Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac (202 page)

DECEMBER 2

1859
A
BOLITIONIST
J
OHN
B
ROWN
is hanged in Charles Town, Virginia. Future Civil War hero Thomas (soon to be “Stonewall”) Jackson heads up the security detail, and in the ranks of militia officers standing guard is no less than John Wilkes Booth.

A HASH OF BROWNS

1.
Father-and-son California governors Pat Brown and Jerry Brown actually shared what first name?

2.
Omaha, Topeka, or Indianapolis—the famous
Brown v. Board of Education
case took on the Board of Education of what U.S. city?

3.
What Dan Brown novel features the first appearance of his protagonist Robert Langdon?

4.
Which James Brown song’s famous call-and-response chorus is actually performed by white and Asian-American kids?

5.
Alton Brown serves as the commentator on the transplanted American version of what cult series?

6.
In 2006, who broke Jim Brown’s forty-year-old NFL record by scoring 100 touchdowns in only 89 games?

7.
In 2005, what odd medical occurrence delayed
Black Roses,
the new album by Brooklyn rapper Foxy Brown?

8.
Why did Bristol postal worker Louise Brown make headlines in 1978 by doing nothing more than being born?

9.
Who is Charlie Brown’s favorite baseball player?

10.
An easy question for Jim Croce fans: what is Encyclopedia Brown’s real first name?

11.
What is Joe E. Brown’s famous last line in
Some Like It Hot,
after Jack Lemmon confesses to him that he’s not a woman at all?

12.
What magazine did Helen Gurley Brown edit from 1966 to 1998?

13.
Why did young Avery Brown become a political cause célèbre in 1992?

14.
What is Jackie Brown’s occupation in Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 film?

15.
What distinctive physical feature gave Hall of Fame pitcher Mordecai Brown his famous nickname?

1969
B
ARBARA
E
DEN FINALLY
marries her “master,” Major Tony Nelson, on TV’s
I Dream of Jeannie.
As is typical with this kind of last-ditch resolution of sitcom sexual tension, the show will be canceled just months later.

ALL WISHED UP

1.
What kind of movies compete in the annual Genie Awards?

2.
Complete this analogy. Aladdin’s genie: lamp:: Kazaam: ____.

3.
Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” was the second debut single by a female artist to top the charts in 1999. What was the first?

4.
According to the Qur’an, what famous king had the power to control the
djinn
?

5.
What enterprising TV star is married to Genie Francis,
General Hospital
’s Laura Spencer?

DECEMBER 3

1976
A
HELIUM PIG
is flown over London’s Battersea Power Station, for the shooting of the photo on the cover of Pink Floyd’s
Animals.
High winds snap the pig loose (an on-hand marksman having been sent home as an insurance risk) and the out-of-control balloon leads to grounded flights at Heathrow Airport and a lengthy pursuit in a police helicopter.

ZOOROPA

What animal is pictured on the covers of these pop albums?

1.
Pet Sounds,
the Beach Boys

2.
Dolittle,
the Pixies

3.
Tapestry,
Carole King

4.
The College Dropout,
Kanye West

5.
Armed Forces,
Elvis Costello and the Attractions

6.
Graceland,
Paul Simon

7.
Vs.,
Pearl Jam

8.
For Your Pleasure,
Roxy Music

9.
American Recordings,
Johnny Cash

10.
Enema of the State,
Blink-182

1984
103-
YEAR-OLD
H
ARRY
S
TEVENS
becomes the world’s oldest groom, marrying Thelma Lucas (84 years old—robbing the cradle!) in a Wisconsin retirement home.

LOVE THROUGH THE AGES

Name the other half of these May-December marriages.

Easy

1.
Heather Mills

2.
Lauren Bacall

3.
Ashton Kutcher

4.
Larry Fortensky

5.
Michael Douglas

Harder

1.
Edie Brickell

2.
Jessica Sklar

3.
Peter Sellers

4.
Carlo Ponti

5.
Dyan Cannon

Yeah, Good Luck

1.
Heather Harlan

2.
J. Howard Marshall

3.
Dina Ruiz

4.
Wendy Deng

5.
René Angélil

1992
E
LIZABETH
T
AYLOR MAKES
her
Simpsons
debut, playing young Maggie Simpson on the episode “Maggie’s First Word.” (Maggie’s first word is “Daddy.”)

TELL ME, BABY

Match these TV characters to their first words as infants.