# 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:** 1510
**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 19, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30187 "2016-06-19T15:25:12Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > According to Wikipedia, the Shenandoah River has two forks approximately 100 miles long each, in Virginia and West Virginia. Missed the edit window to include… According to Wikipedia the Blue Ridge Mountains lie in the following states: North Carolina Virginia Tennessee Maryland Pennsylvania West Virginia South Carolina Georgia WV is included, although the Blue Ridge Mountains barely touch only the easternmost part of the panhandle. Apparently, the song was written while in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but not in West Virginia. Maybe the word ‘West’ was included because an extra syllable was needed. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30188 "2016-06-19T15:26:37Z")
_USS Shenandoah_ (ZR-1) was the first of four United States Navy rigid airships. She broke up and crashed in a squall line in Ohio in September 1925. She was largely copied from the German Zeppelin L-49, a “height climber” model that compromised most functions in favor of being able to climb higher than the British fighters defending English targets. > [@Bullitt](#): > > Maybe the word ‘West’ was included because an extra syllable was needed. Yes, because the original title was “Massachusetts”. ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30189 "2016-06-19T15:39:27Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The state song of West Virginia, John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, mentions his nostalgia for the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River, which are both notably _not_ in West Virginia. Approximately the last 20 miles of the river are entirely within WVA. As far as I can tell from the maps the rest of its watershed is entirely within VA, though. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30190 "2016-06-19T15:51:02Z")
The chance of winning a pass-line bet at craps is approximately 49% but would be almost exactly 50% if 2 and 12 were treated as point numbers (like 4,5,6,8,9,10) instead of as immediate losers. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30191 "2016-06-19T16:34:31Z")
Lake Travis was formed in 1942 by the construction of Mansfield Dam on the western edge of Austin, Texas by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Lake Travis has the largest storage capacity of the seven reservoirs known as the Highland Lakes. You can rent a houseboat on Lake Travis by calling the VIP Marina at 456-8910. ---
**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 19, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30192 "2016-06-19T20:01:31Z")
The area code for ATX is 512 so if you want to reserve that houseboat, use that with the telephone number provided by **jtur88**. I get a different number, 512-331-5375, from [http://viplaketravis.com/houseboat-rentals/](http://viplaketravis.com/houseboat-rentals/) so maybe that’s another rental resource. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30193 "2016-06-19T21:28:12Z")
Area codes were defined by the North American Numbering Plan, established by the Bell System in 1947. The first customer-dialed direct call using area codes was made on November 10, 1951, from Englewood, New Jersey, to Alameda, California. Direct distance dialing (DDD) was subsequently introduced across the country and by the early 1960s most areas of the Bell System had been converted and it was commonplace in cities and most larger towns. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30194 "2016-06-19T21:37:30Z")
Area codes were allotted, roughly, to minimize the gross amount of time it took the cumulative popularization to dial them. In the days of the rotary dial, you had to wait for the rotor to come around, so New York City was given 212, with the shortest hang time. After that came 213 and 312 for Chicago and Los Angeles. You could dial the New York, Chicago or LA area codes in about one tenth of the time it took to dial 906 or 907 to the tiny populations of Upper Michigan or Alaska. ---
**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:** [June 19, 2016, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30195 "2016-06-19T22:33:45Z")
A telephone exchange name or central office name was a distinguishing and memorable name assigned to a central office. It identified the switching system to which a telephone was connected. Each central office served a maximum of 10,000 subscriber lines identified by the last four digits of the telephone number. BALdwin-6828 is a typical urban North American 3L-4N example, used in large cities before conversion to two-letter central office names. It was phased out in the 1960’s as area codes and new technology introduced all-number combinations. ---
**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 19, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30196 "2016-06-19T23:56:50Z")
Sites like [phoneSpell.org](http://phonespell.org/) allow you to enter your phone number, with or without area code, to determine what words the numbers spell. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30197 "2016-06-20T00:21:38Z")
In Northern California, POPCORN was (still is?) the number to dial to hear the correct time. In fact, POP followed by any four digits would work as well. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30198 "2016-06-20T01:42:44Z")
“Popcorn” is an early synthpop instrumental, composed by Gershon Kingsley in 1969 and first appearing on his album Music to Moog By. In 1972, Hot Butter’s rerecording was a huge hit in many countries. “Popcorn” has since been covered by a great number of artists. Here’s the song: [Hot Butter- Popcorn Song - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBYjZTdrJlA) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30199 "2016-06-20T02:12:51Z")
The Moog synthesizer was one of the first widely used electronic musical instruments. Robert Moog created the first voltage-controlled subtractive synthesizer to utilize a keyboard as a controller, and demonstrated it in 1964. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2016, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30200 "2016-06-20T05:13:31Z")
The period-instrument performance movement was dedicated to performing baroque and early classical music on period instruments. Two important figures in this movement were Nikolaus Harnoncourt, who founded the Concentus Musicus Wien in the 1950s and Trevor Pinnock, founder of The English Concert, in the 1970s. ---
**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 20, 2016, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30201 "2016-06-20T05:49:43Z")
Hugh Trevor-Roper was a prolific English historian, who best-known book was likely _The Last Days of Hitler_. It was based on his work as a British military intelligence officer who was tasked to investigate if Hitler was truly dead, or had escaped to the West, as Soviet sources were suggesting. Trevor-Roper concluded that Hitler had died in the Führerbunker. ---
**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 20, 2016, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30202 "2016-06-20T06:10:00Z")
Adolf Hitler’s handwriting was impeccable. When psychologist Carl Jung saw Hitler’s handwriting in 1937, he remarked, “Behind this handwriting I recognize the typical characteristics of a man with essentially feminine instinct.” ---
**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:** [June 20, 2016, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30203 "2016-06-20T13:27:59Z")
Ann Rule, author of The Stranger Beside Me, got the contract to write the book before her friend Ted Bundy was even a suspect. He continued to write to her for the rest of his life, and she received so many requests for his handwriting samples that she included one of his letters in updates to her now classic true crime book. ---
**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 20, 2016, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30204 "2016-06-20T13:52:58Z")
American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly is famous for his works (images, [https://www.google.com/search?q=glass+sculpture+chihuly&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj50fXk37bNAhUU3GMKHcm8CZcQ\_AUICCgC&biw=1024&bih=672](https://www.google.com/search?q=glass+sculpture+chihuly&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj50fXk37bNAhUU3GMKHcm8CZcQ_AUICCgC&biw=1024&bih=672)). Chihuly attended the University of Washington, like Ann Rule did, and he also attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma WA, like Ted Bundy did. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30205 "2016-06-20T14:38:44Z")
After the U.S. entered World War I, President Woodrow Wilson brought a flock of sheep to the White House lawn. The sheep trimmed the grounds, which saved on gas and labor. Wool from the sheep was sold to earn money for the Red Cross. ---
**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 20, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/30206 "2016-06-20T14:43:13Z")
Federal income tax was introduced in Canada during World War I as a temporary war measure. A century on, it’s still with us… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=1509) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=1511)