We recently played our 900th Sporcle Events trivia game. No fanfare, no assembling of guest stars or montages of past clips like a network TV show.

Yep, at this game we had just a handful of players who happened to be available for a Wednesday evening virtual game! I didn’t try hustling too many players for this game. Three of our “OGs” were in the mix, (myself, Mike and Sam) with longtime music trivia/trivia compadre Kim S. helping out – as well as Sam’s wife Angela – and lastly Evan, who used to back us up in countless trivia games and tournaments before the global pandemic.

It was a virtual game, so no prizes, and I did not keep track of any scores. Virtual games are like “practice” games for us. Just an excuse to chat with people we don’t get to see IRL.  Always a good, chill, relaxing time!

Here were our questions:

Game One/Round One

1 Fruit – A “true” version of what citrus fruit is a hybrid of a citron and a bitter orange? Miss.

2 Light -What color has the shortest wavelength on the visible spectrum? 💜 Hint!

3 Landmarks – Built in the ninth century CE during the Saliendra Dynasty, the Buddhist temple Borobudur is located in what Asian country?

I’m hearing that none of the teams at Corner Brewery in Ypsi got this correct. But we did! Mike made the correct guess.

4 Lit Characters – In works by Arthur Conan Doyle, what is the first name of Dr. Watson, a friend and confidant of Sherlock Holmes?

Mystery Round One – Visual

Round Two

5 TV Shows – What series that aired on the Disney channel for most of its run from 1984-1994 follows a group of teenagers who have their own rock group and helped launch eht careers of Jennifer Love Hewitt, Mario Lopez, Martika and Fergie, among others? FB host clue.

6 Music Terms – What is the ten-letter word from French for the posture of the lips and facial muscles relative to the mouthpiece of a woodwind or brass instrument also called “lipping?” This was a “former band nerds unite” question! 🤓 🎵 And doesn’t this description make it sound… kinda dirty? 😉

7 State Nicknames – In 1912, what U.S. state nicknamed the “Land of Enchantment” became the 47th state admitted to the union?

We joked about what could possibly be so enchanting about this state. The conversation included references to peyote and meth – and the fact that a couple of recent TV series were filmed there (Longmire and Dark Winds).

8 NBA – Name two of the three current NBA franchises that were founded before 1990 and have never made the NBA finals.

NERD POINT: Name all three.

Miss. And miss.

Mystery Round Two

Answer the following questions about grass (no, not THAT kind of grass 😭)

M1 Borrowing a registered trademark associated with the sports world, what term is used in politics for movements that present as authentically grassroots while being covertly organized and funded?

M2 A bluegrass version of the song “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow” won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals after being featured in what 2000 film?

M3 The poems “I Sing the body Electric” and “O captain! My Captain!” Are found in the collection Leaves of Grass by what poet?

M4 What plant is considered the largest type of grass in the world, with heights that can exceed 150 feet?

We got all of these correct.

Final Question Game One

Category: Court Cases

The 1925 Scopes Trial was a legal case in which high school teacher John T. Scopes was accused of violating a Tennessee state law that outlawed the teaching of evolution in public schools. Name either the notable lawyer who serves as Scopes’ principal defense attorney or the former presidential candidate who argues for the prosecution.

Got this. Two teams with perfect scores were tied for first. Par for the course in virtual games. Nothing suspicious about that at all 🤔 😒 🤣

Game Two/Round Three

9 Beverages – What beverage is called qahwa in Engypt, soorj in Armenia and kohi in Japan?

10 Spinoffs – Jep and Jessica, Growing the Dynasty, which aired from 2016-2017, was a spinoff of what reality show?

11 Ad Campaigns – In 2014, what Procter & Gamble brand of feminine hygiene products launched its award-winning “Like a Girl” campaign that was  celebrated for breaking stereotypes and empowering women? Miss.

12 Train Travel – The Texas Eagle combines with the Sunset Limited in San Antonio to  create the longest Amtrak route in the U.S. at more than 2,700 miles long. Name either the Midwest city or the West Coast City located at the end points of the route.

Mystery Round Three

Anagrams – Taylor Swift songs

Decipher the following anagrams of Taylor Swift song titles when also given a year.

M1 Bee Mouth Yowling, 2009

M2 Wody Hooked Malamute, 2017

M3 Hot Ska Fire, 2014

M4 Beyond Moronic, 2021

Missed 2 and 4.

13 2000s Movies – What 2004 film set in Idaho features Jon Heder as the title character? This was an audio clue for other players, but our host chose to use the “words” version of this question.

14 Pests – What species of beetle is the most destructive pest in the U.S., costing American cotton producers about $300 million per year?

I mentioned that “one of the Bama states” has a statue of this critter. Which of course led to speculation about what other stars besides Alabama are “Bama” states. We decided that there is a Louisibama, Arkanbama, Missibama, and Floribama in addition to Alabama!

Also, this question made me think of the Cotton Fields song by CCR!

15 Soccer – What English premier League team is nicknamed “The Gunners” and features a cannon on its crest? I don’t follow “the beautiful game” as closely as I used to in the early 2000s, but I did remember this!

16 Art – In a 19th century painting by Francisco Goya, what Roman god is depicted devouring his son? Mike was all over this one. This poor artist had a…bad time of things, which is reflected in his work. Pretty f—ed up artist! Tinnitus made him endure constant roaring sounds in his ears 😳 True tortured artist!

Missed #1.

Mystery Round Four

Answer the following questions about things that happened on April 8 throughout history.

M1 On this day in 2020, who ended his campaign for U.S. president, leaving Joe Biden to be the Democratic Party nominee?

M On this day in 1820 what work of classical Greek art was discovered, though unarmed, on an island in the Aegean Sea?

M3 On this day in 1946, what organization that flourished in interwar years, assembled for the final time? 

M4 On this day in 1974, Hank Aaron reached how many total home runs, breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time MLB home run record?

Special thanks to Evan for knowing the exact number of home runs! Was this a controversial question at The Owl in Milan?

Final Question Game Two

What Emmy-winning series was inspired by a one-woman play at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013 in which the character addresses the audience in an hour-long monologue?

Nope, we did not get this. None of us have watched it. Had the bane of the star been mentioned, I might have had a guess (oh well).

This is it for our trivial pursuits until next week, when we’ll play our music quiz game at Corner Brewery.

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Phoebe Waller- Bridge!

Answers

R1 lemon, violet, indonesia, John

R2 kids Inc, embouchure, clippers/Timberwolves/hornets

M1 casino, don’t remember, rebel without a cause, men in black

M2 AstroTurf, o brother where art thou, walt whitman, bamboo

F Darrow, Bryan

R3 coffee, duck dynasty, always, chi/LA

R4 Napoleon Dynamite, boll weevil, arsenal, Saturn

M3 you belong with me, look what you made me do, shake it off, no body no crime

M4 sanders, Venus demilo, league of nations, 715

F fleabag