ANSWER: Video Games

5

Space Invaders is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to defeat waves of aliens with a laser cannon to earn as many points as possible. In designing the game, Nishikado drew inspiration from popular media: Breakout, The War of the Worlds, and Star Wars. To complete it, he had to design custom hardware and development tools.

Matt: WRONG
Record: 419-363

QUESTION: Video Games

In the original Space Invaders, how many rows of aliens are there?

ANSWER: Medicine

Malaria

In April 1894, a Scottish physician Sir Ronald Ross visited Sir Patrick Manson at his house on Queen Anne Street, London. This visit was the start of four years of collaboration and fervent research which culminated in 1898 when Ross, who was working in the Presidency General Hospital in Calcutta, proved the complete life-cycle of the malaria parasite in mosquitoes; thus proving that the mosquito was the vector for malaria in humans. He did this by showing that certain mosquito species transmit malaria to birds. He isolated malaria parasites from the salivary glands of mosquitoes that had fed on infected birds. For this work, Ross received the 1902 Nobel Prize in Medicine. After resigning from the Indian Medical Service, Ross worked at the newly established Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and directed malaria-control efforts in Egypt, Panama, Greece and Mauritius. The findings of Finlay and Ross were later confirmed by a medical board headed by Walter Reed in 1900. Its recommendations were implemented by William C. Gorgas in the health measures undertaken during construction of the Panama Canal. This public-health work saved the lives of thousands of workers and helped develop the methods used in future public-health campaigns against the disease.

Matt: WRONG
Record: 419-362

QUESTION: Medicine

Walter Reed first discovered the transmission vector of what disease?

ANSWER: Bands

UB40

The name "UB40" was selected in reference to the document issued to people claiming unemployment benefit from the UK government's Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) at the time of the band's formation. The designation UB40 stood for Unemployment Benefit, Form 40.

Matt: CORRECT
Record: 419-361

QUESTION: Bands

What band is named after a British form used for collecting unemployment benefits?

ANSWER: Movies

Bert & Ernie

Characters named Ernie and Bert appear in the film It's a Wonderful Life as a policeman and a taxi driver, respectively, but those behind Sesame Street claim that it is merely a coincidence. Jerry Juhl, a writer on many Henson-related projects, said, "Despite his many talents, Jim had no memory for details like this. He knew the movie, of course, but would not have remembered the cop and the cabdriver."

Matt: CORRECT
Record: 418-361

QUESTION: Movies

In It's a Wonderful Life, what are the names of the cop and taxi driver?

ANSWER: Cards

Nine

Pinochle is played with a deck of 48 cards. The four traditional suits of Spades, Diamonds, Clubs and Hearts are represented with 2 each of the following cards in each of the four suits.

ACE, TEN, KING, QUEEN, JACK, NINE

The ACE is the Highest ranking card followed by the TEN, etc., to the NINE, the lowest card in the deck.

Matt: WRONG
Record: 417-361

QUESTION: Cards

What is the lowest card of each suit in a pinochle deck?

ANSWER: Judicial System

John Marshall

John Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States (1801–1835) whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches. Previously, Marshall had been a leader of the Federalist Party in Virginia and served in the United States House of Representatives from 1799 to 1800. He was Secretary of State under President John Adams from 1800 to 1801.

Matt: WRONG
Record: 417-360

QUESTION: Judicial System

Who was US chief justice for a record 34 years?

ANSWER: Movies

You do not talk about Fight Club

Matt: CORRECT
Record: 417-359

QUESTION: Movies

What is the first rule of Fight Club?

ANSWER: Languages

Cedilla

Examples: français "French", garçon "boy", grinçant "squeaking", leçon "lesson", reçu "received" (past participle). French uses this character at the beginning of a word (ça "that"), but not at the end. In French comic books that are hand-lettered in all-capitals, the cedilla is written as a slash crossing the center of the lower hook of the letter "C", at the angle of an acute accent. Also, the "ç" is used only in front of a, o and u letters. It is not needed in front of e, i or y (The letter "c" denotes the unvoiced /s/ in front of e, i and y).

Matt: CORRECT
Record: 416-359

QUESTION: Languages

What is the tail added to the letter C to indicate a soft S sound in French called?

ANSWER: Clothing

Catholic cardinal

The scull cap worn by Catholic clergy is called the zucchetto (It.). It is similar in appearance, but not identical, to the yarmulke, which Jewish men are required to wear during any sacred ceremonies or in a sacred place.

It original use was purely practical. Clerics were tonsured, had a ring of hair removed off the top of their head when they embraced celibacy. The skull-cap was meant to cover it and retain body heat, an absolute necessity in the unheated churches and monasteries of the past. From this practical use it acquired the role of identifying ecclesiastical rank by the color of the zucchetto.

Matt: CORRECT
Record: 415-359

QUESTION: Clothing

Who wears a red zucchetto hat?

ANSWER: Superheroes

Underdog

Underdog patrols the skies of Capitol City, protecting the city from evil. He keeps an extra watchful eye over a beautiful spaniel named “Sweet” Polly Purebred, his lady love.

Matt: WRONG
Record: 414-359

QUESTION: Superheroes

What superhero protects Capitol City?

ANSWER: Age

27

Matt: CORRECT
Record: 414-358

QUESTION: Age

What age is someone that is ten thousand days old?

ANSWER: Holidays

December 26th

Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as St. Stephen's Day or the Day of the Wren. In South Africa, Boxing Day was renamed Day of Goodwill in 1994.

Matt: CORRECT
Record: 413-358

QUESTION: Holidays

What date is Boxing Day celebrated?

ANSWER: Famous Speeches

Army

It was halftime of the 1928 Army vs. Notre Dame Game that legendary head coach Knute Rockne gave his "win one for the Gipper" speech to his beleaguered players. Notre Dame was having one of its worst season's on record and Rockne was trying to salvage what he could of the season. He told his players about the tragic death of George Gipp, a great Notre Dame player. Many historians doubt that Rockne's version of Gipp's last words was true. None the less, Notre Dame did win the game against Army that memorable day.

Matt: WRONG
Record: 412-358

QUESTION: Famous Speeches

What team was Notre Dame playing when Knute Rockne gave his "Win one for the Gipper" speech?

ANSWER: Geography

Equatorial Guinea & Mozambique

Matt: WRONG
Record: 412-357

QUESTION: Geography

What two African nations have the letter Q in their name?

ANSWER: Movies/Sports

Hockey

A Cornell-Harvard hockey game plays an important role in the first half of the novel and film Love Story, whose protagonist, Oliver Barrett, is a Harvard undergraduate and member of the Crimson hockey team, and whose author, Erich Segal, is a Harvard alumnus. In the movie, Harvard's hockey team loses to Cornell's. Although exterior post-game shots were filmed on the Cornell campus, they showed characters exiting Barton Hall, the old armory where Cornell played basketball at the time, rather than Lynah Rink.

In commemoration of Cornell's victory in that fictional game, the Cornell Big Red Pep Band plays the theme from Love Story when Harvard takes the ice before the first two periods of each game.

Matt: --
Record: 412-356

QUESTION: Movies/Sports

What college sport is central to the movie, Love Story?

BE BACK TOMORROW

Questions will be back for the week, starting tomorrow.

ANSWER: Television

Jay

Homer's middle initial "J", which stands for "Jay",is a "tribute" to animated characters such as Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show who got their middle initial from Jay Ward.

Matt: CORRECT
Record: 412-356

QUESTION: Television

What does the J in Homer J. Simpson stand for?

ANSWER: Newspapers

Minneapolis-St.Paul

The Star Tribune (often abbreviated "Star Trib" or "Strib") is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

Matt: --
Record: 411-356

QUESTION: Newspapers

What city's largest newspaper is the Star Tribune?

ANSWER: Board Games

4

The number of possible chess positions after White’s first ply move is 20 (16 pawn moves and 4 knight moves). There are 400 possible chess positions after two ply moves (first ply move for White followed by first ply move for Black).

Matt: CORRECT
Record: 411-356

QUESTION: Board Games

There are 20 possible first moves in chess. How many do not involve a pawn?

ANSWER: Religion

Jesuits

The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Marines" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and the members' willingness to go anywhere in the world and live in extreme conditions.

Matt: WRONG
Record: 410-356