# 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:** 90
**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:** [March 9, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1781 "2010-03-09T05:19:12Z")
George Washington launched his desperate, daring attack against the Hessian garrison at Trenton, N.J. on an icy cold Christmas Day, 1776. The surprise victory reinvigorated the Patriot cause. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1782 "2010-03-09T11:39:54Z")
The cover of the Firesign Theatre’s album “Fighting Clowns” was painted by Phil Hartman. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1783 "2010-03-09T12:38:42Z")
Phil Harman was Captain Carl on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. Lawrence Fishbourne, Natasha Lyonne, and S. Epatha Merkerson were also cast members who went on to achieve success after the show. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1784 "2010-03-09T15:46:56Z")
William Marshall was a classically trained Shakespearean actor and acting professor who played the King of Cartoons on _Pee-Wee’s Play House_ but is probably best remembered for starring in the blaxploitation vampire films _Blacula_ and _Scream, Blacula, Scream_. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1785 "2010-03-09T16:43:46Z")
A number of famous musicians contributed to the soundtrack of _Pee-Wee’s Playhouse_, including Todd Rundgren, Dweezil Zappa, George Clinton, Danny Elfman, and Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1786 "2010-03-09T16:48:42Z")
Dweezil was originally named Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa, but has had his name legally changed – the word was father Frank’s term for an oddly-curled toe of Gail (Frank’s wife and Dweezil’s mother). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1787 "2010-03-09T16:50:10Z")
Frank Zappa went to high school with Captain Beefheart. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1788 "2010-03-09T16:52:33Z")
Captain Beefheart’s real name is Don Van Vliet. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1789 "2010-03-09T17:05:15Z")
Captain Corcoran must trade ranks and places with Ralph Rackstraw at the end of Gilbert & Sullivan’s _ **HMS Pinafore.** _ ---
**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:** [March 9, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1790 "2010-03-09T17:08:55Z")
Captain Kirk is able to take control of the _Enterprise_ back from the murderous M5 computer and its creator, Dr. Richard Daystrom, also played by William Marshall, at the end of the episode “The Ultimate Computer.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1791 "2010-03-09T17:10:35Z")
In addition to Captain Corcoran and Ralph Rackstraw, other Pinafore characters with alliterative names included Dick Deadeye, Bill Bobstay and Bob Becket. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1792 "2010-03-09T17:18:19Z")
The character of Bunthorne in Gilbert & Sullivan’s _Patience_, released after that infernal nonsense _Pinafore_, was based on Oscar Wilde; in 1882 an authorized production of _Patience_ and Oscar Wilde himself both toured the U.S. in an early cross-promotion, both tours sponsored by Richard D’Oyly Carte. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1793 "2010-03-09T17:21:09Z")
Dmitri Mendeleyev was inspired to create the periodic table of the elements by playing a solitaire card game called “Patience”. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1794 "2010-03-09T17:23:17Z")
Dmitri Medvedev is the current President of Russia, although many observers suspect that real power is still held by his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, who now serves as Prime Minister. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1795 "2010-03-09T17:23:38Z")
[hijack] > [@kunilou](#): > > In addition to Captain Corcoran and Ralph Rackstraw, other Pinafore characters with alliterative names included Dick Deadeye, Bill Bobstay and Bob Becket. I wish I was geeky enough to get in a bit of trivia on “alliterative.” On the Big Bang Theory, Stan Lee was on. Raj kept going on and on about the alliterative names of Stan Lee’s characters - which of course I don’t know any off the top of my head! Funny stuff. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1796 "2010-03-09T17:25:13Z")
NM - way too slow. Everyone’s at “lunch”! ---
**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:** [March 9, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1797 "2010-03-09T17:26:29Z")
Never mind. Fixed by previous poster. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1798 "2010-03-09T17:39:23Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Dmitri Medvedev is the current President of Russia, although many observers suspect that real power is still held by his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, who now serves as Prime Minister. Boris Pasternak declined his Nobel Prize for Literature, fearing that he would not be allowed back into Russia if he went abroad to receive it. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1799 "2010-03-09T17:40:40Z")
William Henry Pratt, better known as Boris Karloff, was the grand-nephew of Anna Leonowens, of _The King and I_ fame. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657/1800 "2010-03-09T18:02:23Z")
Yul Brynner, best known for _The King and I_, was born on Sakhalin Island. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=89) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-dominoes-play-off-the-last-bit-of-trivia/527657.md?page=91)