CONVENTIONAL WISDOM
LOCAL POP CULTURE
SANDY
EGO
FALL
2026
100

Set during the American Revolution, this 2015 musical was nominated for a record 16 Tony awards, winning 11

WHAT IS HAMILTON?

100

Tom Cruise trains at San Diego’s Naval Air Station Miramar in this 1986 action film

WHAT IS TOP GUN?

100

This Dodgers lefty won three Cy Young Awards in the 1960s and was the youngest player ever elected to the Hall of Fame

WHO IS SANDY KOUFAX?

100

Never known for modesty, this world leader said “Show me someone without an ego, and I’ll show you a loser”

WHO IS DONALD TRUMP?

100

This 1667 epic poem chronicles humanity’s fall from the grace of God

WHAT IS PARADISE LOST?

100

In July this celebrity couple got married at Madison Square Garden; my invite must have gotten lost in the mail

WHO ARE TAYLOR SWIFT AND TRAVIS KELCE?

200

Recent Marvel movies have leaned heavily on this storytelling device involving alternate worlds and timelines

WHAT IS THE MULTIVERSE?

200

This anchorman played by Will Ferrell signed off each broadcast (except one!) with “You stay classy, San Diego”

WHO IS RON BURGUNDY?

200

In a long-running musical, this title orphan befriends a stray dog she names Sandy

WHO IS ANNIE?

200

In Homer’s Iliad, this greatest Greek warrior opines “There are no pacts between lions and men”

WHO IS ACHILLES?

200

This character from Greek myth fell to earth after the sun melted the wax in his wings

WHO IS ICARUS?

200

In June this company had the biggest IPO in history, raising a record $75 billion

WHAT IS SPACEX?

300

Before starring in reality shows like Rock of Love, he sold 60 million records as the frontman for Poison

WHO IS BRET MICHAELS?

300

In the climax of this 1997 film sequel, a Tyrannosaurus Rex breaks free and goes on a rampage in downtown San Diego

WHAT IS THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK?

300

The famous sand beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana are located in this South American city

WHAT IS RIO DE JANEIRO?

300

When he set the record for career stolen bases in 1991, the game was interrupted so he could announce “Today, I am the greatest of all time!”

WHO IS RICKEY HENDERSON?

300

In 1855 David Livingstone named this African tourist attraction after the reigning British monarch

WHAT IS VICTORIA FALLS?

300

In January the U.S. captured this Venezuelan president and charged him with a series of crimes

WHO IS NICOLAS MADURO?

400

Edvard Grieg was born and “raise”d in this second-largest city of Norway

WHAT IS BERGEN?

400

If you’ve learned “All the Small Things” about this pop-punk trio, you’ll know they were formed in San Diego County in 1992

WHO ARE BLINK-182?

400

Sandy Olsson is Danny Zuko’s love interest in this 1978 movie musical set at Rydell High

WHAT IS GREASE?

400

“Scornful Egotist” is often called the worst creature ever printed in this Richard Garfield creation, the world’s first trading card game

WHAT IS MAGIC: THE GATHERING?

400

This 1980s action series starred Lee Majors as a Hollywood stunt performer who moonlighted as a bounty hunter

WHAT IS THE FALL GUY?

400

This NASA mission, the first astronaut flyby of the moon since 1972, was launched in April

WHAT IS ARTEMIS II?

500

“Wise Blood” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” are 2 diamonds in the bibliography of this female Southern Gothic autho

WHO IS FLANNERY O’CONNOR?

500

This teen comedy movie from 2000 starred Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union as cheerleading rivals from San Diego and Compton respectively

WHAT IS BRING IT ON?

500

The Great Sandy Desert is located on this continent, the smallest of the seven by area

WHAT IS AUSTRALIA?

500

In addition to proclaiming that God is dead, this übermensch of a German philosopher wrote "I have reached such a height that when I stand atop the summit, I look down upon myself!"

WHO IS FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE?

500

This Poe short story is set at the decaying family mansion of siblings Roderick and Madeline

WHAT IS THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER?

500

A summer outbreak of this parasite was traced to iceberg lettuce from Mexico

WHAT IS CYCLOSPORA?