April 30th
Oscar Losers
I Get So Emotional...
...Every Time...
...I Think of "U"
100

It was on April 30th, 1492 that this Italian-born explorer was given his commission by the Spanish King to explore the unknown waters to the west of Europe.

Who is "Christopher Columbus"?

100

Unfortunately, the "yellow brick road" did not lead to an Oscar win for this 1939 film. 

What is "The Wizard of Oz?"

100

This Disney flick received high praise from child psychologists upon its 2015 release for the way it portrayed the volatile emotions of a girl named Riley entering adolescence. 

What is "Inside Out"?

100

Before modern clocks, hourglasses were filled with this granular substance to keep track of time.

What is "sand"?

100

This stringed instrument has its origins in Portugal, but was ultimately popularized halfway around the in Hawaii.

What is the "ukelele"?

200

UNESCO recognizes April 30th as the International Day of this music genre of Coltrane, Davis, and Ellington, and Utah basketball.

What is "Jazz"?

200

It was a PWC error that caused this 2016 Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone film to be erroneously announced as the winner by Warren Beatty. Oops.

What is "La La Land"?

200

One widely accepted model of basic emotions includes happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and this final one, which among other things can help protect us from consuming rotten food.

What is "disgust"?

200

It was possibly Benjamin Franklin who coined this three word expression that emphasizes the economic value of time - and that is should not be wasted.

What is "Time is Money"?

200

While this Harry Potter character is technically a secondary antagonist, her more subtle villainy aggravated many fans far more than Lord Voldemort.

Who is "Umbridge"?

300

On April 30th, 2009, this American motoring giant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Do you think it was the PT Cruiser that brought it down?

What is "Chrysler"?

300

The Social Network, a 2010 film about the origin of this real-life social network, was edged out for best picture by The King's Speech.

What is "Facebook"?

300

People (like me) who struggle to conceal their emotions are said to wear this internal organ - often associated with emotion - on their sleeve.

What is "heart"?

300

In physics, the concept of "Spacetime" is used to refer to a model of reality which combines this many spatial dimensions with one time dimension.

What if "Three"?

300

This metric is often used as a measure of general economic health in a region - it peaked at 30% in Canada in 1933.

What is "unemployment"?

400

It was on April 30th, 2008 that speculation about the fate of this Russian princess was finally laid to rest when her skeletal remains were discovered in Yekaterinburg.

Who is "Anastasia"?

400

The 2005 Oscars saw quite an upset when this film starring cowboy lovers Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal was beat out by the controversial thriller Crash.

What is "Brokeback Mountain"?

400

In contrast with emotion, psychologists use this term is used to describe a more long-lasting, vague states of being. I hear you can get a ring to show yours.

What is "mood"?

400

In the Gregorian calendar used in most of the world today, this many months have 31 days - yes, even on a leap year.

What is "seven"?

400

This word might be used both to describe the location of a miner and musical tastes that fall outside the mainstream.

What is "underground"?

500

The last American helicopter fled this Vietnamese city on April 30th, 1975, effectively ending 20 continuous years of war.

What is "Saigon"?

500

Haley Joel Osment may have seen dead people, but he did not see a golden statuette when this film of his lost to American Beauty at the 1999 Oscars.

What is "Sixth Sense"?

500

This German word that was borrowed directly into English literally translates to "harm-joy", and it used to described the pleasure felt at someone else's pain. You would never, though, right?

What is "schadenfreude"?

500

These areas which are used to keep standard time are each roughly 15 degrees on longitude wide, but do deviate significantly for political and geographical considerations.

What are "time zones"?

500

The lowest stratum of the traditional Indian caste system is the Dalit class, also known by this "U" term.

What is "Untouchables"?