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Trivia Bits by Stan Newman

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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, September 26

Look up "harebrained" in most dictionaries, and you'll find "hairbrained" as an acceptable alternate spelling. If you study the history of the word, you'll see that "harebrained" came first (circa 1550), referring to the behavior of the four-legged beast. Back then, "hair" was another way to spell "hare," and "hairbrained" first appeared circa 1580. These days, "harebrained" is used more often in America.

Thanks to Brian Templeton of Des Moines, Wash., for pointing out additional starring threesomes in multiple films, with different roles each time. There's Bogart/Greenstreet/Lorre; Woody Allen, Mia Farrow and Tony Roberts in Allen-directed films, Sinatra/Davis Jr./Martin in Rat Pack films; and Mel Brooks/Madeline Kahn/Harvey Korman in Brooks-directed films.

Someone visiting the website www.chemistry.com would most likely be looking for:
A) A science tutor
B) A spouse
C) Lab equipment
D) Research on global warming

Previous answer: A map of the "lower 48" U.S.
states can be found on the commemorative quarter of Louisiana, in which the region of the Louisiana Purchase is outlined.

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.
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Originally Published on Friday September 26, 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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