Joey's Trivia

Week of January 22 – List of best-selling single-volume books

A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens in 1859.  Approximate sales $200 million. (Genre:  History Fiction/English)

Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince), written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery in 1943. Approximate sales close to $200 million.  (Genre:  Fantasy/French)

The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1954 – 1955.  Approximate sales $150 million.  (Genre:  High Fantasy/English) million.

The Hobbit, written by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1937.  Approximate sales $100 million.  (Genre: Juvenile Fantasy/English).

紅樓夢/红楼梦 Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber), written by Cao Xuequin, in 1759 – 1791.  Approximately sales:  $100 million.  (Genre:  Family Saga/Chinese)

And Then There Were None, written by Agatha Christie in 1930.  Approximate sales $100 million.  (Genre:  Mystery).

My favorite book:  To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee in 1960.  Approximate sales $30 million.  (Genre:  Social Drama).

Week of January 15 – Martin Luther King Jr. Trivia

Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr., in Atlanta but later had his name changed to Martin.  He was assassinated at the age of 39 in 1968.

Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen.

At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.

Dr. King usually followed Mohandas K. Gandhi techniques

The first Civil Rights action King was involved in was the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Dr. King helped the fight for Civil Rights because he saw injustice in separation.

The March on Washington  might be seen as King’s greatest accomplishment as a Civil Rights Leader.

Dr. King wrote ALL his speeches.

Dr. King’s  protest were peaceful.

January 8 – T.V Trivia

1313 Mockingbird Lane was the home address of the Munsters.

Kojack’s first name was Theo.

McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney & Kuzak was the name of the law firm in LA Law.

ABC cancelled Get Smart after the Statue of Liberty was blown up in an episode

Philip was the first name of the offbeat detective Columbo?

Ricky Ricardo was the bandleader and emcee at the New York nightclub, The Tropicana Club  in the t.v. show I Love Lucy.

In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere.

The first toilet ever seen on television was on “Leave It to Beaver.”

January 1, 2012 – New Year Traditions around the World

United States – The most commonly sung song for English-speakers on New Year’s eve, “Auld Lang Syne” is an old Scottish song that was first published by the poet Robert Burns in the 1796 edition of the book, Scots Musical Museum.  Americans watch the ball drop in Times Square and kiss at midnight.

Scotland  – They call their new year celebration Hogmanay.  The Scottish observe a “first foot” tradition waiting for the first guest to enter the home after midnight as a way to predict their fortune for the upcoming year.

Danish traditionalists will find a doorstep of broken dishes on New Years day. Thrown at the door through the night, the more broken pieces you have, it is thought the greater the number of friendships.

Spain:  Spaniards celebrate the clock striking 12 by challenging themselves to eat 12 grapes before the final ringing of midnight.

The Netherlands:  The Dutch burn bonfires of Christmas trees on the street and launch fireworks. The fires are meant to purge the old and welcome the new.

Greece:  One of the traditional foods served is Vassilopitta, or St Basil’s cake. A silver or gold coin is baked inside the cake. Whoever finds the coin in their piece of cake will be especially lucky during the coming year.

Japan:  The new year is a symbol of renewal.  In December, various Bonenkai or “forget-the-year parties” are held to bid farewell to the problems and concerns of the past year and prepare for a new beginning. Misunderstandings and grudges are forgiven and houses are scrubbed.

At midnight on Dec. 31, Buddhist temples strike their gongs 108 times, in a effort to expel 108 types of human weakness.

Week of December 18 – Weather trivia

The hottest temperature on Earth was recorded on September 13, 1922 in Aziziya, Libya at a mild (HA HA) 136 degrees (F).

The coldest temperature on Earth was on July 21, 1983 at the Vostok Station in Antartica at -128.6 degrees.  (BRRRR.)

The most consecutive days above 100 degrees F was 160 days in Marble Bar, Western Australia from October 31, 1923 to April 7, 1924.

The most snow in a ONE year period was 102 feet at Mount Rainier, Washington (USA) from February 19, 1971 to February 18, 1972.

The most rain fall recorded in the continental US was in 1864 following the civil war. It rained for a total of 26 straight days without stopping for more then 5 minutes.

The heaviest hail ever recorded was 2.25 pounds in Gopalganj District, Bangladesh on April 14, 1986.

The fastest temperature drop was 49 degrees in 15 minutes in Rapid City, South Dakota on January 10, 1911.

The fastest recorded wind speed was 484±32 km/h (301±20 mph) 3-second gust; Observed by a DOW (Doppler on Wheels) radar unit in a tornado near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 3, 1999.