Creature Corporation
what is... Monsters Inc.
This 19th-century French chemist developed vaccines for rabies and anthrax while simultaneously perfecting a verb named after his process of heat-treatment for milk, beer, and wine that prevents microbial spoilage.
who is... Louis Pasteur (pasteurize)
This event on May 6, 1937, which effectively ended commercial zeppelin travel, was the result of a hydrogen ignition that consumed the craft in mere seconds.
what is... the Hindenburg
This Japanese loanword adopted globally since the 1980s describes an entertainment activity combining recorded instrumental tracks with live amateur vocals
what is... Karaoke
While Grogu and Yoda are more popular members of Yoda's species, this female council member was killed by Darth Tyrannus in "Tales of the Jedi"
who is... Yaddle
Kung-fu Kickball
what is... Shaolin Soccer
Sharing his name with the first U.S. president in conjunction with of a form of butchery, this agricultural scientist held 300 patents surrounding peanuts, hoping to free the American South from its dependency on the cotton industry.
who is... George Washington Carver
Down four points with 26 seconds remaining on the opposing team's one-yard line, this Super Bowl-winning coach declined to hand the ball to the best short-yardage running back of his generation. The resulting interception is widely considered the worst tactical decision in the history of American professional football.
who is... Pete Carroll
This compound noun, borrowed wholesale from German into English without translation, refers to the pleasure or satisfaction derived from witnessing another person's misfortune
what is... Schadenfreude
who is... Count Dooku/Darth Tyrannus
Saber Sprinter
what is... Blade Runner
Best known for being the researcher responsible for the chemistry of browning meat, toasting bread, and roasting coffee, this man's last name is a homophone with a type of duck.
Who is... Louis Maillard
Spoken by Jeb Bush at a sparsely attended February 2016 rally in New Hampshire after an applause line was met with silence, these two pleading words became the lasting epitaph of his $130 million presidential campaign.
what is... "please clap"
Now meaning any period of medical isolation, this English word derives from an Italian phrase for 'forty days'
what is... Quarantine
Famous for his cone shaped head and unique permission to have sexual relationships despite being a Jedi High Council member due to the relative decline of his species, this force user was killed in Order 66.
Who is... Ki-Adi-Mundi
Tabloid Tales
what is... Pulp Fiction
This American pharmacist who spent decades developing standardized methods of measuring plant compound intensity shares his first name with the beloved pig saved by a spider in an E.B. White children's novel.
who is... Wilbur Scoville
Funded by $1.75 billion in venture capital and led by former DreamWorks chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, this short-form video streaming service designed for mobile viewers 'on the go' launched in April 2020. For obvious reasons, it was shut down six months later.
what is... Quibi
This French loanword for deliberate destructive interference reportedly originates from disgruntled industrial workers throwing their wooden clogs into factory machinery during the early days of European industrialization
what is... Sabotage
This Jedi High Council member had orange skin, a rebreather, and is famous for training Ashoka Tano as well as having a uniquely waterproof lightsaber.
Who is... Plo Koon
Cataclysm Currently
what is... Apocalypse Now
Sharing his first name with Eminem's opponent 8 Mile and a type of chili pepper, this American naturalist-turned-inventor spent years adapting Inuit flash-freezing techniques into a commercial process that gave birth to the entire frozen food industry.
who is... Clarence Birdseye
while originally successful for reproduction revolvers in the 1990s, the firearms company USFA released this famously bad small calibre blowback pistol in 2013, leading to the company dissolving mere months later, caused primarily by both poor sales and extremely poor customer feedback due to constant malfunctions, manufacturing and safety issues.
what is... the Zip .22
Now used for wealthy business magnates, this English word entered the language in the 1850s after Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan, where it had been used as a title meaning 'great prince' to refer to the shogun.
what is... Tycoon
His last name a homophone for a type of backless chair, this Jedi High Council member had four arms, a head like a bedpost, and died before the Clone Wars started, having witnessed the supposed coming of the Chosen One; the testing of Anakin Skywalker in 32 BBY
who is... Yarael Poof