Players so far - 38 as of closing
shambolic
Gamawire
clt013
WhatAreDogs
Kirbstar
RougeGod
jev15
Rackme32
casketromance
Ironhorse
Shaquebanisa
classicroadster
MarkBarrett
threearruda
brandall800
MollyQMurphy
ElendilPickle
Woof
twelvefootboy
MattKnowles
Floridagator
Peachbox
gwallace2
bmwhitehead
cthulhu
xxaaaxx
squarekara
econgator
Magna
JeopardyMom
AFRET CMS
xabe
ouachiouat
heppm01
spell4yr
morbeedo
True North
This is my third edition of a "Year in Review" TD here. As usual, there will be some current events stuff, but also a good amount of non-current stuff that might be loosely tied to something that happened in 2019, so it should be reasonably accessible to everyone.
Rules/Notes:
- Lowest point total wins; your score for each question is equal to the total number of players submitting that same answer.
- Pay attention to the first sentence in each question - it tells you what is required in your answer. Make sure you put all required information in your answer!
- Roosevelt Rule - In general, when your answer is a person's name, last name will be sufficient unless specifically mentioned, or when more information is required to distinguish your answer.
- You may use one DROP and take zero points for that question.
- You may use one SHEEP to take points equal to that of the sheep (most popular correct) answer for that question.
- There will be a BONUS of -6 for anyone who gives correct answers to all 10 questions, utilizing neither their drop nor their sheep options.
- Wrong responses (on Q1-Q10) are the higher of either +10 points or the "sheep" answer +3
- Answers are due on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at noon ET.
- Only the first submission per person is accepted; submit entries by PM or with this google form.
- No outside research or help is allowed. Only your brain and pen and paper if necessary.
Q1. Letter and answer required. Name one of the pictured figures who died in 2019.
https://i.imgur.com/5nxfDvV.jpg
Note: imgur is commonly blocked at work sites. Try it on your phone if it doesn’t work.
Q2. Location and team name required - The Washington Nationals won a playoff series, won the pennant, and won the World Series for the first time in 2019. Name a big four (NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL) team that currently exists but has NOT APPEARED in a championship round (Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup Finals, NBA Finals) under its current official name (e.g. Yankees) and location (e.g. New York). For example, if the New York Yankees had moved to Buffalo this past season, then the Buffalo Yankees would be a correct answer, as the Buffalo Yankees have not made it to the World Series.
Q3. Current name required. In March, the capital of Kazakhstan was renamed in honor of the outgoing President, who resigned after 29 years in office. Select one of the following former names of countries, cities, and buildings, and give the current name of that entity.
- Peking (city)
- Sears Tower (building)
- Swaziland (country)
- Constantinople (city)
- Koenigsburg (city)
- Jacobs Field (building)
- Terminus (city)
- New Amsterdam (city)
- Kampuchea (country)
- Madras (city)
Q4. Letter and answer required. In April, a fire engulfed the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, France. Answer one of the following questions (perhaps loosely) related to fire:
- While the New York Police Department is sometimes referred to as "New York's Finest," what is the parallel superlative nickname for the New York Fire Department?
- Mrs. O'Leary's cow is a common scapegoat for an 1871 fire that burned much of what city?
- What alcoholic beverage, fitting this category, is perhaps the best-known product manufactured by the Sazerac company?
- Who was the sitting U.S. President when the White House was burned by the British?
- In their 2003 single "Danger! High Voltage", Electric Six announces that there is a fire in the disco. According to the next several lines of this song, name another location where we might find a fire (two possible answers, graded separately).
- What U.S. city is known for (among other things) being built on top of its "Underground," the remnants of its former self, destroyed in a fire in 1889?
- Due to a certain novel, you probably know the temperature at which paper auto-ignites (really, that temperature is within a range that depends on the conditions and composition of the paper). In 2007, Robert Calvert released an album whose title was an allusion to the metric equivalent of the Ray Bradbury novel. The title of that album was "Centigrade ___." What number fills in that blank? Arguably, Calvert did his math slightly incorrectly, as he should have rounded up instead of down.
- A mine fire that started in 1962 in the town of Centralia has rendered the town uninhabitable, and led to the evacuation of all but seven of its residents. An abandoned portion of Route 61, now known as the "Graffiti Highway," leads up to this town in what US state?
- Married to Aphrodite in order to prevent war, who was the Greek god of fire? He is also known as the god of metalworking, stonemasonry, forges, and sculpture.
- "_______ is a great guy, isn't he? Donating money to set the Amazon on fire." The name of what famous American actor fills in this unfounded accusation from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, made in November of 2019?
https://i.imgur.com/ZWUqDwg.jpg
Q5B (possible bonus of -3 points for correct, partial credit if you get at least one capitalized word in the title, no penalty for wrong guess). Name the show on which Volodymyr Zelensky played President Vasyl Petrovych Holoborodko.
Q6. Name required. Climate activist Greta Thunberg was Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 2019. Name one of the following other female pioneers or activists (environmental or otherwise), given a short description or hint.
- Navy rear admiral and computer scientist. Developed one of the first compilers, making it possible for "English-based" programming languages to exist. Posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
- Pakistani advocate for women's education. Youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
- Writer. First female winner of the Pulitzer Prize for literature for "The Age of Innocence." Won the Cross of the Legion of Honor for housing refugee orphans during World War I.
- Japanese writer whose real name is unknown. Wrote the world's first novel, "The Tale of Genji."
- Doctor. First full professor at Columbia University's medical school. Developed system of tests to assess health of newborns.
- Angel of the Battlefield. Founded and led the American Red Cross.
- Chinese-American. Designer of the SPLC's Civil Rights Monument in Alabama, the Museum of Chinese in America in New York, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.
- Director. First woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director. Also known for directing "Point Break" and "Zero Dark Thirty."
- Race car driver. First woman to win an IndyCar race. One of only 14 people to have held the lead during both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.
- Civil rights activist, singer, and poet. Known for memoir "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Read "On the Pulse of Morning" at the Presidential Inauguration in 1993.
Q8. Word required. Merriam-Webster's 2019 Word of the Year is "they," which can refer to a singular person whose gender identity is non-binary. Name an English word containing all of the letters T, H, E, and Y. The letters may appear in any order, and do NOT have to appear consecutively. For the purposes of this question, I will use the Merriam Webster online dictionary to determine validity, so spelling counts. Aside from that, Scrabble rules apply (no abbreviations or words that are always capitalized or require punctuation of any sort). All forms of the same word that satisfy the letter requirement will be graded together (e.g. plural and singular forms of a noun, all tenses/forms of a verb, adverbs that are an adjective with -ly added to the end, etc.). If your word has an entry in the MW online dictionary that is not capitalized, not punctuated, and not an abbreviation, then I'll count it.
Q9. Artist/band required. In November, nominations for the Grammy Awards (ceremony on January 26, 2020) were released. Name an artist or band nominated in the "Best New Artist" category. As a hint, below are some songs released by each artist/band in 2019.
- Colors
- Bad Guy, Everything I Wanted
- Panini, Rodeo
- Tempo, Juice
- Love You for a Long Time, Burning
- Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi; Con Altura
- Ants, Nice Things
- Walk Through Fire, Goodbye Yellowbrick Road (cover)
- Bolivian President Evo Morales resigns. Michael Bloomberg announces his candidacy for President of the United States. Thirteen witnesses testify publicly as part of an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
- The United States defeats the Netherlands in the Women's World Cup finals. A blackout darkens parts of Manhattan in New York City. Donald Trump has a phone conversation that would ultimately lead to his impeachment, asking the Ukranian President to investigate Hunter Biden.
- Juan Guaido swears himself in as President of Venezuela. A 35-day partial government shutdown over funding for a border wall ends. A total lunar eclipse, dubbed the "super blood wolf moon" is visible in the Americas.
- Julian Assange is arrested in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Katie Bouman and her team of scientists at the Event Horizon Telescope project release the first photograph of the event horizon of a black hole. Tiger Woods wins the Masters.
- The Nobel Prizes in peace, physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and economics are awarded (as usual, several months after their respective announcements) in a ceremony in Stockholm. The Conservative Party wins a majority in the British House of Commons, likely paving the way for Brexit to occur. Andy Beshear is sworn in as the Governor of Kentucky after a high-profile election.
- The Raptors defeat the Warriors to win the NBA title. Rafael Nadal wins his 12th French Open title. The St. Louis Blues defeat the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup.
- Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman are arrested at Dulles International Airport. Eilud Kipchoge becomes the first person to complete a marathon in under two hours, though his accomplishment did not count as a world record due to the manufactured conditions under which he ran. Christina Koch and Jessica Meir perform the first all-female spacewalk.
- Emperor Naruhito becomes the 126th Emperor of Japan, ushering in the Reiwa Era. Archie Mountbatten-Windsor is born. "Parasite" wins the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
- Jeffrey Epstein is found dead in his jail cell. The Impossible Whopper begins sales nationwide after being tested in select markets for several months. Disney becomes the first studio to release five films making over $1 billion at the box office in a single year when Toy Story 4 crosses the threshold.
- Boy Scouts of America changes its name to Scouts BSA, as it allows girls to officially join for the first time. Donald Trump holds a two-day summit meeting with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-Un in Hanoi. A prostitution sting in Florida ensnares, among others, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
- Alex Trebek announces his diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Operation Varsity Blues reveals charges against over 50 people, including Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin, for their roles in a bribery scandal over college admissions. Mike Trout signs a record 12-year $430 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Angels.
- Hurricane Dorian makes landfall, but does not significantly affect Alabama. A special election is held to determine the representative from North Carolina's 9th congressional district after evidence of election fraud by the Republican party cause the initial election to be invalidated. "Fleabag" and "Game of Thrones" respectively win Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards.
Good luck!