My husband and I were feeling not at all like going to bed early on Inauguration Day, so we thought…”How about a virtual Sporcle Live trivia game?” We signed in to play a game presented by Sporcle Trivia Nights With John C. – Chicago, whom we had as a host for the first time when he hit the mic on a game at Original Gravity Brewing Company in Milan, MI in 2016. We were impressed that he not only drove as far as he did – but he took the mic on a night of a “venue tournament.” For being a stranger in a strange trivia land, he really handled things quite well, as I recall! Anyone remember venue tournaments? Extra competitive games in real bars? Maybe someday we’ll play one of those again!

We didn’t do too badly in the regular round (third going into the final), but yep, we flubbed the final (classic ‘Pods maneuver)!

1. Math – In math, what is the term for the number that is placed as a superscript after an expression to denote the power to which it is raised?

2. U.S. Geography – Among the eight U.S. states that border Tennessee, which one comes last alphabetically?

3. Lyrics – In the lyrics to a 1976 single by Steve Miller Band, what four words immediately precede “to the sea” and “let my spirit carry me”?

4. Safety – In vehicles, when an airbag inflates, it is primarily filled with which gas?A) HeliumB) NitrogenC) NeonD) Hydrogen

5. Action Movies – What are the full titles of the two 1980s action films that star Arnold Schwarzenegger as the title character Conan?

6. Artwork – What painting technique, consisting of small dots of color that blend when viewed from a distance, was used by Georges Seurat in a number of works?

7. TV Themes – Inspired by a film of the same name, what TV series that aired on USA from 1994-1997 features a theme song by Oingo Boingo? Lucky guess…we had no idea there was a series sharing a name with this song (it’s NOT “Dead Man’s Party”).

8. Animals – What animal is commonly afflicted with a disease known as ich? Oh the things you learn from watching “American Dad.”

9. Coaches – Name one of the two NFL head coaches who coached at least 490 regular season games in their careers, both of which spanned at least 33 seasons. Yep, it’s usually bad when I have to step in and pretend to be the “sports guy” on the team! Though to my credit, I did pick Tom Landry as one of my incorrect guesses – and he was a coach almost that long. Oh well…NERD POINT: Name both.

10. U.S. History – Who was the target of an assassination attempt in 1912, but was saved because the bullet was slowed by the text of his 50-page speech, “Progressive Cause Greater Than Any Individual,” and his metal glasses case in the pocket of his jacket? And after this happened, he said “Bully!”

Mystery – Initials

Give the first and last names of the people described by the following clues, all of whom have the initials K.M.

M1. Australian singer known for the hits “I Should Be So Lucky” and “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”

M2. Actor known for his roles on the TV series Twin Peaks, Desperate Housewives, and Portlandia

M3. Philosopher who co-wrote The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels

M4. Riki Lindhome’s partner in the comedy music duo Garfunkel and Oates

Had no idea on #4…Final – TV Specials In 2019, two live television specials, titled Live in Front of a Studio Audience, recreated classic sitcom episodes that originally aired in the 1970s. Name two of the three series that were recreated.

We also had the “hint” that All in the Family was one of them. I should’ve picked two series that had things in common with All in the Family, but I didn’t…(though two series that would’ve been correct were both discussed).

Oh well, can’t have two firsts in one night, can we? As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, George Jefferson!