Arts & Entertainment
Bad Things
Jocks & Joquettes
Mash O'Rama
Our World
100
Each year, country music toasts the top talents in twangy tunes. Name the woman who took the 2009 Academy of Country Music Award for Album of the Year.
Taylor Swift (Fearless). (Page 277)
100
As we all know, this has turned out to be a cold, snowy winter. I left the house this morning without my mittens, got stuck in a snowbank on my way to work and had to clean the 1 foot of snow from my car barehanded! Now my fingers are tingling and have a funny white tinge and I'm afraid I might have frostbite. What do I do? Use the guide to basic first aid in The World Almanac to give me the proper method for handling frostbite.
Handle frostbitten areas gently. Do not rub. Soak affected area in warm water (not warmer than 105 degrees), if there is no danger of area refreezing. Do not allow frostbitten area to touch the container. Keep the frostbitten part in the water until normal color returns and it feels warms. Loosely bandage the area with dry, sterile dressings. If fingers or toes are frostbitten, put sterile gauze between them. Call 9-1-1- or seek emergency help as soon as possible. (Page 167)
100
What was the name of the Super Bowl MVP in 2009?
Santonio Holmes (Pittsburgh) (Page 897)
100
Dogs--they're still man's best friend. Among dog owners, though, tastes vary with the times. In a given year, some dog breeds enjoy popularity, while other fall out of fashion. The American Kennel Club registers dogs of various breeds annually, giving us an indication of which canine variety is the preferred pooch of the time period. According to The World Almanac, which breed ranked number one in the year 2008, with the highest number of registered dogs?
Labrador Retriever (100,736 were registered with the AKC in 2008) (Page 294)
100
Animals are capable of moving around our world at quite a wide range of speeds. The cheetah, of course, is on the fast end of the scale--capable of reaching 70 miles per hour. The garden snail, on the other hand, is not quite so swift. According to The World Almanac, what is the maximum speed of a garden snail?
0.03 miles per hour (Page 293)
200
Name the television show that took the Emmy Award (Prime-Time) in the comedy category in the years 2007, 2008 and 2009.
30 Rock (Page 273)
200
According to one of the offbeat news stories of 2009 (The Right Stuff), if you are hoping to be considered for one of China's newest astronauts, you will have to be a "super human being" based upon some of the 100 criteria that China will use to screen candidates. What are these criteria?
No bad breath or body odor, no scars, no chronic colds, cavities, drug allergies or ringworm or occurrence of a serious illness within the last 3 generations of their family. (Page 43)
200
In NASCAR stock car racing, the ultimate goal is to win the season championship, now called the Nextel Cup. Richard Petty, considered by many to be the "King" of stock car racing, retired in 1992 after winning the championship seven times. In what year did he first become NASCAR champion?
What is 1964 (Page 960)
200
Looks like I'm going to have to make some extra space around my house. Soon there'll be another little set of feet pattering around. Four feet, actually. And not so little. "Poopsie," my pet white rhino, is expecting. Gosh, it seem like only days ago she was just a baby herself. I wonder exactly how long it'll be 'til the wrinkled little bundle of joy arrives. Use The World Almanac to find out the gestation period for this adorable animal.
480 days ( Page 292)
200
People are making telephone calls all over our world--many on cellular telephones. According to The World Almanac, what country within the Top 50 Nations for Use of Cellular Telephones, has the highest number of cell phone subscriptions PER each 100 people in its population?
Italy (there are 148.61 cell phone subscriptions for every 100 people). (Page 369)
300
Tickets were hard to come by, but those who made it into the theater to see it, raved about the Broadway musical that was declared the year's best at the 2001 Tony Awards. Name it.
The Producers. (Page 272)
300
Sometimes, an aircraft disaster can be adverted with no fatalities. What was the name of the captain of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 that averted such a disaster on January 15, 2009 when he made a spectacular emergency landing on the surface of the Hudson River after an apparent bird strike took out both of the plane's engines shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport?
Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III (Page 312)
300
NHL Hockey. It can get pretty rough out there on the ice, but--believe it or not--pro hockey is one of the few sports in which an annual award is given to the player judged "most gentlemanly." It's called the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. Name the NHL player who has won the trophy in the years 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 and the team for which he plays.
Who is Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings) (page 946)
300
What were the most popular first names of American girls born between 1990 and 1999?
Ashley, Jessica, Sarah, Brittany, Emily, Kaitlyn, Samantha, Megan, Brianna & Katherine (Page 719)
300
They called it Kingda Ka and it's one of the wildest roller coasters in our world! It's also the world's fastest and tallest roller coaster. Just how fast and how tall is this roller coaster and where do I have to go to find it?
128 mph, 456 ft. tall, located at Six Flags Great Adventure Park in Jackson, NJ
400
Starting back in the 1980's, the personal computer revolutionized the way we live our lives--including how we waste our time. Nothing beats computer games for frittering away those idle hours. According to The World Almanac, what was the top-selling PC game software in 2008-2009?
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack (Page 364)
400
When you don't have the money to make ends meet, it's a bad thing. Poverty affects people across the United States--some states suffer more than others. According to The World Almanac, what state had the highest poverty rate in 2007-2008? What's the percentage of poverty in the state of New Hampshire for 2007-2008?
Mississippi and 6.4% (Page 54)
400
I'm pretty steamed about my kid's little league game. My son's team was completely shut out yesterday afternoon. The opposing team's pitcher hurled a no hitter. The kid on the mound had a 100 mile per hour fastball--not only that, he was about 6'4" tall, with a mustache. After the game, the kid got in his car and drove home. What's up with that? I'm gonna fire off a lietter to the organization's headquarters and let them know I smell a rat. Use The World Almanac's sports directory and find me the address and website of The Little League Baseball Organization.
Little League Baseball, PO Box 3485, Williamsport, PA 17701, www.littleleague.org. (Page 426)
400
If you gaze up at the clear night sky, you'll notice that our world seems enveloped by stars. If you're the imaginative type, you might see figures in the sky formed by certain groups of stars, just as our ancestors did. These imagined star figures are called constellations, and many have names that echo the men and women who've admired them for generations. For example, according to The World Almanac, what is the meaning of the constellation 'Lupus'?
Wolf (Page 337)
400
According to The World Almanac, most people in our world speak one of about fifteen major languages as their "first language." What language is most spoken and how many millions speak this language?
Chinese, 1,213 million. (Page 721)
500
You might know him as Eminem, but the rapper's real name is Marshall Mathers and actor Jackie Chan's original name is Chan Kwong-Sung. Musicians, actors and other entertainers often choose not to use their original names. What are the original names of the following entertainers known as: Moby, 50 Cent, and Pink?
Richard Melville Hall, Curtis Jackson, Alecia Moore (Pages 241 - 242)
500
War, famine, earthquakes, floods, substance abuse, poverty--there are many bad things in our world. Luckily though, there are also exceptional people--activists, social reformers, and humanitarians--who dedicate their lives to improving the lives of others. The Salvation Army is an organization that is dedicated to assisting people who face just about any "bad thing" you could think of. Its founder is considered to be one of history's greatest humanitarians. Name him.
William Booth (Page 203)
500
It's been said that "whatever a man can do, a woman can do better." No doubt Gertrude Ederle would have agreed with that statement. Gertrude Ederle remains a noted sports personality today for a feat she accomplished back in 1926. Not only was she the first woman to accomplish this goal, but she beat the existing record set by the few men who had accomplished it before her. What was the goal?
She was the first woman to swim the English Channel (Page 205)
500
An enduring sign of freedom standing 305 feet tall in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty has welcomed visitors and immigrants to this country for over 117 years. What is the formal name of this national monument and what are the dimensions of the statue's fingernail?
Liberty Enlightening the World, 13 x 10 inches. (Page 519-520)
500
I'm planning on taking a little trip around our world this summer and I'm finding the aviation section of The World Almanac quite helpful! I'm planning to fly from New York to Honolulu. According to The World Almanac, what is the air distance between New York and Honolulu?
4,969 Statute Miles (Page 98)
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