When Johnny Carson was late night talk show host, guests coveted an invitation to "sit on the couch" and talk with Johnny in addition to performing their act. Who was the first female comic ever invited by Carson to sit on Carson's couch during her first visit to the popular TV show?

Ellen Degeneres
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The popular singing group "The Beach Boys" were not always known by this name. What was the original name of "The Beach Boys"?

Carl and the Passions (Our answer came from the resource - People's Magazine Entertainment 1996.Other resources which reference "The Pendletones" as their early name. This is said to be a name created after the popular plaid shirts worn by West Coast Surfers. Some other visitors say there are resources indicating their early name was "The Surfers", having been named after their first single "Surfin".)
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What is the headgear of the guards at Buckingham Palace, made from?

Bearskin
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What 2 one name states that share their names with another state?

Virginia (in West Virginia) and Kansas (in Arkansas)
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What was the origination of the expression "fitting like a T"?

The expression "fitting like a T" references something being constructed so well it might have been constructed using an engineers T-square.
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When something goes wrong, a popular expression often heard is "there'll be the devil to pay". The devil in this expression is not Satan, and "to pay" has nothing to do with the usual definition of the term. What is the origination/meaning of the term "there'll be the devil to pay"?

The "devil" is a seam on a wooden ship that is usually below the water line and hard to reach. "To pay" means to caulk the seam with a water resistant preparation like hot pitch. In order to get to the seam, a ship often had to be careened on a shallow bottom. When the tide went out, the work could be done, but it had to be done quickly before the tide came back in. If the ship were made ready, but the crew had not prepared the hot pitch, then they "had the devil to pay and no hot pitch". The expression has survived into modern day when something goes wrong.
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What city in America was the first telephone directory introduced to in 1878?

New Haven, CT
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America's oldest sporting contest event, begun in 1821 in Virginia. What was the sport?

Jousting, a contest with mounted jousters using lances to pick steel rings off crossbars was first held at Mount Solon in Virginia in 1821.
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What is the only food required by law to be served every day in one of America's restaurant?

Yankee bean soup On a sultry summer day in 1904, Speaker of the House, Joseph G. Cannon showed up at the House of Representatives restaurant in Washington D.C. ready for Yankee Bean Soup. The restaurant had decided it was too hot that day to prepare the soup. "Thunderation!" he bellowed. "I had my mouth set for bean soup. From now on, hot or cold, rain, snow, or shine, I want it on the menu everyday!" A federal mandate was passed and Yankee Bean Soup has been served every day in the House of Representative restaurant ever since. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What popular brand named of sugar coated breakfast cereal contained so much iron when introduced it could be picked up with a magnet?

Almost all breakfast cereals have some iron in them, some more than others, When Kellogg Co's "Frosted Rice cereal" was introduced in 1977 the cereal contained so much iron that consumers could pick the cereal up with a magnet. Evenly distributing the product's sugar coating was the cause. Most of the iron was concentrated in the sugar coating. The problem was resolved when Kellogg reduced the iron content from 25% of the FDA recommended allowance to 10%. In a "Wall Street Journal" story, Kellogg promised the new, improved -- and demagnetized -- version could not be lifted with magnets"unless they were very, very strong".
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What actor won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but only appeared in the movie for 8 minutes?

Anthony Quinn. (source LA Times )
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Saffron is a spice with a long history used to flavor luscious Mediterranean foods. It also flavors recipes such as risotto, paella, bouillabaisse, as well as some cakes and breads. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. What is the major factor making saffron so expensive?

Saffron is the stigmas of autumn crocuses. (These are NOT the kind of crocus flowers that pop up in gardens each spring.) Each of the crocus plants that product saffron threads produce only 3 stigmas per plant. The stigmas must be harvested by hand. It takes more than a quarter million stigmas to produce one pound of saffron.
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As a movie end and film credits roll to the movie screen, unusual job titles roll into view: "Best Boy", "Gaffer", and "Grips". Depending on the film there may be a job title referenced as "Foley Artist" -- what is a "Foley Artist"?

"Foley" is the process by which sound effects are recorded and added to a film's soundtrack. The individual who creates and adds sound is called the
"Foley Artist". A good "Foley Artist" can be quite creative. For example, an old sock filled with sand and beaten against a wooden log might become, on soundtrack, the heavy blows of a fistfight.

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