122 Titillating Trivia

Marcia Smith 0:00
Who was the first delegate to receive a standing ovation from the United Nations? And

Bob Smith 0:05
where have the Winter Olympics? Never been held? You got lucky. No. Oh, no answers to those and other questions coming up in this episode of the off ramp with Bob and Marcia Smith.

Welcome to the off ramp a chance to slow down steer clear of crazy take a side road to sanity and get some perspective on life. Well, this might seem like a simple question, Where have the Winter Olympics never been held? Marcia? Okay, Arizona. No, no, we’re talking part of the world. Oh, a part of the world. Well, South Pacific. Well, that’s true, but not that part of the world a bigger bigger part of the world. Your bigger part? I’ll tell you the answer. And you’ll say Well, of course, okay. And South hemisphere, the southern hemisphere. Okay, I got it. Okay. Now that might seem like well, so of course not. Yeah. Well, there are places where there are snowy conditions, like the Andes in South America, and we have mountains. But the Winter Olympics have never been held in the southern hemisphere. They’ve always been held in the northern hemisphere, all 24 of them counting the 2022 Winter Olympics in China. But perhaps one day, the Andes mountains or the South African ski country will play host to the winter country in South Africa. There are places really Africa where there are mountains with snow, of course, like Kilimanjaro has snow and other places. Well, I never thought of that before. So camp, just kind of an interesting tidbit.

Marcia Smith 1:49
Okay, Bob, who was the first delegate of the United Nations to receive a standing ovation a standing ovation, who would that be?

Bob Smith 1:55
So somebody universally recognized as a good person, but that’d be Eleanor Roosevelt.

Marcia Smith 2:05
Is it because I read her book, bio

Bob Smith 2:07
heart of it, but I knew she was the one of the first American delegates to the United Nations.

Marcia Smith 2:12
She was our first in 1948. She didn’t want to do it. She’d said I’m not qualified. Well, turns out Guess what? She was more qualified than everybody there. To her amazement, she was a mover and a shaker. And she was the driving force behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Bob Smith 2:31
So yes, that’s famous document. Yeah, that’s her.

Marcia Smith 2:35
That’s her. FDR is widow was the first person to ever have all members of the 51 nations across the globe. This gets me for clump. They all rose from new chairs to honor that 64 year old woman sitting among them. I think it took her to tears to well, and

Bob Smith 2:54
of course, that was I’m sure in recognition of FDR who had recently died. Yeah,

Marcia Smith 2:58
but she did all that. I mean, she this was she was very much on her own at the United Nations. So anyway, carry on.

Bob Smith 3:06
Okay, Marcia, what are the five least populated states in the United States? Now? Here’s the definition. Okay. Only five US states have a population below 1 million people. Okay. What are the Wyoming? Wyoming one? Montana? Nope. South Dakota? Yes. South Dakota. North Dakota. Yes. Both. Okay. So I gotta get three, two more to go. Once in New England. Oh, is it New Hampshire?

Marcia Smith 3:33
No. Rhode Island? No. Okay.

Bob Smith 3:36
You think we’re an island, but Rhode Island has some big cities. Yeah. Vermont. And one more? Out west? Out West up north?

Marcia Smith 3:44
Yeah. Is it’s a biggest I already said Montana, the biggest state

Bob Smith 3:48
in the union. Oh, Alaska. Alaska. The biggest state in the Union still has less than a million people. Yeah. So these are the ones you are right. Wyoming is number one. It’s the least populated state. It’s the ninth largest state in area, but it has a population of only half a million people. So that’s 5.8 people per square mile. Two is Vermont. Three is Alaska, twice the size of Texas but only 1.2 people per square mile. 732,000 people there. North Dakota is next. And South Dakota. They both have about 700 to 800,000 people but Wyoming has got the least amount of people of all states 578,803 Hmm. Interesting. So those are the five least populated states in the United States.

Marcia Smith 4:36
You got a lot of big sky out there. That’s right. That’s right. But that’s in Montana.

Bob Smith 4:40
So yeah, we’re just not and it’s on their life.

Marcia Smith 4:44
So you just confused everybody. Okay, I don’t think I have that power. Bob. I confuse you and myself but all right. What do these songs all have in common? Yellow Submarine ferry crossed the Mercy Allah Restaurant. Oh did Billy Joe Harper Valley PTA Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band? Who will stop the rain and redheaded stranger which I never heard of that

Bob Smith 5:12
Well, that’s a that’s a big Willie Nelson’s. Yeah. I don’t know what would be in common several of those are about water of course. The three or four of them they’re about water but I don’t know what’s the common denominator

Marcia Smith 5:22
All served as inspiration for movies? Oh, really? Yeah, I didn’t know that. What again that the one star Yellow Submarine very crossed the Mercy Alice’s restaurant. Oh dear Billy Joe Harper Valley PTA I remember that one Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, who will stop the rain and redheaded stranger obviously, some of the movies changed the name. But several kept the name and others inspired the movie.

Bob Smith 5:50
Well, Marcia, the Winter Olympics are in full swing. I asked you one question about the Winter Olympics. But I’ve got others here, too. What country has hosted the most Winter Olympics?

Marcia Smith 6:00
Oh, gosh. All right. I’ll say Winter Olympics.

Unknown Speaker 6:03
That’s right. Just winter.

Marcia Smith 6:05
I’ll say Ah, Switzerland.

Bob Smith 6:08
No. Okay, Norway. No. Okay, Canada. No. All right. The US, the US, real US has hosted for Winter Olympic Games. Nobody’s hosted more than that. China’s done to France is second hosting three times, the 1924 games in Shalini. And the 1968 games in Grenoble, and the 1992 games in Alberta.

Marcia Smith 6:31
Yeah. I love it when your content.

Bob Smith 6:34
Alright, how when and where were the first Winter Olympic Games when and where? They’re relatively new. Oh, what?

Marcia Smith 6:43
Oh, the 20th century? Okay. It’s not. It’s not Sun Valley. Is it? No, it’s all I remember. Is that one.

Bob Smith 6:52
Okay. I don’t know, Shama knee, France Shalini in 1924. And the event was called the International winter sports week. It was renamed later, but athletes from 16 countries competed in six sports. And then four years later, same …  in Switzerland was the host of the second Winter Games.

Marcia Smith 7:12
Okay, here’s a quickie What did the initials M G stand for? On the famous British made car?

Bob Smith 7:18
Oh, the M G. I don’t know. Yeah,

Marcia Smith 7:21
I didn’t know this one. I wouldn’t have guessed this. Morris garages. Oh, is that right? Yeah. It’s Morris garages were owned by William Morris. And it was a private retail sales and service company. It was headquartered in London. But since 2007, guess who owns it? The Chinese?

Bob Smith 7:42
They still keep MGS though. Yes. Yeah. Well, that’s funny. You always have a riddle every once in a while because you know, I hate riddle. Yeah. So I have a riddle for you. It’s a it’s a puzzle. Sort of Okay. Okay. Okay. This is the word standard s t a n d ARD. Okay. Just think of that the word standard. Take away two letters, and add three digits to make a logical sequence. Do you have any idea what that might be, too? If you take away certain letters from that word standard, you create a logical sequence of numbers

Marcia Smith 8:17
one, two and three. First, second, and third for a second. And third. Yeah.

Bob Smith 8:21
If you take away the two A’s and add one, two and three, you get first, second third. From that word.

Marcia Smith 8:27
Do we give that to the little woman? Yeah.

Unknown Speaker 8:30
Okay. All right. Okay. No moderators for you know, you

Marcia Smith 8:33
know, who won the first Super Bowl. Right?

Bob Smith 8:36
That was the Green Bay Packers.

Marcia Smith 8:38
That’s right. You can’t possibly French team in Green Bay. You can’t possibly live here and not answer that. But do you know who made the first touchdown in that first game?

Speaker 1 8:50
But star? No. No, I don’t know. The first touchdown.

Marcia Smith 8:54
This is somebody you know. And it wasn’t Bart Starr pull home. know who it was Max McGee.

Unknown Speaker 9:01
Oh, okay.

Marcia Smith 9:02
I wouldn’t have guessed that. I didn’t know that. Now. You do. Okay. How about a guy name hand solo Bob.

Bob Smith 9:08
Hand not Han. Also

Marcia Smith 9:11
known as David Aguilar. He was born without a right forearm. In 2017. He built himself a purely mechanical prosthesis. It was made out of what?

Bob Smith 9:25
I have no idea. Any clue? It’s a toy. Really a prosthesis out of a toy works. Okay, so it’s some kind of a claw or a Erector Set thing? Is that what it was?

Marcia Smith 9:37
Yeah, not too far away. But this is hard to believe Legos. Okay, yes, he built it from a Lego Technic helicopter set and it features a movable elbow joint and a grabber so he can pick things up and he activates it by bending his elbow where there’s a will there’s a way Gosh You should see it. It’s it’s really cool

Bob Smith 9:58
and his name is Han Solo that’s his actual name. No, no.

Marcia Smith 10:02
Okay, real name is David Aguilar. But that’s his. That’s his handle otherwise, which is kind of cute. That’s

Bob Smith 10:08
funny. I’ve got three Did you know facts? All right. Just wondered if you know these. Did you know ransom paid to a kidnapper can be deducted as an expense on your income? Not

Marcia Smith 10:18
know that that’s good to keep in mind. A study at the University

Bob Smith 10:21
of Iowa has discovered that looking at nude people can stop you from coughing. Wow. And studies at the University of Virginia suggest you are more likely to catch a cold by holding hands than by kissing Oh, yeah,

Marcia Smith 10:36
really? Yeah. Because you probably rub your nose or something after you held hands with. I

Bob Smith 10:42
don’t know, because that’s somebody function there. I’ve got a buddy question. If you’d like to tell your friends you weigh less than you normally do and not lie. When should you weigh yourself? First thing in the morning? Know when the moon is overhead. Oh, that’s right. You’re a little lighter. Yeah, the moon’s gravitational pull. You’re weightless when it’s overhead. So you can even if you’re not on a diet, you can say I weigh less. That’s

Marcia Smith 11:03
right. I think it’s only ounces. But yeah. Oh, it’s tiny fractions of stuff. Okay, what American Actor made this statement? I don’t feel we did wrong and taking this country away from them. They were great number of people who needed new land. And the Indians were selfish trying to keep it for themselves. That

Bob Smith 11:23
was John way. You know? Oh, yeah. That’s a famous quote. Yeah, they were selfish keeping this land we need a lot of people needed. I know how on self aware. Can you be when you say somebody should

Marcia Smith 11:37
have gone up and knocked on his door? We’d like your house. It’s selfish of you to keep it.

Bob Smith 11:42
Yeah, really?

Marcia Smith 11:43
We have it kind

Bob Smith 11:44
of selfish to have this biggest state of yours. Get out, John. Okay, Marsha, do you know what is second sleep? You ever heard of this expression out?

Marcia Smith 11:53
Is that mean? Like when you when you fall asleep the second time during the night?

Bob Smith 11:58
Yes, that’s exactly what it is. And you know, this whole idea that we should sleep in eight hour chunks. It’s relatively recent. Most people don’t do that. And it’s not because of what people think a lot of people think, oh, it’s modern technology. It’s electricity. It’s computers. It’s cable TV. It’s said it’s always been this way. Yeah. Yeah. And they know that now because they’ve done some research. A History professor at Virginia Tech named Roger Eskridge spent hours investigating the history of the night and he began to notice strange references to sleep in classic literature. A character in The Canterbury Tales, for instance, decides to go back to bed after her first sleep. A doctor in England wrote that the time between the first sleep and the second sleep was the best time for study and reflection. And in the 16th century, a French physician concluded that laborers were able to conceive more children because they waited until after the first sleep

Marcia Smith 12:54
to make love. That was an interesting experiment.

Bob Smith 12:57
Yeah, so sleeping in segments is as old as time. That’s all there is to it. Yeah, but apparently that’s not anything new. You know, this idea that you wake up maybe 123 times. In fact, for centuries, a period of quiet wakefulness between the first sleep and the second sleep was known as a watch. And yes, it was often used for prayer or writing or sex, even for visiting neighbors. Yeah, real. Let’s try

Marcia Smith 13:25
that tonight. at three in the morning. Hey,

Bob Smith 13:27
yeah, people. People look forward to time in the middle of the night is a chance for getting the jump on all kinds of things or just getting a jump amorous

Marcia Smith 13:36
activity. I’ll be darned. Yeah,

Bob Smith 13:37
I thought that was kind of fun. Okay, okay, but you aren’t getting enough sleep. It doesn’t matter if it’s in chunks. It’s always been that way. Hmm.

Marcia Smith 13:44
Well, consider myself enlightened Bob. All right. Okay. What’s the most expensive silent movie ever made?

Bob Smith 13:52
That would be one of the DW Griffith films. Was that intolerance? No. Birth of a Nation. No.

Marcia Smith 13:59
What was it? Ben Hur? Oh,

Bob Smith 14:01
Ben Hur.

Marcia Smith 14:02
Just watched that recently.

Bob Smith 14:03
I did. I actually went to Turner Sunday. Silence is what they call it and I actually watched parts of it. Yeah, I didn’t want to watch the whole thing. You know, it’s tedious.

Marcia Smith 14:10
$3.9 million.

Bob Smith 14:13
That was a lot of money back in when the 20s when they made that. Okay.

Marcia Smith 14:17
What’s the best country to live in? If you’re a house cat?

Bob Smith 14:22
If you’re a house cat? Yeah. So that must be a place where there’s a lot of mice. No, no, no. The best How do you define his best? Is there a way to define that without giving condition? What would it be the United States? No. Oh, where would it be?

Marcia Smith 14:37
No. Give me your in France. Give me your cat voice. No,

Bob Smith 14:43
no. Well,

Marcia Smith 14:44
when you’re talking to me, oh,

Bob Smith 14:45
yeah, so I hate this tuna. Yeah, me something else. For God’s sake.

Marcia Smith 14:51
Yes. The aristocratic house cat. No. According to the National Geographic and they went live. That would be Switzerland. Oh really? Why us Say, Well, I says cats there have freedom, autonomy and their own cat specific architecture. Cat architecture. It’s true. He had on the side of a townhouse or an apartment complex. They have their own little custom built kitty ladders and ramps, Kitty ladders, yeah, letters and letters, ladders and ramps, okay, litters ladders and ramps. I think that’s a song and are designed so cats can come and go as they please, you go off to work and that lazy cat wakes up. I think I’ll go for a walk. There found cat ladders are found all over Europe, but they’re particularly abundant in Switzerland, because they have like 1.5 million domestic cats in that little country. And that’s because most people live in rented homes and Swiss landlords are more open to allowing cats than dogs.

Bob Smith 15:50
Oh, interesting. Yeah. So cats are better in Switzerland than any other place.

Marcia Smith 15:55
Oh, they just have more.

Bob Smith 15:56
I mean, they’re better off. Yeah. Okay. Lots of off time. That’s good to know. I need to send a cat somewhere. You’ll be better off, believe me. Okay, back to the Winter Olympics. What country up to this point has won the most medals in the Winter Olympic Games. I’ll give you some countries here. Okay. The United States, Norway, Germany or Russia. One of those countries is one of the most

Marcia Smith 16:21
states.

Bob Smith 16:22
The United States, correct? No. Okay. Give me another one. Russia? No. What’s the last we have Germany and Norway? Oh, Norway. Yes, Norway has participated in all 24 Winter Olympics. Going into the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, Norway had won the most total medals. 368. And it also led the way in total gold medals with 132 after Norway, the top medal winning countries at the start of these 2022 games where the United States who has won 305 Germany which had won 240 and Austria, which had won 232 Yeah. All right now, the next Winter Olympics will also be in the northern hemisphere. Where will they be?

Marcia Smith 17:05
The next one? I

Bob Smith 17:07
don’t know. The next Winter Olympics. I don’t know. Northern Italy. How that’ll be fun. Yeah, the preparations for the 2026 games will be the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Well, it’s something like that. It’ll be the first winter olympics officially held in two host cities. Oh, yeah. What’s

Marcia Smith 17:28
the other one?

Bob Smith 17:28
I just read them. Oh, those

Marcia Smith 17:30
were two cities. Yeah, it was.

Bob Smith 17:31
What do you think that was an appetizer or the meal or something? I think we’re laying on the bed.

Marcia Smith 17:35
I think we’re past taking your break with some ketchup. Oh,

Bob Smith 17:39
okay. You’re listening to the off ramp with Bob and Marsha Smith. And we’ll be back in just a moment. Welcome back. We’re here with the off ramp. Bob and Marsha Smith. And Marsha has a question.

Marcia Smith 17:51
Yes. Name the top three states in America for producing oranges, or

Bob Smith 17:57
the top three states for producing oranges. I would say it’s Florida, California. And what would the third one be? That’s the tree. Would that be Georgia? Perhaps the peaches? Would that be? Um, or would that Texas? Yes. Okay. Very good. That makes sense. Yeah. All right, Marsha. This is a question near and dear to your heart because your former heartthrob Aaron Rodgers before he got weird. Every year since you mean Dr. Rogers? Yes, that’s right. Every year since 1957, the Associated Press has given a Most Valuable Player award to a national football player right now over the years it’s been linebackers defensive running backs defensive tackles even place kickers but primarily what quarterback. Okay, question. Is there any science supporting the contention that a quarterback is the most valuable player?

Marcia Smith 18:54
Is there any science? Science? Yes. Well, Karen doesn’t like science so I’ll

Bob Smith 19:02
just quickly yes or no, no. Yes, there is no. Wrong again. You’re wrong. Wrong Wrong, Marcia. Yes, a New York Times sports article blog by Mike Taylor says most analytical models suggest even ordinary quarterbacks actually add more quantifiable value to their teams, in terms of yards points and victories than the most spectacular players at any other position really. And he gives an example here. Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, he led the NFL with 1500 18 rushing yards, 1800 54, scrimmage yards and 19 Rushing and receiving touchdowns. Analytics showed that his rushing added 479 more yards to the Colts offense this season than a replacement level running back. However, quarterbacks actually add more than that. 12 NFL quarterbacks added more than 479 yards. In fact, top quarterbacks had well over 1000 You yards per year to their offensive. So there you go. Basically there is  science proving the quarterback is valuable.

Marcia Smith 20:04
I assumed that but I thought you were trying to catch it’s a little arcane, but it all works

Bob Smith 20:09
together if you kind of immerse yourself in it and read the statistics, I guess it does make sense, you know, not only that they’re calling the shots.

Marcia Smith 20:16
That’s right there. In the movie gold finger. Name. The Korean man with the steel Derby hat.

Bob Smith 20:27
Oh, I forgot about that movie. That’s a long time ago.

Marcia Smith 20:31
Yeah, but he’s always around. Yeah, I

Bob Smith 20:35
forgot about that. He was a little Yeah, a little Asian. A Korean man.

Marcia Smith 20:38
Assassin. Oh, a famous fictional character.

Bob Smith 20:43
What was his name?

Marcia Smith 20:44
I job. That was his as a character. Yeah, he was one of the most famous fictional characters in the double Oh, seven movies. Our job okay. Didn’t know that. Did you? Oh, no, I didn’t.

Bob Smith 20:55
I didn’t know that asked me a question. Two more Olympic Games questions. Okay. Snowy owls were the official mascots of what Winter Olympic Games? What country? Let’s just say the snow was snowy owl.

Marcia Smith 21:09
Well, they have a lot of them in. In what country? Germany? No, no, it wasn’t Russia. Was

Bob Smith 21:15
it? No, it was in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan. For snowy Al’s cold snow bullets were the official mascots. They actually were cute cartoon images and they actually had names that were Sookie gnocci Leakey and Sookie Leakey, they represent. I’m sorry, Lucky, lucky. LTE kki they’ve represented respectively fire air, earth and water. Okay, and why is a quarry Aquarii on a Scottish Island critical to the Winter Olympics. A quarry you know a place where they’re digging up? Yeah, in a Scottish Island. It’s critical to the Winter Olympics every winter Olympics, because something comes from their

Marcia Smith 21:55
snow. No. Water, no. Stone. Yes.

Bob Smith 22:00
Oh,

Marcia Smith 22:02
they built I don’t know they help build the structures for I have no idea. It’s

Bob Smith 22:06
a sports stone the curling stones. l really every single Olympic curling stone comes from a query on a small island off the coast of Scotland. The granite found there is considered to be some of the hardest and purest in the world. And curling stone sizes are standardized. Each has to be made of 44 pounds of solid Scottish granite that’s a lot 44 pounds or heavy. The Scottish granite maintains that shape despite the moist cold conditions of the ice curling sheet but all of the curling stones, no matter what nation has come from that worry in Scotland who won the most

Marcia Smith 22:42
World Series?

Bob Smith 22:44
The New York Yankees.

Marcia Smith 22:45
That’s right. They have gone to 40 World Series they played in four then they won 27, so more than more half. They have the most championship appearances and the most victories by any team in the four major North American professional sports leaguxe. So across the board of all different sports, they got the most dominant

Bob Smith 23:06
The Yankees debaters, okay. This is a sport of sorts. We hear about it a lot these days because people are trying to destroy it. Back in the dayswhen the filibuster was really popular. A record was set for the longest congressional speech in history by one person who said it. How long was it? How long did that filibuster last? The longest congressional speech two days, parts of two days. It was Huey Long the Louisiana Senator he set the record in 1935. He started at 12:30pm on June the 12th. And he dropped from physical exhaustion into his seat at 4am The next morning, okay, he had been speaking continuously for 15 and a half hours the longest speech on record at the time. The speech was 150,000 words long and it took up 100 pages of the Congressional Record. And it cost the government $5,000 to print it. I know a couple of women couldn’t do that. And that included cooking recipes and jokes, not just spin. He just ranted the doc. Yeah, he had to talk. Okay, I’ve got two more Winter Olympics. Thanks here. Okay. And then I’ll quote, yeah, then you’ll wrap it up with a quote. Okay. What Olympic resort did not exist when the Olympics for it were announced. Sun Valley. It wasn’t Sun Valley. Keep going. It was Squall Valley. Diets it where is that was in California. Okay, that, that forgot all about that. Yeah, that area in Northern California near Lake Tahoe. Anyway. So Squaw Valley got the Olympics that year 1960s. The developer there Alexandria, Cushing bid for Squaw Valley to host the Games. And his dream resort didn’t even exist. But the International Olympic Committee was very impressed where he was going to build out that area in Northern California near Lake Tahoe for the games. So Squaw Valley got them squat. values Olympics were the only ones without bobsled competitions. But there was something introduced in those Olympics we see all over the place these days in all kinds of professional sports games, where we pause for a moment to look at the instant replay. Yeah, that was introduced in the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley tight got that right. All right now, the film Cool Runnings that followed the Olympic bobsled team of what country?

Marcia Smith 25:28
Cash was an island, wasn’t it? Yes. Oh, gosh, I can see them Trinidad, Jamaica

Bob Smith 25:33
And they do have a team in this year’s Olympics to get to make I love it. I think it’s great from a totally different Yeah, climate. All right. And just one last note, we talked about how the Chinese had to manufacture artificial snow for this Olympics. 1964 the Innsbruck games, same problem, very different solution. They didn’t have big machines to make snow. So what did they do? The Austrian government had to call in the military. They carve 20,000 blocks of ice and 1.4 million cubic feet of snow from nearby mountains and transported them to the Olympic grounds. That must have been a much bigger effort then you know, then a machine that blows artificial snow

Marcia Smith 26:17
I can’t Why can’t believe it so that so they took ice there. They took snow it

Bob Smith 26:22
took ice and snow from nearby mountain. What’s the ice for? What did they do with that? Probably for skating? You got it. You make it? And you got an army to help you do it. Yeah. 1964. So same problem, very different solution.

Marcia Smith 26:35
Okay, it’s the month of for Valentine’s Day, Bob, let’s talk romance. I’m going to give you a quote from an unknown person. Okay. It’s easy to fall in love. The hard part is finding someone to catch you.

Bob Smith 26:52
That’s pretty good. So famous person,

Marcia Smith 26:54
no unknown. Oh, I know, which is they’re pretty famous, or they’re everywhere.

Bob Smith 26:59
Those unknown and anonymous. Yes. I mean, they got married. They wrote a lot of stuff. Okay, I’m Bob Smith.

Marcia Smith 27:07
I’m Marcia Smith. I

Bob Smith 27:08
hope you’ll join us again next time when we return with more trivia on the off ramp.

The off ramp is produced in association with CPL radio online and the Cedarburg Public Library Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai