Trivia People

Here are a few historical monarchs with less-than-flattering nicknames, and the stories behind them.

Charles the Fat was a great-grandson of Charlemagne, and reunited his forebear's empire for a short time. There's some disagreement over whether he fully qualifies as a Holy Roman Emperor, but he was crowned by Pope John VIII. His empire consisted of large parts of what is now western Europe. He was considered lethargic and inept. He is also believed to have suffered from epilepsy. He was overthrown by his nephew Arnulf of Carinthia three years after reuniting the empire.

One of Charles the Fat's predecessors was Charles the Bald, who might have been the first monarch to receive an ironic nickname. It's thought that he had a full head of hair and was quite hairy. Speaking of hirsute monarchs, at about the same time as Charles the Bald's reign, Wilfred the Hairy was ruling over a portion of what is now Spain.

Among Charles the Bald's children was Louis the Stammerer. Besides his apparent speech impediment, Louis was also in ill health and only survived his father by two years.

William I of England was known as William the Bastard by enemies and William the Conquerer by allies, while John George I of Saxony was known as Beer Jug because of his alcoholism. Three other monarchs, including Wenceslaus VI were known as "the Drunkard."

Wladyslaw the Elbow High was known as such because of his short stature.

Ivaylo of Bulgaria was known as Radish, Lettuce, or Cabbage, after leading a peasant revolt against the Byzantines and Mongols.

Four kings, including Louis XI of France and Peter I of Portugal were known as "The Cruel." Constantine V was known as "the dung-named" by his enemies.

There was Fulk the Ill-Tempered, Henry the Impotent, Louis the Indolent, and Ferdinand the Inconsistent. Other interesting names include Eric the Priest Hater, Frederick the Quarreller, James the Rash, Pippin the Short, and Pippin the Hunchback.

There was Uros the Weak of Serbia, Ethelred the Unready of England and Thomas the Albanian-Slayer.

Besides Ivan, there were three other monarchs known as "the Terrible."

Of course, most of these nicknames were applied by their enemies, and several of them are known by more favorable names as well.

Our question: Vlad the Impaler was the inspiration for what literary character?

Today is Constitution Day in Russia, Ground Forces Day in Ukraine and Croatian Air Force Day.

It's unofficially National Ambrosia Day, Poinsettia Day, and Gingerbread House Day.

It's the birthday of artist Edvard Munch, who was born in 1863; singer Frank Sinatra, who was born in 1915; and game show host Bob Barker, who is 93.

Because our topic happened before 1960, we'll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 1982, the top song in the U.S. was "Maneater" by Hall and Oates.

The No. 1 movie was "The Toy," while the novel "Space" by James Michener topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

What wireless technology was named after a Danish king's nickname?

Submit your answer at triviapeople.com/test and we'll add the name of the person with the first correct answer to our winner's wall … at triviapeople.com. We'll reveal the correct answer on Friday's episode.

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On Thursday, John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth and a longtime senator from Ohio died at the age of 95.

Here are a few things you may not have known about him.

John Glenn was born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio, in the southeastern part of the state.

In 1941, he earned his private pilot license for credit in a physics class at Muskingum College. He didn't complete his degree at that time because he quit college to enlist in the Army Air Corps. He was never called to duty, so he enlisted in the Navy as an aviation cadet. Soon after, he transferred to the Marine Corps.

Beginning in 1943, Glenn flew 59 combat missions in the South Pacific, and was promoted to captain shortly before the end of World War II.

During the Korean War, Glenn flew 63 missions in the new F9F Panther jet. He gained the nickname "Magnet Ass" for his ability to draw enemy fire. Twice he returned to base with more than 250 holes in his plane. For a time, baseball legend Ted Williams served as his wingman.

After the Korean War, Glenn served as a test pilot, completing the first transcontinental supersonic flight in 1957.

A year later he applied for a place in NASA's first class of astronauts. Despite being 39 years old, just shy of the age limit of 40, and not holding a required college degree in science, Glenn was among the group chosen. Glenn joined Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton as part of the Mercury Seven.

Glenn was chosen for the third Mercury mission, the first that would orbit the Earth. On the morning of February 20, 1962, atop an Atlas rocket, John Glenn, inside his capsule called Friendship 7, was launched into orbit.

Glenn circled the Earth three times during his almost 5-hour mission before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean north of Puerto Rico.

Glenn was given a hero's welcome on his return home, receiving a ticker-tape parade in New York City, and meeting with President John F. Kennedy and receiving the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.

In 1964, Glenn resigned from NASA to run for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat. However, his candidacy was short-lived as he dropped out after suffering a concussion in a fall in the bathtub. He retired from the Marine Corps on January 1, 1965, and went to work as an executive with Royal Crown Cola.

Glenn became close friends with the Kennedy family. He was present when Bobby Kennedy was killed in 1968, and served as one of his pallbearers. Glenn ran for Senate again in 1970, losing the Democratic primary. He was finally elected to the Senate in 1974. He was a candidate for vice president in 1976, and for president in 1984.

In 1998, at the age of 77 and while still serving as a senator, Glenn returned to space on the shuttle Discovery, as part of an experiment in geriatric studies.

The mission made Glenn the oldest person to fly in space, and the only person to fly in both the Mercury and Space Shuttle programs.

Upon the crew's return to Earth, they were the recipients of a ticker-tape parade in New York, making Glenn the 10th and most recent non-athlete to receive multiple ticker-tape parades.

In June 2016, the Port Columbus International Airport was renamed in honor of John Glenn.

Glenn was the last surviving member of the Mercury Seven.

Glenn married the former Annie Castor in 1943 after they met in college. She survives him, along with their two children and two grandchildren.

Our question: Who defeated John Glenn for the 1984 Democratic presidential nomination?

Today is International Anti-Corruption Day, and National Heroes Day in Antigua and Barbuda.

It's unofficially National Salesperson Day, International Day of Veterinary Medicine, and World Techno Day.

It's the birthday of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who was born in 1905; actor Kirk Douglas, who is 100 years old; and actress Judi Dench, who is 82.

Because our topic happened before 1960, we'll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 2003, the top song in the U.S. was "Hey Ya!" by Outkast.

The No. 1 movie was "The Last Samurai," while the novel "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge,_Ohio

https://www.google.com/maps/place/21°20'00.0%22N+68°40'00.0%22W/@21.5370417,-69.0562302,6.95z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d21.333333!4d-68.666667?hl=en

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn_Columbus_International_Airport

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_Seven#Group_members

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/us/john-glenn-dies.html?_r=0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_and_Barbuda

https://www.checkiday.com/12/09/2016

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-december-09

http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/numberonesongs/?chart=us&m=12&d=9&y=1960&o=

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2003_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_2003

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On this date in 1941, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt gave what has become one of the most famous speeches in American history.

Here are a few things you may not have known about the "Infamy Speech."

On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, sinking six American ships and killing almost 2,500 U.S. soldiers, sailors, Marines and civilians.

The next day, Roosevelt spoke before a joint session of Congress. He described the events of the previous day as "a date which will live in infamy."

That turn of phrase wasn't in the initial draft of the speech. Originally it read, "a date which will live in world history." Roosevelt himself changed the wording.

Roosevelt chose the word "infamy" not because of the scope of the attack, but rather because it was unannounced and came while diplomats from the two countries were negotiating.

The speech was written to appeal to Americans' patriotism and their sense of being wronged by Japan, rather than the idealism used by Woodrow Wilson at the start of World War I, 24 years earlier.

The tone of the speech has been referred to as determined realism. Roosevelt didn't attempt to sugarcoat the amount of damage done to the American military. He used the speech to rally Americans to fight back against the Japanese aggression.

The speech was broadcast live on radio, and it has been estimated that 81 percent of American homes tuned in.

Less than an hour after Roosevelt finished speaking, both houses of Congress passed a declaration of war against Japan with only one vote against it. The lone "nay" vote was from Montana Republican Jeannette Rankin, who was a pacifist.

Following the speech, the White House was inundated by telegrams praising the speech, while military recruiting stations stayed open 24 hours a day to handle the throngs of volunteers.

Our question: How long after declaring war on Japan did the United States declare war on Germany and Italy?

Today is Constitution Day in Romania and Uzbekistan, and National Youth Day in Albania.

It's National Brownie Day, National Christmas Tree Day, and Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day.

It's the birthday of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., who was born in 1925; singer and songwriter Jim Morrison, who was born in 1943; and comedian Sam Kinison, who was born in 1953.

Because our topic happened before 1960, we'll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 1986, the top song in the U.S. was "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range.

The No. 1 movie was "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," while the novel "Whirlwind" by James Clavell topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

What two states were the sources of the marble used in construction of the Washington Monument?

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infamy_Speech

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy

https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrpearlharbor.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_declaration_of_war_on_Japan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_8

https://www.checkiday.com/12/08/2016

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-december-08

http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/numberonesongs/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1986_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1986

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Here are some things you may not have known about the memorial to the first American President.

Proposals for a monument to George Washington started at the end of the Revolutionary War. However, Congress didn't act until after his death in 1799, when it authorized a memorial in the national capital, which was under construction at the time. However, this decision was overturned by the Jeffersonian Republicans who didn't want to build a monument to any man, much less one that was the hero of the opposition Federalist Party.

It took until 1832 for any legitimate progress toward a monument to be made. That year marked the 100th anniversary of Washington's birth, which was used by a group called the Washington National Monument Society as a rallying point for a fundraising campaign. Over the course of three years, they raised $28,000, which is the equivalent to more than $17 million today.

A contest was held to choose the best design, which was submitted by Robert Mills, who was the Architect for Public Buildings in Washington, D.C. His design featured a flat-topped obelisk, which is a four-sided pillar that tapers as it rises, with a circular colonnade at the base. Picture a combination of a flat-topped Washington Monument atop a circular Lincoln Memorial. The proposal had an estimated price tag of $1 million, or more than $620 million today.

The society decided to start construction, hopeful that the progress would lead to further donations to allow it to be completed.

It was originally intended to be located at the intersection of perpendicular lines running from the U.S. Capitol and the White House. However, the ground at that location was not stable enough to support such a large building and it was instead built about 400 feet east south east. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848.

Construction continued until 1854, when the money ran out. At the time, the monument was 152 feet tall. Construction wouldn't resume until 1879, using stone from a different quarry, leading to the difference in color that exists to this day.

With sufficient funding, construction moved swiftly. It was completed on December 6, 1884 with the placement of an aluminum cap at the point. At the time, aluminum was rare and as valuable as silver.

The Washington Monument is 554 feet 7-11/32 inches tall. At completion it was the tallest building in the world, passing the Cologne Cathedral. It held the title until the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889. It remains the tallest stone structure in the world, and, by law, the tallest building in Washington, D.C.

Our question: Had the Washington Monument been constructed where it was intended, it would have formed the center of a cross. The White House and the Capitol are on two ends of the cross, what buildings are on the opposite ends?

Today is Constitution Day in Spain, Independence Day in Finland, and Armed Forces Day in Ukraine.

It's unofficially National Gazpacho Day, National Microwave Oven Day, and National Pawnbrokers Day.

It's the birthday of songwriter Ira Gershwin, who was born in 1896; musician Dave Brubeck, who was born in 1920; and animator Nick Park, who is 58.

Because our topic happened before 1960, we'll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 1969, the top song in the U.S. was "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam.

The No. 1 movie was "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," while the novel "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

What two states were the sources of the marble used in construction of the Washington Monument?

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website.

Also, if you're enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com

Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_6

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington

https://www.checkiday.com/12/06/2016

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-december-06

http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/numberonesongs/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1969_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1969

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Here are some things you may not have known about the closest airport to Manhattan.

LaGuardia was the city's first major airport.

Until that time, the only commercial airport in the New York region was in Newark, New Jersey. Supposedly, the decision to develop the small North Beach Airport into a commercial terminal came when New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia refused to leave the plane in Newark when his ticket said New York. He demanded to be flown to Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field. At Bennett Field, he held a press conference urging New Yorkers to build an airport in the city.

After that, American Airlines began scheduling flights to Bennett Field, but stopped after several months as they proved unpopular compared to service to Newark.

With backing from the Works Progress Administration, the city and American Airlines began working to expand North Beach Airport. Part of the expansion included moving landfill into a metal framework jutting into the East River and Flushing Bay. That framework still causes magnetic interference for pilots.

It cost $23 million to expand the airfield into a then-modern facility, which was originally called New York Municipal Airport.

In 1942, the airport was reaching its capacity, so the city began construction on another larger airport on the site of Idlewild Golf Course in southwest Queens. Sometimes referred to as Idlewild, New York International Airport opened in 1948.

In 1953, New York Municipal was renamed LaGuardia, six years after the former mayor's death. Following the death of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, New York International was renamed in Kennedy's honor.

LaGuardia serves as a regional airport. Since 1984, flights longer than 1,500 miles are prohibited from taking off or landing at LaGuardia from Sunday to Friday. At the time of the rule change, the airport's longest flights were to Denver, which is 1,600 miles away. Flights to and from the Mile High City are still allowed. Longer flights, including most international flights, land at Newark or Kennedy.

Despite the restrictions, LaGuardia is the 20th busiest airport in the United States.

In 2015, a $4 billion plan to rebuild LaGuardia's terminals from the ground up was announced. The plan will consolidate the airport's four terminals into one building. It's expected to be completed in 2021.

Our question: What Major League Baseball team plays its home games beneath the flightpath leading to LaGuardia Airport?

Today is International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, as well as National Day in Laos and United Arab Emirates.

It's unofficially National Fritters Day, National Mutt Day, and Safety Razor Day.

It's the birthday of artist Georges Seurat, who was born in 1859; singer Maria Callas, who was born in 1923; and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who turns 33.

Because our topic happened before 1960, we'll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 1974, the top song in the U.S. was "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas.

The No. 1 movie was "Earthquake," while the novel "Centennial" by James Michener topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaGuardia_Airport

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_International_Airport

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiorello_H._La_Guardia

https://secure.pqarchiver.com/newsday/doc/279134460.html?FMT=FT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_2

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/la-guardia-airport-renovation-a-nightmare-for-travelers/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_the_United_States

http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/brooks12/2012/04/16/now-and-then-laguardia-airport/

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/opinion/why-you-cant-get-there-from-la-guardia.html?_r=0

https://www.checkiday.com/12/02/2016

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-december-02

http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/numberonesongs/?chart=us&m=12&d=2&y=1960&o=

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1974_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1974

On this date in 1972, Atari released “Pong,” the first commercially successful video game. Here are some things you may not have known about it. It wasn’t the first home video game, or the first arcade game, for that matter. The first home video game console was the Magnavox Odyssey, which was released in September 1972. The first coin-operated arcade […]

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On this date in 1925, the radio show that would become the “Grand Ole Opry” premiered in Nashville, Tennessee. Here are some things you may not have known about the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry began as the “WSM Barn Dance,” modeled after a similar program on WLS in Chicago. The first program featured 77-year-old fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson. In […]

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