28: David Hahn? I know it was David Something.
30: What is the Demon Core, and how did it get its’ name?
- The Demon Core was a sphere of plutonium that factored into two different criticality accidents during the Manhattan Project, killing Louis Slotin and Harry Daghlian. It was later used in (I think) the Baker shot of Operation Crossroads at Bikini Island in 1946.
Since we’re doing nuclear questions now, here are two easy ones:
31 & 32) What are the names and hull numbers of the only two US nuclear submarines lost at sea?
Duh - not only did I mess up my favourite trivia question, the correct version is actually a “better” question! I mean, well done, you spotted the trick :).
A yarborough is a bridge hand.
Blast. The names are easy. Thresher and Scorpion I couldn’t get you the hull numbers without Googling.
A couple more difficult submarine questions:
-
What was the name of the first submarine used for an attack on another vessel?
-
What was the original name of the WWII era boat, the USS Sailfish?
35.A. Bonus points for anyone who can mention the forbidden nickname for the Sailfish. 
- The Hunley, or is that a trick question?
35 and 35A - my dad read over my shoulder and says the Sailfish used to be the Squalus, and they kept calling it that and it pissed the captain off, so they called it the Squailfish, which he didn’t like any better. Is that true?
Your dad is 100% right. The sources I’ve read indicate that at least one Captain of the Sailfish threatened courts-martial for anyone caught using the name Squalus.
For 34, you’re wrong. The Hunley was the first successful attack by a submarine on another ship. But not the first submarine to attempt an attack.
- European Coal Commission
- Shanghai
Yes! I know one! #34 is the Turtle, which failed at blowing a hole in the British warship it attacked (despite the ship not knowing it was there), but managed to scare the ship off when the Turtle’s timed munitions went off. (They weren’t attached to either vessel at the time.)
- Wasn’t it called the George Washington? I know it was used in the Revolutionary War and failed miserably.
Absolutely correct! Congrats.
Good try, JohnnyQ. Though I’d contend that in order for a submarine attack to be a miserable failure, the operators in the sub have to die. Since the guy in the Turtle lived, as well as having a morale effect on the British, even though the attack didn’t succeed, I’d call it simply a failure. Not a miserable one.
(Yeah, I’m splitting hairs - it’s a trivia thread, doesn’t everyone split hairs in a trivia discussion?)
Yeehah! Alright, I can only think of one good trivia question offhand, but I may come up with a few more later.
- Name the man who, while serving as the Prime Minister of Canada, was (allegedly) picked up and shaken by the lapel pins by the POTUS. (Bonus points for naming the president.)
Lester Pearson, by Lyndon Johnson.
-
Where did the largest artificially created explosion before the invention of the atomic bomb take place?
-
Which has more dry land; Earth or Mars?
-
Where would you find the world’s oldest continually operating private business operation?
- Define “artificially created”. Was the explosion of the Mont Blanc in Halifax artificially created because the ship was full of munitions? (If not, I don’t know.)
Yes indeed, well done.
I would answer one of your questions, but I see Zsofia has Halifax Explosion already.
39: Japan. It’s a construction company that has been running for almost 1500 years. I forget the name…
What was the altercation about?
The Vietnam war.
Pearson came to the U.S. and gave a speech at a university, criticising the US involvement in the Vietnam war. He then went on a visit to LBJ, who was incensed by the criticism, particularly since Pearson made the speech in the U.S., where it was more likely to be covered by the US media than if he had done it in Canada.
When LBJ was shaking Pearson, he’s alleged to have yelled, “You pissed on my rug!”
-
Guess at Earth? Just because it’s the counter-intuitive answer as there’s no water on Mars. Mars is quite a bit smaller than planet Earth, and has big ice caps, so maybe that’s the reason.
-
What’s the highest score in a hand of cribbage?
-
Name the highest mountain on earth when measured:
a) From sea level to summit?
b) From base to summit?
c) From centre of the earth to summit?
So… did I get these right?