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Trivia Bits by Stan Newman

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  • Trivia Bits, November 22
    STAN'S WEEKLY TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 112 The opening of the 1960s sci-fi TV series "Lost in Space" featured a countdown. The opening of what classic sitcom featured a "count-up" — to the number 8? HOW TO WIN: Send …

  • Trivia Bits, November 21
    You may be familiar with the term "runcible spoon" as a spoon-like utensil that has the tines of a fork (aka "spork"), or a spoon with a serrated edge for eating grapefruit or squash. But the term was coined by British poet …

  • Trivia Bits, November 20
    Eponym of the week: Ohio-born Charles F. Richter. Receiving his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Caltech in 1928, he immediately went to work at Pasadena's new Seismology Laboratory, where, with co-worker Beno Gutenberg, he developed the Richter …

  • Trivia Bits, November 19
    More on non-stop flight records: The world's longest-distance non-stop passenger flight was 13,422 miles, from Hong Kong to Heathrow (eastbound) by a Boeing 777 in 2005, taking 22 hours and 40 minutes. Surprisingly, the record for the longest-time …

Trivia Bits, August 1

We remember the first time we encountered the word "canard" (a false rumor). It was in the '60s, often uttered by John Astin's character in the sitcom "The Addams Family." The word means "duck" in French, but that doesn't give much of a clue about its English meaning. "Canard" comes from an Old French word for "cackle," which should make things a little clearer.

Real "movie trivia": In the 2007 film "The Walker," Woody Harrelson asks Lauren Bacall this trivia question: What actor has portrayed the most real-life U.S. presidents? Bacall incorrectly guesses Charlton Heston. Harrelson's character reveals the answer to be Rip Torn, who has portrayed Ulysses S.
Grant (in the miniseries "The Blue and the Gray"), Lyndon Johnson (in the TV movie "J. Edgar Hoover") and Richard Nixon (in the miniseries "Blind Ambition").

Which U.S. state has the most national parks? Two states are currently tied with eight national parks each. One of them is California. What's the other?
A) Texas
B) Arizona
C) Montana
D) Alaska

Previous answer: Mount Lee is the site within Griffith Park of the "HOLLYWOOD" sign that overlooks Los Angeles.

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.


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Originally Published on Friday August 01, 2008

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Click on the title to read Stanley Newman's article from Newsday, "Exercise Your Puzzle Muscles", which explores the ways that puzzles can keep you mentally fit as you age.

Also, see the Editors's Note from this edition of Newsday recounting the history of the Newsday crossword puzzle and Stanley Newman's pivotal role in revolutionizing it.
 
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