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WEEK OF NOVEMBER 9
Monday, November 9
The Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago today, and soon, the rest of European communism crumbled along with it. And it likely all happened because a bureaucrat misread a poorly worded memo. Hearing that the border was open, East Germans …Read more.
Monday, November 9
Monday, November 9
The Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago today, and soon, the rest of European communism crumbled along with it. And it likely all happened because a bureaucrat misread a poorly worded memo. Hearing that the border was open, East Germans …Read more.
Saturday, November 7
William Lear had quite a career, despite having dropped out after eighth grade. He sold the patent for the car radio to Galvin, which is now Motorola. He invented the 8-track tape cassette that became a '70s fad. And he founded a company that …Read more.
Friday, November 6
Built out of solid rock in the 1960s, Temppeliaukio Church is found largely underground in Helsinki. Architects Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen designed the church to burrow into solid rock, using designs that predated World War II. The back wall of the …Read more.
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Trivia Bits, October 10Surprisingly, the words "faucet" and "false" are closely related. "Faucet" is derived from an old French term meaning "force in" or "make a breach in," literally "to falsify." "Faucet" was originally a term for a tap from a barrel or cask. The French word for "false" is the familiar "faux" as in "faux pas" (literally "false step") and "faux fur."
Be careful what you wish for: We have a shocking revelation to share with you today. The Magic 8-Ball toy is biased toward affirmative answers. Of the 20 messages on its internal icosahedron, five are noncommittal (like "Ask again later" and "Cannot predict now"), ten are affirmative (from "Signs point to yes" to "It is certain") and only five are negative (from "Outlook not so good" to "My reply is no"). What was the line of work of the man whom writer H.L. A) Humorist B) Politician C) Industrialist D) Race-car driver Previous answer: During the Middle Ages, the principal textile from which fabrics were made was linen, manufactured from the fiber of the flax plant. 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 Stan Newman at StanTrivia@aol.com or on a postcard to P.O. Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762. Stanley Newman is the editor of the Newsday Crossword and author/editor of more than 125 books on crosswords, word games and trivia, including "15,003 Answers: The Ultimate Trivia Encyclopedia" (Random House). To find out more about Stanley Newman visit StanXwords.com, or e-mail him at StanTrivia@aol.com. COPYRIGHT 2008 STANLEY NEWMAN DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE
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