Trivia Q&A: August 6

We had another nice turnout on a beautiful summer's evening. We continue to grow at The Mad Hatter as go along. (And it was 6 months ago tonight that my time at The Other Place ended.) It was also a pleasure to see a few old friends, Matt and Monica, who I haven't seen from the time I hosted Trivia in The Other Place. Thanks to all of you who turned out and your continued support of Trivia is deeply appreciated by me.
We had a close race throughout the night between three teams, but the winners turned out to be Best Team Name Evah, who got 4 of 5 correct in IQ Trivia and won with 49 points. Second place was a tie between It's Not Safe To Put Leathers On a Weiner (who won Best Team Name) and Welcome Back Charles! who both had 45 points. We broke the tie with this question: "How many millions do the Yankees owe to Alex Rodriguez in the final four years on his current contract?" It was $86 million (tee-hee) and It's Not Safe... guessed closest and wound up in second place.
Current Events
1. Gov. Chris Christie of NJ turned down an offer from what Republican lawmaker to meet him for a beer to bury the hatchet over their public feud last week?
2. Mamnoon Hussain was elected the new president of what Asian country last Thursday?
3. Who was named the host of the 2014 Academy Awards ceremony this coming March, the second time they've hosted the show?
4. Former US intelligence analyst Edward Snowden was granted temporary asylum in what country last week?
5. Name 1 of the 2 US states that began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples for the first time last week.
6. 3 million Time Warner Cable customers, mostly in NYC, Los Angeles and Dallas, lost access to what TV network last Thursday in a money dispute between TWC and the network?
7. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, acquired what major newspaper this week for $250 million?
August 6th Trivia
1. On this day in 1890, murderer William Kemmler of NY became the first person ever executed by what method?
2. In 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover landed on the surface of what planet?
3. In 1962, Jamaica became an independent nation, after being ruled by what country?
4. Director John Hughes died on this day in 2009. What hit 1990 comedy film was his biggest box-office success?
5. In 1988, a riot in what NYC park later spurred a major reform of the NYPD?
6. Geri Halliwell, who came to fame in the 1990s with the English girl group "The Spice Girls," was born on this day in 1972. What was her Spice Girl nickname?
7. Musician Marvin Hamlisch died on this day in 2012. Name 1 of the 2 films from 1973 he won Academy Awards for, for Best Origianl Song and Best Original Score.
True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Australia won the first America's Cup yacht race in the 19th century.
2. The original McDonald's restaurant opened in the state of California.
3. New Zealand was the first nation to grant women the right to vote.
4. WWI began when Austria-Hungary declared war on Germany.
5. Rochambo is another name for the game "Rock, Paper, Scissors."
6. A goldfish has a memory span of 3 seconds.
7. The smallest unit of soldiers in the US Army is a company.
8. Blaise Pascal is famous for his work in chemistry.
9. The country of Belize does not have a coast on the Pacific Ocean.
10. Abraham Lincoln was the first US president born in a log cabin.
General Knowledge
1. What sport traditionally takes place at Roland Garros Stadium? ( 1 pt)
2. Between German, Russian and Chinese, which is not an official language of the UN? ( 1 pt)
3. The game of mahjongg originated in what country? ( 1 pt)
4. Sharon Stone played a sexy murder suspect in what 1992 film? ( 2 pt)
5. John Coltrane was famous for playing what jazz instrument? ( 2 pt)
6. The island of Mauritius is in which ocean? ( 2 pt)
7. What explorer founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland in the 10th century? ( 3 pt)
IQ Trivia
1. What is the largest third-party political party in the United States, with over 330,000 members? ( 4 points)
2. Philemaphobia is the fear of people doing what activity? ( 5 points)
3. What musical instrument is on Louisiana's state quarter coin? ( 3 points)
4. What horror film was the first American film to show a toilet being flushed onscreen? ( 4 points)
5. "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" was the final novel by what author, which was unfinished at the time of his death? ( 4 points)
Answers
Current Events
1. Rand Paul; 2. Pakistan; 3. Ellen DeGeneres; 4. Russia; 5. Rhode Island and Minnesota; 6. CBS; 7. Washington Post.
August 6th Trivia
1. Electric chair; 2. Mars; 3. UK; 4. "Home Alone;" 5. Tompkins Square Park; 6. Ginger Spice; 7. "The Sting" and "The Way We Were."
True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. false, US; 2. true; 3. true; 4. false, Serbia; 5. true; 6. true; 7. false, squad; 8. false, mathematics; 9. true; 10. false, Andrew Jackson.
General Knowledge
1. Tennis; 2. German; 3. China; 4. "Basic Instinct;" 5. saxophone; 6. Indian Ocean; 7. Erik the Red.
IQ Trivia
1. Libertarian; 2. kissing; 3. trumpet; 4. "Psycho;" 5. Charles Dickens.