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Today
by pehinhota
Why was the 1980s sometimes dubbed "The Lost Decade"?
It is called the Lost Decade in Latin America because it was a period of declining incomes, rampant unemployment, and little to no growth, even negative growth..
See https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/latin-american-debt-crisis
(gracious1)
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Apr 17 24 by Chavs
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Apr 17 24 by Thesuperyoshi
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Apr 16 24 by BigTriviaDawg
What extreme and overwhelming fear does a person with catoptrophobia have?
Someone with catoptrophobia has a fear of mirrors! While it may seem easy enough to avoid mirrors the objects do play an important part in life. People with extreme catoptrophobia will not or can not drive a car.
https://cpdonline.co.uk/knowledge-base/mental-health/the-different-types-of-phobias/ (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 16 24 by psnz
Where might you find a Pink See-Through Fantasia?
Given that we're not talking apparel here, but rather a sea cucumber, the Celebes Sea would be the best bet.
[quote]"Enypniastes" is a genus of deep-sea sea cucumber. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species "Enypniastes eximia." Due to its unique appearance, the species has been dubbed the headless chicken fish, headless chicken monster, and the Spanish dancer. It is also known as the swimming sea cucumber, and some are called the pink see-through fantasia.[/quote]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enypniastes
[quote]...the pink see-through fantasia is a sea cucumber, found about 1.5 miles deep into the Celebes Sea in the western Pacific, east of Borneo.[/quote]https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/g210/strange-sea-animals-2/
The Wiki article mentions that these animals are found around the globe, living in the "Benthic Zone." This is the area towards the bottom of a body of water. (psnz)
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Apr 16 24 by BigTriviaDawg
Once a hotbed of piracy, where is the Leizhou Peninsula?
Leizhou Peninsula is in Guangdong Province in South China.
[quote] Trade was once welcoming at cities of Leizhou Peninsula. During the 19th century, the area was a hotbed of piracy, many pirates, such as Zheng Yi and Wu Shi Er, were based in the area. [/quote]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leizhou_Peninsula
[quote] Many pirates were fully trained by the Tay Son dynasty of Vietnam.[/quote]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_of_the_South_China_Coast (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 16 24 by psnz
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Apr 16 24 by pehinhota
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Apr 15 24 by psnz
What is the largest uninhabited island in Canada?
Devon Island in Baffin Bay. It's not just the largest uninhabited island in Canada, but also in the world.
Devon Island is part of the Arctic Archipelago and is the second-largest in the Queen Elizabeth island group. With an area of 55,247 km2 (21,333 sq mi), it's also Canada's sixth-largest island. It is nearly as big as Croatia.
The island was "discovered" by European explorers in 1616 and later named after Devon in England. While it has been home to Inuit peoples, the harsh climate and collapse of fur prices led to people voting with their feet (so to speak.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devon_Island (psnz)
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Apr 15 24 by BigTriviaDawg
Who is the famous son of manure manufacturer Maurice Dior?
Christian Dior.
[quote]Alexandre Louis Maurice Dior (1872-1946) was a French industrialist, and the father of grand couturier Christian Dior and French Resistance member Catherine Dior.[/quote]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Dior
Christian Ernest Dior (1905-1957) founded one of the top fashion houses: Christian Dior SE. He worked as a fashion designer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Dior (psnz)
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Apr 15 24 by BigTriviaDawg
In South African mythology, what is the grootslang?
A huge mythical snake! The snake is said to be 40 to 50 feet long and makes a path 3 feet wide! Yikes! Oh, and supposedly the snake's eyes are made out of diamonds!
[quote] The Grootslang is said to be a huge serpent that dwells in a cave known as the "Wonder Hole" or the "Bottomless Pit" located in the Richtersveld, which is said to connect to the sea 64 kilometres (40 mi) away. According to local legend, the cave is filled with diamonds. [/quote]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grootslang (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 15 24 by psnz
What is the origin of the word 'lollygagging'?
The website Etymonline has this to say:
[quote]lollygag (v.)
"dawdle, dally," 1862, "lallygag," American English, perhaps from dialectal "lolly" "tongue" + "gag" "deceive, trick."
Related: "Lollygagged"; "lollygagging".[/quote]https://www.etymonline.com/word/lollygag#etymonline_v_12408
That answer seems a little unsure as to the exact origins of the word. The Meriam-Webster online dictionary doesn't beat about the bush, merely stating that the origin is unknown. Its website does, however, have an interesting "Did You Know?" section.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lollygag (psnz)
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Apr 15 24 by Thesuperyoshi
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Apr 15 24 by BAMBOOMANIA
Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate birthdays?
Four reasons why Jehovah's Witnesses abstain from birthday celebrations:
Pagan Roots: Birthday celebrations have pagan origins. Ancient beliefs associated birthdays with evil spirits and influences attacking celebrants. Additionally, astrology and magic were intertwined with birthday customs. The Bible condemns magic and divination, so Jehovah's Witnesses take these roots into account.
Early Christian Practice: The early Christians did not celebrate birthdays, considering them a pagan custom. Instead, they focused on commemorating Jesus' death, not his birth. The Bible even states that "the day of death is better than the day of birth" (Ecclesiastes 7:1), emphasizing the significance of Jesus' death.
No Biblical Record: The Bible never mentions a servant of God celebrating a birthday. While it records two birthday celebrations by non-believers (Genesis 40:20-22; Mark 6:21-29), both events are presented negatively (pehinhota)
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Apr 15 24 by Chavs
What World championships did sporting great Fred Perry win?
Fred Perry won 3 Wimbledon, 3 US Opens, 1 Australian Open, and 1 French Open all between 1934 and 1936...as an amateur! He also won several doubles titles in the same time period. By turning pro in 1936 the British tennis community turned against him. Interestingly, his dominant number one streek comes close to overlaps with the American Golfer Bobby Jones who had similar success as an amateur.
Fred Perry also won the 1929 World Table Tennis Championship! It is pretty phenomenal being the best in the world at two different sports!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Perry (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 14 24 by psnz
What does it mean to be called a gobemouche?
It means that you're credulous (or gullible,) because you believe everything you hear.
[quote]Etymology
French, from "gober" to gulp down, swallow + "mouche" fly, from Latin "musca"[/quote]https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gobemouche (psnz)
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Apr 14 24 by BigTriviaDawg
For what would a person win a Turnip Prize?
Deliberately bad modern art!
In the U.K., the Tate Gallery awards the Turner Prize for excellence in contemporary art.
The Turnip Prize is a spoof award that satirises the Turner Prize.
The Turnip Prize began in 1999 as a joke but gained nationwide attention and has remained. First prize is a turnip nailed to a block of wood, awarded each year in early December.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnip_Prize
https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Turnip-Prize-for-Crap-Art (psnz)
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Apr 14 24 by BigTriviaDawg
What is the meaning of the biblical idiom: "Job's news"?
Job's news is terrible news! In the Bible, Job starts out the book as both righteous and devout to the Lord. He was very wealthy but still gave thanks to the Lord and prayed for his family in case they sinned. Satan tries to convince the Lord that Job is only righteous because of his wealth and that if the Lord took away all of Job's wealth the man would curse the Lord. So the Lord allowed Satan to kill all of Job's children and destroy all of his herds all in one day. This is the part that refers to the phrase "Job's news."
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Job%27s_news#:~:text=Job's%20news%20(uncountable),Very%20bad%20news. (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 14 24 by psnz
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Apr 14 24 by psnz
Measured by pounds-force (ibf) what is the hardest wood in the world?
An ironwood tree, the Australian Buloke.
Measuring strengths of woods is important for determining whether the timber is fit for purpose. While the hardest wood is an Australian native, if you're looking for really hard woods, head to South America.
Top 10 Hardest Woods in the World
1. Australian Buloke: 5,060 IBF
2. Schinopsis Brasiliensis: 4,800 IBF
3. Schinopsis Balansae: 4,570 IBF
4. Lignum Vitae: 4,500 IBF
5. Piptadenia Macrocarpa: 3,840 IBF
6. Snakewood: 3,800 IBF
7. Brazilian Olivewood: 3,700 IBF
8. Brazilian Ebony: 3,692 IBF
9. Brazilian Walnut: 3,684 IBF
10. African Pearwood: 3,680 IBF
https://www.hitchcockandking.co.uk/h-k-news/top-10-hardest-woods-world/ (psnz)
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Apr 14 24 by BigTriviaDawg
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Apr 13 24 by odo5435
Why does the shape of the dwarf planet Haumea appear as being like a rugby ball?
Astronomers believe Haumea has its rugby ball shape because it rotates so fast. The dwarf makes one revolution in just 4 hours! Haumea's size and distance away from Earth make it impossible to see details of Haumea's shape, however, due to the way it reflects light scientists have come up with the rugby ball shape. The dwarf planet is part of the Kuplier belt and is about 1/4 the mass of Pluto. A year on Haumea takes 283 Earth years to revolve around the sun making it have approximately 620,194 days in a year!
https://www.schoolsobservatory.org/learn/astro/solsys/dwarfs/haumea (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 13 24 by psnz
What was the ship Hougoumont carrying the last of on 9 January 1868?
Convicts to Fremantle in Western Australia.
This date marked the end of some 80 years of penal transportation from the United Kingdom to Australia. This particular voyage carried 269 convicts.
[quote]Between 1788 and 1868 more than 162,000 convicts had been transported, changing Australia forever.[/quote]https://digital-classroom.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/convict-transportation-ends (psnz)
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Apr 13 24 by BigTriviaDawg
Because of a volcanic eruption, what city was forced to turn over the 1908 Summer Olympics to London?
Our old pal Mt Vesuvius had a violent eruption in 1906 forcing Rome to give up the 1908 Olympics. Rome did not get a chance to host its first Olympic games until 1960. The 1908 London games actually lasted over 6 months making it the longest games in history. The London Games were also the first to have an opening ceremony and to award the gold, silver, and bronze medals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1908_Summer_Olympics (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 13 24 by psnz
Where did Herbert Warren Wind come up with the name "Amen Corner" for the Masters?
From a jazz recording. The tune in question was "Shoutin' in that Amen Corner." It was reminiscent of churchgoers responding to a fire and brimstone preacher.
[quote]"I felt that I should try to come up with some appropriate name for that far corner of the course where the critical action had taken place. The only phrase with the word 'corner' I could think of (outside of football's 'coffin corner' and baseball's 'hot corner') was the title of a song on an old Bluebird record."[/quote]https://www.si.com/golf/news/remembering-a-meeting-with-herbert-warren-wind-on-the-eve-of-the-masters
Amen Corner is a nickname for a three-hole stretch of the Augusta National Golf Course. Iis where Rae's Creek intersects the 13th fairway, then along the front edge of the twelfth green and finally alongside the eleventh green.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_National_Golf_Club (psnz)
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Apr 13 24 by BigTriviaDawg
Thanks to Abbot and Costello we all know Who was on first, but what player manned third base?
Fictional roster for a St. Louis baseball team
1. Pitcher: Tomorrow
2. Catcher: Today
3. First baseman: Who
4. Second baseman: What
5. Third baseman: I Don't Know
6. Shortstop: I don't give a darn
7. Left fielder: Why
8. Center fielder: Because
9. Right fielder: (not mentioned)
Manager: William "Bud" Abbott
https://genius.com/Abbott-and-costello-whos-on-first-annotated
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_positions (psnz)
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Apr 13 24 by odo5435
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Apr 13 24 by odo5435
India pale ale is of British, and not Indian origin. Where does the name come from?
The first British to colonise India drank government issued porter (a heavy, dark beer more suited to cold climates than the heat of India), shipped all the way from Britain by the East India Company via the six month sea journey. However, this beer was often stale or infected by the time it arrived in India.
George Hodgson's Bow Brewery in London was one of the main exporters of porter beer. He tried unsuccessfully to find a way to make the porter survive the journey. Eventually he settled on shipping 'October beer', a type of pale ale that was heavily hopped and aged for a few years, making it sturdy enough to survive the six month journey.
This pale ale proved very popular in India and eventually the name India Pale Ale developed and stuck, though I can't find any information about the first usage of the term.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-india-pale-ale-got-its-name-180954891/ (patrickk)
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Apr 13 24 by Thesuperyoshi
Why does a standard bottle (of wine, for example) contain 750 ml and not 1 litre or 1 pint?
Wine bottles vary in size around the world (and even more so over time), but what is called a standard bottle in the US used to have a volume of one-fifth of a US gallon, or 757 ml. In the UK it was one-sixth of an imperial gallon, or 768 ml, more or less. Standardisation for international commerce during the 20th century led to the adoption of 750 ml as the standard wine bottle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_bottle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_(unit) (looney_tunes)
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Apr 12 24 by Chavs
Which religious order has provided the most Roman Catholic Popes?
The Benedictines have had 13 popes to date which is more than 2 times more than the next order! The most recent Benedictine pope is Gregory XVI who led during the 1800s. The majority of the Benedictine popes were during the early Middle Ages between 900 and 1200 AD.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Popes_by_religious_order
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Benedictine_popes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_XVI (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 11 24 by psnz
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Apr 11 24 by BigTriviaDawg
What kind of bird is the South American horned screamer?
The screamer is a bird that is similar to a duck or swan that makes a loud echoing repetitive sound which is how they get their name. Other than their loud screaches these birds have a rather interesting-looking horn on their face.
[quote] There are three screamer species, the other two being the southern screamer and the northern screamer in the genus Chauna. They are related to the ducks, geese and swans, which are in the family Anatidae, but have bills looking more like those of game birds. [/quote]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_screamer (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 11 24 by psnz
What is today's date with the Ethiopian Calendar?
In the Ethiopian calendar, there are 12 months which all have thirty days. There are then five or six extra days (like leap days) which are a thirteenth month.
In Ethiopia, the year figure appears some seven years behind the rest of the world. [quote]To indicate the year, followers of the Ethiopian and Eritrean churches today use the Incarnation Era, which dates from the Annunciation of the Incarnation of Jesus on 25 March AD 9 (Julian), as calculated by Annianus of Alexandria c. 400; thus, its first civil year began seven months earlier on 29 August AD 8.[/quote]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_calendar
https://ethiopianembassy.org/ethiopian-time/ (psnz)
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Apr 11 24 by BigTriviaDawg
Which linguist developed the Klingon language in the 1980s?
Marc Okrand is the linguist who created Klingon in 1980! Amazingly, Klingon is a complete language that can be spoken fluently by fans. Okrand has a PhD in linguistics and a love for creating. For the 3rd film Leonard Nimoy wanted the Klingon language to sound authentic so he hired Okrand to create it.
https://www.startrek.com/news/qapla-klingon-language-creator-marc-okrand-part-1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klingon_language (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 11 24 by psnz
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Apr 11 24 by BigTriviaDawg
Which country has the most Olympic medals per capita?
As an Aussie, I'd love to say the answer was us. (Thirteenth is where we stand on this list.)
PER CAPITA, the Bahamas have won the most Olympic medals (55.75 medals per million inhabitants).
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1102056/summer-olympics-average-medals-per-capita-since-1892/ (odo5435)
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Apr 11 24 by Thesuperyoshi
How do scarab beetles use the light of the Milky Way?
The scarab beetles actually use the light strip from the Milky Way to navigate! They are the first animals to of been found to use the starlight to navigate. Scientists were amazed to find the beetles would roll their dung balls in a straight line at night leading them to conclude starlight had an impact on their movements. Sure enough, they found the beetles to not move in a straight line when the night was cloudy! Since the beetle's eyes are probably not strong enough to see individual stars they made the conclusion that it must be a cluster of stars and noticed that it lines up with the Milky Way! Cool stuff!
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/jan/25/dung-beetles-navigate-stars (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 09 24 by psnz
What Guinness World Record did the pet Himmy achieve in 1986?
This monster cat was recognised as the heaviest cat of all!
Himmy hailed from Australia and weighed in at 21.3kg (46lb 15½ oz) on its death in March of 1986. Himmy was 10 years and 4 months of age.
Apparently, owner Thomas Vyse used a wheelbarrow to transport Himmy.
To be honest, not a pet cat you'd want surprising you by jumping into your lap!
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2017/8/international-cat-day-a-timeline-of-the-worlds-most-fascinating-feline-record-b-485212 (psnz)
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Apr 09 24 by BigTriviaDawg
What rare cat breed has a resemblance to werewolves?
The loykoi! The word loykos means wolf in Greek.
[quote] Although commonly described as looking visually arresting, perhaps invoking horror films to some owners, the felines have sweet-natured personalities and appreciate human affection, being labeled as "dog-like cats". [/quote]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lykoi (BigTriviaDawg)
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Apr 09 24 by psnz
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