A 10-Question Trivia Contest to Celebrate the 15th Anniversary of Ennyman's Territory

Not sure where we're headed, but I'm
on the road to find out.

Today is the 15th anniversary of my first blog post, "One Small Step for a Man, One Giant Leap..." I had no idea that I'd still be writing almost daily 15 years later. There have been a few times I almost quit. Then I wake up the next day and have something I want to share or say, and there we go again.

To celebrate this milestone I'd create a trivia contest in which the answers can be found in previous blog posts I've written. No, you do not have to search through all 5415 blog posts to find them. You'll find the answers by following links at the end of this page.

Over the years I've had a chance to interview hundreds of very interesting people. One author used our published interview to secure a contract with Doubleday for a follow up to his first book. When I wrote about the song "Wichita Lineman" I got an email from the wife of Jimmy Webb, the great songwriter who wrote it. I've corresponded with people from all seven continents. 

I'm always grateful for the writers, artists and musicians who have given me the opportunity to share their stories. Regular readers know I also like to review films and recommend books (So many books, so little time!!!) ...and all things Dylan.

Anyways, if you're up for it, here's the quiz. The first Fifteen people who send me the correct answers I will send you an original Newmanesque doodle or drawing of some kind. Send your answers to ennyman3 [AT] gmail.com

Thanks for playing.  

Saddleback Mountain, Monterrey Mexico, 1981.

1. Who was the "Joe" referred to in the statement, "Say it ain't so, Joe." 

2. The abbreviation fad purportedly began in 1838 in Boston, but soon spread to New York and New Orleans, thus was the expression O.K. born. What was the name of the president who borrowed the fad term and applied it to himself. His nickname was Old Kinderhook, because he came from Kinderhook, New York.

3. On June 14, 1838, Isaac Fischer Jr. of Springfield, Vermont, patented what product that continues to be useful for carpenters?

4. Since the Golden Gate Bridge was built in 1933, people attempt suicide on average every 16 days. Out of all those years of suicide jumps, how many people had survived as of 2019?

5. A Belgian built electric car called "La Jamais Contente" was able to achieve what speed in 1899?

6. What is the name of the famous stand up comedian whose autobiography was titled Born Standing Up?

7.  In the early part of WW2, the Nazi Blitzkrieg was so swift that France fell in how many weeks?

8. Graham Greene was one of my favorite authors for a spell, a superb writer of many books that became films. One of these was The Third Man. Who was the actor who played the role of Harry Lime?

9. During the first half of the 20th century this poet, writer, satirist and critic wrote a poem about loneliness titled Bric-a-Brac. What was her name? 

10. He was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations. His book, Markings, is a collection of notes, poems, philosophical musings, insights on life and the challenges of being human in the modern world. What was his name?

Paquita. A young girl at the Casa de Niños, Monterrey. 1981

ANSWERS can be found in the following past blog posts.

1. Field of Dreams and Memories 

2. Where Did OK Come From?

3. Today in History, June 14

4. A Lesson from the Golden Gate Suicide Attempts

5. Gas Taxes and Electric Cars

6. Born Standing Up

7. Miscellaneous Notes from Recent Readings

8. Two Film Noir Favorites

9. Bric-a-Brac

10. Markings

Thanks for sharing the journey.

Moonwalk

It's an incredible story -- breathtaking, nail-biting, mind-numbing, mesmerizing, awesome, fascinating, ethereal, unbelievable, stupefying, amazing, astonishing, spectacular and more. And one we have taken so very much for granted. For this reason if for no other, I recommend the book Rocket Men by Craig Nelson.

It's an epic moment in history and when Armstrong and Aldrich begin their descent toward the lunar surface, it's a compelling read. Nelson takes you there.

Most of us are familiar with the story, have at least read something about the "space race" that preoccupied so many Americans in the Sixties. The Russians were first in outer space, so like boys trying to outdo one another the Americans needed to be first to land a man on the moon. They accomplished this feat by a strenuous effort of will that involved billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of highly motivated individuals and the best minds science had to offer. When Neil Armstrong finally placed his feet on that unearthly world, he correctly said, "One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."

In reading this book there are so many details I'd forgotten about this regarding fantastic voyage, if I ever knew them at all. Here are just a few.

1. When the Eagle (the spacecraft that conveyed Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong to their final destination in the Sea of Tranquility) descended, the ground was covered with boulders so that there was no suitable place to land. The flew horizontally for several minutes seeking a safe place to touch down, but as they did so they were running out of fuel. The landed with only about 17 seconds of fuel left.

2. Our bodies here on earth stay cool by means of sweat. This process only works because of the atmosphere on earth. On the moon, when Armstrong and Aldrin were running about setting up experiments while carrying 170 pound backpacks, they would have overheated had they not have suits that circulated water and kept their body temps normal.

3.Those 170 pound backpacks were bulky, but only weighed one-sixth their weight, so the mass was less massive than it appears.

4. No atmosphere on the moon means the sun looks different in the sky. And the color of the sky is black, by day or night. our earthly sky appears blue because the gases and particles in our atmosphere scatter the sunlight. Blue light waves are shorter than red ones so that as the light is reflected it's the primary color we see during our day.

5. The engineers who designed the Eagle took so many details into consideration, but still did not know what to expect when it landed. How deep was the lunar dust? They expected it to be deeper than it was, so the prong-legs of the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) were longer than needed. The bottom rung of the ladder, when Armstrong climbed down, was more than three feet up and not an easy dismount.

6. The author makes clear that everyone who has gone to the moon has been profoundly moved by the look back home at the earth. From the moon, one can completely cover the earth with one's thumb. The smallness of our world in this immense universe was experienced deeply by each of these men.

7. One of the things I've never heard anyone talk about or write about is how complex and challenging basic hygiene was. Specifically urinating and defecating. Reading this section made it clear to me that space travel is definitely not for everyone. Nor does weightlessness and vomiting seem too exciting to me.

8. The colorlessness of the moon was interesting. "I'd never seen so many shades of grey," one of the astronauts said.

9. Another thing that was striking for the astronauts was how soundless it all was. It was also pointed out that the men did not hear their breathing like you hear in Hollywood outer space films. That was added by the studios.

When you read the reviews on Amazon you'll see plenty of criticism because of the quantity of factual errors. Despite this, and many of the critics agree, it's still a good read and a great reminder of what can be accomplished when people work together for a high goal.

Meantime.... Happy Valentines Day.