# What is your favorite trivia question (and answer)? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 9, 2013, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028 "2013-07-09T11:04:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [July 12, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/101 "2013-07-12T16:52:52Z")
Which of the following is closest to _Tryannosaurus rex_ genetically? [ul][li] Triceratops,[/li][li] Stegosaurus,[/li][li] Cuckoo bird?[/li][/ul] Cuckoo. Birds and Tyrannosaurs are all feathered Theropods, with a common ancestor in the Jurassic. Stegosaurs and Triceratops are both Ornithischians, diverging from Theropods in the Triassic. [See this chart.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Evolution_of_dinosaurs_EN.svg) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/102 "2013-07-12T16:53:18Z")
What does Hong Kong mean (bit easy for Cantonese speakers of course)? Fragrant harbor > [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > Where are the Islets of Langerhans? > > in the pancreas > > I used to teach a library science class, and I always saved this one for when they had to check up on their research skills. Love this one. > [@septimus](#): > > What ocean is at the east end of the Panama Canal? > > The [Pacific Ocean](http://www.ezilon.com/maps/images/centralamerica/Panama-map.gif). ! ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/103 "2013-07-12T17:11:40Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I’m going to defend the Alaska thing. Pochnoi Point on Semisopochnoi Island has the most easterly longitude in the U.S. of 179° 46’ east. Can’t get much more easterly than that, and it’s a fact. Here’s the problem: “east” has two definitions. One is the directional one. It’s the direction the Earth rotates in and you can keep going east as long as you want. The other is the coordinate one. Half the globe is east and half is west and there is an absolute limit to the amount of east you can go. Once you hit the 180 meridian, you’re done. If you keep going the way you were going, you’ve somehow gone to the far West. Both of those definitions are useful for different things. I claim that the continuous one is the one that best maps to reality. The Earth is continuous. It’s not flat, and it doesn’t have edges. When you want to find the easternmost bit of a chunk of land, you start in the middle and travel in the direction of east until you run out of land. That’s the easternmost point. And it’s somewhere in Maine. Would someone on Semisopochnoi Island claim that they were to the east of the Alaskan mainland? Clearly they would not. Would they claim that Alaska is to the east of Canada? Clearly they would not. Of course, it’s fine to want to use the other definition. But unless you specify which definition you’re using, it’s just a trick question where not enough information is given to answer it. I withdraw my claim that your answer is incorrect. It’s one of two equally valid answers to an ambiguous question. But I think that the only reason the question is hard is that it’s ambiguous. Note that [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_points_of_the_United_States#Easternmost_points) acknowledges that there are two “Easternmost Points”, one by longitude, and the other by direction of travel. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/104 "2013-07-12T17:24:16Z")
What pitcher has the most wins in MLB without winning the Cy Young Award? Cy Young ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/105 "2013-07-12T17:33:19Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > What pitcher has the most wins in MLB without winning the Cy Young Award? > > Cy Young :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/106 "2013-07-12T17:33:50Z")
Here’s one. Does a plumb line point to the center of the earth? Only if you are at the equator. If you are north of the equator, it points to a place on the axis south of the center and if you are south, it points to a place north of the center. The earth is an ellipsoid. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/107 "2013-07-12T19:14:26Z")
… but the center of the earth is still the center of gravity, no? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/108 "2013-07-12T19:50:21Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If you’re going to quibble that an image is not the subject then nobody has seen Lincoln since 1865. Lincoln’s casket was opened in 1901 when they were moving it to a new tomb. He was still recognizable. The last person to see Lincoln died in 1963. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/109 "2013-07-12T20:28:51Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > What pop song had the following attributes: > > 1. Charted 3 times (UK top-40) in three consecutive decades and twice in the US, also in consecutive decades. (In the US, I believe it hit the Billboard top-100 in the first decade, but I can’t confirm this.) > 2. Each successive time it charted, it ranked higher in the charts than the times before. In the UK, it reached #11, #5, and #1. In the US it reached #6 and #1. > 3. Each version was different from the other (i.e., 3 different versions of the song in the UK, 2 (or 3, depending on the top-100 question) different versions in the US) > 4. All done by the same artist > 5. The last time it charted (US and UK), it was the biggest selling song of the year for both markets. > 6. As a bonus condition, the final version of this song charted in Canada for 3 years, and was #1 for 46 non-consecutive weeks. > > Elton John’s _Candle In the Wind_. I could have added that it was the biggest selling pop song since “White Christmas”, but that one usually gives it away. I think some hardcore trivia people might take issue with the fact that the final version of the song had extensively rewritten lyrics and was about a different subject, therefore is it really the same song. (It also had a different title, “Candle in the Wind 97”). You do say “different versions,” but that implies different \*recorded \*versions to me. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/110 "2013-07-12T21:28:32Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > What actor appeared in only five movies in his career and all five were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar (of their respective years)? > > John Cazale - _The Godfather_; _The Conversation_; _The Godfather: Part II_; _Dog Day Afternoon_; _The Deer Hunter_ Six. Archival footage of Cazale was included in _The Godfather Part III_. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/111 "2013-07-12T21:30:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Six. > > Archival footage of Cazale was included in _The Godfather Part III_. Whoa. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/112 "2013-07-12T21:36:48Z")
The Moops ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/113 "2013-07-12T21:41:56Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > The Moops Post 6. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/114 "2013-07-12T23:09:05Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Here’s one. Does a plumb line point to the center of the earth? > > Only if you are at the equator. If you are north of the equator, it points to a place on the axis south of the center and if you are south, it points to a place north of the center. The earth is an ellipsoid. Quibble with your answer: I suspect, although I’m too lazy to prove, that even at the equator the plumb line points very very slightly off due to tidal forces from the earth’s rotation… either slightly too far west or slightly too far east. Anyone know if this is true? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/115 "2013-07-12T23:19:41Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Quibble with your answer: > > I suspect, although I’m too lazy to prove, that even at the equator the plumb line points very very slightly off due to tidal forces from the earth’s rotation… either slightly too far west or slightly too far east. Anyone know if this is true? Another thought: Wouldn’t it be slightly off most places on earth? The surface is not a perfect sphere, or oblate sphere. There should be gravitional pull from nearby mountains or any deviation on the surface, including the changing density of the earth and oceans. That’s mostly WAG cuz I don’t know much about gravity. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/116 "2013-07-13T01:20:54Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Another thought: > > Wouldn’t it be slightly off most places on earth? The surface is not a perfect sphere, or oblate sphere. There should be gravitional pull from nearby mountains or any deviation on the surface, including the changing density of the earth and oceans. That’s mostly WAG cuz I don’t know much about gravity. Actually I think that on an idealized version of the earth, that is, a big oblate spheroid spinning but one that is perfectly uniform, the only places that a plumb line would point directly towards the center of the earth would be the north and south poles. Of course even that probably gets overridden by the tidal forces of the earth moving around the sun or something along those lines. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/117 "2013-07-14T03:32:54Z")
Question: What did the first conscript in World War I have in common with the first conscript in World War II? They were father and son. [Form here.](http://www.futilitycloset.com/2010/07/24/like-father-like-son-3/) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/118 "2013-07-14T04:02:32Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Question: What did the first conscript in World War I have in common with the first conscript in World War II? > > They were father and son. > > [Form here.](http://www.futilitycloset.com/2010/07/24/like-father-like-son-3/) That’s only true if you specify the first American conscripts. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/119 "2013-07-14T04:09:34Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > What pitcher has the most wins in MLB without winning the Cy Young Award? > > Cy Young Who is it if you stipulate Cy Young Award era? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028/120 "2013-07-14T04:14:43Z")
Nolan Ryan and Don Sutton are tied at 324. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-trivia-question-and-answer/663028.md?page=7)