Through the Ages
Tom Brokaw called the people who contributed to this war effort “The Greatest Generation.”
What is World War II? According to Penguin Random House, publishers of Brokaw’s book The Greatest Generation, “From military heroes to community leaders to ordinary citizens, he profiles men and women who served their country with valor, then came home and transformed it.” The Greatest Generation was also called the GI Generation.
This Roman god of beginnings can see forward in time as well as back in time.
Who is Janus? January, the first month of the Gregorian calendar, takes its name from Janus.
No one wanted to hang out with someone who was this, a word meaning “boring” or a “buzzkill.”
What is a drag? A boring person might also be called a party pooper, wet blanket, stick in the mud, or killjoy.
This is the word for the ancient Greek marketplace.
What is agora? The agora wasn’t limited to merchants. It served as a meeting place, usually in the city center.
When you hear “Drop and give me 20,” it means you should do 20 of these.
What are push-ups? The push-up is a standard measure of fitness, and you’re most likely to hear the phrase shouted on the sports field or in a military physical training session.
In this 1996 film, Tom Cruise plays a slick sports agent navigating big-money contracts and personal redemption, delivering the famous line, “Show me the money!”
What is Jerry Maguire? Cuba Gooding Jr. won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film.
Members of this generation were born roughly between 1965 and 1980.
What is Generation X (or Gen X)? They were called “latchkey kids” because many mothers entered the workforce, and the kids came home to an empty house after school.
This Greek god rules Mount Olympus.
Who is Zeus? He was married to Hera, the goddess of marriage and childbirth.
This group was known as the “Fab Four.”
Who are the Beatles? The “Fab Four” started in Liverpool, England, and became one of the most successful bands in history. When they arrived in America in 1964, more than 70 million people watched them on TV.
This is the largest online marketplace in North America and one of the largest in the world.
What is Amazon? Amazon is widely considered the largest e-commerce marketplace globally outside China, and comparisons depend on metrics (GMV, revenue, etc.).
In the gym, when your fitness routine consists of going from machine to machine at a fast pace, you are doing this type of training.
What is circuit? Circuit training combines strength and cardio exercises, allowing for shorter workouts that still build muscle and burn calories effectively.
In this 1983 film starring Eddie Murphy, two commodity-broker brothers make a $1 bet to determine whether heredity or environment determines the course of a man’s life.
What is Trading Places? Eddie Murphy was relatively new to movies at the time, and much of his humor and dialogue was improvised, helping make the film feel fresh and spontaneous.
This descriptor is given to people who reach 100 years of age.
What is a centenarian? Being active, even just a few hours a week, can help people live longer. Many people who live to 100 stay active through everyday activities like walking or gardening.
The Greek god Poseidon and his Roman counterpart Neptune are gods of this place.
What is the sea? That is how the 1977 film The Poseidon Adventure got its name.
When we stayed out past curfew, our parents did this to their lids, meaning “get upset.”
What is flip? Other ways to say a person is upset include saying they lost their temper, hit the roof, went ballistic, or blew up.
During the 1970s, this large brokerage began to lead the industry in market trades without a broker, slashing fees and allowing clients the freedom to choose their own investments without interference and guidance.
What is Charles Schwab? It opened its online trading site in 1995.
This is the term for a person who performs an intense amount of exercise on the weekends and does little-to-no exercise during the week; it also refers to military reserves who train on the weekends a few times each year.
What is weekend warrior? Exercising strenuously on the weekends followed by sedentary weekdays can lead to injuries.
The 2005 film The Smartest Guys in the Room is a true story about this company, once headed by Ken Lay.
What is Enron? Its bankruptcy was one of the world’s largest. Ken Lay died before serving a prison sentence for fraud and conspiracy. Accounting firm Arthur Andersen LLP served as Enron’s auditor and collapsed after the scandal.
Generation Y follows Generation X and is often referred to by this name.
Who are Millennials? Born between 1981 and 1996, Millennials entered adulthood during major economic downturns and faced far higher housing and education costs compared with previous generations.
The Roman god Pluto rules the underworld; his ancient Greek counterpart is this god.
Who is Hades? Hades was the Greek god of the underworld and brother to Zeus and Poseidon. He was guarded by Cerberus, a three-headed dog.
This is another name for the summertime footwear known as thongs.
What are flip-flops? Flip-flops have been worn for thousands of years; early versions were worn in ancient Egypt. The modern style became popular after World War II when soldiers brought home the design referred to as zori from Japan.
It’s the largest online auction marketplace in the world.
What is eBay? Founded in 1995 by American entrepreneur Pierre Omidyar, eBay was one of the first websites to connect buyers and sellers online and helped make online shopping popular around the world.
When exercisers hang from a bar and then lift themselves up, they are doing this exercise.
What is a pull-up? Even though it looks like an arm exercise, pull-ups also require strong core muscles to keep the body steady.
In this 1987 film, Michael Douglas plays Gordon Gekko and says, “Greed is good.”
What is Wall Street? The Gekko character is based on Ivan Boesky, who delivered the famous quote in a commencement address to the Berkeley business school class of 1986. Boesky dominated 1980s financial headlines as a junk-bond king and corporate raider.
The 50th wedding anniversary is often called this.
What is golden anniversary? Just six percent of couples in the United States make it to 50 years of marriage, making it a truly special milestone.
Aphrodite and Venus are the goddesses of this emotion.
What is love (or romance)? The word aphrodisiac comes from Aphrodite. They are also the goddesses of beauty.
They were known as “heat.”
What are police? The slang term heat has been used since at least the 1920s to describe police pressure or trouble; it later became popular in crime films and street slang.
This is the largest brick-and-mortar mall in the United States.
What is Mall of America? It is located in Bloomington, Minnesota. While it’s the largest in the 50 states, it’s not the largest mall in North America. Canada claims that right with its West Edmonton Mall. Mall of America has 500 retailers and services, and West Edmonton Mall has 800 retailers and services.
This exercise consists of work on a floor mat or a machine called a reformer.
What is Pilates? Pilates builds strong core muscles.
This 2015 film starring Christian Bale as a physician-turned-trader and based on the book by Michael Lewis follows several traders who spot trouble in the housing market and bet against it before the crash.
What is The Big Short? The film is based on real traders who predicted the housing market collapse and profited by shorting it.
This nickname refers to people in their 90s.
What is nonagenarian? People are living longer than ever. It is estimated that by 2030, about 1 in 6 people worldwide will be age 60 or older, and that number continues to grow.
Njord is the god of the wind and sea in this mythology.
What is Norse mythology? These stories come from ancient Scandinavia and were passed down through poems and songs before being written down later.
Teenage boys in their muscle cars did this, meaning leaving tire marks on the road from a fast start or stop.
What is “laid rubber”? As cars became more powerful in the 1950s and 1960s, drivers could spin their tires so fast that friction heated the rubber, causing smoking tires and dark marks on the road.
This company launched in 1997 as a DVD-by-mail rental service and is now a streaming platform with an app, offering original films, TV shows, and popular studio content.
What is Netflix? Their distribution service allowed some customers to receive next-day DVDs, but today, customers can point and click on most devices, from smartphones to TVs, to stream content.
This trend began in the 1980s and combines jazz and aerobics.
What is Jazzercise? The trend began in the 1980s, but Jazzercise got its start in 1969.
This actor of Titanic fame plays the lead role of Jordon Belfort, an ex-con who teams up with a partner to open a brokerage in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street.
Who is Leonardo DiCaprio? The film portrays Belfort’s journey into despair due to the unsustainable adrenaline rush caused by his job.