# Trivia Dominoes III — Play Off the Last Bit of Trivia **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [April 12, 2025, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952 "2025-04-12T05:32:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/341 "2025-06-22T18:25:56Z")
Louisa May Alcott was a fierce abolitionist and wanted to enlist in the Union Army when the Civil War broke out, but she couldn’t do so because she was a woman. So she sewed uniforms until she turned 30 in 1862, which was the minimum age for army nurses. She was assigned to the Union Hotel Hospital in Georgetown, intending to serve for 3 months, but she had to leave before her term was up because she contracted typhoid fever. ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/342 "2025-06-22T18:37:08Z")
There is approximately 75 towns or cities in the world with the name “Georgetown” (or “George Town”). Of those, 50 are located in the US. Most were named after George Washington, the first president and father of the country, with the remainder being named after King George III (or other King George) of England. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/343 "2025-06-22T19:30:40Z")
There is a city of [George](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George,_Washington), Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/344 "2025-06-23T02:17:24Z")
George Washington, in his youth, intended to enlist in the Royal Navy, but his mother tearfully dissuaded him. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/345 "2025-06-23T02:43:30Z")
Horace Nelson joined the Royal Navy at age 12 on January 1, 1871, originally as a coxswain but quickly becoming a midshipman. By age 20 he was in command of his own ship. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/346 "2025-06-24T19:04:37Z")
While he was an undergraduate student at University College, Oxford, in the early 1960s, physicist Stephen Hawking was a coxswain for a rowing crew in the University College Boat Club. During his time on the rowing team, Hawking began to experience the first symptoms of what turned out to be the motor neuron disease which eventually paralyzed him. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/347 "2025-06-24T19:56:30Z")
The youngest Olympic gold medalist is believed to be the coxswain on the Dutch coxed pair team in the 1900 Paris Olympics. The Dutch team recruited a young boy, believed to be around 8 to 10 years old, to replace their heavier coxswain. The boy left after the win so he remains unidentified. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/348 "2025-06-24T21:58:31Z")
The etymology of the word _coxswain_ gives a literal meaning of “boat servant” since it comes from _cock_, referring to the cockboat, a type of ship’s boat, and _swain_, an Old English term derived from the Old Norse _sveinn_ meaning boy or servant. In 1724, a “cockswain” was defined as “An officer of a ship who takes care of the cockboat, barge or shallop, with all its furniture, and is in readiness with his crew to man the boat on all occasions.” When the term “cockboat” became obsolete, the title of coxswain as the person in charge of a ship’s boat remained. Unashamedly copied directly from wiki. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/349 "2025-06-25T20:50:04Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Horace Nelson joined the Royal Navy at age 12 on January 1, 1871, originally as a coxswain but quickly becoming a midshipman. > > By age 20 he was in command of his own ship. Horatio, perhaps, and in 1771? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/350 "2025-06-25T21:33:53Z")
Picky, picky, picky. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/351 "2025-06-26T14:00:47Z")
The tongue twister “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” was first published in John Harris’ book, _Peter Piper’s Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation_, in 1813. It’s not known who wrote it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/352 "2025-06-26T15:40:57Z")
William Thomas Piper Sr. (1881 – 1970) was the founding president of the Piper Aircraft Corporation. He became known as “the Henry Ford of aviation”. In 1929 he invested in the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation and then in 1937 he established the Piper Aircraft Corporation. The Piper Cub went on to become the most-produced fabric-covered monoplane in history. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/353 "2025-06-26T15:51:30Z")
Wichita, Kansas, is generally considered to be the city that has produced the most aircraft. Many small aircraft companies were founded there, including Stearman, Cessna, Mooney, Beechcraft, Laird, Swallow, and Lear. Today, Wichita has manufacturing facilities for, among others, Textron, Spirit, and Bombardier. ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/354 "2025-06-26T16:40:44Z")
The Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, OR, is home to the Hughes H-4 Hercules, aka “The Spruce Goose.” The museum acquired it from the Aeroclub of Southern California in 1992, and built the facility around the aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/355 "2025-06-26T16:50:53Z")
Nice trivia. Thanks! Next time I’m up in that area I’ll plan to stop in. (Comment only) ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/356 "2025-06-26T17:03:45Z")
I tried loading some pics but they were too big. The museum has been going through rough patches in trying to remain open. The latest owner, Stoller Wines, has committed to restoring much of the Space exhibits and waterpark. Through all this it has remained open to the public, and the Spruce Goose is quite the spectacle, worth a visit. Fun fact: the museum was formerly part of Evergreen International, and during the 70s and 80s the CIA connection was an open secret among the locals. Now it’s part of its history. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/357 "2025-06-28T04:22:55Z")
Future famous chef Julia Child worked for the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency, during World War II. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/358 "2025-06-28T04:33:52Z")
Julia the Elder was the Emperor Augustus’s oldest child. She was married three times. Her third marriage was to her step-brother, Tiberius, who later succeeded Augustus as Emperor. However, before that happened, Augustus accused her of numerous adulteries and plotting to kill him. He placed her in house arrest in exile from Rome, a policy Tiberius continued when he became emperor. She died in exile. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/359 "2025-06-29T05:11:20Z")
Capt. James T. Kirk’s middle name of Tiberius was not established as canon in the original three seasons of _Star Trek_. It was mentioned in an episode of _Star Trek: The Animated Series_, but creator Gene Roddenberry said that he did not consider that series to be canonical. He did mention the middle name in the foreword to the 1979 novelization of _Star Trek: The Motion Picture_, however. ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952/360 "2025-06-29T19:37:31Z")
Roddenberry’s original concept was to set the show in the 23rd century, on the starship S.S. Yorktown, with Captain Robert April leading the crew. Lloyd Bridges was offered the role but turned it down. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-iii-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/1016952.md?page=19)