Trivia People

On this date in 1979, the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania suffered a partial core meltdown.

What is the name of the river in which Three Mile Island is located?

We'll have the answer later in the show.

Today is Teachers' Day in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and Serfs Emancipation Day in Tibet.

It's unofficially National Hot Tub Day, National Children's Picture Book Day, and National Something on a Stick Day.

It's the birthday of musician Reba McEntire, who is 62; actor Vince Vaughn, who is 47; and musician Lady Gaga, who is 31.

Now, we'll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 1963, the top song in the U.S. was "He's So Fine" by The Chiffons.

The No. 1 movie was "How the West was Won," while "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" by J.D. Salinger topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Weekly question: When did Pan Am go out of business?

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 have the correct answer on Friday's episode.

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.

Subscribe on iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9

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

https://www.checkiday.com/3/28/2017

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-march-28

http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/numberonesongs/?chart=us&m=3&d=28&y=1960&o=

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1963_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1963

On this date in 1977, 583 people died in the deadliest accident in aviation history.

Here are some things you may not have known about the Tenerife Airport Disaster.

KLM Flight 4805 from Amsterdam, and Pan Am Flight 1736 from Los Angeles via New York, were both traveling to Gran Canaria Airport at Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

A bomb explosion at Gran Canaria Airport forced five large airliners, including the two 747s, to be diverted to the smaller Los Rodeos Airport on the island of Tenerife. As the airport was not equipped to handle so many large aircraft, the taxiway was blocked by parked jets, which forced the use of the runway as a taxiway. During the time the planes were parked, a dense fog had rolled in, greatly reducing visibility.

The passengers from the KLM flight were taken to the terminal while the plane was refueled. One passenger who lived on the island decided to go directly home and didn't re-board the plane.

The airport on Gran Canaria reopened and the KLM flight was sent to the end of the runway to wait for clearance to takeoff. The Pan Am plane followed onto the runway after being told to take an earlier exit back onto the taxiway.

The fog was so thick that the controller in the tower couldn't see the runway or the planes on it. The pilots couldn't see each other either. The airport did not have ground radar at the time, so the only way to keep track of the planes was by voice on radio.

English is the international language of aviation. With a Dutch crew on the KLM flight, an American crew on the Pan-Am and Spanish controllers in the tower, chances for miscommunication were rife in the already difficult conditions. The KLM crew mistook the controller's command to lineup for departure with clearance for takeoff and throttled up.

The Pan Am crew was still taxiing down the runway, having missed their intended and poorly marked taxiway.

While the KLM 747 was coming up to takeoff speed, the tower instructed the Pan Am crew to report when they were clear of the runway. The KLM flight engineer heard this and asked his captain if the Pan Am was clear. The KLM captain said "Oh, yes," and continued with the takeoff.

The Pan Am crew suddenly saw the KLM landing lights approaching at takeoff speed, and turned hard left toward the grass to try to avert a collision. The KLM crew saw the Pan Am at about the same time and pulled up hard in an effort to climb over the Pan Am. This resulted in the KLM dragging its tail for 72 feet. The nose gear of the KLM cleared the Pan Am, but the engines, lower fuselage and the main landing gear tore through the Pan Am jet almost directly above the wing.

The KLM jet remained airborne momentarily, but stalled, rolled sharply and hit the ground about 500 feet past the collision. Its full load of fuel caught fire immediately.

Both planes were destroyed. All 234 passengers and 14 crew members on the KLM flight died, as did 326 passengers and nine crew members on the Pan Am jet. 54 passengers and seven crew from the Pan Am flight survived, including the the flight deck crew.

Investigators determined that the main cause of the collision was the KLM taking off without clearance. Other major factors included the weather and radio interference, while the use of non-standard language, the Pan Am jet missing the intended exit, and the overcrowding of the airport were contributing, but not critical factors.

As a result of the accident, several changes were made to international airline regulations. Flight crews are now required to read back instructions from the controllers, rather than just acknowledging them. The words "take off" are only used after clearance has been given, "departure" is used before clearance. Cockpit procedures were also changed to allow the flight deck crew to raise concerns in the event of a misunderstanding.

The Spanish government also installed ground radar at the airport after the collision.

The Pan Am 747 involved in the collision was historic in its own right. It took the first commercial flight by a 747 on January 22, 1970. It was also the first 747 to be hijacked, when a flight from New York to Puerto Rico was forced to land in Cuba.

Our question: What type of animal are the Canary Islands named after?

Today is International Whiskey Day, World Theatre Day, and Armed Forces Day in Myanmar.

It's unofficially Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day, National Paella Day, and National Joe Day.

It's the birthday of musician Sarah Vaughan, who was born in 1924; filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who is 54; and singer Mariah Carey, who is 47.

Because we've recently featured 1977, we'll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 1969, the top song in the U.S. was "Dizzy" by Tommy Roe.

The No. 1 movie was "Charro!," while the novel "Portnoy's Complaint" by Philip Roth topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Weekly question: When did Pan Am go out of business?

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 have the correct answer on Friday's episode.

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.

Subscribe on iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9

Subscribe on Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

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

http://www.1001crash.com/index-page-tenerife-lg-2-numpage-6.html

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_27

https://www.checkiday.com/3/27/2017

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-march-27

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

I am a bit under the weather today, so there won't be a show today, but I wanted to make sure we answered this week's question.

The question was: How much did the United State pay per acre for Alaska in 1867?

Listen to the show for the answer!

The first correct answer was from Kevin Lazar. We also had correct responses from Trent Harris, Alex Thompson, Jim Cardillo, Tom (who didn't give his last name), Jeff Toro and Doug Button.

We'll start off with a random trivia question: What university was founded on this date in 1868?

Today is World Meteorological Day, Day of Hungarian-Polish Friendship, and Day of the Sea in Bolivia.

It's unofficially National Puppy Day, National Chip and Dip Day, and National Melba Toast Day.

It's the birthday of actress Joan Crawford, who was born in 1905; film director Akira Kurosawa, who was born in 1910; and actress Keri Russell, who is 41.

Now, we'll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 1973, the top song in the U.S. was "Love Train" by The O'Jays.

The No. 1 movie was "Tom Sawyer," while the novel "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Weekly question: How much per acre did the United States pay for Alaska in 1867?

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 have the correct answer on tomorrow's episode.

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.

Subscribe on iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9

Subscribe on Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_23

https://www.checkiday.com/3/23/2017

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-march-23

http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/numberonesongs/?chart=us&m=3&d=23&y=1940&o=

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1973_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1973

On this date in 1894, the first Stanley Cup playoff game was held.

Here are a few things you may not have known about the oldest trophy in North American professional team sports.

The cup was commissioned as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup by Lord Stanley of Preston, who was then the governor general of Canada. It was awarded for the first time in 1893 to the Montreal Hockey Club based on league standings, not on a playoff victory. As a challenge cup, the team which won the cup the previous year was allowed to defend it the next season if it won its league's regular-season title.

In 1904, the Ottawa Hockey Club was challenged by a squad of miners from Dawson City in the Yukon Territory. The Dawson team was known as the Klondikers and the Nuggets, and traveled to Ottawa by foot, bicycle, dogsled, narrow-gauge railway, steamship and train. Two days after arriving in the capital, they lost the first game 9-2. Three days later, Ottawa won the second game 23-2, with Frank McGee scoring 14 goals, including eight consecutive goals over the course of nine minutes. No team from west of Winnipeg won the Cup during the challenge era. The first true West Coast team to play for the Cup was the Victoria Aristocrats in 1914.

During the challenge era, the most successful club was the Ottawa Hockey Club with 17 successful challenges or defenses of the Cup.

In 1914, it was determined that the Stanley Cup would go to the winner of a series between the champions of the National Hockey Association and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. This led to the inclusion of American teams, as the PCHA had teams in Seattle and Portland. The trustees of the Cup announced that the trophy would no longer be awarded to the best team in Canada, but to the best team in the world. Which, apparently, at the time consisted of Canada and the states of Washington and Oregon.

The Seattle Metropolitans were the first American team to win the Stanley Cup in 1917. They played for the Cup again in 1919 and 1920. The 1919 series was canceled when it was tied at two games apiece after an influenza outbreak decimated the Montreal team. Montreal's coach attempted to forfeit the series to Seattle, but the Seattle coach wouldn't accept it. The trophy was not awarded that year.

Since 1927, the Stanley Cup has been exclusively the championship trophy for the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup a record 24 times since 1915. The Cup was not awarded in 2005 as the result of a labor dispute. As a result, in 2006 a settlement was reached which would allow non-NHL teams to challenge for the Stanley Cup if the NHL doesn't operate for a season.

The cup itself is the bowl that makes up the top 7 inches of the nearly 3-foot tall trophy. The rest of the trophy is made up of rings that are engraved with the names of the players and executives from the winning team. Once a ring is filled with names, the oldest remaining ring is removed and kept at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Our question: Which player's name is engraved on the Stanley Cup a record 11 times?

Today is the earliest day on which Easter Sunday can fall, April 25 is the latest. It's World Water Day and Emancipation Day in Puerto Rico.

It's unofficially As Young As You Feel Day, National Sing Out Day, and National Goof Off Day.

It's the birthday of songwriter Stephen Sondheim, who is 87; actor William Shatner, who is 86; and songwriter Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is 69.

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

This week in 2001, the top song in the U.S. was "Butterfly" by Crazy Town.

The No. 1 movie was "Exit Wounds," while the novel "A Painted House" by John Grisham topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Weekly question: How much per acre did the United States pay for Alaska in 1867?

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 have the correct answer on Friday's episode.

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.

Subscribe on iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9

Subscribe on Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

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

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

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

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_22

https://www.checkiday.com/3/22/2017

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-march-22

http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/numberonesongs/?chart=us&m=3&d=22&y=1940&o=

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2001_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_2001

We'll start off with a random trivia question: What is the largest city named after a U.S. President?

Today is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, International Color Day, International Day of Forests, World Down Syndrome Day, World Poetry Day and World Puppetry Day. It's Independence Day in Namibia, and Human Rights Day in South Africa.

It's unofficially National Flower Day, National Teenager Day, and National French Bread Day.

It's the birthday of former Mexican president Benito Juarez, who was born in 1806; musician and minister Solomon Burke, who was born in 1940; and actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell, who is 55.

Now, we'll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 1967, the top song in the U.S. was "Happy Together" by The Turtles.

The No. 1 movie was "In Like Flint," while the novel "The Arrangement" by Elia Kazan topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Now for our weekly question: How much per acre did the United States pay for Alaska in 1867?

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 have the correct answer on Friday's episode.

On this date in 1985, Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail sled dog race.

Here are some things you might not have known about the annual tradition.

The Iditarod is run in honor of the 1925 serum run, which was a sled dog relay to deliver a diphtheria antitoxin to the town of Nome during an outbreak. 20 mushers combined to haul 20 pounds of serum 674 miles in about five and a half days. A particularly treacherous leg of the route was run by Norwegian Leonhard Seppala and his lead dog Togo. The final leg was run by Norwegian Gunnar Kaasen and his lead dog Balto. Later that year a statue of Balto was placed in New York's Central Park, where it remains a popular tourist attraction.

It took Dick Wilmarth 20 days, 49 minutes and 41 seconds to win the first modern Iditarod race in 1973. In 2017, the race was won by Mitch Seavey in a record 8 days, 3 hours, 40 minutes and 13 seconds. Seavey also broke his own record as the oldest person to win the race at 57 years old. His son Dallas Seavey was the youngest to win at age 25 in 2012. He's since won the race three more times.

The winningest musher is Rick Swenson, who has five victories. Susan Butcher, Martin Buser, Jeff King, Doug Swingley, and Lance Mackey join Dallas Seavey in the four-time winners' club.

Our question: What's the name of the peninsula on which Nome is located?

Today is the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, International Day of Happiness, World Sparrow Day, and Independence Day in Tunisia

It's unofficially French Language Day, International Astrology Day, and National Ravioli Day.

It's the birthday of playwright Henrik Ibsen, who as born in 1828; comedian Carl Reiner, who is 95; and children's TV pioneer Fred Rogers, who was born in 1928.

Because we've recently featured 1985, we'll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 1977, the top song in the U.S. was "Rich Girl" by Hall and Oates.

The No. 1 movie was "Airport '77," while the novel "Trinity" by Leon Uris topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Weekly question: How much per acre did the United States pay for Alaska in 1867?

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 have the correct answer on Friday's episode.

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.

Subscribe on iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9

Subscribe on Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1925_serum_run_to_Nome

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_20

https://www.checkiday.com/3/20/2017

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-march-20

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1977_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1977

Today is St. Patrick's Day.

Here are some things you should know.

While a four-leaf clover may be lucky, it's not a shamrock. Shamrocks have three leaves and are more common than their quad-leaved brethren. It's said that St. Patrick used the three leaves of the shamrock to help explain the Christian Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. St. Patrick is often depicted as holding a cross in one hand and a bundle of shamrocks in the other.

St. Patrick didn't drive the snakes out of Ireland, as told in legend. There have never been snakes there, but the idea of snakes were likely used as a metaphor for the druids.

St. Patrick's Day is a public holiday in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the island of Montserrat. Montserrat is known as the "Emerald Island of the Caribbean" because it was founded by Irish settlers.

Corned beef and cabbage, an American tradition on St. Patrick's Day isn't an Irish tradition. While cattle have been raised in Ireland for centuries, most of the cattle farms were owned by British landlords who sold their product in Britain. The more common meat in traditional Irish cooking was pork. It's thought that corned beef became associated with Irish-Americans because it was readily available from fellow immigrants who were Jewish.

Here's a tip: Just call the holiday St. Patrick's Day. If you must shorten it, it's St. Paddy's Day with D's, not T's.

Our question: Why doesn't the dye used to turn the Chicago River green up in Lake Michigan?

Today is Children's Day in Bangladesh.

It's unofficially National Preschool Teachers Appreciation Day, World Sleep Day, and Campfire Girls Day.

It's the birthday of musician Nat King Cole, who was born in 1919; musician Billy Corgan, who is 50; and soccer player Mia Hamm, who is 45.

Because our topic doesn't have a specific year associated with it, we'll pick a year at random.

This week in 1964, the top song in the U.S. was "She Loves You" by The Beatles.

The No. 1 movie was "Kissing' Cousins," while the novel "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" by John Le Carre topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

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.

Subscribe on iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9

Subscribe on Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day_in_the_United_States

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

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

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

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

http://www.rte.ie/tv/scope/SCOPE4_show03_snakes.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_17

https://www.checkiday.com/3/17/2017

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-march-17

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1964_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1964

Today is Day of the Book Smugglers in Lithuania, and Latvian Legion Day.

It's unofficially National artichoke heart day, national orange and lemon day, freedom of information day, and black press day.

It's the birthday of former US President James Madison, I was born in 1751; actor and comedian Jerry Lewis, who is 91; and actor Erik Estrada, who is 68.

Now, let's spin the wheel to pick a year at random.

This week in 1980, the top song in the U.S. was "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" by Pink Floyd.

The No. 1 movie was "Coal Miner's Daughter," while the novel "Princess Daisy" by Judith Krantz topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Now for our weekly question: Pluto was originally the pet dog of which Disney character?

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 have the correct answer on tomorrow's episode.

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.

Subscribe on iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9

Subscribe on Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

On this date in 1820, Maine was admitted to the Union.

Here are some things you may not have known about the 23rd state.

The first inhabitants of what would become Maine was a loose confederacy of Algonquin-speaking people, called the Wabanaki.

The first European contact came about 800 years ago when Norwegians arrived on the coast. The Norwegians didn't settle in the area, but returned over the next few centuries to trade and collect timber. A 10th-century Norwegian coin was discovered during 1954 archeological dig in the state.

The first European settlers came in 1604. In 1652, what is now Maine was made part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It remained part of Massachusetts, separated by New Hampshire, until it was made a state in 1820.

The original capital of Maine was Portland, but it was moved to the more centrally located Augusta in 1832.

Maine has many geographic and demographic oddities. It's the only state to border only one other state. It's the easternmost state. It's the state that is located closest to Africa. It's the site of the only sovereignty dispute over land between the United States and Canada. It's the least densely populated state east of the Mississippi River. 83 percent of the state is covered by forest, the highest percentage in the country. It has the highest percentage of non-Hispanic whites of any state at 94.4 percent. It also has the highest percentage of French Americans, and the highest percentage of French speakers in the U.S.

Today's question: What was the name of the fictional Maine town in which the TV show "Murder, She Wrote" was set?

Today is International Day Against Police Brutality; World Consumer Rights Day; National Day in Hungary; and Constitution Day in Belarus.

It's unofficially National Peanut Lovers Day.

It's the birthday of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson, who was born in 1767; musician Phil Lesh, who is 77; and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is 84.

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 "I Love Rock 'n Roll" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

The No. 1 movie was "Richard Prior: Live on the Sunset Strip," while the novel "North and South" by John Jakes topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Weekly question: Pluto was originally the pet dog of which Disney character?

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 have the correct answer on Friday's episode.

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.

Subscribe on iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9

Subscribe on Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_15

https://www.checkiday.com/3/15/2017

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-march-15

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1982_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1982