WEEK OF JULY 7, 2008
Word of the week: "phthisiologist," whose first two syllables sound like "thizzy." It is the study of tuberculosis. Lest you think you'll never see that word outside of a medical-school textbook, it appears on a 76-cent U.S. stamp issued last May. The stamp honors phthisiologist Dr. Edward Trudeau, founder of the American Lung Association.
"Lather, rinse, repeat" update: Thanks to Dave Evans of Bellingham, Wash., who led us to a 1999 article in Forbes magazine, in which a Big Apple hairdresser states that "repeat" isn't necessary with today's shampoos. The article also cites the Benjamin Cheever novel "The Plagiarist," in which a fictional marketing executive is credited with adding "repeat" to shampoo directions.
"Cross"-word puzzle: Anyone who has traveled on a commercial airliner recently has heard the instruction "Prepare for departure and crosscheck," given by the captain to the crew. We understand that certain things need to be checked before departure, but what exactly is a crosscheck? If you can help, please let us know.
Cat doors, a part of many homes around the world, have recently gone high-tech. David Chamberlain, a veterinarian from the British island of Guernsey, has invented the Pet Porte, which works with a pet's microchip implant to prevent stray animals from entering your premises. The device can also be programmed to keep Kitty from leaving your home too late at night.
We heard from Janice Anderson of Pleasant Hill, Calif., after having "syzygy" as a recent Word of the Week. She has traveled the world to view solar eclipses, and once had SYZYGY as her license plate. She says that she discontinued the plate because she was tired of strangers walking up to her and asking her if that was her last name.
25 Years Ago in TV Guide: Harvey Parry, Hollywood's oldest stuntman at 83, was profiled in the July 2, 1983, issue. His career began in 1919 when he walked off a four-story building while reading a newspaper. According to the article, Parry claimed to have given non-driver John Wayne a ride to his first Hollywood job in the 1920s, and taught Robert De Niro how to box for "Raging Bull."
Eponym of the week: Walter Scott Lenox, who founded the china company named for him in 1889. Growing up in Trenton, N.J., Lenox was fascinated by the potter's wheel, and at age 16 offered his services for free to a local manufacturer to learn the trade. In 1917, Lenox china became the first American-made service selected for official use in the White House.
Our pal Will Shortz, NPR puzzlemaster and crossword editor for the New York Times, recently gave the commencement address at his alma mater, Indiana University. It included a trivia quiz on the surprising majors of some famous IU grads. Novelist Robert James Waller graduated with a business degree, and composer Hoagy Carmichael got a law degree from the school.
The words "porcelain" and "pork" share the same ancestry. "Porcelain" is derived from the old Italian word "porcellana," meaning a cowrie shell (which porcelain resembles), but literally meaning "young sow," because the shell resembles a pig's back. Ultimately, both "porcelain" and "pork" come from the Latin word for pig, "porcus." (Thanks to Sandra Needham of Seattle.)
A Car is Born: A recent Bit mentioned that Mickey Rooney was given a Lincoln Continental by Henry Ford in the car's debut year of 1939. The first Continental was actually made the year before, as the custom-designed personal auto of Henry's son, Edsel Ford. When Edsel began driving it, many of his upper-crust buddies wanted one of their own. The rest, as they say, is history.
TRIVIA
1) Time magazine has been choosing its Person of the Year (formerly called Man of the Year) since 1927. Multiple people have been honored in some years, and abstract individuals (like 1956's "The Hungarian Freedom Fighter") in others. The first time the award went to a nonhuman, in 1982, the awardee was a:
A) Mechanical device
B) Country
C) Company
D) Laboratory animal
2) The world's first city to reach a population of 1 million was:
A) Shanghai
B) New York
C) London
D) Tokyo
3) The American playwright who has won more Pulitzer Prizes than any other is:
A) Neil Simon
B) Tennessee Williams
C) Thornton Wilder
D) Eugene O'Neill
4) Actor Bruce Willis' films include "Die Hard" and "The Whole Nine Yards." What musical instrument does Willis play?
A) Harmonica
B) Violin
C) Tuba
D) Vibraphone
5) Which of these famous Italians does not have a major airport in Italy named after him?
A) Marco Polo
B) Amerigo Vespucci
C) Michelangelo
D) Leonardo da Vinci
ANSWERS
1) The Computer, Time magazine's "Machine of the Year" for 1982, was the first nonhuman to be named its "Person of the Year."
2) London, England became the world's first city to reach a population of 1 million in 1811. It remained the world's largest city until 1957, when it was overtaken by Tokyo.
3) Eugene O'Neill received four Pulitzer Prizes for Drama, more than any other American playwright.
4) Actor Bruce Willis plays the harmonica.
5) There's Marco Polo Airport in Venice, Vespucci Airport in Florence and da Vinci Airport in Rome, but Italy has no Michelangelo Airport.
STAN'S WEEKLY TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 93
The pronunciation of the word "devious" sounds almost like three letters of the alphabet: D-V-S. The pronunciation of the full name of what nationally known telejournalist sounds almost like four other letters of the alphabet?
HOW TO WIN: Send your answer, with your full name and address, either by e-mail to TriviaBits@gmail.com, or on a postcard to Stan Newman's Trivia Challenge No. 93, P.O. Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762. Only one submission per person, please. Answers must be received within seven days of publication. One winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries, who will receive a copy of Stan's new book "15,003 Answers: The Ultimate Trivia Encyclopedia," courtesy of Random House. Answer and winner will be announced in a future issue.
ANSWER TO TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 86
Bratislava, Slovakia, is the only national capital that borders two other countries, which are Austria and Hungary. Winner: Eric Swensson of Olympia, Wash.
