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The Questions…

1. Starting in 1965, the Kennedy Space Center used two massive diesel-powered “crawlers” to transport spacecraft to the launch sites. What are the nicknames of the two machines?

2. After the French Revolution, as deposed queen Marie Antoinette was being led up the steps to the guillotine, she said to her executioner, “Pardon me, sir. I did not mean to do it.” Why did she apologize?

3. The summit of Mt. Everest, officially 29,028 feet, is the highest point above sea level on Earth. But the “tallest mountain” title easily could go to Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Why?

4. The summit of Mt. Everest is not the highest point on the planet. Explain.

5. What is the popular Indian delicacy “Bombay duck”?

The Answers…

1. Their nicknames are Hans and Franz after the muscle-bound Austrian body-builders played by Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon on Saturday Night Live.

2. She accidentally stepped on the executioner’s foot.

3. When measured from its base under the Pacific Ocean, Mauna Kea is 33,464 feet tall. However, the top extends only 13,796 feet above sea level.

4. Ecuador’s Mt. Chimborazo is 20,564 feet above sea level. But the Earth bulges at the equator, so the top of Chimborazo is 7,113 feet farther away from the center of the Earth than Everest. To put it another way, Chimborazo is the closest point on Earth to the Sun.

5. A type of fish common in the oceans off India and China. Typically, it is dried, salted, and sold in street markets. The duck nickname, origin unknown, dates back to the 1850s.