If you were a bird, what kind of bird would you be?
January 26-27, 2024
On-Air Questions and Songs
Unused questions are shown with gray text.
| Number | 1 |
| Realm | Welcome to the next 8 hours of your life |
| Subrealm | We really like birds |
| Question | When asked this question, President of Williams College Maud Mandel once responded "a dove." Her husband, Steve Simon, replied, "Those yellow birds I see on my walks." What question were they answering? |
| Answer | "If you were a bird, what kind of bird would you be?" |
| Song | I'm Like a Bird |
| Artist | Nelly Furtado |
| Hint | The name of the team hosting the contest |
| Note | This question has been bouncing around the internet for a number of years. |
| Number | 2 |
| Realm | Infrastructure |
| Subrealm | Bridges |
| Question | This massive project, costing tens of billions of dollars and estimated to take more than a decade, will remove the currently required seven ferry crossings and unite the western side of this country with one uninterrupted highway. Which country is it? |
| Answer | Norway |
| Song | Norwegian Wood |
| Artist | The Beatles |
| Hint | I promise we're not trolling you, or giant-ing, or even jotun-ing for that matter |
| Note | This question probably refers to Norway's proposed E39 highway along its coast. |
| Number | 3 |
| Realm | A book by its cover |
| Subrealm | More than you thought |
| Question | Charo, the cuchi cuchi girl, was a fixture of American variety and talk show television in the 1970's. However, unbeknownst to her American TV audience, she was in fact a classically trained guitarist who learned under the guidance of this virtuoso. |
| Answer | Andrés Segovia (Torres) |
| Song | Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor |
| Artist | J.S. Bach |
| Hint | Their son is a Marquis! |
| Note | Charo was indeed ubiquitous on 1970s television. She has only one son, Shel Rasten, who is the drummer for the heavy metal band Treazen. Andres Segogia was himself the Marquis of Salobreña, as is his son. (But he didn't have a child with Charo.) |
| Number | 4 |
| Realm | Music |
| Subrealm | Impressions |
| Question | This gifted musical impressionist of Springsteen, Young, Dylan and Morrison has placed his talents on display on this television show for almost ten years running. |
| Answer | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon |
| Song | SNL theme music 2009 |
| Artist | Hard to know, but we could accept "Howard Shore." I feel like no answer is required for this one |
| Hint | They share a last name with a senior member of Williams' all-cello ensemble |
| Number | 5 |
| Realm | Video Games |
| Subrealm | Singers |
| Question | Players who attempt to use a pirated copy of Michael Jackson: The Experience, a Nintendo DS game released in 2010, will be greeted with various modifications to the game which make progress nearly impossible. Name the extremely loud instrument counted among these effects, which had gained infamy at the time of the game's release for its presence at the World Cup. |
| Answer | Vuvuzela or Vuvuzelas |
| Song | Smooth Criminal |
| Artist | Michael Jackson |
| Hint | Honk honk |
| Number | 6 |
| Realm | Williamsiana |
| Subrealm | Facilities |
| Question | What is the name of the New England company that supplies Williams with most of their dorm-room furnishings? |
| Answer | New England Woodcraft |
| Song | Moonlight in Vermont |
| Artist | Frank Sinatra |
| Hint | Check a pdf on the Williams College facilities website |
| Number | 7 |
| Realm | Games in Books |
| Subrealm | Frogs in Games |
| Question | A famous book about combinatorial game theory mentions a game to be played between two opposing amphibian teams. Played on a 1 x n row of squares, players can either move their amphibian forward one square or cause it to "jump" two squares over an opposing amphibian on their turn. The first player to run out of legal moves on their turn loses. Name the book that this game comes from. |
| Answer | Winning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays |
| Song | Frog on the Floor |
| Artist | 100 gecs |
| Hint | The Game of Life |
| Note | The book, which is a classic of mathematical games, is by Elwyn R. Berlekamp, John H. Conway, and Richard K. Guy, and most often associated with Conway. It was published in 1982. It includes a description of Conway's famous cellular automaton "The Game of Life", which is the connection to the hint. The game referenced in the question is called Toads-and-Frogs, invented by Mr. Guy. |
| Number | 8 |
| Realm | The Goofy Mayor |
| Subrealm | No subrealm needed |
| Question | At his infamous rat summit in 2019, Eric Adams debuted a bucket-like trap which sends rats through a trap door into a vinegar solution, where they drown. These traps are baited; at that summit, what specific phrase did Eric Adams use to refer to that bait? |
| Answer | rat candy |
| Song | I Love A Cop |
| Artist | Fiorello! - Original Broadway Cast |
| Hint | It sounds like the newest street drug in Law and Order: SVU |
| Note | Eric Adams is the current mayor of New York, and he is indeed a crusader against rats. The bait for his much ballyhooed traps is actually sunflower seeds and nuts. |
| Number | 9 |
| Realm | Famous vine stars |
| Subrealm | Shorty Award Winners with brief speeches |
| Question | The Youtuber and talented songwriter-musician who once sang the lyric "the best thing about games is losing them" states in his video on "the history of the entire world" that it is this place's "time." What place is he referring to? |
| Answer | Tonga |
| Song | at the airport terminal |
| Artist | Bill Wurtz |
| Hint | It's a Kingdom in a Commonwealth in a really big ocean |
| Note | Bill Wurtz is the Youtuber referred to in the question. |
| Number | 10 |
| Realm | Gaming |
| Subrealm | Trans rights |
| Question | One of the lead creators of this video game, loosely inspired by a real life mountain, has the unique distinction of having named herself after the game's main character rather than having named the character after herself. Name the game in question. |
| Answer | Celeste |
| Song | Pigstep (Stereo Mix) |
| Artist | Lena Raine and Minecraft |
| Hint | Ad astra, per aspera |
| Note | Celeste was created by Maddy Thorson, who was born Matt Thorson, and transitioned to female at about the time the game was released. She adopted the name Madeline, after the main character in Celeste. (The character is trans as well.) |
| Number | 11 |
| Realm | STEM kid fuel |
| Subrealm | What else do they eat, Doctor? |
| Question | What is the name of a delicious snack that is shared with a high school robotics team that has won the most championships in their competitions history |
| Answer | cheesy poofs |
| Song | Started From The Bottom |
| Artist | Drake |
| Hint | If you ate an entire jar of these from the gas station (the only place I've ever seen them), you would probably be able to take a stroll in the woods during hunting season |
| Note | Cheesy Poofs are not a real product; they are a motif in the animated series South Park. The Bay Area high school robotics team "Team 254", who were the 2022 First Robotics Competition champions, have adopted the name Cheesy Poofs. |
| Number | 12 |
| Realm | History Repeats itself |
| Subrealm | Battle plans |
| Question | The 11th-century Norwegian king Harald Hardrada and the 10th-century Saint Olga of Kyiv are both alleged to have destroyed enemy cities through one animal-related tactic. Which type of animal did both Harald and Olga employ? |
| Answer | Birds |
| Song | This Fire |
| Artist | Franz Ferdinand |
| Hint | Heimskringla |
| Note | Harald: "During one siege Harald supposedly had his men trap birds that nested in the town when they came out over the city walls to the nearby woods to feed. The men fixed wood shavings, sulphur to the birds with wax, lit it on fire and let them fly home to set the village's thatched roofs alight." Olga: "Finally, she laid siege to the Drevlians' base at Iskorosten (the modern-day Ukraine city of Korosten). She tricked those inside the city with an offer of peace: all they had to give up were three pigeons and three sparrows from each house. But when Olga had the birds in her possession she had her men tie a sulphurous cloth to one of each one's legs. The birds flew back to their nests for the night and the sulphur set every building on fire simultaneously." |
| Number | 13 |
| Realm | Real fans |
| Subrealm | Real people |
| Question | In 2014, a Japanese strawberry farmer spent the equivalent of $65,000 USD purchasing 4,600 CDs so that this performer would win the intensely competitive "general election" for first place within her wildly popular idol girl group, famous for revolutionizing the Japanese idol industry through its model of "idols you can meet." That year, she finished second place. Who is this famous Japanese tarento? |
| Answer | Rino Sashihara |
| Song | Heavy Rotation |
| Artist | AKB 48 |
| Hint | Not Yet |
| Note | Rino Sashihara was a member of AKB48. |
| Number | 14 |
| Realm | Fake fans |
| Subrealm | Fake people |
| Question | In 2011, fans discovered that this 16-year-old member of one of the world's most profitable girl groups was, in fact, a CGI composite of several of her group mates. What was this entirely fictional idol's name? |
| Answer | Aimi Eguchi |
| Song | Matoryoshka |
| Artist | Kenshi Yonezu/HACHI |
| Hint | Dolls within dolls. |
| Note | Aimi Eguchi was announced as a new member of AKB48 in June, 2011, complete with pictures and a biography. Within a month the group admitted she was not a real person. |
| Number | 15 |
| Realm | Wacky wordplay |
| Subrealm | God |
| Question | The number of letters in this name is equal to the number of Roman emperors who bore it. What is the name? Anglicized names only. |
| Answer | Constantine |
| Song | True Faith |
| Artist | New Order |
| Hint | I SAW IT IN THE SKY |
| Number | 16 |
| Realm | The first steps of revolution |
| Subrealm | Boston has been a menace since day one |
| Question | In his diary entry for Sunday, September 3, 1769, John Adams recorded a meeting with a group of his friends to, among other things, prepare the next day's issue of the Boston Gazette. At which drinking establishment would one of those friends soon be savagely beaten in response to the Gazette's criticism? |
| Answer | The British Coffeehouse |
| Song | Sympathique |
| Artist | Pink Martini |
| Hint | John Robinson |
| Note | James Otis is the man who was beaten. He suffered a head injury, and acted strangely for the rest of his days, though modern scholars speculate that he was perhaps bipolar, and his eccentricities predated his injury. |
| Number | 17 |
| Realm | TV Shows |
| Subrealm | Band Geeks |
| Question | In episode 35 of SpongeBob SquarePants, which two things are definitely not instruments, according to Squidward Tentacles? |
| Answer | Mayonnaise and Horseradish |
| Song | I Wanna Rock |
| Artist | Twisted Sister |
| Hint | Are you a Goofy Goober? |
| Note | Patrick asks if both condiments count as musical instruments. |
| Number | 18 |
| Realm | Text to world connection |
| Subrealm | Æthelred the unready |
| Question | The popular book and television series A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones features a climactic river battle at the end of its second book and second season. Which famous Old English poem features an eponymous battle near a river sharing a name (and possibly a theme) with that found in Game of Thrones? |
| Answer | "The Battle of Maldon" |
| Song | Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner |
| Artist | Warren Zevon |
| Hint | JRR Tolkien loved this |
| Number | 19 |
| Realm | A daring heist |
| Subrealm | Williams College style |
| Question | In 1940, Williams' Chapin Library's copy of Shakespeare's First Folio was stolen by a thief posing as "Prof. Sinclair E. Gillingham" of Middlebury College. After getting stiffed by the gang who hired him to pull off the caper, "Gillingham" turned himself in, and the volume was safely returned. What was the thief's real name? |
| Answer | Donald Lynch |
| Song | Brilliant disguise |
| Artist | Bruce Springsteen |
| Hint | Like if a duck made a critically acclaimed TV show |
| Note | The full story (which is a good one) can be found at https://crimereads.com/shakespeares-first-folio-has-been-stolen-many-many-times/ . An excerpt: "Of note, when [D.A. Robert] Hitchcock asked Lynch why he confessed, assuming it was because he didn’t get the money he was promised, Lynch responded, "I didn't want Hitler to get the book." This answer surprised and confused Hitchcock. Lynch then explained that he read a series of articles in Liberty magazine describing how Hitler and Goebbels sent agents to foreign countries to buy rare books. He worried that [co-conspirator] William Kwiatkowski planned to sell the First Folio to them. Lynch may have been a crook, but he wanted Hitchcock to know that he was a patriotic American, as well." |
| Number | 20 |
| Realm | The Renaissance |
| Subrealm | Harlem |
| Question | Name the renowned American novelist who met his mentor-turned-enemy Richard Wright simply by showing up to his house and knocking on his door. |
| Answer | James Baldwin |
| Song | Stop Smoking (We Love You) |
| Artist | Car Seat Headrest |
| Hint | He probably wasn't selling Bibles |
| Number | 21 |
| Realm | What could possibly go wrong? |
| Subrealm | Time to redraw the map |
| Question | What "administrative area" was formed following the efforts of a Commission composed of, among others, the then-chairman of Cadbury, an avid mountaineer, a member of a national welfare board, and no one with government experience in the affected area? |
| Answer | Greater London |
| Song | London Calling |
| Artist | The Clash |
| Hint | nearly 9 million people |
| Number | 22 |
| Realm | Wikipedia rabbit holes |
| Subrealm | Crash! |
| Question | On August 8, 2004, approximately 800 pounds of what substance was dumped into the Chicago River by a tour bus belonging to a popular rock band? |
| Answer | Human waste/poop |
| Song | Crash Into Me |
| Artist | Dave Matthews Band |
| Hint | just google it. it's a pretty famous story |
| Note | From Wikipedia: "On Sunday, August 8, 2004, at 1:18 p.m.,[Driver Stefan] Wohl was alone in [Violinist Boyd] Tinsley's bus and driving to a downtown hotel when he emptied the bus' blackwater tank as it crossed the metal grates of the Kinzie Street bridge. Passenger boat Chicago's Little Lady was hosting the 1 p.m. Chicago Architecture Foundation tour of the Chicago River. While passing under the bridge, the boat received the full contents of the tank on the seats of its open-roof terrace. Roughly two-thirds of the 120 passengers aboard the tour boat were soaked." |
| Number | 23 |
| Realm | Give my regards |
| Subrealm | And also a good ribbing |
| Question | Name the broadway star who, after being injured days before her final performance in a viridescent role following a mechanical mishap, surprised fans by coming onstage on what was supposed to be her final night to take her final bow. Not to worry, she made a full recovery and went on to perform the same role to further acclaim on the West End. |
| Answer | Idina Menzel |
| Song | One Short Day |
| Artist | Wicked (Original Broadway Cast) |
| Hint | She's better known for her starring role in a chilling Disney movie in the early 2010s. |
| Note | Idina Menzel played Elphaba in Wicked and is also the voice of Elsa in Frozen. During her penultimate performance as Elphaba on January 8, 2005, she fell through a trap door during the melting scene and cracked a lower rib. |
| Number | 24 |
| Realm | Williamsiana |
| Subrealm | Entries (of which Sage 2 is the best) |
| Question | Williams frosh used to live in vertical entries. Since 2018, they now live in horizontal entries based on the floors of Williams Hall, Sage Hall, Armstrong and Pratt houses, Mills and Dennett houses, and whatever old building they throw the leftover students into. Name the moistly-named entry which existed for just one year during the transition to the land of the horizontal. |
| Answer | DAMP 1 (Dennett-Armstrong-Mills-Pratt 1) |
| Song | Katy on a Mission |
| Artist | Katy B |
| Hint | Now, the entries are MD1-MD4 and AP1-AP4 |
| Number | 25 |
| Realm | Short people |
| Subrealm | Short people in sports |
| Question | Standing just 5 foot 2 inches in a sport where every inch of height matters, this rock climber has nevertheless earned a gold medal at a World Cup event in bouldering and was the youngest female climber to complete a 5.13b at just nine years of age. |
| Answer | Brooke Raboutou |
| Song | Brooklyn Baby |
| Artist | Lana Del Ray |
| Hint | Her brother's name is Shawn |
| Note | Brooke Raboutou is a member of the US National Rock Climbing Team. |
| Number | 26 |
| Realm | Whats the story? |
| Subrealm | WonderBRAWL |
| Question | Liam Gallagher, the frontman and lead singer of the band Oasis, never shied away from causing chaos, especially when out on tour. In 1998, after a flight on Cathay Pacific to Australia filled with rowdy behavior, the airline considered banning the rocker. When interviewed about the controversy days later, what did Liam (jokingly) threaten to do to the pilot of his flight in revenge? |
| Answer | Stab him (with a pickaxe) |
| Song | Stab You in the Heart |
| Artist | Green Day |
| Hint | sharp object |
| Number | 27 |
| Realm | NYC Facts |
| Subrealm | That only my mom knows about |
| Question | New York City is famous (or infamous) for its subways. One of the better known lines is the One Train (broadway 7th avenue local) running the entire length of Manhattan from South Ferry to 246nd Street. But from 1989 to 2005, What other train ran on the same line as the One, working in tandem with it to make every stop? |
| Answer | The 9 (Broadway 7th avenue local) |
| Song | Subway |
| Artist | Bee Gees |
| Hint | Think numerically |
| Number | 28 |
| Realm | Hat trick |
| Subrealm | On Ice ... not that kind |
| Question | Only three times since the Amundsen-Scott research station at the South Pole opened in 1957 has a medical emergency among its personnel occurred during the winter that required a rescue flight to save them. 2001, 2003, and 2016. Pilots must start from the coast and work their way inland in their highly equiped flying machines, braving hours of perilous cold and ice and unending darkness. To get the point, tell me: What type of aircraft was selected for the first mission in 2001? What type of aircraft was selected for the second mission in 2003? What type of aircraft was selected for the third mission in 2016? |
| Answer | -Dehavilland Canada DHC 6 Twin Otter for all three |
| Song | The Otter |
| Artist | Caamp |
| Hint | For 2003, look up "antarctic rescue operation 2003" for best results |
| Number | 29 |
| Realm | Music |
| Subrealm | People |
| Question | Who is the only member of the English rock band Pink Floyd to feature on all their various 31 albums, and which instrument does he play? |
| Answer | Nick Mason; Drums |
| Song | Wish You Were Here |
| Artist | Pink Floyd |
| Hint | Ringo Starr type beat |
| Number | 30 |
| Realm | Comically incorrect |
| Subrealm | Tricky Dick. 192 |
| Question | "Tintin in the Congo" is the second volume of the widely-loved graphic novel series "The Adventures of Tintin." However, this particular story became criticized for its blatant depictions of racism and animal cruelty. In the mid 2000s, libraries began banning the book as a result; what did this action become known as? |
| Answer | Tintin-gate |
| Song | Paris 1919 |
| Artist | John Cale |
| Hint | this sort of phrase is used for lots of scandals and controversies |
| Number | 31 |
| Realm | Making Idaho proud |
| Subrealm | I've missed my connection, officer |
| Question | In 2007, Idaho US senator Larry Craig was arrested in a sting operation in a Minneapolis airport bathroom for "lewd conduct" in an effort to hook up with anonymous men. Ironically, Craig was a fierce conservative in Washington and did not support LGBTQ+ rights as a lawmaker. While being interrogated, what was Craig's most prodigious excuse to explain why he moved his foot toward the undercover cop in the stall next to him (which is a signal of 'interest') ? |
| Answer | He was "a fairy wide guy" / "had a wide stance" |
| Song | It wasn't me |
| Artist | Shaggy |
| Hint | Might be helpful in golfing |
| Note | Craig plead guilty to disorderly conduct, and paid a $575 fine. Later, after the arrest was reported in the press, he attempted unsuccessfully to withdraw his plea. The incident effectively ended his political career, though he hung on in the senate for another year and a half. He insists that he is not gay, despite 8 men who came forward to allege either sexual encounters with Craig or attempts by Craig to initiate such encounters. One of them stated that Craig cruised him in an REI store in Boise, following him around for half an hour. In response, Craig said, "I'm not gay, and I don't cruise, and I don't hit on men. ... I don't go around anywhere hitting on men, and by God, if I did, I wouldn't do it in Boise, Idaho! Jiminy!" |
| Number | 32 |
| Realm | Movies, 1995 |
| Subrealm | Toy story references for 1000, Alex |
| Question | In a scene in the first "Toy Story" movie, Shark steals Woody's hat and pretends to be him: "look I'm Woody, howdy, howdy, howdy!" he exclaims. What daily comic series is the scene making reference to? |
| Answer | The Far Side |
| Song | Other Side |
| Artist | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Hint | this comic series was recently revived in 2019 after a log hiatus |
| Note | https://tinyurl.com/327cpe9n |
| Number | 33 |
| Realm | Latin 102 greatest hits |
| Subrealm | Check the dictionary, that can't possibly be right! |
| Question | In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted, destroying the Roman city of Pompeii. Pliny the Elder, a well-regarded Roman military man met his demise there, trying to save residents. But according to the account written by his nephew, how did Pliny and his comrades attempt to protect their heads from falling volcanic debris shortly before they died? |
| Answer | They tied pillows to their heads |
| Song | Pompeii |
| Artist | Bastile |
| Hint | common object in a bedroom |
| Number | 34 |
| Realm | Internal memo to NASA executives |
| Subrealm | Subj: How do we convince Congress to give us more money? |
| Question | After both the loss of the Challenger in 1986, and the Columbia in 2003, the space shuttle programs were temporarily suspended for a few years. Which shuttle was given the task of being first to return to space after both of these tragedies? |
| Answer | Discovery |
| Song | Space Oddity |
| Artist | David Bowie |
| Hint | this shuttle also completed the most flights of any of them |
| Number | 35 |
| Realm | What's going on in France? |
| Subrealm | Not just the mimes |
| Question | While previously billed as a moderate, French President Emanuel Macron has recently begun to lean heavily right. Which former right-wing French politician have his critics begun to accuse him of getting too close with? |
| Answer | Nicolas Sarkozy (the former President of France) |
| Song | Je suis chez moi |
| Artist | Black M |
| Hint | a former french president |
| Number | 36 |
| Realm | Depression |
| Subrealm | The Pacific Northwest |
| Question | Raymond Carver's collection of short stories, "What We Talk about When We Talk About Love" was a monumental work that helped revive the genre in the United States. To get an idea of the theme of these stories, what is the first sentence Michael Wood wrote in his review of it? |
| Answer | "Raymond Carver's America is helpless, clouded by pain and the loss of dreams, but it is not as fragile as it looks." |
| Song | Sound of Silence |
| Artist | Simon and Garfunkel |
| Hint | Google it, baby! |
| Number | 37 |
| Realm | Weird obsession |
| Subrealm | Or smear campaign by Thomas Edison? |
| Question | Famous futurist inventor Nikola Tesla never married nor had kids. He did however claim to love what specific individual animal "as a man loves a woman"? |
| Answer | A pigeon |
| Song | When a Man Loves a Woman |
| Artist | Percy Sledge |
| Hint | He would have loved NYC |
| Note | It was a very special white pigeon whom Tesla adopted when he was 78, in 1935. At the time he was broke, living out of a hotel, had no friends and family, and hadn't produced a successful invention in years. Tesla had always had an affinity for birds. He was often seen at night, walking through the streets of Manhattan, feeding the pigeons, and he housed nests in his room and left the windows open so the birds could come and go. When a disoriented homing pigeon flew into an empty room of his hotel, the staff asked him to take care of the pigeon. He adopted her, and claimed that they could speak "mind-to-mind", and that she would come whenever he called. He also said that sometimes beams of light would shoot out of her eyes. |
| Number | 38 |
| Realm | Supreme Court cases |
| Subrealm | What you forgot from 10th grade history |
| Question | On July 2, 1839, the Spanish vessel, La Amistad, saw a mutiny from a group of Mende people from Sierra Leone who had been enslaved by spaniards near Cuba. They ordered that they be sailed back to Africa. Instead La Amistad landed in Connecticut, where a court case as to whether the Africans were free or not was drawn up. In the end, the US supreme court ruled in favor of the Mende people (they had been illegally enslaved) with only one judge dissenting. Name that one Judge. |
| Answer | Henry Baldwin |
| Song | Henry the VIII, I am |
| Artist | Hermans Hermits |
| Hint | famous justice |
| Number | 39 |
| Realm | Prehistoric crustaceans |
| Subrealm | Even more about birds |
| Question | The harvesting of Horseshoe crabs for their blue blood for its use in the medical industry has effects throughout ecosystems and the food chain. What specific type of bird has become endangered as a result of declining crab populations, one of the bird's main food sources? |
| Answer | Red Knot |
| Song | Brazil |
| Artist | Declan Mckenna |
| Hint | two words |
| Note | The Red Knot migrates each year between the far north and the far south of earth. As a result it is very dependent on the places it stops each year to eat. The most important of those is Delaware Bay, where it eats horseshoe crab eggs. |
| Number | 40 |
| Realm | Origin stories |
| Subrealm | America's favorite canine |
| Question | What two breeds of Dog were crossbred to create the labrador retriever in Newfoundland? |
| Answer | St. John's Water Dog (Lesser Newfoundland) and British hunting dogs |
| Song | Black Dog |
| Artist | Led Zeppelin |
| Hint | i like dogs |
| Number | 41 |
| Realm | Far far away... |
| Subrealm | 🗿 |
| Question | Easter Island is one of the most remote places on earth. In addition to being known for Moai statues, the island also represents one of the most extreme cases of what type of man-made destruction that most likely occurred between 1200 and 1700? |
| Answer | Deforestation |
| Song | The Village Green Preservation Society |
| Artist | The Kinks |
| Hint | not kinky |
| Note | By the end, there was no wood left to build boats, so the islanders were stuck there when discovered by Europeans. |
| Number | 42 |
| Realm | Buzzfeed Unsolved Mysteries |
| Subrealm | Guess Who? |
| Question | An F.B.I. wanted poster circulated in the 1970s contained the following description for a man's apparel: "Black suit; white shirt; narrow black tie; black dress suit; black rain-type overcoat or dark top coat; dark briefcase or attache case; carried paper bag 4" x 12" x 14"; brown shoes. The poster also mentions that he was white, male, was 5'10" to 6' tall, in his mid 40's, and weighed 170 to 180 pounds. Intriguingly, despite this detailed description and the ensuing large-scale manhunt, this man's identity has not only never been discovered, but it is also generally believed that he died soon after committing his crime. Who is this man, and why is he largely presumed dead? |
| Answer | D.B. Cooper; his skydiving pack was a demo pack and did not contain a functioning parachute. |
| Song | Low Rider |
| Artist | War |
| Hint | A very small fraction of the money he stole was ever recovered |
| Note | The mystery of who D.B. Cooper was and whether he survived is very much still unsolved. Some of the money was discovered in a sandbar in 1980, so he definitely didn't leave with all of it. |
| Number | 43 |
| Realm | Italians at their best |
| Subrealm | Italians at their worst |
| Question | When a customer complained to Enzo Ferrari (the founder of Ferrari) that Ferrari clutches were not to the customer's liking, Enzo supposedly responded: "let me make cars, you stick to making tractors" Who was this customer, and what was the result of this Italian exchange? |
| Answer | Ferruccio Lamborghini; the creation of Lamborghini sports cars |
| Song | That's Amore |
| Artist | Dean Martin |
| Hint | the other italian car brand you know |
| Note | Ferruccio Lamborghini's first love was indeed farm machinery, but the truth of the story is disputed. Both companies benefited from the perceived rivalry. |
| Number | 44 |
| Realm | Finance bros rejoice |
| Subrealm | Can you Identify as that? |
| Question | In 2023-2024 what TAPSI organization at Williams is headquartered in Goodrich house in Dodd Circle? |
| Answer | International finance/business |
| Song | Money, Money, Money |
| Artist | ABBA |
| Hint | i think you have to own a building to qualify |
| Note | TAPSI stands for Theme/Affinity/Program/Special Interest Housing. |
| Number | 45 |
| Realm | Diet sexism |
| Subrealm | Diet Marxism |
| Question | Playwright George Bernard Shaw is remembered first and foremost for his literary criticism and popular plays, one of which, Pygmalion, was later adapted into a wildly successful Broadway musical. Beyond that, he found time to advocate eugenics, be staunchly anti-vaccination, and to pen an unusual nonfiction title dedicated to his sister-in-law. Name this book. |
| Answer | The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism |
| Song | On the Street Where You Live |
| Artist | from My Fair Lady |
| Hint | Red scare! |
| Number | 46 |
| Realm | AP US History |
| Subrealm | Espionage |
| Question | There are two plaques commemorating the death of this famous hero from early American history in New York City: one at the Yale Club and one at 3rd Avenue and 65th Street. Even so, the exact location of his death is unknown and his body was never found. Name the historical figure in question. |
| Answer | Nathan Hale |
| Song | Mille Regretz |
| Artist | commonly attributed to Josquin des Prez |
| Hint | Same name as one of the hosts |
| Note | Hale was a spy for the Continental Army, who was captured by the British in New York City and executed. |
| Number | 47 |
| Realm | Hear, Hear! |
| Subrealm | All together now |
| Question | I am in a room somewhere in Europe at 12:15 on a typical Wednesday. The seats in this room are green. There is an important elected official speaking, yet nobody is clapping after any of their remarks. Instead, people are making a strange noise and asking the official rather ridiculous questions. Where am I, and what is currently happening? |
| Answer | The House of Commons in London, England; PMQs (or Prime Minister's Questions). |
| Song | Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker) |
| Artist | Parliament / Parliament Funkadelic / Funkadelic |
| Hint | see realm |
| Number | 48 |
| Realm | Trivia |
| Subrealm | Trivia |
| Question | Feeling a bit constipated from all this trivia? This popular, long-running book series currently on its 36th entry is probably not at all what you're looking to read right now. Containing recurring articles such as "Famous for 15 Minutes" and "Strange Lawsuits," it is well-known for its eye-grabbing title and covers. And it can be read in any room you want, just to be clear. Name the series. |
| Answer | Uncle John's Bathroom Reader |
| Song | Johnny B. Goode |
| Artist | Chuck Berry |
| Hint | These books are generally a couple hundred pages in length and feature articles short enough to read while, you know, answering nature's call |
| Number | 49 |
| Realm | Very expensive tunnels |
| Subrealm | Very expernsive rats |
| Question | This large-scale infrastructure project quickly became infamous for running well over budget, taking forever to (only partially) complete, and featuring guardrails which proved deadly in event of a high-speed collision. At least it solved a major traffic and pollution headache for the city...until induced demand kicked in, some contend. Perhaps also noteworthy for directly resulting in the first "comprehensive...[and centralized] rodent control program" in a major city, give the colloquial, rhyming name for this headache of a project. |
| Answer | The Big Dig |
| Song | I'm Shipping Up To Boston |
| Artist | Dropkick Murphys |
| Hint | Sounds like the 2nd Gentleman's going up in the world |
| Number | 50 |
| Realm | Celebrities |
| Subrealm | Williams Commencement speaker 2026? |
| Question | Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is famous for passionate food takes, DDD, and frosted hair. Historically, Fieri has never mixed politics with his funky flavors, allowing him to cultivate a larger following. However in the summer of 2023 some fans were left to question Fieri's unbiased stance when the chef was seen rubbing shoulders with whom? |
| Answer | Donald Trump |
| Song | The Masterplan |
| Artist | Oasis |
| Hint | another man with dyed hair |
| Number | 51 |
| Realm | Male strippers |
| Subrealm | Coming soon to the Berkshires (maybe) |
| Question | Chippendales founder Steve Banerjee was obsessed with protecting the success of his male stripper troupe - and turned to murder in order to do so. When he wanted a rival troupe in London to be "taken out," he hired a man named Ray Colon to do the dirty work. Colon hired an unknown hitman to help him. What was this hitman's alias? |
| Answer | Strawberry |
| Song | Innuendo |
| Artist | Queen |
| Hint | type of fruit |
| Number | 52 |
| Realm | Web comics |
| Subrealm | Nerrrrds! |
| Question | Randall Munroe's comic strip XKCD is a beloved favorite of math-y and science-y types the world over. It certainly hasn't escaped the notice of the top minds at MIT, even though they might be lacking the broad, intellectually rich education provided by a liberal arts college. Oh well. On what date did MIT pranksters (or Hackers) stick printouts of every single XKCD comic to that point in Lobby 7, MIT's iconic atrium, and why did they do this? |
| Answer | January 11, 2012, to honor the 1000th issue. |
| Song | A Thousand Miles |
| Artist | Vanessa Carlton |
| Hint | Check the MIT prank history books |
| Number | 53 |
| Realm | Numerology |
| Subrealm | Size matters |
| Question | 90 is the longest. 97 is the shortest. 405 is the most popular. 70 is the highest. What am I talking about? |
| Answer | The United States Interstate System. |
| Song | Ventura Highway |
| Artist | America |
| Hint | 0s and 5s are key |
| Number | 54 |
| Realm | Poetry |
| Subrealm | Hope |
| Question | Name the South American poet who is best known for writing a children's story commonly read in his own country which tells the story of a poor boy whose schoolwork is stolen by a rich merchant's son leading to excessive and unmerited punishment for the boy, who once wrote in a poem "Today I suffer from the depths. Today I just suffer," and who incorrectly predicted his death day to be a Thursday in Autumn in another poem (although he got the location right - Paris, France). For a three-point play, also name both poems and the story referenced in the text of this question. |
| Answer | Cesar Vallejo (for three point play, name, song, and Paco Yunque, Voy a Hablar De La Esperanza, and Piedra negra sobre una piedra blanca, or those titles translated into English) |
| Song | 0 |
| Artist | A.CHAL |
| Hint | He's a Spanish-language author |
| Number | 55 |
| Realm | This question isn't for babies |
| Subrealm | Hello and welcome to Griffin's amiibo corner |
| Question | My Brother, My Brother, and Me is a popular "advice" podcast starring three brothers from West Virginia. For over a year of the podcast's run, Griffin McElroy took to introducing himself as "your sweet baby brother and [this], Griffin McElroy", referencing a distinction he had received from a major media outlet. Name the distinction. |
| Answer | 30 Under 30 Media Luminary |
| Song | Easy on Me |
| Artist | Adele |
| Hint | The media outlet's name is six letters long |
| Number | 56 |
| Realm | The Sixties |
| Subrealm | Telling ourselves stories |
| Question | Name the title and author of the famous essay collection which touches on, among other things, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles' water and highway infrastructure, life in Bogotá, the novel The Confessions of Nat Turner, Charles Manson, Jim Morrison, and the author's own psychiatric evaluation. |
| Answer | The White Album by Joan Didion |
| Song | I Will |
| Artist | The Beatles |
| Hint | The author recently passed away |
| Number | 57 |
| Realm | One of our favorite moments of odd history |
| Subrealm | that sadly never happened |
| Question | Before Russia sold Alaska to the United States in 1867, what other European nation-state declined the Russians' offer to buy the massive frozen territory in the exact same year? |
| Answer | Liechtenstein |
| Song | Vienna |
| Artist | Ultravox |
| Hint | we don't even know |
| Note | The powers that be in Liechtenstein felt that the territory was too far away to govern effectively. |
| Number | 58 |
| Realm | Going West |
| Subrealm | Time to clear my search results |
| Question | "My unconverted friend," "blue lightning," "advantage," "bulldozer," and "smoke wagon" are all various old west nicknames for what? |
| Answer | (Colt) Revolver |
| Song | Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again |
| Artist | Bob Dylan |
| Hint | bang |
| Number | 59 |
| Realm | Generic sportscasters |
| Subrealm | New careers |
| Question | Chris Rose is known for his work as a NFL and MLB commentator and TV presenter. But Chris also commentates on a lesser known show on discovery channel that he describes as "a release ... a place that we can go, and just laugh, and have fun, and realize that there are good people who care about one another." Name the show. |
| Answer | Battlebots |
| Song | Electroman Adventures |
| Artist | Waterflame |
| Hint | fight night |
| Note | Battlebots is a competition show wherein contestents build armed and armored robots that attempt to destroy each other. |
| Number | 60 |
| Realm | Competitive gaming |
| Subrealm | Aerodynamic arthopods |
| Question | In 2019, immediately after fighting his way back from the loser's bracket to win a major Super Smash Bros. Melee Tournament, this talented Jigglypuff main was attacked by a fan. Who was attacked, and by what? |
| Answer | A real (but dead) crab was thrown at Hungrybox |
| Song | Pound the Alarm |
| Artist | Nicki Minaj |
| Hint | He lives in the finance TAPSI |
| Note | Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma is the most successful professional player of Super Smash Bros. Melee. His dominance has made him controversial. He was playing in the grand finals of the Pound 2019 at Xanadu Games in Laurel Park, Maryland, when a spectator threw a dead crab at him, just missing his head. Hungrybox won the tournament, and the crab-thrower was banned from attending future tournaments. |
| Number | 61 |
| Realm | Good walks spoiled |
| Subrealm | Dramatic moments in golf history |
| Question | In a thrilling playoff, Martin Kaymer defeated Bubba Watson to win the 2010 U.S. Open. However, the final moments of the tournament were overshadowed by a controversial ruling made against a third player on the final hole, costing them a two stroke penalty and a spot in the playoff. What rule was broken, and what later happened to the location where the infraction occurred? |
| Answer | Grounding of club in bunker (12.2b), bunker was later removed to make room for crowd viewing area. |
| Song | Trouble |
| Artist | Roscoe |
| Hint | Too much "Dust," perhaps, albeit of a coarser (courser?) sort |
| Note | This happened at the 2010 PGA Championship (not the US Open) in Haven, Wisconsin. Dustin Johnson was the third golfer who was apparently tied with Kaymer and Watson at the end of the 18th hole of day 4 of the tournament. On that 18th hole, Johnson's drive landed in a patch of sand at the side of the fairway. Before hitting the ball, he lightly touched his club to the sand behind his ball. Rule 13.4 of the Rules of Golf says, "Before hitting a ball lying in a hazard (bunker or water), the player can’t touch or test the hazard’s surface with his club or hand, and may not touch or move a loose impediment in the hazard." Johnson admitted to "grounding" his club, but didn't think the patch of sand was accurately described as a bunker. The officials ruled otherwise. |
| Number | 62 |
| Realm | Tall british people |
| Subrealm | The birds never end |
| Question | At the British Academy Film Awards in 1988, John Cleese won 'Best Actor in a Leading Role' for his performance in A Fish Called Wanda. During his bizarre and hilarious acceptance speech, Cleese made sure to thank what group having to do with ornithology? |
| Answer | The Royal Society for the Prevention of Birds |
| Song | Royals |
| Artist | Lorde |
| Hint | No, really. If you were a bird, what kind of bird would you be? |
| Note | The Royal Society for the *Protection* of Birds is a real thing. |
| Number | 63 |
| Realm | Geopolitics |
| Subrealm | I guess this is goodbye, Johannes. |
| Question | If you go to the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, St Eustatius, St Maarten, or Saba, you may hear locals use the phrase "ten ten ten" in conversations about politics. This is a colloquial reference to what event that took place on these islands? |
| Answer | The date October 10th, 2010; the day of the dissolution of the Netherland Antilles (as a constituent country); Islands gained greater independence |
| Song | Photosynthesis |
| Artist | Saba |
| Hint | The Dutch rue the day |
| Number | 64 |
| Realm | So many legs |
| Subrealm | So little movement |
| Question | Ocean acidification is, predictably, making life substantially worse for undersea creatures-especially those whose shells cannot grow as large or hard with the increasing concentration of carbonic acid in the oceans. However, there is one notable exception: for the point, which animal is actually growing bigger and more powerful as the ocean acidifies, and what problem is that causing? For a three-point play, name the song and supply a technical scientific explanation for why this is happening and why it's weird? |
| Answer | Blue crabs, which are quickly scarfing down the mid-Atlantic's oyster supply. The crabs benefit from the excess carbon, which accelerates shell calcification, resulting in bigger shells. Calcification sites usually require elevated pH to work, which an increase in carbonic acid disrupts, but the calcification sites of Blue crabs and some other species are able to maintain high pH, in part due to their insulation from ambient seawater, and even use the carbon compounds directly in calcification. |
| Song | Big Fish |
| Artist | Vince Staples |
| Hint | I dunno man, go to Williams Mystic |
| Number | 65 |
| Realm | National treasures |
| Subrealm | Another reason the world hates the United States |
| Question | At the 2022 4th of July Nathan's hotdog eating contest on Coney Island, Joey Chestnut, the greatest competitive eater in the world, dominated the competition by guzzling down 63 dogs and buns in ten minutes. He accomplished this incredible feat while battling through what pre-existing physical injury? |
| Answer | A ruptured tendon in his leg |
| Song | Firework |
| Artist | Katy Perry |
| Hint | It did not impede mastication efforts |
| Note | Joey Chestnut has won 16 of the last 17 Nathan's competitions, and is currently ranked as the number one competitive eater in the world by Major League Eating, which is apparently a real organization. |
| Number | 66 |
| Realm | Cards |
| Subrealm | Bring your own deck for this one |
| Question | Demon (also called 'Racing Demon' or 'Nerts') is a fast-paced card game involving mental dexterity and awareness. To begin the game, each player creates a 'Demon Pile' (it has other names) containing how many Cards? |
| Answer | 13 |
| Song | Fire Burning |
| Artist | Sean Kingston |
| Hint | Just take a guess |
| Number | 67 |
| Realm | Football |
| Subrealm | College |
| Question | In 2020, BYU played Coastal Carolina in a football game that quickly received the moniker "Mormons vs Mullets." This title was a nod to which college football game with a similar style of name played over 30 years prior? |
| Answer | Notre Dame vs. Miami (1988); "Catholics vs Convicts" |
| Song | Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks |
| Artist | Noel Gallagher |
| Hint | Looking for another acronym |
| Number | 68 |
| Realm | Hippie herpetologists |
| Subrealm | On my bucket list |
| Question | Everyone loves psychedelic drugs, so why not try the hottest new one that takes hold in 10-30 seconds and is approved by celebrities like Mike Tyson who says he "died" whilst under its spell. What is this wonderful drug and from where does it originate? |
| Answer | 5-MeO-DMT/ Toad venom; from Cane Toads typically |
| Song | Pictures of Matchstick Men |
| Artist | The Status Quo |
| Hint | Ribbit |
| Number | 69 |
| Realm | 19th century literature |
| Subrealm | A little math, as a treat |
| Question | A well-known character originally from a famous novel is also referred to at times by a specific number in its text, a number which we will call x. This number has historically remained constant, as names are wont to do, but in recent years, Swedish speakers have been introduced to this character as x+1000; Brazilian Portuguese speakers have heard it as x-989. It has remained x in Spain, but has been changed to x-978 and x-969 in Mexico on various occasions. Who is this character, and what has caused these discrepancies to arise? |
| Answer | Jean Valjean. A desire to keep his name at five syllables for the musical. |
| Song | Gymnopédie No. 1 |
| Artist | Erik Satie |
| Hint | What changes when you move between these countries? |
| Note | Victor Hugo believed that he was conceived on June 24th, 1801, and so he made Jean Valjean's prisoner number 24601 in his novel Les Miserables. (Actually, Valjean had two different prisoner numbers in the book, but only one in the musical.) Javert frequently refers to Valjean as "Prisoner 24601" in the musical. |
| Number | 70 |
| Realm | Kai |
| Subrealm | Tak |
| Question | Kai Tak International Airport in Hong Kong was famous for its landing procedure that culminated with planes making a last-second sharp right turn to line up with the runway. Despite the airport's closure 20 years ago, what notable indicator associated with the runway's unique approach was recently restored to its former prominence as a tribute to the airport and what had it been used for? |
| Answer | Checkerboard Hill; it was a visual point pilots needed to align with before the hard right turn (and it contained the ILS [instrument landing system]) |
| Song | Learn to Fly |
| Artist | Foo Fighters |
| Hint | talk to Harry about it |
| Note | A large red-and-white checkerboard sign (looking a lot like the Purina logo) was placed on the side of the hill, as an indicator to pilots that it was time to turn. The checkerboard was restored during the Covid-19 pandemic, apparently because people needed something to do. |
| Number | 71 |
| Realm | Monkey business |
| Subrealm | Gets serious |
| Question | Unrelenting monkey gang wars in India have begun to affect us humans. In one high profile case in New Delhi, a man fell off his balcony and died while trying to fend off a horde of ruthless primates; what was this man's job/position? |
| Answer | The deputy mayor of New Delhi |
| Song | Monkey |
| Artist | Harry Belafonte |
| Hint | Well by the end his position was probably face-down |
| Note | There have been at least 13 deaths caused by monkey attacks across India since 2015. |
| Number | 72 |
| Realm | New movies |
| Subrealm | Five hours of my life i will never get back |
| Question | Last July, two blockbuster movies, Barbie and Oppenheimer, hit theaters on the same day to widespread acclaim. What was the name given to this fateful collision of motion pictures (used especially by those who planned on seeing both films back to back)? |
| Answer | Barbenheimer |
| Song | V |
| Artist | Valerie |
| Hint | It was a pretty big meme |
| Note | Movie theaters saw a huge dip in revenue during the Covid-19 pandemic, and were desperate to drum up some buzz about going to the theater in the summer of 2023. The timing appeared to be right, because Barbenheimer really was a thing. |
| Number | 73 |
| Realm | Baseball's biggest crackdown |
| Subrealm | Don't worry, the astros will still be cheating |
| Question | For the 2023 MLB season new rules were instituted to help the game run more smoothly. In addition to banning defensive shifts and increasing the size of the bases, how much time does the pitcher have to throw the next ball if a runner is on base? |
| Answer | 20 seconds |
| Song | The Boys of Summer |
| Artist | Don Henley |
| Hint | Consider all the keratin in your body and try to think of all the discrete places you might find it, and subtract between 90,000 and 150,000 |
| Note | Baseball has gained a reputation for being slow and boring in recent years, when compared with sports like football and basketball. The press has been very favorable to the new rules, hoping they will speed the game along and make it more exciting. |
| Number | 74 |
| Realm | A goofy anthropomorphic rodent |
| Subrealm | And Micky Mouse |
| Question | 2024 candidate for president Ron Desantis does not like Disney despite the company's ever-looming specter blanketing his state in the form of unsafe roller coasters and exhausted parents trying to control their children. Ironically what major event in Desantis's life took place at Disney World? |
| Answer | His Wedding |
| Song | Sweet Florida |
| Artist | Van Zant |
| Hint | Not the first time he's made love and certainly not the last |
| Note | Florida governor Desantis was involved in a major dust-up with Disney, over Disney's support for gay rights and Desantis's "anti-woke" crusade. |
| Number | 75 |
| Realm | College decor |
| Subrealm | Waiting all night is (not) optional |
| Question | Williams Art Loan for Living Spaces (WALLS) is our famous college tradition where students can experience the joy of taking home their very own art piece from WCMA for a semester. However, in September 2023, why was the WALLS pickup day postponed from the 10th to the 17th? |
| Answer | "Severe Weather" |
| Song | Riders on the Storm |
| Artist | The Doors |
| Hint | __/<br/>^<br/>\__ |
| Note | WALLS has been a thing since 2012. |
| Number | 76 |
| Realm | Williams campus culture |
| Subrealm | "That's not fair" said the alumni from Brown |
| Question | Which Williams campus band is known for performing in house basements and having a shirtless frontman? |
| Answer | Three Days Ago |
| Song | Who are You |
| Artist | The Who |
| Hint | You might have caught their show on Tuesday |
| Number | 77 |
| Realm | Mycology |
| Subrealm | Mycology (parental guidance suggested) |
| Question | When Henry David Thoreau's journals were published in 1906, its editors left out a strange drawing he had executed of a fungus. Writing on the mushroom, Thoreau called it "suggestive" and suggests that its existence puts Nature itself on par with those who "draw in privies." Name the fungus in question's scientific name. |
| Answer | Phallus impudicus |
| Song | Ego |
| Artist | Beyoncé |
| Hint | Oh, Bacchus, you are shameless! |
| Note | It looks like about what you would expect it to look like, based on the name. Thoreau's drawing was a faithful rendition. |
| Number | 78 |
| Realm | I'm a huge gamer |
| Subrealm | Most of the time |
| Question | Fans of a classic Nintendo RPG were thrilled in September 2023 to hear that an HD remaster of their beloved game was headed for the Nintendo Switch console in the coming months. In this game, one character must say "I love you" to another character a comical number of times to earn their love. How many times do they say it? For a triple play, name the song and send the same number of "I love you"s in the chat. |
| Answer | 100 |
| Song | Paper Rings |
| Artist | Taylor Swift |
| Hint | It's gotta be at least once, right? |
| Note | The game in question appears to be "Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door". |
| Number | 79 |
| Realm | Willliamsiana |
| Subrealm | Many winters ago |
| Question | The Williams College Downhill Ski Team currently races at Jiminy Peak, but they've had their fair share of other homes in days gone by. Name at least three locations in and around Williamstown where the ski team is known to have practiced or held meets in years past. A hint: three of these locations had at least a rope tow, and two of them still exist as known, usable ski trails. |
| Answer | We can accept "Thunderbolt Ski Trail," "Mt. Berlin or Ski Trail on Mt. Berlin," "Sheep Hill," and "Brodie Ski Area." Greylock ski club is incorrect, and I'm pretty sure that Petersburg Pass is also incorrect. |
| Song | Running Up That Hill |
| Artist | Kate Bush |
| Hint | All are either current or former ski areas or are popular hiking spots in town |
| Number | 80 |
| Realm | Big families |
| Subrealm | That doesn't quite... |
| Question | Emmanuel, Gabriel, Jenny-Anne, Dennis, Marcus, Stephen, Mary, Benedict-Joseph, Maurice, and Jean-Marie all live together somewhere far away from downtown Williamstown, although Williamstown happens to have a family of a similar sort. Most of the members of this family would not respond to these versions of their names - in fact, I would be shocked if any of them responded to anything at all! What is special about these ten, and which two live just a bit further away from the rest of the family? |
| Answer | These are the names of the bells at Notre Dame but anglicized. Mary and Emmanuel live apart from the rest of the family. |
| Song | Carillon de Westminster |
| Artist | Louis Vierne |
| Hint | The reason for the separation is not divorce |
| Number | 81 |
| Realm | Pre-law |
| Subrealm | But struggling to fulfill those divisional requirements |
| Question | Consider the following list of legal cases: Reyes v. Skyward Airlines, Inc., Anderson v. Horizon Airways Corporation, Smith v. AeroJet Seating Systems, Hernandez v. Global Airways, LLC, Taylor v. United Airlines, Inc., Baker v. Emergency Flight Services, Ltd. Name the lawyer who recently faced an embarrassing day in court following his use of a similar list and the manner in which his list (and this one) were constructed. |
| Answer | Steven A. Schwartz, Using ChatGPT to search for relevant cases. |
| Song | Chit Chat |
| Artist | Beach Weather |
| Hint | They sure were constructed |
| Note | ChatGPT, a natural-language model AI that broke new ground in 2023, has a tendency to make things up and then sound very confident about them. Society at large is wrestling with the implications of AI, how much we should use it, and how much we should trust it. |
| Number | 82 |
| Realm | I might sit this one out |
| Subrealm | A pain in the... |
| Question | In the 1920s, a strange fad caught the attention of the American public, as popularized by a man with the nickname "Shipwreck." Years later, the current "record holder" of this pastime died while performing it. His post-mortem record was 125 days. What was the victim's name, and what was he doing? |
| Answer | Richard "Buckeye Dixie" Blandy; sitting on a pole (for extended periods of time). |
| Song | Up on the Roof |
| Artist | The Drifters |
| Hint | Though he pulled this stunt in Illinois, his nickname would indicate otherwise |
| Note | Blandy died when the 50ft pole he was sitting on collapsed on May 6th, 1974. The current record appears to be 439 days, 11 hours, and 6 minutes, set by H. David Werder between November 1982 to January 1984. Werder was protesting the price of gasoline. (By not going anywhere, apparently.) |
| Number | 83 |
| Realm | CS 134 |
| Subrealm | No literally, CS 134 |
| Question | What well-known sorting algorithm sports a runtime of Θ(n · n!)? |
| Answer | Bogosort |
| Song | Get Lucky |
| Artist | Daft Punk |
| Hint | It sort of sounds like a method of transportation most often found in cartoons |
| Note | Bogosort means successively generating permutations (either ramdomly or deterministically) of the input, until one turns out to be sorted. It's used as an example of a very inefficient algorithm that still works (eventually). |
| Number | 84 |
| Realm | Wholesome traditions |
| Subrealm | Men missing teeth |
| Question | During the Florida Panthers 1995-1996 NHL season, why did fans throw fake plastic rats onto the rink to celebrate their team's goals? |
| Answer | Commemorating the "Rat Trick;" just before the Panthers' home opener, player Scott Mellanby killed a rat that found its way into the locker room with his stick. He then proceeded to score two goals with that very stick. |
| Song | Rats |
| Artist | Ghost |
| Hint | One player had a particularly versatile stick |
| Number | 85 |
| Realm | Northwest Mass history |
| Subrealm | Back when North Adams was a boom town |
| Question | In 1870, North Adams shoe factory owner Calvin Sampson took an unprecedented step by hiring 75 Chinese immigrants from San Francisco to work as strikebreakers. This choice sparked a national debate about race in the labor force and was, in part, responsible for what restrictive immigration law? |
| Answer | The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. |
| Song | 9 to 5 |
| Artist | Dolly Parton |
| Hint | Come on you know this |
| Note | The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first major U.S. law ever implemented to prevent all members of a specific national group from immigrating to the United States, and therefore, helped shape twentieth-century race-based immigration policy. |
| Number | 86 |
| Realm | Campus Cribs |
| Subrealm | Doug is in the steam tunnels |
| Question | While most Williams students simply know it as "Maud's house," what was the original name for the on-campus residence of our illustrious president when it was first built in 1801? |
| Answer | Sloan House. |
| Song | Woman in the White House |
| Artist | Sheryl Crow |
| Hint | You could say it has famous foundations |
| Number | 87 |
| Realm | US politics |
| Subrealm | Up to his old tricks again |
| Question | In late 2022, President Joe Biden proudly proclaimed that "Our economy is strong as hell." Despite his thoughtful words of praise, inflation continued to soar. But what was Joe otherwise occupied with as he said this? |
| Answer | Eating a (chocolate chip) waffle cone ice cream from Baskin Robbins |
| Song | Ice Cream Man |
| Artist | Van Halen |
| Hint | Lick lick lick if you know what I mean |
| Number | 88 |
| Realm | The ocean |
| Subrealm | The ocean floor |
| Question | In the 1960s, after a Soviet Nuclear submarine sank in the pacific ocean, the CIA launched a covert mission called Project Azorian to try and secretly raise it to the surface in an effort to obtain soviet missile codes. In an attempt to cover their tracks, the CIA created a cover story that the ship involved in the sub's recovery was actually mining manganese off of the sea floor. To give credibility to this tale, the CIA got which American business man to lend his name to the project? |
| Answer | Howard Hughes |
| Song | Cake by the Ocean |
| Artist | DNCE |
| Hint | This wasn't the first time his name was attached to something submarine-shaped |
| Note | It's a really good story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Azorian |
| Number | 89 |
| Realm | Daily Puzzles |
| Subrealm | Can YOU solve it? |
| Question | Wyna Liu, editor and creator of the New York Times puzzle game, Connections, was inspired to create the game by which cartoonist who made puzzles involving wordplay? |
| Answer | Robert Leighton |
| Song | The Riddle |
| Artist | Nik Kershaw |
| Hint | He shares his name with a 17th century prelate. Don't ask what a prelate is, i have no idea |
| Note | Robert Leighton published puzzles in Games Magazine. |
| Number | 90 |
| Realm | An idea for the next Super Bowl Halftime Show |
| Subrealm | death is mandatory |
| Question | In an effort to reenact naval battles for the Roman public in a grand venue, Emperor Titus ordered what dramatic change to be brought upon which famous Roman building? |
| Answer | The colosseum was flooded |
| Song | You're the Top |
| Artist | Anything Goes |
| Hint | When it was all said and done, he probably brought his rubber duck |
| Number | 91 |
| Realm | Frostbite or humilation? |
| Subrealm | Both |
| Question | On February 22, 1076, Pope Gregory VII excommunicated Henry IV, king of the Holy Roman empire. In dire need of political support, the king ventured to Italy to seek forgiveness. On January 25, 1077, with a blizzard raging, Henry arrived at the Pope's gates and proceeded to show supplication in what way? |
| Answer | He stood in the snow barefoot and with very light clothing for three days |
| Song | Three Days |
| Artist | Pat Green |
| Hint | How would YOU make that experience as miserable as possible? |
| Number | 92 |
| Realm | Maryland |
| Subrealm | At such a trifle hour, couldn't you come up with a more interesting question? |
| Question | Gaithersburg, MD, is one of only six cities in the world to contain which scientific data-gathering center? |
| Answer | International Latitude Observatory |
| Song | Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes |
| Artist | Jimmy Buffett |
| Hint | Stop looking at your computer and listen to the song |
| Note | The International Latitude Service was created by the International Geodetic Association in 1899 to study variations in latitude caused by polar motion, precession, or "wobble" of the Earth's axis. |
| Number | 93 |
| Realm | Alternative lifestyles |
| Subrealm | Big agriculture |
| Question | When driving through parts of Minnesota, the Dakotas, or Montana, you may come across massive corporate-style farms that claim to sell fresh fruit and vegetables. Yet they all have names like "Miller Colony" or "Cascade Colony." Who lives here? |
| Answer | Hutterites (Christian fundamentalists sort of like the Amish) |
| Song | Amish Paradise |
| Artist | Weird Al |
| Hint | It's not Monsanto |
| Note | Like the Amish and Mannonites, the Hutterites originated in Europe in the 26th century. Today almost all Hutterites live in Western Canada and the Great Plains of the United States. |
| Number | 94 |
| Realm | Floating museums |
| Subrealm | Reasons to go to Toledo, OH |
| Question | When SS Col. James M. Schoonmaker was launched in 1911 as a great lakes shipping boat, it was quickly dubbed "the queen of the lakes." What record did it (probably) break to be given such a title? |
| Answer | World's largest bulk freighter at the time. |
| Song | The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald |
| Artist | Gordon Lightfoot |
| Hint | It probably wouldn't fit in a queen-size bed |
| Number | 95 |
| Realm | Star Wars Prequels |
| Subrealm | Every single phrase in this movie trilogy is a meme. |
| Question | Named after an infamous scene from Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, this exploit is popular among speedrunners of the game Hearts of Iron IV. When a player wants to destroy an alliance, they choose one country to declare war on in the future. Before war breaks out, they send their armies to pass through that country's allies. The moment war begins and the allies join in, the player instantly occupies the allies' cities, forcing most of the alliance to surrender. Name the exploit. |
| Answer | Order 66 |
| Song | Wake Up |
| Artist | Arcade Fire |
| Hint | The time has come. |
| Number | 96 |
| Realm | Fearsome Critters |
| Subrealm | Another day in Florida |
| Question | Described as a man-eating monster most similar in appearance to a crocodile, this creature was said to stalk the swamps of Florida looking for its next victim. But how did it hunt? For the point, identify both how the creature moved and how it caught its dinner. |
| Answer | with a propeller, and with a big spike on its back |
| Song | Alligator |
| Artist | Of Monsters and Men |
| Hint | vroom vroom shish |
| Number | 97 |
| Realm | School Lunch |
| Subrealm | Are you what you eat? |
| Question | Midwesterners will eat anything but a vegetable. If you took every one of these school lunch staples sold in a year and lined them up from end to end, that line would travel across the United States six times. What are these magical edible cylinders? |
| Answer | Bosco Sticks |
| Song | Stick Season |
| Artist | Noah Kahan |
| Hint | Imagine you really did run off and join the Circus when you were 14. What are your coworkers' names? |
| Note | Bosco Sticks are like hot pockets, but finger-shaped. |
| Number | 98 |
| Realm | Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives |
| Subrealm | Loitering in the alley outside |
| Question | Known equally for his bowling shirts and for resembling a bowling ball, Guy Fieri has made himself an icon of the food world with his show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. He has also embarked on many spin-off businesses, all of them food-related: except for one. What is the specific brand name of Guys's newest inedible product? |
| Answer | Knuckle Sandwich [Maduro] Cigars |
| Song | On the Road Again |
| Artist | Willie Nelson |
| Hint | You can't eat it, but you can sure put it in your mouth. |
| Number | 99 |
| Realm | Those who throw stones |
| Subrealm | Pillow mint at The Glass Hotel |
| Question | In The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, several characters find themselves facing ruin as the Ponzi scheme they had been working for collapses during the 2008 financial crisis. The mastermind, Jonathan Alkaitis, is ultimately arrested, but, in prison, imagines how he might have evaded capture by the FBI. What was his (perhaps only retroactive) plan? |
| Answer | To dress like a window washer and escape down the side of his building |
| Song | The Other Side of Paradise |
| Artist | Glass Animals |
| Hint | Without moving, try to look outside. What are you looking for? |