# 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:** 1460
**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:** [May 2, 2016, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29187 "2016-05-02T14:40:09Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > The Twelfth Amendment, which came into place largely due to the Thomas Jefferson-Aaron Burr election mess of 1800 which ultimately led to Burr’s duel with Hamilton- has a peculiar provision that is the subject of this season of the HBO series _Veep_: _ **in the event of an electoral tie** _ the vote goes to the House and in the event the House does not choose a president by a set date then the Vice President (or VP Elect if the sitting president is a candidate) will act as president. Emphasis mine. Question: electoral tie for what? I quickly scanned [the Wikipedia page](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution), searched on ‘tie’, and did not see. It was a very quick scan. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29188 "2016-05-02T15:03:40Z")
Harriet ‘Moses’ Tubman’s birth name was Araminta Ross and her nick name was Minty. She never had any children. She was known as the Moses of her people. ‘Go Down Moses’ is a song she used to communicate her coming and going. The tales of her exploits reveal her highly spiritual nature, as well as a grim determination to protect her charges and those who aided them. She always expressed confidence that God would aid her efforts, and threatened to shoot any of her passengers who thought to turn back. Amen, Sister. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29189 "2016-05-02T15:46:00Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Emphasis mine. Question: electoral tie for what? I quickly scanned [the Wikipedia page](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution), searched on ‘tie’, and did not see. It was a very quick scan. If each candidate for the presidency receives the same number of electoral votes. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29190 "2016-05-02T15:54:15Z")
In play: One anecdote about Harriet Tubman: her father, Ben, who unlike his wife and children was freed in his owner’s will when he was middle aged, was known by white people to be a very religious man. Harriet was not reckless enough to use him as a stop on the Underground Railroad (his home was obviously one of the first place people would look) but he did secretly provide her with information and other aid as possible and she did occasionally go to “see” him. The reason for the quotation marks on “see”: whenever she or one of his other children wanted to visit him they would get word to him by one of predetermined symbols or codes. When he knew they were coming around he would blindfold himself and remain blindfolded until they were gone. This was so that he could in complete honesty swear to God with his hand on a Bible that he had not seen Harriet or any of his other children. After Harriet led all of his children to freedom he joined them. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29191 "2016-05-02T17:58:24Z")
There have been two commissioned warships named the USS _Freedom_ to serve in the U.S. Navy. The current one, the lead ship of her class of littoral combat ships, was commissioned in 2008. > **[USS Freedom (LCS-1)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Freedom_(LCS-1))** > > USS Freedom (LCS-1) is the lead ship of the Freedom-class littoral combat ship for the United States Navy. She is the third vessel to be so named after the concept of freedom. She is the design competitor produced by the Lockheed Martin consortium, in competition with the General Dynamics–designed USS Independence. She was officially accepted by the Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast, on behalf of the US Navy, from the Lockheed Martin/Marinette Marine/Gibbs and Cox team, in Marinette, Wiscon... ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29192 "2016-05-02T18:05:01Z")
The title of Kris Kristopher’s song “Me and Bobby McGee” (featuring the line “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”) came from producer and Monument Records founder Fred Foster. He called Kris one night and said, “I’ve got a song title for you. It’s ‘Me and Bobby McKee’.” Kris thought he said “McGee.” Bobby McKee was the secretary of Boudleaux Bryant, who was in the same building with Foster, who also came up with the hook that Bobby McKee is a she. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29193 "2016-05-02T18:28:11Z")
That’s Kris Kristofferson. He is a Rhodes Scholar, an honor which has an allocation of 32 Americans per year. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29194 "2016-05-02T20:52:14Z")
_(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay_, released in 1968 by Otis Redding, was the first posthumous single to top the music charts in the US. Redding recorded the song just days before he died in a plane crash in December 1967. The second posthumous single to top the charts was by Janis Joplin in 1971. Joplin died of a heroin overdose in October 1970. Her famous [psychedelically painted Porsche 356C](https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0SO8ywluydXCsIAsStXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0NjZjZzZhBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNwaXZz?p=Janis+Joplin+psychedelically+painted+Porsche+356C+Cabriolet&fr=mcafee&fr2=piv-web#id=1&iurl=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-8S_x_7LdP_E%2FUKFigtDQQKI%2FAAAAAAAAESM%2F8Z7HIljkG6M%2Fs1600%2Fjoplin.jpg&action=click)[Cabriolet](https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0SO8ywluydXCsIAsStXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0NjZjZzZhBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNwaXZz?p=Janis+Joplin+psychedelically+painted+Porsche+356C+Cabriolet&fr=mcafee&fr2=piv-web#id=1&iurl=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-8S_x_7LdP_E%2FUKFigtDQQKI%2FAAAAAAAAESM%2F8Z7HIljkG6M%2Fs1600%2Fjoplin.jpg&action=click)[(images)](https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0SO8ywluydXCsIAsStXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0NjZjZzZhBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNwaXZz?p=Janis+Joplin+psychedelically+painted+Porsche+356C+Cabriolet&fr=mcafee&fr2=piv-web#id=1&iurl=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-8S_x_7LdP_E%2FUKFigtDQQKI%2FAAAAAAAAESM%2F8Z7HIljkG6M%2Fs1600%2Fjoplin.jpg&action=click) was parked outside. Her single topped the US charts in 1971. That song was _Me and Bobby McGee_, written by Kris Kristofferson. Kristofferson graduated _summa cum laude_ in literature from Pomona College and then went on as a Rhodes scholar to earn a master’s in English Literature. When he attended Oxford, Kristofferson wanted his music hobby to fund his goal of becoming a novelist. After Joplin died, Kristofferson wrote a song for her, _Black and Blue_. Two stanzas of the song contain these lyrics: _Her close friends have gathered Lord, ain’t it a shame? Grieving together Sharing the blame_ and _Just say she was someone Lord, so far from home Whose life was so lonesome She died all alone_ Full lyrics can be found here: [https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=C111US0D20160111&p=lyrics+black+and+blue+kristofferson](https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=C111US0D20160111&p=lyrics+black+and+blue+kristofferson) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29195 "2016-05-02T21:18:46Z")
Chuck Willis’ untimely death in 1958 occurred while at the peak of his career, just after the release of his last single, “What Am I Living For?”, backed by “Hang Up My Rock & Roll Shoes”. “Hang Up My Rock & Roll Shoes” was actually the A side of the single but upon his death “What Am I Living For” became the most popular of the two songs. Another song, “My Life” was released posthumously, but had limited success. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2016, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29196 "2016-05-02T21:44:21Z")
Singer Jim Croce died in a September 1973 plane crash at the age of 40. He was flying from Natchitoches LA to Sherman TX to play at Austin College there. He had released _I Got a Name_ just earlier that month. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2016, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29197 "2016-05-03T00:46:21Z")
Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Enacted after the Reconstruction period, these laws continued in force until 1965. The origin of the phrase “Jim Crow” has often been attributed to “Jump Jim Crow”, a song-and-dance caricature of blacks performed by white actor Thomas D. Rice in blackface, which first surfaced in 1832 and was used to satirize Andrew Jackson’s populist policies. As a result of Rice’s fame, “Jim Crow” by 1838 had become a pejorative expression meaning “Negro”. When southern legislatures passed laws of racial segregation directed against blacks at the end of the 19th century, these became known as Jim Crow laws. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2016, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29198 "2016-05-03T02:14:48Z")
Of all birds, crows have the largest brain for their size except for some parrots. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2016, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29199 "2016-05-03T03:31:07Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > If each candidate for the presidency receives the same number of electoral votes. Thank you. In play: > [@Bullitt](#): > > Of all birds, crows have the largest brain for their size except for some parrots. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2016, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29200 "2016-05-03T03:57:45Z")
The average male human brain weighs 3 lbs. For many years one of the largest brains recorded was the brain of Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev, weighing 4 lbs 7 oz. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29201 "2016-05-03T04:38:53Z")
Einstein’s brain weighed 1230 gram (43.39 ounces), meaning Einstein’s brain was smaller than average, which is about 1400 grams. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2016, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29202 "2016-05-03T04:43:35Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > The average male human brain weighs 3 lbs. For many years one of the largest brains recorded was the brain of Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev, weighing 4 lbs 7 oz. Among just us men, if the average male brain is 3lbs then is the average female brain 4lbs? And, if a man thinks in a forest, but a woman is not there to witness it, does it count? In play: Albert Einstein’s brain weighed only 1,230 grams, more than 10% less than the average adult brain which weighs about 1,400 grams (3 lbs). However, the density of his neurons was greater. Added: holy gray matter **jtur88** , that is uncanny! (the ninja) ---
**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:** [May 3, 2016, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29203 "2016-05-03T05:12:02Z")
Female average brain mass is slightly less than that of males. The largest woman’s brain recorded weighed 1742g (61 oz). The average female brain weighs 1198g (42 oz / 2 lbs 10 oz. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2016, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29204 "2016-05-03T05:24:30Z")
Since 1960, the average American woman’s body weight has gone from 140lbs in 1960 to 166 lbs in 2010, while the average American male’s body weight has gone from 165 lbs in 1960 to 195 lbs in 2010. Therefore, today’s average American woman weighs as much now as the average American man did in 1960. And yes dear, that dress does make your behind look too big. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29205 "2016-05-03T11:07:56Z")
It isn’t the dress that makes your behind look big. 😉 Ow, stop hitting me! It is a myth that Napoleon Bonaparte was unusually short for his time. He was listed in French military records as being 5 feet 2 inches tall, but that was using French feet. By modern Imperial measure, he was 5 feet 7, and the average French male of his time was 5 feet 5 inches tall. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/29206 "2016-05-03T13:11:06Z")
Barack Obama, at 6’3", ranks as one of the tallest heads of state in the history of the world. Charles deGaulle was 6’5" and Abraham Lincoln 6’4". The shortest was Benito Juarez of Mexico at 4’6". Vladimir Putin is 5’7", and Fidel Castro 6’2". Stalin and Lenin were both 5’5", and Churchill 5’6", all shorter than Napoleon. > **[Statesmen and stature: how tall are our world leaders?](https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/oct/18/world-leader-heights-tall)** > > It seems we like our political giants to be just that – giants – according to research. So how does France's new president François Hollande compare to past leaders? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=1459) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=1461)