Mark Brader:

These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2011-07-04,
and should be interpreted accordingly... For further information...
see my 2021-07-20 companion posting on "Reposted Questions from
the Canadian Inquisition (RQFTCI*)".

* Game 8, Round 4 - Fringe History

This round is about some ideas that have, shall we say, run
contrary to accepted historical research.

This was the easiest round in the original game.

1. In the 1950s a Russian-born American psychoanalyst used
mythological and religious texts to "prove" that Venus was
originally a comet belched forth from Jupiter, and that
its journey through the solar system caused many of the
floods, plagues and cataclysms in the Bible and other texts.
Works include "Worlds in Collision", "Ages in Chaos", and
"Earth in Upheaval". Name the author.

Immanuel Velikovsky. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, and Dan Tilque.

Isaac Asimov commented on "Worlds in Collision":

Velikovsky... does not believe in either poetry or metaphor.
He wants a literal rain of fire and he uses comet Venue to
explain it.

On page 53, he says: "The tails of comets are composed mainly
of carbon and hydrogen gases. Lacking oxygen, they do not
burn in flight, but the inflammable gases, passing through
an atmosphere containing oxygen, will be set on fire."

These are impressive sentences. The very phrase "carbon and
hydrogen gases" takes my breath away. Hydrogen is, indeed,
a gas at ordinary cometary temperaties, but carbon is *not*.
It is, in fact, among the least gaseous substances known and
it takes a temperature of 4200°C (7500°F) to make it gaseous.

Now I am a chemist. If Velikovsky want to say that Laplace's
analysis of celestial mechanics is all wrong and that Venus
can emerge from Jupiter and settle down in its present orbit,
I will smile. If he wants to say that Egyptologists don't know
the difference betweeen 1200 BC and 2200 BC, I will grin.

But if he says carbon is a gas, *that's going too far*.

2. In 1968, Swiss author Erich Von Daniken proposed that some
ancient structures, artwork and artifacts, for example the
Nazca lines in Peru, were evidence of early contact with
technologically advanced aliens. He published his ideas in a
bestselling book. What was its title?

"Chariots of the Gods". 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, and Dan Tilque.

3. Apollo 15 astronaut James Irwin led two unsuccessful expeditions
to Armenia in the 1980's to prove that Noah's Ark still rests
in the snow and ice near the summit of what mountain on the
border of Turkey and Armenia?

Mt. Ararat. 4 for everyone -- Joshua, Erland, Dan Blum, Dan Tilque,
and Pete.

4. It rests in a church in Aksum, Ethiopia, closely guarded by a
special group of holy men. Apparently it was brought there from
the Holy Land for its protection in the 6th century BC. In his
1992 book "The Sign and the Seal", British journalist Graham
Hancock relates his quest to track down that item. What is it?

The Ark of the Covenant (or the tabernacle). 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum,
Dan Tilque, and Pete.

5. In 2002 retired submariner Gavin Menzies asserted that in 1421,
70 years before Columbus, a fleet of enormous ships circum-
navigated the globe, touching all the continents, including the
Americas. From which country were they alleged to have set sail?

China. 4 for everyone.

6. Many people believe that the earth is hollow, with entrances
to this subterranean world located at the poles. These groups
claim that in February 1947, a famous American aviator and
polar explorer flew to this world and received from its leader
a warning to be careful with atomic energy. Who allegedly flew
into the hollow earth?

Admiral Richard Byrd. 4 for Dan Blum. 2 for Pete.

7. William Shakespeare's humble origins and obscure life seem at
odds with the genius of his works, leading some to believe that
he didn't write them. Most Shakespearean scholars regard this
as a fringe belief, but over 70 candidates for authorship have
been put forward. Only four of them have signicant numbers
of followers, though, so name *any one* of those four most
popular candidates.

Christopher Marlowe; Francis Bacon; William Stanley (Earl of Derby);
and, as per the """recent""" movie "Anonymous", Edward de Vere (Earl
of Oxford). 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, and Dan Tilque.

In 1964, on the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth, a cafe named
the Chef Corner, in Watford, England, reportedly posted a sign saying
that in honor of the occasion, "Bacon will not be served here today".

8. Did it really happen when the history books say it did?
Anatoly Fomenko and other Russian mathematicians have argued
that many events occurred much later than is commonly believed,
for instance that the Middle Ages were very short, and that
Jesus lived in the 12th Century. This belief, which takes its
name from the study of the order of events, is known as the
New -- what?

Chronology. 4 for Joshua and Dan Tilque.

9. From the 12th to the 17th century, many Europeans believed that
in Central Asia, India, or perhaps Ethiopia, a benevolent king
ruled a lost Christian kingdom. This belief led to many popular
stories and even quests to find him until the age of exploration
ruled out his existence. What was this king's name?

Prester John (both words required). 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum,
and Dan Tilque.

10. In 2003 Dan Brown became wealthy suggesting that Jesus married,
had kids, and that those kids sired the ruling families of
Europe. The idea had been proposed seriously in a 1982 book
21 years before "The Da Vinci Code". The authors sued Brown
-- unsuccessfully, because his book had acknowledged theirs.
Name their book.

"The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail". 3 for Joshua and Dan Tilque.

* Game 8, Round 6 - Literature - Tough Guys

Every once in a while you want a hero who is as tough as nails.
Identify these "real men" of thriller, mystery, and espionage
novels.

This was the hardest round in the original game and the 2nd-hardest
of the entire season.

I haven't checked how many books now exist in each series.

1. He is an ex-military police officer who travels the States with
just a toothbrush in his pocket, righting wrongs and beating
up bad guys, in """14""" books by Lee Child. Titles include
"The Killing Floor", "Gone Tomorrow", and "Worth Dying For".
Name the tough guy.

Jack Reacher. 4 for Dan Blum.

2. The hero of """21""" action-adventure books by Clive Cussler,
this tough guy works for the National Underwater Marine Agency,
doing stuff like "Raising the Titanic" and finding Civil-War-era
ships in the "Sahara". Matthew McConaughey played him in the
movie "Sahara". Who is he?

Dirk Pitt.

3. Robert Ludlum's most famous tough guy is the amnesiac hero
of a """trilogy""" of novels that see the hero, a highly-trained
assassin, struggle to make sense of his past. Name this
tough guy. (Give his usual name used in the stories, not any
other name.)

Jason Bourne. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, and Pete.

4. This Israeli art restorer is also a former assassin responsible
for hunting down half the Munich Olympics terrorists. He is
the hero of """10""" bestsellers by Daniel Silva, including
"The Rembrandt Affair" and "Moscow Rules". Name him.

Gabriel Allon.

5. The hero of the NY Times #1 bestseller "The Faithful Spy" in
2008, and """4""" other books by Edgar-winner Alex Berenson,
this tough guy -- a CIA agent -- spent years undercover with
Al Qaeda; and now, back in the States, has to prevent a new
terrorist attack in each installment of the series. Name him.

John Wells.

6. This American-Japanese assassin specializes in death by
apparent natural causes and struggles with his role in life,
in """6""" novels by Barry Eisler, """4""" of which include
his meteorologically-inspired name in the title. Name him.

John Rain.

7. The father was an Arkansas police officer in the 1940s and '50s,
and the son is a Vietnam War vet, a sniper played by Mark
Wahlberg in the 2007 movie "Shooter". In """two related
series""" of books by Stephen Hunter, including "Dead Zero",
"I, Sniper", and "Pale Horse Coming", their knowledge of gun
culture helps them succeed. What is their family name?

Swagger. (Father Earl, son Bob Lee.)

8. Robert Crais has written """14""" novels featuring two
hard-boiled protagonists in Los Angeles: one an ex-Ranger and
investigator with an eye for Disney memorabilia, the other a
sunglass-wearing ex-marine and gunshop owner. The """most
famous""" book of the series is probably "L.A. Requiem".
Name either protagonist.

Elvis Cole, Joe Pike.

9. An ex-boxer, a Bostonian, and a private detective with a heart of
gold, this tough guy's sidekicks include Hawk and Chollo.
Name him.

Spenser. (In novels by Robert B. Parker. He doesn't use a first
name.) 4 for Joshua and Dan Blum.

10. This tough guy helps recovers lost or stolen property for 50%
of the item's value, in """21""" novels by John D. MacDonald,
each with the name of a color in the title. He lives on his
houseboat in Florida. Name him.

Travis McGee. 4 for Dan Blum.


Scores, if there are no errors:

GAME 8 ROUNDS-> 2 3 4 6 TOTALS
TOPICS-> Geo Sci His Lit
Joshua Kreitzer 32 36 35 8 111
Dan Blum 20 24 32 16 92
Dan Tilque 8 36 35 0 79
Erland Sommarskog 24 28 8 0 60
Pete Gayde 8 24 14 4 50

--
Mark Brader, | "There is no silver bullet, because not every
Toronto, msb@vex.net | problem is a werewolf." -- Damian Conway

My text in this article is in the public domain.

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