Also a Greek Letter
If you have multiple dogs, this one is the “top dog.”
What is alpha? Dogs, of course, descend from wolves, who live in family groups where the “alphas” are generally the parents. Listen to your elders, pups!
She was the first person to fly solo across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Who is Amelia Earhart? She and her airplane disappeared while flying across the Pacific Ocean in her attempt to circumnavigate the globe. She was never found and was legally declared dead two years after her disappearance.
The U.S. president’s airplane is known as this.
What is Air Force One? The VC-25, or modified 747, can be refueled in the air and has electromagnetic pulse protection, missile defense systems, encrypted communications, and an operating room.
You know him as Rocky Balboa in the Rocky movie franchise.
Who is Sylvester Stallone? Stallone is said to be surprised the Rocky series has lasted as long as it has. It now comprises the original six Rocky films as well as the Creed movies, where Rocky’s legacy lives on.
Traditional Italian cooks boil their pasta to this state, meaning “to the tooth.”
What is al dente? Pasta boiled until soft and mushy is easier to digest, but al dente pasta has a lower glycemic index and retains more nutrients.
In a delicious ad campaign, this restaurant chain sang, “I want my baby back ribs.”
What is Chili’s? The commercial first aired in 1989, though the tune we know and love today was refined in the early ’90s.
This is a U.S. airline.
What is Delta? When the airline was established, it was a crop-dusting company. In 1928, it was bought and rebranded Delta Air Service, a commercial air carrier serving the Mississippi Delta region. Today, it’s a major international airline with its own oil refinery to produce jet fuel.
She founded the American Red Cross.
Who is Clara Barton? During the Civil War, Barton was a nurse and an educator. In 1881, she founded the American Red Cross. Barton and Susan B. Anthony were contemporaries and friends.
The royal family’s jewels are kept at this tourist attraction under heavy guard.
What is the Tower of London? In addition to guard details and 100 closed-circuit cameras, the jewels are kept in a bomb-proof glass case.
This actor plays the Scarecrow in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Who is Ray Bolger? Several of the actors play two roles in the film—characters in Kansas as well as in Oz. Bolger plays Hunk in Kansas.
This is not a named street, but it often accommodates foot and sometimes vehicle traffic.
What is alley? It permits access to the back of buildings and can keep the street clear of delivery vehicles.
Since 1989, this store chain proclaimed itself “the place with the helpful hardware man.”
What is Ace? In recent years, the brand changed the wording to “helpful hardware folks” to be more inclusive.
This is used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter—a mathematical constant.
What is pi? It is an irrational number with digits that go on forever, but written out to the fifth decimal it is 3.14159. Pi is also the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet.
This Polish-born French scientist discovered polonium and radium.
Who is Marie Curie? She won two Nobel Prizes: one solo award in chemistry and one in physics with her husband, Pierre Curie, and Henri Becquerel.
This is the area between North and South Korea.
What is the DMZ (or demilitarized zone)? It runs along the 38th parallel and is guarded by troops from both sides as well as American troops. Visitors are allowed to place their feet on both sides of the heavily guarded zone.
He plays Captain von Trapp in the 1965 movie The Sound of Music.
Who is Christopher Plummer? In his 2008 memoir, Plummer jokingly claims to have been raised by an Airedale terrier and recalls no interaction with his parents during his early years.
He is one of the stars of the TV series M*A*S*H.
Who is Alan Alda? He plays “Hawkeye” Pierce. The show had the most-viewed series finale of all time.
Running for more than two decades through the 1970s and ’80s, this detergent brand’s jingle promised not to leave a “ring around the collar.”
What is Wisk? Theirs was the first liquid laundry detergent to hit the shelves.
This is the final round of testing before releasing the product to the public; it is also a “blocker” pharmaceutical.
What is beta? A beta blocker lowers blood pressure by reducing the heart rate.
This Golden Age Austrian American actress starred with luminaries such as Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy and played a crucial role in World War II due to her technological expertise.
Who is Hedy Lamarr? During World War II, she and George Antheil received a patent for a secret communications system that allowed messages to change radio frequencies so the enemy could not capture and decode them.
This military base in southern Nevada is rumored to house the remains of alien beings. It is commonly known by this name.
What is Area 51? Its official name is the Nevada Test and Training Range at Groom Lake, and it is where the U-2 spy plane was produced and tested.
He plays Don Lockwood and sings the title song in Singin’ in the Rain.
Who is Gene Kelly? Kelly was known to be a perfectionist and to yell at his costars during filming. Debbie Reynolds was found crying under a piano once due to the mistreatment.
This is someone who is unselfish and puts others first.
What is an altruist? This person’s characteristics are the opposite of an egotist’s.
They’ve wanted to “teach the world to sing” since 1971.
Who is Coca-Cola? The commercial jingle was so popular that the song became a hit in its own right.
These rays have the smallest wavelengths and the most energy on the electromagnetic spectrum.
What is gamma? Neutron stars, pulsars, and supernova explosions can produce gamma rays.
She was the first female prime minister of India.
Who is Indira Gandhi? She served from 1966 to 1970 and then again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.
This 18th-century luxury spa and resort in Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, contains an underground bunker that was once heavily guarded.
What is the Greenbrier? Built in 1778, the resort became home to the secret bunker in the 1950s intended to house the U.S. Congress in case of a nuclear event. The bunker has been declassified since 1992.
This actor plays Professor Henry Higgins in the 1964 film My Fair Lady.
Who is Rex Harrison? After losing most of the sight in his left eye from a bout with measles, Harrison’s mother took him to the theater to cheer him up. That is when he became determined to become an actor.
This is the literary term for a fable or parable.
What is allegory? This method of portraying a deeper, complex meaning beyond the surface of the story dates to biblical times. A more recent example of an allegory is J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series, which portrays good versus evil.
“You deserve a break today,” said this fast-food giant in 1971.
What is McDonald’s? The tune was named the No. 1 jingle of the century by Ad Age in 1999.
This is a Swiss luxury watch brand.
What is Omega? Their top-of-the-line models sell for $25,000.
This 18th-century British novelist ushered in the modern romantic comedy genre.
Who is Jane Austen? Her famous novels include Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.
This place houses 12 centuries of documents, and its 53 miles of shelves contain 35,000 volumes. It includes the letter that Mary, Queen of Scots, sent to Pope Sixtus V, begging him to spare her life.
What are the Vatican Archives? The fascinating collection houses thousands of years of history, including documentation on Martin Luther’s excommunication.
He plays a former San Francisco police detective named Scottie in Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
Who is James Stewart? There was a 25-year age gap between James Stewart and his costar Kim Novak. Years later, Hitchcock acknowledged he felt he miscast Stewart due to this fact.
This is one of the main active compounds in garlic and is believed to have medicinal value, including lowering a person’s cholesterol and blood pressure.
What is allicin? Studies show that allicin has antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cancer-fighting properties.
This chewing gum brand assured consumers that “The taste is gonna move you!”
What is Juicy Fruit? First aired in 1986, the commercial featured carefree skiing teens.