JAQR - November 26, 2023
Rebellions, The Commodore, hockey star Steve Yzerman, The Sulu Sea, film director Asghar Farhadi, Belgian athlete Eddy "the Cannibal" Merck, and more...
Thank you for reading another issue of the Jeopardy Answer & Question Recap, or JAQR [“jacker”] for short. This recap includes two clues from each episode of Jeopardy! between Monday 11/20 and Friday 11/24. The recap will include Daily Doubles, Final Jeopardy clues, and Triple Stumpers. The first half of the recap will include just the clues so you can quiz yourself if you want. The second half will give you some (hopefully) interesting information about the clues and/or some related info.
DAILY DOUBLE #1
NAME THAT REBELLION
Pennsylvania, 1794: The Feds versus farmers over a tax on liquor
DAILY DOUBLE #2
NASHVILLE, GEOGRAPHIC
A very rich businessman gave his name & money to this prestigious university in Nashville; Go Commodores!
FINAL JEOPARDY #1
U.S. PRESIDENTS
7 U.S. presidents were born in the state of Ohio, beginning with this man who entered West Point in 1839
FINAL JEOPARDY #2
MUSICIANS
An Esquire profile said, "The most distinguishing thing" about the face of this singer "are his eyes, clear blue & alert"
TRIPLE STUMPER #1
1 MAN, 1 CAREER, 1 TEAM
Steve Yzerman: 22 seasons in Hockey Town
TRIPLE STUMPER #2
A DROP IN WHICH OCEAN?
The Sulu Sea
TRIPLE STUMPER #3
INTERNATIONAL CINEMA SHOWCASE
The 2011 Oscar for Best Foreign Film went to director Asghar Farhadi's "A Separation", the first winner from this country
TRIPLE STUMPER #4
BELGIUM
2 wins in the Tour of Flanders are among the record 525 in this sport by national hero Eddy "the Cannibal" Merck
TRIPLE STUMPER #5
OXYMORONS
A substitute master of ceremonies for a TV talk show
TRIPLE STUMPER #6
FICTIONAL MOVIE BANDS
In a 1984 film, Peter Weller is this lead singer backed by the Hong Kong Cavaliers
DAILY DOUBLE #1
NAME THAT REBELLION
Pennsylvania, 1794: The Feds versus farmers over a tax on liquor
***WHISKEY REBELLION***
In 1794, settlers in western Pennsylvania (the Monongahela Valley) rebelled against a liquor tax. It was the first national internal revenue tax, and was intended to help pay off the Revolutionary War debt. The settlers resisted the tax by tarring and feathering revenue officers (pictured below) who attempted to collect the tax, and also by attacking the home (Bower Hill) of tax inspector John Neville. In response, George Washington sent more than 10,000 troops (commanded by Virginia Governor Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee) to the area to restore order, and all the rebels went home.
DAILY DOUBLE #2
NASHVILLE, GEOGRAPHIC
A very rich businessman gave his name & money to this prestigious university in Nashville; Go Commodores!
***VANDERBILT***
The 19th century industrialist Cornelius Vanderbilt was nicknamed “The Commodore.” One of his first ventures was ferrying passengers between Staten Island and Manhattan. He later founded a company that transported people and their goods from New York City to San Francisco (via Nicaragua), which was extremely popular during the 1849 gold rush. His business was so successful that his competitors paid him to abandon his operation. Vanderbilt then switched his focus to railroads and commissioned NYC’s Grand Central Depot, the predecessor of Grand Central Terminal. He is the namesake of Nashville’s Vanderbilt University, which was formerly known as Central University.
Cornelius Vanderbilt is the great great great grandfather of CNN journalist Anderson Cooper, who is the son of fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt. A Newport, Rhode Island mansion called The Breakers, which was designed by Richard Morris Hunt, was designed for a grandson of “The Commodore” named Cornelius Vanderbilt II. Another estate, the Biltmore (pictured below) in Asheville, North Carolina, which was also designed by Richard Morris Hunt, was built for a different grandson of “The Commodore” named George Washington Vanderbilt II.
FINAL JEOPARDY #1
U.S. PRESIDENTS
7 U.S. presidents were born in the state of Ohio, beginning with this man who entered West Point in 1839
***ULYSSES S. GRANT***
Ohio-born Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) commanded the Union Army during the Civil War before becoming the 18th president. He was born with the name Hiram Ulysses Grant, but changed his name a bit so that he wouldn't have the initials "HUG" on his West Point clothes. During the Civil War, he was responsible for the Union's first major victory, which occurred at Fort Donelson in Tennessee, where he gained fame for demanding “unconditional surrender” from Simon Buckner. Grant was also victorious at the battles of Shiloh and Vicksburg, after which he succeeded Henry Halleck (who had succeeded George McClellan) as Commanding General of the U.S. Army. The Civil War was essentially over after Robert E. Lee surrounded to Grant at Appomattox Court House in April of 1865.
Grant defeated Horatio Seymour in the 1868 presidential election and beat Horace Greeley (who died three weeks later) in 1872. Grant’s second term in office was marked by scandals. Grant’s VP Schuyler Colfax was implicated in the Crédit Mobilier Scandal, in which construction costs of the Union Pacific Railroad were inflated. Grant’s personal secretary Orville E. Babcock was believed to be involved in the Whiskey Ring, in which a group of distillers defrauded the government of taxes.
Alphonso Taft (father of future president William Howard Taft) was the last of Grant’s five attorneys general (the most of any president). Grant signed into law the act that made Yellowstone the first national park. Colorado (1876), nicknamed “The Centennial State,” was the only state that joined the U.S. during his time as president. The architect John H. Duncan designed the New York City mausoleum Grant’s Tomb, which includes a granite block with Grant’s epitaph “Let us have peace.” Grant is depicted on the front of the $50 bill.
FINAL JEOPARDY #2
MUSICIANS
An Esquire profile said, "The most distinguishing thing" about the face of this singer "are his eyes, clear blue & alert"
***FRANK SINATRA***
Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1915. He achieved his first success as a vocalist in the band of trombonist Tommy Dorsey. Young female music fans in the 1940s, who especially liked Sinatra, were nicknamed "bobby-soxers" for the bobby socks (ankle-length, as opposed to full-length) that they often wore. The theme song to the TV show Married... with Children was Sinatra's 1955 version of "Love and Marriage" (arranged by his longtime collaborator Nelson Riddle). The name of the cartoon dog Scooby-Doo was inspired by the scat singing at the end of his 1966 song "Strangers in the Night." He had a number one hit ("Somethin' Stupid") with his daughter Nancy in 1967.
After his popularity sagged in the late 1940s, Sinatra began appearing in movies. He co-starred with Gene Kelly in the 1949 musical film On the Town. He won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for playing a scrappy soldier in the 1953 war movie From Here to Eternity. He was nominated for Best Actor the 1955 movie The Man with the Golden Arm (based on a Nelson Algren novel about a card dealer and recovering drug addict). Sinatra was part of The Rat Pack (whose name was possibly coined by Lauren Bacall) with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. All three of them starred in the 1960 movie Ocean's 11. Sinatra also starred in the 1962 movie The Manchurian Candidate, in which his character tries to prevent a political assassination.
The journalist Gay Talese wrote a 1966 celebrity profile in Esquire titled “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.” Talese compared Frank Sinatra suffering from a cold to “Picasso without paint” and “Ferrari without fuel.” At the time of writing, the 50-year-old Sinatra was tired of all the publicity surrounding him for dating the 20-year old Mia Farrow (they were later married for two years). Sinatra was married four times total: Nancy Barbato, actress Ava Gardner, Farrow, and model Barbara Marx. Sinatra died in 1998. He is buried near Palm Springs, CA, and his grave marker includes the phrase "The Best Is Yet to Come" (the title of one his songs). Sinatra’s nicknames include “The Voice,” “Chairman of the Board,” and "Ol' Blue Eyes," the last of which was referenced in the clue.
TRIPLE STUMPER #1
1 MAN, 1 CAREER, 1 TEAM
Steve Yzerman: 22 seasons in Hockey Town
***DETROIT RED WINGS***
Canadian-born Steve Yzerman [EYE-zer-man] was selected fourth in the 1983 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He served 19 seasons as captain of the Red Wings, which is the longest in NHL history. Yzerman won the Lester B. Pearson Award (named for a Canadian PM) following the 1988–89 season. That award, which is given to the best regular season player and is decided by fellow players, is now called the Ted Lindsay Award. One of his most famous goals (and the game’s only goal) was scored from the blue line in the second overtime of Game 7 of the 1996 Western Conference Semifinals against the St. Louis Blues. Yzerman led Detroit to three Stanley Cups (1997, 1998, and 2002), and won the Conn Smythe Trophy (awarded to the playoffs MVP) in 1998. He also won the Frank J. Selke Trophy (given to the best defensive forward) in 2000. After retiring he served as General Manager for Tampa Bay and later Detroit.
TRIPLE STUMPER #2
A DROP IN WHICH OCEAN?
The Sulu Sea
***PACIFIC***
The Sulu Sea in the Pacific Ocean separates the island of Borneo from the Philippines. Star Trek's character of Sulu, a helmsman who has been played by George Takei and John Cho, is named for the sea. Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, is in the middle of the sea. The Philippines’ other five UNESCO World Heritage sites include a group of Baroque churches and the four listed below:
Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras (pictured below) - built by the Ifugao people on the island of Luzon
Historic City of Vigan - example of a planned 15th century Spanish colonial town on the island of Luzon
Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park - located on the island of Palawan, it contains a limestone karst landscape and a 5-mile-long underground river that flows directly into the South China Sea
Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary - area with a diverse wildlife population on the island of Mindanao
TRIPLE STUMPER #3
INTERNATIONAL CINEMA SHOWCASE
The 2011 Oscar for Best Foreign Film went to director Asghar Farhadi's "A Separation", the first winner from this country
***IRAN***
Asghar Farhadi (pictured below), who was born in Iran in 1972, has directed two movies that have won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film:
A Separation (2011) - Simin wants to leave Iran, but her husband Nader wants to stay to help take care of his father, who has Alzheimer's; Simin moves back to her parents’ house, so Nader hires a woman named Razieh to care for his father while he is at work; Nader returns home one day and finds his father tied to the bed, so he angrily shoves Razieh, who then claims Nader caused her to have a miscarriage; the film won the Golden Bear, which is the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival
The Salesman (2016) - the married couple Emad and Rana are in the midst of starring in a Tehran production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman when Rana is assaulted at their new residence by an intruder; Emad attempts to find the culprit, while Rana suffers from trauma and has a breakdown; Shahab Hosseini won Best Actor at Cannes for playing Emad
TRIPLE STUMPER #4
BELGIUM
2 wins in the Tour of Flanders are among the record 525 in this sport by national hero Eddy "the Cannibal" Merck
***BICYCLE RACING***
Eddy Merckx [merks] is often considered the greatest bicycle racer of all time. Born in Belgium in 1945, he dominated cycling in the early 1970s. He was nicknamed “the Cannibal” for his appetite for human flesh victories. Merckx won the Vuelta a España in 1973, the Giro d’Italia five times, and the Tour de France five times as well. Those three major European cycling stage races comprise the Grand Tour. Merckx holds the all-time record for winning 11 of those races. In addition to those three-week races, Merckx excelled at one-day races. The five classic one-day cycle races are called the Monuments (Merckx is the only person to have won all of them at least twice). They include:
Milan–San Remo: held in northwest Italy
Tour of Flanders: held in the Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium
Paris–Roubaix: starts in the French capital and ends in northern France on the Belgian border
Liège–Bastogne–Liège: held in Belgium and features many hills in the Ardennes
Giro di Lombardia: held in Italy’s Lombardy region, specifically around Lake Como
TRIPLE STUMPER #5
OXYMORONS
A substitute master of ceremonies for a TV talk show
***GUEST HOST***
The game show Jeopardy! had some guest hosts following the death of Alex Trebek. Along with fan favorites such as “immunized” NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and snake oil salesman respected doctor Mehmet Oz, the guest hosts included:
Bill Whitaker - Black journalist who is a correspondent on the CBS show 60 Minutes
David Faber - White journalist who co-hosts the CNBC show Squawk on the Street
TRIPLE STUMPER #6
FICTIONAL MOVIE BANDS
In a 1984 film, Peter Weller is this lead singer backed by the Hong Kong Cavaliers
***BUCKAROO BANZAI***
The 1984 cult classic The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension begins with the title brain surgeon/rock star/test pilot attempting to drive through solid matter using an “oscillation overthruster,” and ends up reaching the Eighth Dimension. After that, the movie only gets weirder. The title character was played by Peter Weller, who three years later played RoboCop. Other members of the cast included John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, and Christopher Lloyd.