# 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:** 2214
**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:** [August 4, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44269 "2019-08-04T20:00:56Z")
American figure skater Peggy Fleming was among the sport’s biggest stars of the 1960s. Fleming won five straight U.S. singles titles (1964-1968), three straight world titles (1966-1968), and the gold medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2019, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44270 "2019-08-04T21:15:45Z")
Peggy Fleming was stuck in New York by the flying ban after 9/11. Her agent, who also represented John Madden, put her in touch with the ex-coach and announcer, who gave her a ride back to California on the Madden Cruiser. They were lifelong friends ever after. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44271 "2019-08-05T23:01:29Z")
Art Fleming (1924-1995) was the first host of the game show _Jeopardy_. He began his career as an announcer at a radio station in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. His radio career later took him to Akron, Ohio, and then back to his native New York City. He was the first announcer to deliver the slogan “Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should” for Winston cigarettes. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44272 "2019-08-06T00:49:26Z")
Although many railway men in the 19th century grappled with the idea of a standard time system, Sir Sandford Fleming was the driving force for the implementation of international standard time, dividing the globe into 24 time zones. He is usually credited with pushing for the International Prime Meridian Conference at Washington in 1884. One of the major issues was the choice of the prime meridian, with Britain pushing for Greenwich as the meridian, and France lobbying for Paris. It took several years, but eventually international standard time based on Greenwich was adopted. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44273 "2019-08-06T01:46:06Z")
In 1884 the Prime Meridian was defined by the position of the large ‘Transit Circle’ telescope in the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. The cross-hairs in the eyepiece of the Transit Circle telescope precisely defined Longitude 0° for the world. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44274 "2019-08-06T04:07:43Z")
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) fights a giant robotlike monster on the grounds of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England in the 2013 Marvel Comics Universe film _Thor: The Dark World_. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44275 "2019-08-06T06:44:19Z")
Thor, Iowa is a town of 186 in the north-central part of the state. The founder of Winnebago trailers and RVs, John K. Hanson (1913-1996), hails from Thor. So does my friend, Gary B. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44276 "2019-08-06T13:09:07Z")
“Thor” is the nickname of New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard, based on his Danish ancestry and his long, flowing blond hair. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44277 "2019-08-06T13:40:27Z")
July 22 (UPI) – San Francisco Giants rookie outfielder Mike Yastrzemski ended a crucial four-game series against the New York Mets with a walk-off home run on July 22, 2019. The home run, Yastrzemski’s ninth of the year, clinched a 2-1 victory at Oracle Park. (And I saw Mike’s grandfather Carl play about a hundred times in Boston’s Fenway Park). ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44278 "2019-08-06T13:56:13Z")
Sigh…it just doesn’t seem possible that Carl Yastrzemski’s _grandson_ is playing in the major leagues. In play: The San Francisco Giants franchise has won more baseball games than any other team in the history of American baseball. The franchise was founded in 1883 as the New York Gothams, and was renamed three years later to the Giants. They moved to San Francisco in 1958. The franchise has the most National League pennants with 23. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44279 "2019-08-06T14:03:20Z")
The Giants’ uniforms are echoed by those of the Yomiuri Giants of the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball. They are the oldest operating franchise, dating to 1934 but who became the Giants in 1947. Sadaharu Oh, the leading home run hitter in major league history (if Japan is included), played his entire career in Tokyo for the Giants. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44280 "2019-08-06T14:08:53Z")
When Jackie Robinson was signed by Los Angeles, some Dodger players insinuated they would sit out rather than play alongside him. The brewing mutiny ended when Dodgers management took a stand for Robinson. Manager Leo Durocher informed the team, “I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a fuckin’ zebra. I’m the manager of this team, and I say he plays. What’s more, I say he can make us all rich. And if any of you cannot use the money, I will see that you are all traded.” ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44281 "2019-08-06T14:43:03Z")
Roger Angell’s 1972 book _The Boys of Summer_ combined reminiscences of the 1950’s Brooklyn Dodgers with “where are they now” interviews of the players later on, many of whom had struggled with life. The title of the book is taken from a Dylan Thomas poem that describes “the boys of summer in their ruin”. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44282 "2019-08-06T15:41:39Z")
Mickey Mantle’s All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball recounts, moment by moment, each one of his twelve World Series games from 1951 to 1964, when the New York Yankees proved themselves the greatest team in baseball’s history. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44283 "2019-08-06T16:19:59Z")
The musical _Damn Yankees_, which helped make a major star of Gwen Verdon, was written by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and based on Wallop’s novel _The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant_. It was a retelling of the Faust legend with the protagonist being a long-suffering Washington Senators fan. Ray Walston (“My Favorite Martian”) was the original Mr. Applegate, the devil. _You gotta have heart / Miles and miles and miles of heart …_ ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44284 "2019-08-06T16:29:37Z")
Just thirteen days before his 107th birthday,legendary theatre producer George Abbott made an appearance at the 48th Tony Awards, coming onstage with fellow Damn Yankees alumni Gwen Verdon and Jean Stapleton at the end of the opening number, a medley performed by the nominees for Best Revival of A Musical, which included Grease, She Loves Me, Carousel, and his own Damn Yankees. Abbott’s career lasted nine decades, and he lived to be over 107 1/2(June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995). ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44285 "2019-08-06T16:49:21Z")
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were an American comedy duo who were the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and early 1950s. They first appeared together in 1935, and made their first radio appearance in 1938. They hosted their own television series in the early Fifties and appeared in over 30 movies. Their routine “Who’s on First?” is one of the best-known comedy routines of all time in the world. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44286 "2019-08-06T16:54:02Z")
Spiders with furry bodies are known as velvet spiders and one which was recently discovered in Spain is named Loureedia, because it has a [velvet body and lives underground.](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2019/january/velvet-spider-named-after-lou-reed-found-in-europe-for-the-first.html) I know that Lou Reed, lead singer of The Velvet Underground, would have loved this tribute. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44287 "2019-08-06T17:49:40Z")
The colors of Spain, the U.S. Marine Corps, the Boy Scouts of America, the University of Southern California and Gryffindor House at Hogwarts are all red and gold. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/44288 "2019-08-06T18:54:38Z")
Some USMC cadences (what we sing when we run PT) include the verses, \*My Marine Corps color is red To show the world the blood we shed My Marine Corps color is gold To show the world that we are bold\* Comment: There are other verses too, but are not for mixed company. And I’ve been yelled at for singing certain cadences in the early morning within earshot of civilian houses on base. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=2213) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=2215)