Boom &/or Bust
Seeing Red Dots
Spotted
d
September 15 in History
Final Jeopardy
100
Founded in 1994 to sell books online, this company became the defining success story of the dot-com era
What is Amazon?
100
On the Japanese flag, the red circle represents this celestial body
What is the sun?
100
This big cat, whose name means “spotted” in Latin, can run up to 58 miles per hour
What is a cheetah?
100
This trench-coated TV detective, portrayed by Peter Falk, always had “just one more thing” before solving the case
Who is Columbo?
100
On this day in 1981, US Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approves this woman, the first, for the US Supreme Court
Who was Sandra Day O'Connor?
100
U.S. NATURAL WONDERS: Teddy Roosevelt called it "the one great sight which every American should see"
What is the Grand Canyon?
200
Broadcast.com, which helped pioneer internet radio and streaming, was bought in 1999 for $5.7 billion from this future NBA team owner
Who is Mark Cuban?
200
This party game uses a mat covered in rows of colored circles that leave players hilariously tangled
What is Twister?
200
This spotted horse breed, named for a region in Idaho, was originally bred by the Nez Perce people
What is an appaloosa?
200
This Belgian detective, created by Agatha Christie, was known for his “little grey cells” and his immaculately waxed moustache
Who is Hercule Poirot?
200
This TV show premieres this day in 1949 on ABC-TV. Hi-yo, Silver! Away!
What is The Lone Ranger?
200
ETYMOLOGY: This word referring to someone who is not an expert is from the Latin for "love"
What is an amateur?
300
This search engine, once powered by a simple directory created by Stanford students, was the go-to before Google dominated
What was Yahoo!?
300
In Hindu culture, a red dot worn on the forehead can signify marital status; it’s commonly known by this name
What is a bindi?
300
In a Shakespeare tragedy, this character hallucinates a stain on her hands, crying “Out, damned spot!” while consumed by guilt
Who is Lady Macbeth?
300
Dashiell Hammett’s tough private eye, played on screen by Humphrey Bogart, solves The Maltese Falcon
Who is Sam Spade?
300
This man, considered to be the first major American novelist (The Last of the Mohicans), was born this day in 1789 (d. 1851) in Burlington, New Jersey
Who was James Fenimore Cooper?
300
AMERICANA: This poem includes the line “But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all”
What is "Casey At the Bat"?
400
In 2000, their sock-puppet mascot seen here hawked its products during the Super Bowl — shortly before this company went bankrupt
What was Pets.com?
400
In this Winter Olympic sport, athletes ski cross-country and then aim at tiny red dots that flip to white when hit
What is biathlon?
400
In dermatology, the “Koplik spots” inside the mouth are an early sign of this highly contagious childhood illness
What is measles?
400
This real-life Pinkerton operative became America’s first female detective in 1856, foiling a plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln
Who is Kate Warne?
400
On this day in 1938, this British Prime Minister, best known for his policy of appeasement, visits Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden, Germany
Who was Neville Chamberlain?
400
WORLD RELIGION: From a word meaning "tradition", this branch has over a billion followers, many in the Middle East
What are Sunni's?
500
This online grocer burned through over $1 billion before collapsing in 2001, becoming a textbook case of dot-com excess
What was Webvan?
500
This 1915 Russian painting, subtitled “Painterly Realism of a Peasant Woman in Two Dimensions,” depicts only a crimson quadrilateral against white
What is Red Square?
500
This Japanese artist, shown here, is best known for her prolific use of polka dots
Who is Yayoi Kusama?
500
In 1841’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” this Edgar Allan Poe character became one of literature’s first fictional detectives
Who is C. Auguste Dupin?
500
Starting on this day in 1959, this Soviet Premier arrived in United States to begin a 13-day visit, the first state visit of a Soviet or Russian leader to the US-
Who was Nikita Khrushchev?
500
BRITISH MUSICAL THEATRE: A critic said, "I doubt if there is a single joke in" this 1885 work "that fits the Japanese. But all the jokes... fit the English"
What is The Mikado?