WEEK OF AUGUST 18, 2008
Word of the week: "optotype." Optotypes are the specially shaped letters, symbols or geometric shapes seen on eye charts to test vision. For optimum readability, the height and width of optotypes are equal and all letters have the same dimensions. The familiar E-F-P-T-O-Z eye chart was developed by Dutch ophthalmologist Herman Snellen in 1862.
Play it again, Stan: After researching the pianistic talents of Phyllis Diller for a recent Bit, we thought we'd try to find other non-musical celebrity pianists. The list we came up with: Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Richard Gere, Kelsey Grammer and Jamie Foxx, who played the piano himself for his Oscar-winning role of Ray Charles. Speaking of Charles, add Prince Charles to the list also.
Sippity doodad: The drinking straw is an ancient invention. Its first known use was by the Sumerians, to drink their beer without ingesting those undesirable byproducts of fermentation. Baseball concessionaire Harry Stevens is believed to be the first to sell bottled soda with a straw circa 1894, which he found increased his sales. Why? Fans could now sip without taking their eyes off the game.
Robert De Niro dancing on piano keys? It almost happened. "Big" co-writer Anne Spielberg (Steven's sister) revealed on an episode of AMC's "Backstory" that De Niro was offered and accepted the male lead role, but things didn't work out for some reason. Tom Hanks got the part, of course.
Lewis and Clark were not the first of European extraction to make a transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico. Scottish-born Canadian explorer Alexander Mackenzie had previously done it twice, to the western Arctic Ocean in 1789 and to the Pacific at British Columbia in 1793. Canada's longest river is named for him.
You've probably heard of the Ann Taylor chain of women's apparel stores. There are over 900 of them in the U.S. But did you know that there's no Ann, Taylor or Ann Taylor behind the company? Ann Taylor was the name of a best-selling dress at the store of founder Richard Liebeskind's father.
Eponym of the week: Revolutionary War brigadier general Francis Nash. Born in Virginia, he became an attorney in North Carolina, and commanded the First North Carolina Regiment at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777. The city of Nashville, Tenn., was named for him; the state was once part of North Carolina.
There are three "degrees of separation" between Tom Mix (filmdom's first cowboy megastar) and Tom Cruise. Mix was in "Rustlers' Roundup" (1933) with Noah Beery, Jr., who was in "Little Fauss and Big Halsy" (1970) with Robert Redford, who was in last year's "Lions for Lambs" with Cruise.
Edible diamonds? Yes, sort of. The word "carat," as a measure of gold purity, is derived from the Greek word for carob seeds, which were used to weigh small quantities in ancient times. That old measure was equivalent to one twenty-fourth of a Roman gold coin, which explains both why the term came to be applied to gold, and why pure gold is 24-carat.
Not so Mini Ha-has: The Cost of Living is a much-followed economic measure of inflation. But have you heard of that Cost of Laughing Index increased 5 percent in 2007? Developed by attorney-turned-humor-consultant Malcolm Kushner, the Index includes the cost of such waggish items as rubber chickens, Groucho glasses, pink gorilla singing telegrams and Mad magazine.
TRIVIA
1) Cool wheels: What U.S. state has more registered snowmobiles than any other?
A) Alaska
B) California
C) Michigan
D) New York
2) Trivia fans would be most likely to recognize the name Pepe from Warner Bros.' French toon skunk Pepe Le Pew, who in turn was named for Pepe le Moko, Charles Boyer's character in the film "Algiers." But in the Spanish language, Pepe is a nickname for:
A) Roberto
B) Pablo
C) Jose
D) Felipe
3) The world's largest thermometer is appropriately located:
A. In Fahrenheit, Germany
B. At General Electric's corporate headquarters
C. At the summit of Mount Everest
D. Near Death Valley
4) What nation is the world's leading grower of coffee beans?
A) Columbia
B) Brazil
C) Italy
D) Kenya
5) Considering the most direct line of descent, how many generations of British royals separate Queen Elizabeth II and William the Conqueror, who claimed the English crown in 1066?
A) 30
B) 50
C) 70
D) 90
ANSWERS
1) According to the state's Department of Natural Resources, Michigan ranks first in the nation in the number of registered snowmobiles.
2) In the Spanish language, Pepe is a nickname for Jose.
3) The world's largest thermometer is located near Death Valley, in Baker, Calif. Its 134-foot height honors the 134-degree temperature recorded in Death Valley in 1913.
4) Brazil accounts for about one-third of the world's production of coffee.
5) There are 30 generations of British royals between Queen Elizabeth II and William the Conqueror.
STAN'S WEEKLY TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 99
What short, familiar supermarket brand name is also the name for something often found under the hood of an automobile?
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. 99, 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. 92
For a time in the 1990s, a portrait of physicist Marie Curie could be found on both the 20,000-zloty banknote of Poland (her birthplace) and the 500-franc banknote of France (her adopted country). Winner: Betty Chan of Shoreline, Wash.
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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