# DON'T Stump the Guy with Average Knowledge, Part II **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 25, 2007, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041 "2007-10-25T22:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/61 "2007-10-26T00:42:13Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] I’m guessing the metal involved. Weren’t they changed to _something_-plated copper? [/QUOTE] Yes, they were. They went from being mostly silver (dimes, too) to being nickel clad copper. So, I think that’s partial credit. I’ll keep a point for myself. Score: 3 Can you give the common name for the Eighteenth Amendment? (2 points) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/62 "2007-10-26T00:44:17Z")
[QUOTE=Rysto] Nope. Wrong culture entirely. The rest of the week is named after Norse gods. Tuesday = Tyr’s Day Wednesday = Woden(Odin)'s Day Thursday = Thor’s Day Friday = Frey(a)'s Day [/quote] I knew all of them! 😃 > [@](#): > > The answer to 2 is that the start of the Roman calendar was marked by the new consuls taking power. A rebellion forced the new consuls to take power 2 months early in 153 BC, which caused a realignment of the calendar. That question was way too hard; I had the answer wrong myself before a looked it up. Good. Were you going with the ‘two extra months’ story? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/63 "2007-10-26T00:45:30Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] Yes, they were. They went from being mostly silver (dimes, too) to being nickel clad copper. So, I think that’s partial credit. I’ll keep a point for myself. Score: 3 Can you give the common name for the Eighteenth Amendment? (2 points) [/QUOTE] Wow, once I had the amendments memorized. But then I graduated HS, and it all oozed out of my ear one night. I’ll wager Woman’s Suffrage? ETA: I hope it’s not the Prohibition! In fact, lemme change it to that. I’ll go with Prohibition. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/64 "2007-10-26T00:48:08Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] Good. Were you going with the ‘two extra months’ story? [/QUOTE] Yeah, I had been under the impression that July and August were new additions to the Roman calendar. Well, at least I managed to fight my own ignorance today. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/65 "2007-10-26T00:51:14Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] Wow, once I had the amendments memorized. But then I graduated HS, and it all oozed out of my ear one night. I’ll wager Woman’s Suffrage? [/QUOTE] Nope. That’s the Nineteenth. I figured you’d guess it, just because the only amendment that I really think of as having a specific name is Prohibition, enacted by the Eighteenth Amendment. Score: 1 Gotta get my score back up. 😉 In the US Navy Battleships were named after who/what? (One point) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/66 "2007-10-26T00:53:34Z")
What was the Gadsden Purchase? 3 points. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/67 "2007-10-26T00:54:49Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] Nope. That’s the Nineteenth. I figured you’d guess it, just because the only amendment that I really think of as having a specific name is Prohibition, enacted by the Eighteenth Amendment. Score: 1 Gotta get my score back up. 😉 In the US Navy Battleships were named after who/what? (One point) [/QUOTE] Check my post after I edited it! 😃 (got it right after all!) US Presidents? Or am I thinking of Aircraft Carriers… same thing? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/68 "2007-10-26T00:55:54Z")
[QUOTE=Pochacco] What was the Gadsden Purchase? 3 points. [/QUOTE] Oh brother. I really have no idea. Is it part of American history? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/69 "2007-10-26T01:04:06Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] Oh brother. I really have no idea. Is it part of American history? [/QUOTE] In 1854 Mexico sold the United States a little strip of land that now makes up southern New Mexico and Arizona. The purchase was pushed through by the slave states who wanted to make sure there was a southern route for a transcontinental railroad. The purchase was also significant because it was the last time the borders of the continental United States changed. Sigh. I’m down to -1 now. Should have stuck to psycho killers. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/70 "2007-10-26T01:06:42Z")
[QUOTE=Rysto] Yeah, I had been under the impression that July and August were new additions to the Roman calendar. Well, at least I managed to fight my own ignorance today. [/QUOTE] Before Julius and Augustus C, July and August were named ‘fifth’ and ‘sixth’ month (‘Quintilis’ and ‘Sextilis’). So they weren’t added, just renamed. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/71 "2007-10-26T01:14:30Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] Check my post after I edited it! 😃 (got it right after all!) US Presidents? Or am I thinking of Aircraft Carriers… same thing? [/QUOTE] Hmm.. so, on that edit, I get my two points back, and two more, since you did get it right. Cool. Alas, you’ve mixed up Aircraft Carriers with battleships. Battleships were named after States. Aircraft Carrier names are all over the place, but lately they have been named for Presidents. So, I’m at 4 points, now. What US war was ended by the Treaty of Ghent? (This one is pretty obscure so I’m calling it a four pointer) ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/72 "2007-10-26T01:19:51Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] Hmm.. so, on that edit, I get my two points back, and two more, since you did get it right. Cool. Alas, you’ve mixed up Aircraft Carriers with battleships. Battleships were named after States. Aircraft Carrier names are all over the place, but lately they have been named for Presidents. So, I’m at 4 points, now. What US war was ended by the Treaty of Ghent? (This one is pretty obscure so I’m calling it a four pointer) [/QUOTE] Obscure it must be, but let’s be honest, It could have been any treaty, and your chances would have been slim. Can’t even hazard a guess! ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/73 "2007-10-26T01:30:32Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] Obscure it must be, but let’s be honest, It could have been any treaty, and your chances would have been slim. Can’t even hazard a guess! [/QUOTE] Rats, again. It ended the War of 1812. So I’m back to breaking even. What is the highest denomenation of paper currency that is currently in circulation in the US? (one point) Who’s face is on that bill? (one point) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/74 "2007-10-26T01:32:01Z")
[QUOTE=Rysto] Yeah, I had been under the impression that July and August were new additions to the Roman calendar. Well, at least I managed to fight my own ignorance today. [/QUOTE] 🙂 … and it’s not the only urban myth I’ve heard passed on by teachers, and it is so disturbing to have them still passed on by people who should be debunking them, and in some cases regurgitated in text books. But I do have to step back and accept that some of these people are decades-old dinosaurs (quick, phone the creationists), and that they’ll never change. But when I hear bullshit, whether it’s about Shostakovich or planetary motion, I want to call it. And I really love having pupils do my work 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/75 "2007-10-26T01:32:09Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] Rats, again. It ended the War of 1812. So I’m back to breaking even. What is the highest denomenation of paper currency that is currently in circulation in the US? (one point) Who’s face is on that bill? (one point) [/QUOTE] I’m thinking it only goes up the $100 now. Benjamin Franklin. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/76 "2007-10-26T01:41:33Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] Descartes = I think; therefore, I am Kant = Existence is not a predicate Nietzsche = God is dead At first I thought tis was gonna be easy, but now I’m not sure about Kant vs Nietzsche. Hmmf. [/QUOTE] Woo hoo! I get a **2**! ================================================ Difficulty: 3 Match the concept with the discipline. In no particular order: Steady State Human Praxis 440 Hz Solid State Shrinkage Stope Music Theory Industrial Mining Cosmology Economics Electronics ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/77 "2007-10-26T01:45:28Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Woo hoo! I get a **2**! ================================================ Difficulty: 3 Match the concept with the discipline. In no particular order: Steady State Human Praxis 440 Hz Solid State Shrinkage Stope Music Theory Industrial Mining Cosmology Economics Electronics [/QUOTE] Steady State = Cosmology Human Praxis = Economics 440 Hz = Music Theory Solid State = Electronics Shrinkage Stope =Industrial Mining ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/78 "2007-10-26T01:48:25Z")
Ok, -2 for me, but I will make up ground for this one: Name 2 James Cameron films of the past 20 years. Difficulty 2 SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/79 "2007-10-26T01:52:21Z")
That brings us from 87 to now… I’ll go with the safe ones: Titanic - 1997 Terminator 2 - 1991(ish?) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041/80 "2007-10-26T01:55:56Z")
I hope **cmyk** doesn’t mind a bit of sideshow entertainment, in that I was wondering about a composer-birthdate question, and it’s a bit of a bastard. So, with the same honour rules, place the dates of _death_ of the following in the correct order, all you get is a honourary pint from me, and **cmyk** gets another: Ravel Gershwin Prokofiev Holst Rachmaninov [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-guy-with-average-knowledge-part-ii/424041.md?page=5)