" and an Oscar for "Roman Holiday." Next we have Ellen Burstyn ("Same Time, Next Year" and "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"); Mercedes Ruehl ("Lost in Yonkers" and "The Fisher King"); and Judi Dench ("Amy's View" and "Shakespeare in Love"). What the deuce! What baby from "Family Guy" appeared on "Bones," when Booth was fretting about fatherhood? A) Brian B) Meg C) Peter D) Stewie Previous answer: A bottle drops from heaven in "The Gods Must Be Crazy." TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Friday, April 5 "Flash Gordon" is an almost forgotten comic strip, from an era in which the comics were big enough to be read. In addition to spawning radio serials, movies, TV shows and comic books, Flash has also produced other spinoffs. For example, before he became a director, Federico Fellini purportedly worked on an Italian version of this comic strip. And it is said that George Lucas only created "Star Wars" when Dino De Laurentiis refused to let him film "Flash Gordon." Translated, whose epitaph uncertainly states, "He lies somewhere here"? A) Leonard Euler B) Werner Heisenberg C) Edwin Hubble D) Erwin Schrodinger Previous answer: Stewie appears as a hallucination on a TV set. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Saturday, April 6 When Spencer Elden was still a baby, he appeared on the cover of Nirvana's "Nevermind" album, chasing a dollar on a fishing hook. The record company had wanted to remove the penis, but Kurt Cobain kicked up a ruckus and it stayed on the cover. When he was 17, Elden returned to the pool at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Centre in Pasedena and recreated the shot, this time with shorts on. This salad dressing is pre-mixed vinaigrette, but in the country for which it is named, they prefer olive oil and vinegar. What is it? A) Italian dressing B) Mexican dressing C) Russian dressing D) Spanish dressing Previous answer: Werner Heisenberg's tombstone refers to his uncertainty principle. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. WEEK OF APRIL 8 Monday, April 8 The Monkees were enraged not to be credited with writing the film "Head," so much so that three of them boycotted the first day of filming. But actor Jack Nicholson did get credit, along with the director, Bob Rafelson. But in fact, all six of them created the film over a weekend at a resort in Ojai. Worse, since the film's release was delayed so long the Monkees' TV had been cancelled, the studio decided not to mention them at all in the ad campaign. The movie was a terrible flop. The original "doozie" was the Duesenberg, What was this doozie? A) An airship B) A car C) A plane D) A cruise liner Previous answer: Italian dressing is very different in Italy. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Tuesday, April 9 Nobody is sure what Don McLean's song "American Pie" is about, although it's probably about the death of Buddy Holly. But that mystery hasn't stopped the covers. The Brady Bunch covered it, and so did Madonna. Her version was much shorter and didn't do as well on the charts. McLean's favorite cover may be Weird Al's "Star Wars"-themed cover, "The Saga Begins," which his kids played so often McLean has nearly sung its lyrics in concert. What is the largest country, by area, to have a single time zone? A) Australia B) Brazil C) China D) Indonesia Previous answer: The Duesenberg was a luxury car. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Wednesday, April 10 The steelhead trout and the rainbow trout are actually the same fish, known to scientists as Oncorhynchus mykiss. It's the rainbow in fresh water and the steelhead in the ocean, when it is an adult. Fish that migrate from freshwater to saltwater are known as anadromous. Because of its popularity with anglers, the fish has also been imported around the world, where it causes problems for indigenous species, given how good it is at competing for fishy resources. You can't fight the fees from city hall. Even if you're mayor. What city's mayors have paid a 15-cent user fee to be sworn in, which Michael Bloomberg rose to a whopping $9? A) Detroit B) Los Angeles C) New York City D) Philadelphia Previous answer: The Communists imposed a single time zone on China. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Thursday, April 11 In the 1840s, Charles Isham brought back garden gnomes from Germany to his estate at Northamptonshire. They became increasingly popular throughout the Victorian era and spread like wildlife. But they are definitely out of fashion now, so much so that liberationists have taken to stealing them. There's le Front de Liberation des Nains de Jardin do this in France, for example, and the Movimento Autonomo per la Liberazione delle Anime da Giardino in Italy. Kate Spade's handbags were often featured in what sitcom, starring her brother-in-law David Spade? A) "According to Jim" B) "Charles in Charge" C) "Just Shoot Me" D) "Who's the Boss" Previous answer: There is a fee to become mayor of New York. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Friday, April 12 Below the speed of sound, the raindrop is the most aerodynamic shape. It creates less drag on contact with gases in the air, maintaining laminar (non-turbulent) airflow as the air moves around the bigger bulb shape at the end. But here's the funny thing -- actually raindrops are not raindrop-shaped. They're more hamburger-shaped than tear-shaped. What mammal is buoyant enough to float, so it has to exhale so that it sinks to the bottom of rivers, where it eats? A) Crocodile B) Elephant C) Hippo D) Rhino Previous answer: Kate Spade's handbags appeared on "Just Shoot Me." TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Saturday, April 13 Etan Patz was the very first missing child featured on a milk carton. Etan was six when he disappeared in Manhattan in 1979. He was never found, but the anniversary of his disappearance, May 25, is National Missing Children's Day. However, in 2010, the FBI reopened the case and Pedro Hernandez confessed to kidnapping and strangling the boy. His trial is in motion now. A child molester named Jose Antonio Ramos had been the prime suspect until then. Only one common English word comes from this language: "sauna." What is the language? A) Basque B) Finnish C) Lithuanian D) Siberian Previous answer: Hippos can float. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. WEEK OF APRIL 15 Monday, April 15 "Superman" was influenced by "Doc Savage," a pulp hero who also had an Arctic retreat called the Fortress of Solitude, although his HQ was on the 86th floor the Empire State Building (where the observation deck actually is). Savage was known for his network of allies: dapper lawyer, Ham; apelike industrial chemist, Monk; combative construction engineer, Renny; short-statured electrical engineer Long Tom; and verbose archaeologist/geologist, Johnny. Archbishop James Ussher dated what event to October 23, 4004 B.C. at 9:00 am? A) The creation of the world B) The invention of fire C) The founding of Troy D) The reign of King David Previous answer: We get saunas from Finland. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Tuesday, April 16 Aquarius is the Water Bearer. Ophiuchus is the Snake Bearer and is sometimes called the "Thirteenth Sign of the Zodiac" because it ends up behind the sun in early December. Parke Kunkle of the Minnesota Planetarium Society attracted considerable attention in 2011 with a proposal to formally put it back in. Interestingly, some say there is a 14th-sign of the zodiac: Cetus the Whale. Until 1984, whose "five lost films" had been unseen for decades, thanks to a rights dispute involving his daughter? A) Frank Capra B) John Ford C) Alfred Hitchcock D) Billy Wilder Previous answer: Archbishop James Ussher thought God created the universe in 4004 B.C. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com.
Wednesday, April 17 Despite her name, screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala was actually born in Cologne in 1927, to Jewish parents. She ended up in India, marrying Cyrus Jhabvala. Although best known for writing movies about dead rich British people, for director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, she also won the Booker Prize for "Heat and Dust," about an interracial romance during the Raj. What Chicago playwright, known for his steady patter of four-letter words, also wrote a kids' play called "Revenge of the Space Pandas"? A) David Mamet B) Harold Pinter C) Neil Simon D) Tom Stoppard Previous answer: For decades, we didn't see Hitchcock's "Rope," "The Man Who Knew Too Much," "Rear Window," "The Trouble with Harry" or "Vertigo." TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Thursday, April 18 Turkmenistan is a strange place. In 1994 its dictator, Saparmurat Niyazov, nicknamed Turkmenbashi, declared a national holiday called Melon Day, in honor of a local muskmelon. Other Turkmenistan holidays include A Drop of Water -- A Grain of Gold Festival, Good Neighborliness Day, Racing Horse Day and Carpet Day. He also renamed many of the months, replacing words derived from Russian with words derived from his family members. As the story goes, the city of Cuzco in Peru wanted a statue of Inca leader Atahualpa, but ended up with a statue of an Indian best known for being somebody's father. Whose statue? A) Crazy Horse B) Hiawatha C) Montezuma D) Powhatan Previous answer: David Mamet wrote the kids' play. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Friday, April 19 Steven Spielberg and Melissa Mathison set about writing a sequel to "ET: The Extra-Terrestrial," which would have been called "ET: Nocturnal Fears." In it, ET's evil relations would terrorize the family looking for him, even abducting him aboard a UFO. This was, in fact, much like one of the working screenplays for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," which was about an abducted child. This notion survives in the film as a minor storyline. What superhero's absence from the WWII frontlines was explained away as being the result of a failed eye-test, when his x-ray vision read the wrong chart in another room? A) Captain Marvel B) Captain America C) Green Lantern D) Superman Previous answer: There is a statue of Powhatan (maybe) in Cuzco, Peru. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Saturday, April 20 In 1985, Ugo Vetere, mayor of Rome, and Chedli Klibi, mayor of Carthage (a suburb of Tunis), met to officially end the Third Punic War, which apparently had been raging for 2,131 years. In 146 BCE, Scipio Aemilianus finally entered the besieged Carthage, destroying it utterly. In fact, animosity ran so high between Rome and Carthage that Rome purportedly sowed Carthage with salt so it could never rise again. Chinese is one of the six U.N. languages. But only two U.N. members speak it, officially. One is China (which is a pretty major country). What is the other Chinese-speaking U.N. member? A) Malaysia B) Singapore C) Taiwan D) Tibet Previous answer: Superman probably could have ended World War II pretty quickly. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. WEEK OF APRIL 22 Monday, April 22 Here's something creepy. Some brain-dead corpses will cross their arms over their chests shortly after they have died. Doctors call it the Lazarus reflex. It is technically a reflex arc, and it occurs because neural pathways can continue to operate, if a body is kept on life support after the brain has died. Moreover, you will sometimes see goose bumps on dead person's arms and short exhaling breaths. Despite being nicknamed the White Sausage, which is a pretty horrible nickname, Georg Hackl won gold for Germany in three straight Olympics. In what event? A) Cross-country skiing B) Figure skating C) Luge D) Speed skating Previous answer: Singapore is also Chinese. (Taiwan is not a U.N. member.) TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Tuesday, April 23 In 1928, the first time the Oscars were ever awarded, Joseph Farnum took home an Oscar for Best Title Writing, for his work on "The Fair Co-ed" and "Laugh, Clown, Laugh." Titles, by the way, aren't opening credits. They are the "subtitles" you used to get in silent movies. The category only appeared that one time because, first, it's really lame, and second, with the spread of talkies, nobody needed titles anymore. In Captain Nemo's first adventure, where did the Jules Verne character take readers? A) "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" B) "Around the World in Eighty Days" C) "From the Earth to the Moon" D) "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" Previous answer: "The White Sausage" was pretty great at the luge. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Wednesday, April 24 When Dinah Shore's TV show as a hit in the 1950s, the star decided to save some money by declaring the dresses she bought for the show as business expenses. The IRS balked, but Shore successfully argued that, since the dresses were too tight to sit in, they were only useful to her professionally, meaning on TV. Supposedly, the IRS sent an agent to have Shore demonstrate which dresses were actually too tight to sit in. What organization created such oddball Harlequin romances as "Speed Bumps," "Crossing the Line," "Banking on Hope" and "Hearts Under Caution"? A) American Bar Association B) Amnesty International C) Future Farmers of America D) NASCAR Previous answer: Nemo went "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Thursday, April 25 Back in the day, Guy Lombardo symbolized New Year's Eve. From London, Ontario, the bandleader was known for "the Sweetest Music This Side of Heaven" and led an outfit called the Royal Canadians. Until 2007, there was even a museum dedicated to Lombardo in London, although it was rarely visited and eventually became a rec center. Oddly, Lombardo was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, having won a hydroplane boat race called the Gold Cup in 1946. Denmark's Royal Theater hired Elvis Costello to write an opera about what famous Dane? A) Hans Christian Andersen B) Victor Borge C) Neils Bohr D) Soren Kierkegaard Previous answer: NASCAR got into the romance novel business. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Friday, April 26 "I hope that Neil Young will remember, Southern Man don't need him around, anyhow." Based on this line from Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," people have assumed a deep animosity between the Florida band and the Canadian rocker. In fact, Ronnie Van Zant wore a Neil Young t-shirt on stage and is reputedly buried in it, and Young has sung "Sweet Home Alabama" in concert. There is also an argument to be made that the song is a parody of redneck racism. Mario Farelli was a super landlord and warehouse operator who lives on thanks to which of his tenants? A) Atari B) Electronic Arts C) Nintendo D) Sega Previous answer: Elvis Costello wrote about Hans Christian Andersen. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Saturday, April 27 Despite being one of the greatest directors of the 20th century, Stanley Kubrick only won a single Oscar, and he probably didn't deserve it. He won for "2001: A Space Odyssey," not for directing, but for Best Special Visual Effects. Four people actually worked on the effects, including the legendary Douglas Trumbull, but only three people could be nominated. Since everybody carried equal weight, they agreed to submit only Kubrick's name. Despite "Tapestry," one of the most critically acclaimed and top selling albums of all time, who has only been inducted in the Rock Hall of Fame as a "non-performer"? A) Carole King B) Joni Mitchell C) Carly Simon D) James Taylor Previous answer: Nintendo created "Super Mario." TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. WEEK OF APRIL 29 Monday, April 29 Queen Victoria managed to beat George III as oldest British monarch, then died three days later. She lived to be 81 years, 7 months and 29 days old, a record Elizabeth has since surpassed. But amazingly, Victoria spent 63 years and 216 days of that time as monarch. And Elizabeth will take that record, too, if she makes it to September 9, 2015. She is not, however, the world's longest-serving monarch: that's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) of Thailand, who took charge in 1946. Before Motorola could name its cell phone Droid, it had to ask what Hollywood mogul for permission, really nicely? A) George Lucas B) Mike Ovitz C) Steven Spielberg D) Harvey Weinstein Previous answer: Carole King was inducted in the Hall of Fame for her songwriting rather than performing in 1990. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Tuesday, April 30 Best known for playing Bach, Canadian pianist Glenn Gould was a noted eccentric. He would always play on the same chair, even after the seat cushion disintegrated. Thought to have had Asperger's, he would roll around and hum as he played. He also went out every morning, at 2:30 a.m., for scrambled eggs at a nearby diner. Most famously, he hated when audiences applauded and was convinced he'd be reincarnated as a media theorist and contrapuntal poet named Sam Caldwell. Glenn Gould's maternal grandfather's cousin was what Norwegian composer? A) Grieg B) Ibsen C) Sibelius D) Strindberg Previous answer: George Lucas has the trademark on droids. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Wednesday, May 1 The death of Greece's King Alexander was so strange that it fed a bevy of conspiracy theories. He died after he got blood poisoning ... when he was bitten by a pet monkey. Some think he was murdered to make way for his father, Constantine I, to regain the throne, which is exactly what happened, especially since Alexander had just controversially married a commoner. Constantine, by the way, was forced off the throne because he was on the German side in WWI. Nebraska changed its postal abbreviation to NE. Its previous postal abbreviation led to its being confused with what Canadian province? A) New Brunswick B) Newfoundland C) Nova Scotia D) Nunavut Previous answer: Glenn Gould was related to Grieg. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Thursday, May 2 Mary Orr wrote a short story about Broadway in Cosmopolitan magazine called "The Wisdom of Eve," inspired by an anecdote she's heard about actor Elisabeth Bergner's understudy problems. That became the film "All About Eve," which got a pile of Oscars (plus an unmatched four nominations for the many women in the cast). And, eventually, the story ended up back on Broadway, in a musical called "Applause," which starred Lauren Bacall and won the Tony for Best Musical. What explorer saved his own skin in 1504, when he used a lunar eclipse to frighten the natives? A) Christopher Columbus B) James Cook C) Francis Drake D) Ferdinand Magellan Previous answer: Nebraska had been NB. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Friday, May 3 Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi" was inspired in part by the Foster Botanical Garden "tree museum" in Honolulu. From her hotel room, she could watch then "pave paradise and put off a parking lot." Initially the song was something of a disappointment in the U.S., although a live version caught on. It has also been covered, notably by Amy Grant and Counting Crows, and sampled by Janet Jackson. What does the moon smell like, or at least moon dust, according to astronauts Eugene Cernan and Charlie Duke? A) Chocolate B) Gasoline C) Gunpowder D) Human sweat Previous answer: Christopher Columbus predicted that eclipse. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Saturday, May 4 "Alias" was about a female college student who was moonlighting as a secret agent for SD-6 (good guys), until it turned out they were part of the Alliance of Twelve (bad guys), at which point she joined the CIA (good guys, more or less). "Alias," incidentally, was a JJ Abrams project, just like "Lost," which, as you may recall, was not exactly immune to complicated plots that sort of fell apart the closer you looked at them. What husband of Iman, a Somali supermodel, once said, "I think I was always a closet heterosexual"? A) David Bowie B) Elton John C) Freddy Mercury D) George Michael Previous answer: The moon smells like burnt gunpowder. TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Paul Paquet at paul@triviahalloffame.com or visit him online at www.triviahalloffame.com. Paul Paquet has been writing trivia since the early 1990s, and has written roughly 100,000 questions. For more, visit triviahalloffame.com or email him at paul@triviahalloffame.com. COPYRIGHT 2013 PAUL PAQUET DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM 
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