# Trivia Dominoes: Play Off the Last Bit of Trivia **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [February 4, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657 "2010-02-04T08:12:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1449
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28967 "2016-04-21T00:39:32Z")
The second highest grossing film in the US was _Fatal Attraction_ starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. The highest grossing film in the US that year was _Three Men and a Baby_, directed by Leonard Nimoy. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28968 "2016-04-21T01:53:35Z")
_Three Men in a Boat,_ by Jerome K. Jerome, published in 1889, became an instant success and is still in print. Its popularity was such that the number of registered Thames boats went up fifty percent in the year following its publication, and it contributed significantly to the Thames becoming a tourist attraction. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28969 "2016-04-21T02:05:10Z")
The UK’s new polar research vehicle, to replace RRS Ernest Shackleton and RRS James Clark Ross, is (allegedly) being named as the result of an online poll, whose current runaway leading entry is RRS Boaty McBoatface. In second is RRS Poppy-Mai, with other entries including RRS Its Bloody Cold Here, Usain Boat, Boatimus Prime, and I Like Big Boats & I Cannot Lie. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28970 "2016-04-21T02:20:12Z")
Ernest Shackleton departed London on his ship the _Endurance_ for his third trip to the South Pole on August 1, 1914, the same day Germany declared war on Russia. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28971 "2016-04-21T12:53:32Z")
Ernest T. Bass is a fictional character from the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. He was played by Howard Morris. Ernest T. is an ignorant and rowdy mountain man with a penchant for troublemaking, which wreaks havoc on the otherwise sedate town of Mayberry. He is a scruffy, unkempt appearance, a maniacal laugh, and often speaks in rhyme, and has a penchant for breaking windows by throwing rocks thought them. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28972 "2016-04-21T13:05:00Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > _Three Men in a Boat,_ by Jerome K. Jerome, published in 1889, became an instant success and is still in print. Its popularity was such that the number of registered Thames boats went up fifty percent in the year following its publication, and it contributed significantly to the Thames becoming a tourist attraction. Although it is now 125 years old, this is the funniest book I have ever read. Its humor is fresh and up to date still, hilarious for all ages. In play: Ten years before the Andy Griffith show, Howard Morris appeared regularly, along with Carl Reiner, as a headliner on Sid Caesars “Your Show of Shows” (1950), a weekly montage of comedy skits. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28973 "2016-04-21T14:10:12Z")
Ron Howard was six years old when he was cast as Opie on the _The Andy Griffith Show_. Since then he has acted in, directed, and produced many works. The last film he acted in was in _Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie_ (2016). ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28974 "2016-04-21T15:05:07Z")
The United States Secret Service did not begin providing around-the-clock protection to the President until after the 1901 assassination of William McKinley. > **[Is the Secret Service responsible for keeping the president from getting drunk?](https://www.straightdope.com/21344000/is-the-secret-service-responsible-for-keeping-the-president-from-getting-drunk)** > > A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD ETA: McKinley was succeeded as President by Theodore Roosevelt, who was followed by William Howard Taft. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28975 "2016-04-21T16:19:54Z")
Originally founded to combat the then-widespread counterfeiting of US currency, the United States Secret Service was created in 1865. It is one of the oldest federal law enforcement agencies in the country and ranks among the most elite in the world. In 1901, the agency was asked to begin its protective mission after the assassination of President William McKinley – the third sitting US President to be assassinated. The first two were Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and James Garfield in 1881. The fourth and last was John F. Kennedy in 1963. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28976 "2016-04-21T16:45:57Z")
Jackie Kennedy’s pet name for her husband, President John F. Kennedy, was “Bunny.” ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28977 "2016-04-21T16:58:14Z")
WWII fighter ace Harold Comstock flew a test flight in a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt on 13 November 1942. After that flight, Republic Aviation issued a press release on 1 December 1942, claiming that he and fellow pilot, Lt. Roger Dyar had exceeded the speed of sound in a dive from 49,000’. Breaking the sound barrier was also reported in _Ripley’s Believe It or Not!_ Soon after the press release, the 56th Fighter Group received a telegram from Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold that “there would be no more discussion about the dive”. The actual speed attained was probably less than the speed of sound but this speed which caused the flight controls to lock up was referred to as “compressibility”. This effect was encountered by many pilots flying in combat but training and proper procedures allowed them to recover from it. Comstock’s nickname was Bunny. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28978 "2016-04-21T17:16:14Z")
Harold Wilson was twice a Labour Prime Minister of Great Britain (1964-70 and 1974-76). There have been recurring but not widely-held conspiracy theories that he was undermined by the British military, security or intelligence services. > **[Harold Wilson conspiracy theories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Wilson_conspiracy_theories)** > > Since the mid-1970s, a variety of conspiracy theories have emerged regarding British Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1964 to 1970 and 1974 to 1976. These range from Wilson having been a Soviet agent (a claim which MI5 investigated and found to be false), to Wilson being the victim of treasonous plots by conservative-leaning elements in MI5 and the British military (e.g., the Clockwork Orange plot), claims which Wilson himself mad... ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28979 "2016-04-21T17:28:32Z")
Wilson Sporting Goods was founded in 1913 and headquartered in Chicago. Since 1989 it has been a foreign subsidiary of a company in Finland. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28980 "2016-04-21T17:48:17Z")
In 1913, the ballet The Rite of Spring premiered in Paris, France. People rioted in reaction to it. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28981 "2016-04-21T17:58:38Z")
The music of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, _The Rite of Spring_, achieved great recognition as a concert piece and is widely considered to be one of the most influential musical works of the 20th century. At the time, Stravinsky was young and a relative unknown. _The Rite of Spring_ put him on the map. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28982 "2016-04-21T18:02:03Z")
Chevy Chase impersonated Igor Stravinsky over the phone (as a very hoarse old man) in the movie _Fletch_. The noted Russian composer and conductor had already been dead for 14 years at the time. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28983 "2016-04-23T00:00:32Z")
Break’s over. In play: Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo have portrayed Clark and Ellen Griswold in four “Vacation” movies, several commercials, and one episode of “Family Guy.” ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28984 "2016-04-23T02:02:48Z")
Beverly D’Angelo’s father Gene was the longtime manager of WBNS 10TV in Columbus, Ohio. I hear from a personal friend of his that he hates Al Pacino on a deeply personal level for his relationship with his baby girl - whom he sent to boarding school abroad for HS after learning how much she enjoyed the company of boys. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28985 "2016-04-23T02:25:40Z")
There are currently an estimated 20-25,000 unique protein-coding genes in the human genome. (This is on a downward trend, and may continue to shrink.) ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/28986 "2016-04-23T04:19:11Z")
Baron Jöns Jacob Berzelius, a Swedish scientist considered to be one of the founders of modern chemistry, coined the term “protein” (from Greek, proteios “the first quality,” from protos “first”) in 1838. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=1448) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=1450)