# 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:** 2112
**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:** [February 8, 2019, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42229 "2019-02-08T00:44:00Z")
Quiche Lorraine was a minor character during the early years of Berke Breathed’s comic strip _Bloom County_. The much shallower sister of schoolteacher Bobbi Harlow (another early character in the strip), Quiche dated Steve Dallas for a time. ---
**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:** [February 8, 2019, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42230 "2019-02-08T04:16:26Z")
_Bloom Country_ made it’s newspaper debut on December 8, 1980 — the same day that John Lennon was murdered. ---
**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:** [February 8, 2019, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42231 "2019-02-08T05:21:53Z")
The very first instrument that John Lennon ever learned to play was the harmonica. ---
**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:** [February 8, 2019, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42232 "2019-02-08T13:31:29Z")
In 1975, McCartney was visiting Lennon at the Dakota. They were watching a new show, Saturday Night Live, and Lorne Michaels was running a gag that the show was prepared to pay $3,000 if the Beatles would reunite and play three songs on the show. Lennon and McCartney talked about just picking up and going to the show, which was in a studio only a mile and a half away, but ultimately decided they were tired and just wanted to vege. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42233 "2019-02-08T16:37:54Z")
John Lennon stole the harmonica he used in “Love Me Do” from a shop in Germany, or at least I’ve not read anything to debunk that. ---
**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:** [February 8, 2019, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42234 "2019-02-08T16:38:04Z")
Sir Paul McCartney is the most-decorated member of the Beatles by Her Majesty the Queen, having been given the Order of the British Empire in 1965 with John Lennon and their other two bandmates, knighted in 1997 for services to music, and named a Companion of Honour in 2017. > **[Order of the British Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_British_Empire)** > > The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipie Re... > **[Knight Bachelor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_Bachelor)** > > The title of Knight Bachelor (Latin: Eques auratus, lit. 'gilded knight', abbreviated eq. aur.) is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the most ancient sort of British knight (the rank existed during the 13th-century reign of King Henry III), but Knights Bachelor rank below knights of chivalric orders. A man who is knighte Kn... > **[Order of the Companions of Honour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Companions_of_Honour)** > > The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. It was founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire. > The order was originally intended to be conferred upon a limited number of persons for whom this special distinction seemed to be the most appropriate form of recognition, constituting an honour dissociated from either the acceptance of title or the classificati... ---
**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:** [February 9, 2019, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42235 "2019-02-09T04:22:26Z")
In 1946, a songwriter named Jack Lawrence published a song entitled ‘Linda’. Later that year, musicians Ray Noble and Buddy Clark released a recording of the song. It reached the Billboard musical charts in early 1947 and stayed there for 13 weeks, peaking at number one. ‘Linda’ was named for the daughter of the songwriter’s attorney, Lee Eastman. In 1969, Linda Eastman became the first wife of Paul McCartney. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2019, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42236 "2019-02-09T04:27:21Z")
Paul McCartney’s nickname in the British tabloids is “Macca”; they labeled his second wife, Heather Mills, with the derisively punning nickname “Mucca”. His third wife, Nancy Shevell, has kept a low profile and has not been given a nickname. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42237 "2019-02-09T15:09:32Z")
Paul McCartney’s signature parting song for concerts is “Hey Jude”. The song was originally called “Hey Jules”, written to comfort Julian Lennon after his parents’ divorce. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2019, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42238 "2019-02-09T15:10:49Z")
Julian Lennon was also the direct inspiration for the Beatles’ songs: “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Good Night.” While his mother Cynthia Powell has been portrayed as getting John to marry her by getting pregnant, as she points out in her memoir JOHN, they were together for ten years, from the time John was 20 until he was thirty–half his adult life. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42239 "2019-02-09T17:32:52Z")
The Julian calendar, named for Julius Caesar, who instituted it for Rome in 45 BC, looks and operates very similarly to the modern, Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar operates on a four-year cycle, with three years of 365 days, then a fourth year of 366 days. However, as this yields a year length of 365.25 days, which is still slightly too long, the Julian calendar began to drift away from the tropical year. The modern Gregorian calendar addresses this issue with its management of leap years. The Julian calendar is still used by many Orthodox churches for their liturgical calendars. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2019, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42240 "2019-02-09T19:23:33Z")
The Gregorian calendar, named after Pope Gregory XIII, was instituted in 1582 by papal bull. Catholic countries, such as Spain, Portugal, and Italy, quickly adopted the new calendar. But in Europe’s Protestant countries, it was feared that the new calendar was an attempt by the Catholic Church to silence the Protestant movement. It was almost 200 years later before England and the colonies switched over when an act of Parliament introduced the new calendar. When the switch occurred, the current date advanced from September 2 to September 14, 1752. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2019, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42241 "2019-02-09T21:48:25Z")
One of the main proponents of the Calendar Act which implemented the Gregorian calendar in Britain was Lord Chesterfield. He was also notable for his “Letters to his Son”, which Samuel Johnson criticized as teaching “the morals of a whore, and manners of a dancing-master.” ---
**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:** [February 9, 2019, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42242 "2019-02-09T22:43:54Z")
The Chesterfield sofa is said to be inspired by Lord Chesterfield, more fully known as Lord Philip Stanhope, the fourth Earl of Chesterfield (1694–1773). It’s said that the Earl wanted somewhere for a gentleman to sit without putting creases in his suit, so he employed a local craftsman to come up with a solution. The result of this commission was the forerunner of the Chesterfield sofa, featuring leather, buttoned upholstery and nailhead trim. The Victorian era adapted the design for greater comfort, with a suspension spring system and deeper buttons. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2019, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42243 "2019-02-10T02:02:43Z")
“Chesterfield” used to be a Canadianism, referring to what Americans call a sofa. The usage has gradually died out. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42244 "2019-02-10T12:28:33Z")
The word “sofa” dates to the 1620s, from French _sofa_, ultimately from Arabic صُفَّة‎ (_ṣuffa_, “a long seat made of stone or brick”), from Aramaic צפא‎ (_ṣipā’_, “mat”). The word may have entered European languages via Turkish or through the Moorish occupation of Iberia. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2019, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42245 "2019-02-10T15:12:26Z")
While the term Iberia is usually associated with the Spanish/Portuguese area of Europe, in Greco-Roman geography, Iberia was a name for the Georgian kingdom of Kartli, known after its core province (also called Iberia), which during Classical Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages was a significant monarchy in the Caucasus, either as an independent state or as a dependent of larger empires. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42246 "2019-02-10T16:34:07Z")
The Caucasus is generally considered to be the geographic area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Currently, this area is occupied by Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. The Caucasus is home to the Caucasus mountains, which are historically considered to be the natural barrier between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Europe’s highest peak, Mount Elbrus, is located in the west part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2019, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42247 "2019-02-11T04:47:26Z")
The highest peak in the Republic of Armenia today, and a part of the view of the horizon of the capital, Yerevan, is Mount Aragats. Also within sight of Yerevan, but across the border in Turkey, is Mount Ararat, considered a national symbol for the Armenian people. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/42248 "2019-02-11T17:16:13Z")
The Ararat rebellion was an uprising among the Kurdish inhabitants of the province of Ağrı in eastern Turkey against the Turkish government that took place in 1930. The insurrection was defeated in 1931, and Turkey resumed control over the territory. Because the border between Turkey and Persia ran up the side of Lesser Ararat to its peak, Turkey was unable to stop Kurdish fighters from crossing the border at that location during the rebellion. To solve this problem Turkey demanded that it be ceded the entire mountain. On January 23, 1932, Persia and Turkey signed an Agreement in which Turkey received total control over the Lesser Ararat and Ağrı Mountains. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=2111) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=2113)