We had 24 teams in on a hot night in New York. I gave out maybe half that many sheets to the players in my rounds around the bar, but I had a whole slew of folks come up just as we were about to start and wanted to talk part.
We had some strong scores for The Q Train and General Knowledge, and a close race into IQ Trivia, with five teams within three points of each other. But we had two teams who got all five questions correct in the final round, and one of them was the second-place team Good Luck at UMich Jay, We'll Mich You (which also won for Best Team Name) getting the win by two points, with 56 points. Second place went to Purple Monkey Dishwasher with 54 points, and third place went to All This Nazi Hunting Is Making Me Hungry with 52 points.
And a bon voyage to Jay, from the winning team tonight, as he will be attending the University of Michigan this fall and tonight was his final night as a Thom's Trivia regular. Always sad to my regulars moving on from our little Tuesday night gathering place.
Current Events
1. Which rock group celebrated its 50th anniversary of their first performance last Thursday?
2. Which Protestant denomination is set to become the first major religious denomination in the US to approve a rite for blessing gay marriage after its bishops recently approved it?
3. Nielsen recently released the results of a survey of TV viewers and what event was the number one "Most Impactful TV Moment" of the last 50 years?
4. What pop singer is being sued by a woman for $9.2 million, after she claims that she suffered hearing loss from "a wave-like effect of screaming" from fans at his concert?
5. What female singer topped Forbes' list of the top earning celebrities under the age of 30, from May 2011 to May 2012, earning $57 million?
6. Jill Stein was nominated for president of the United States by what third-party's convention last weekend?
7. A French political party is suing what female pop singer after the singer showed a video at a Paris concert containing an image of the party's leader with a swastika on her forehead?
Q-Tip Trivia
1. Which of these US presidents were elected to the highest office twice? a. Grover Cleveland; b. Harry Truman; c. James K. Polk; d. Lyndon Johnson.
2. Which of the following gangsters were shot dead by the police? a. Al Capone; b. John Dillinger; c. John Gotti; d. Baby Face Nelson.
3. Which of these male baby names were in the Top 10 in the US for 2011? a. John; b. Jacob; c. Michael; d. William.
4. Which of these English rock stars have been knighted by Queen Elizabeth? a. Rod Stewart; b. Elton John; c. Paul McCartney; d. Eric Clapton.
5. Which of these countries currently have either a female president or prime minister? a. Australia; b. Germany; c. Argentina; d. India.
6. Which of these countries does the equator pass through? a. Brazil; b. Costa Rica; c. Nigeria; d. The Philippines.
7. Which of these directors have won an Oscar for Best Director? a. Alfred Hitchcock; b. Tim Burton; c. Sidney Lumet; d. Robert Altman.
Country of Their Birth Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Russell Crowe
2. Cate Blanchette
3. Eddie Van Halen
4. Pamela Anderson
5. Colin Farrell
6. Bjork
7. Dave Matthews
8. Natalie Portman
9. Salma Hayek
10. Bruce Willis
General Knowledge
1. What country was reggae legend Bob Marley from? (1 pt)
2. What is the Roman Numeral for 500? ( 1 pt)
3. Who invented the telegraph code? ( 1 pt)
4. Of the six official languages of the United Nations, which is first alphabetically? ( 2 pt)
5. What American city bills itself as the largest Polish city outside of Poland? ( 2 pt)
6. The Seminole American Indian tribe is native to what US state? ( 2 pt)
7. A person who is a numismatist collects what? ( 3 pt)
IQ Trivia
1. What notorious gangster's shirt, which was bloodies and bullet-riddled in a fatal ambush, sold for $85,000 at a 1997 auction, 63 years after his death? ( 4 points)
2. In what grueling annual race is the Red Lantern Award given to the last person to cross the finish line? ( 4 points)
3. According to popular legend, what branch of the US Armed Forces was formed in a Philadelphia tavern in 1775? ( 4 points)
4. Catalan is the only official language of what European country? ( 5 points)
5. "Wuthering Heights" was the only published novel by what English novelist and poet? ( 3 points)
Answers
Current Events
1. The Rolling Stones; 2. Episcopalian; 3. September 11 Attacks; 4. Justin Bieber; 5. Taylor Swift; 6. Green Party; 7. Madonna.
Q-Tip Trivia
1. a; 2. b,d; 3. b,c,d; 4. b,c; 5.all; 6.a; 7. none.
Country of Their Birth Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. New Zealand; 2. Australia; 3. Netherlands; 4. Canada; 5. Ireland; 6. Iceland; 7. South Africa; 8. Israel; 9. Mexico; 10. Germany.
General Knowledge
1. Jamaica; 2. D; 3. Samuel Morse; 4. Arabic; 5. Chicago; 6. Florida; 7. Coins and paper money.
IQ Trivia
1. Clyde Barrow; 2. The Iditarod Dog Sled Race (I also accepted Tour de France, as it also gives out that award) ; 3. US Marine Corps; 4. Andorra; 5. Emily Bronte.
