Elements of Joe
Often used in aircraft filaments and high-temperature components, this element with symbol W is one Joe might bring up during a spontaneous explanation of why certain jet engines fail.
What is tungsten?
One of the first Broadway shows to incorporate a pit orchestra built around electric instruments rather than traditional strings, this 1968 Bacharach-scored musical was adapted from Neil Simon's stage version of "The Apartment."
What is Promises, Promises?
Formed in 1729, this Pennsylvania county was the fourth in the colony and is home to one of the oldest continuously operating farmers' markets in the U.S.
What is Lancaster County?
This three-letter crossword puzzle staple, meaning "printer's measure," appears so often it's considered one fo the most common fill-in words in puzzle history.
What is "em"?
A standard Jeopardy episode contains this exact number of clues on the gameboard, not counting final Jeopardy.
What is 60?
As a kid, Joe's makeshift basement chemistry lab would have included this highly reactive alkali metal, atomic number 11, known for producing a bright yellow flame in classic flame tests.
What is sodium?
The "Cabinet Battles" in the musical Hamilton are structured after this competitive hip-hop tradition whose name comes from the idea of lyrically overwhelming an opponent.
What is a rap battle?
This Susquehanna River town narrowly missed becoming the U.S. capital in 1790, losing to a site farther south by a single vote.
What is Columbia, Pennsylvania?
This slogan, adpoted by the New York Times in 1987, still appears on it's front page every day.
What is "All the News That's Fit to Print"?
This year marked the debut of the "Daily Double," introduced during the Art Fleming era.
What is 1964?
Required in countless chemistry labs and any home experiment Joe supervises, these protective items are the first thing he reaches for before demonstrating "how this actually works."
What are safety goggles?
What is Wicked?
Originally from Lewis Carroll, this term entered early internet vocabulary when forum users began using it to describe deep, branching chains of hyperlinks.
What is a rabbit hole?
This long-running New Yorker column, created by James Thurber and E.B. White, blended humor and commentary and helped define the magazine's early tone.
What is "The Talk of the Town?"
This rare event occured in 2016 when all three contestants finished Final Jeopardy with zero dollars, forcing the next episode to begin with three new players.
What is a "triple zero"?
Found in high-performance sports gear like carbon-fiber football helmets and lightweight basketball shoes, this element's exceptional stiffness and low density make it a physics lesson Joe can't resist.
What is carbon?
The original 1972 Pippin production used this then-new projection technology - also seen in Fosse's film Lenny - to display live-drawn animations during the opening, a signature of designer Patricia Birch's visual concept.
What is Eidophor projection?
In Scrabble tile distribution, the letter with the highest point value that appears more than once is this consonent, worth 4 points.
What is H
This offensive formation, developed at the University of Delaware in the 1950s and refined for decades under head coach Tubby Raymond, became so influential that more than 200 high-school and college programs nationwide adopted it.
What is the Delaware Wing-T?
This 30-second tune, written by Merv Griffin, has timed final Jeopardy responses since the show's 1984 revival.
What is "Think!"
Used to illustrate the nuclear charge in Joe's "why the periodic table works" lectures, this element marks the point where the 3rd subshell begins to fill, complicating Aufbau predictions.
What is scandium?
Before becoming the global megmusical we know, Les Miserables was produced in Paris by this French impresario, whose earlier discovery of the rock opera Starmania helped pave the way for the show's sung-through style.
Who is Robert Hossein?
Dry-cured salami undergoes fermentation that lowers its pH to around 5.0, inhibiting bacterial growth through this chemical mechanism.
What is acidification?
Founded in 1855 as the Lancaster County Normal School, this institution became the first Pennsylvania state school authorized to award this specific degree in 1927.
What is a bachelor's degree in education?
The Final Jeopardy clue that ended Ken Jenning's 74-game streak pointed to this tax preparation company, founded by brothers Henry and Richard in 1955.
What is "H&R Block"?