The Questions…
1. The late, unlamented Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi (or maybe it was Mu’ammar Qaddafi, or Moamer Al-Gathafi; ABC News once listed 112 different Western spellings of the guy’s name) was not only a sadistic despot, but also a wacko nutjob. What claim did the Colonel make about William Shakespeare?
2. You go to a restaurant in Iceland, have dinner, and leave a tip. The manager throws you out. What went wrong?
3. How long does the face of a golf club remain in contact with the ball?
4. The 1962 decision by Decca Records not to sign The Beatles to a contract (the lads were still relatively unknown at the time) is considered one of the biggest blunders in music history. What competing band got the contract?
5. Peering down at passersby from the towers of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. are 112 decorative gargoyles — decorative, but also functional in that they protect the building by deflecting rainwater. What modern arch-villain is among the gargoyles?
The Answers…
1. Colonel Gadhafi (or Khadafy, or Qadthafi — hoo boy) claimed that Shakespeare was in reality Sheikh Zubeir, an Arab who had immigrated to England. Gadaffy accused the West of cultural theft for claiming Shakespeare as its own.
2. In Iceland, leaving a tip is considered an insult.
3. One 450-millionth of a second. Approximately.
4. Decca signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes instead of The Beatles, declaring that “The Beatles have no future in show business.” In Decca’s defense, the Tremeloes are still performing.
5. Darth Vader. He was one of the winners of a contest in the 1980s in which children sent in their designs for new gargoyles.
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