| #8235, aired 2020-06-12 | AUTHORS: On this woman's passing in 2019, Oprah Winfrey called her "a magician with language, who understood the power of words" Toni Morrison |
| #8234, aired 2020-06-11 | MEDICAL HISTORY: One of the first recorded autopsies was performed on this man & revealed 23 puncture marks Julius Caesar |
| #8233, aired 2020-06-10 | NOTABLE BRITISH NAMES: Published in 1881, "The Formation of Vegetable Mould, Through the Actions of Worms" was his last & one of his bestselling books Charles Darwin |
| #8232, aired 2020-06-09 | PRE-CIVIL WAR PRESIDENTS: Encyclopedia Britannica says of him: "After an extended tour of Europe he retired to Concord...& he died in obscurity" Franklin Pierce |
| #8231, aired 2020-06-08 | 20th CENTURY AMERICA: 10-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. sang with his church's choir at the celebrated premiere of this film Gone with the Wind |
| #8230, aired 2020-06-05 | 18th CENTURY NOVELS: The title character of this 1726 novel reaches 4 different lands as a result of a shipwreck, a storm at sea, pirates & a mutiny Gulliver's Travels |
| #8229, aired 2020-06-04 | NOTABLE BRITS: On this man's death in a 1935 motorcycle accident, Churchill said, his "pace of life was faster & more intense than the ordinary" Lawrence of Arabia |
| #8228, aired 2020-06-03 | EUROPEAN LANDMARKS: As described in an 1831 book, it has "three recessed and pointed doorways... immense central rose window... two dark and massive towers" Notre-Dame |
| #8227, aired 2020-06-02 | AMERICAN FIRSTS: John Ledyard, sailing on Captain Cook's last voyage in search of the NW Passage, was the 1st American to land at what are now these 2 states Hawaii & Alaska |
| #8226, aired 2020-06-01 | EUROPEAN HISTORY: Once Europe's leading military power & later the largest state in Germany, it was abolished by the Allies in 1947 Prussia |
| #8225, aired 2020-05-29 | PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES & MUSEUMS: Of the 15 U.S. presidential libraries or museums, 3 are in this state, more than any other Texas |
| #8224, aired 2020-05-28 | WORD ORIGINS: P.T. Barnum, whose traveling shows carried musicians, coined this word that now represents something growing in popularity bandwagon |
| #8223, aired 2020-05-27 | FAIRY TALES: A familiar chant in this fairy tale continues, "Be he alive or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread" "Jack and the Beanstalk" |
| #8222, aired 2020-05-26 | 20th CENTURY METAPHORS: If it had physically existed, it would have stretched some 500 miles from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic Sea the Iron Curtain |
| #8221, aired 2020-05-25 | U.S. GEOGRAPHY: Touching Canada at Boundary County, the northern part of this state's panhandle has been referred to as "The Chimney" Idaho |
| #8220, aired 2020-05-22 | IVY LEAGUE GEOGRAPHY: This state borders 3 other states with Ivy League schools, but doesn't have one itself Vermont |
| #8219, aired 2020-05-21 | MILITARY SLANG: This word for high-ranking officials comes from a metal used in 19th century military insignia brass |
| #8218, aired 2020-05-20 | CLASSIC TV SITCOMS: "I Love Lucy" used the French word "enceinte" in a 1952 episode title because CBS didn't want this word used pregnant |
| #8217, aired 2020-05-19 | ADVENTURE NOVELS: In this novel the surname of a pastor, his wife & 4 sons is not given in the text; the title was meant to evoke a 1719 novel The Swiss Family Robinson |
| #8216, aired 2020-05-18 | AMERICA IN THE 1700s: "Every state shall always keep up a well regulated and disciplined militia, sufficiently armed and accoutred" is in No. 6 of these the Articles of Confederation |
| #8215, aired 2020-05-01 | NATIONS OF THE WORLD: On the English-language list of member states at un.org, it's the only nation with a Spanish-language article in its name El Salvador |
| #8214, aired 2020-04-30 | ADVERTISING: Copywriter Keith Goldberg wrote this question in 1999 for a financial services company; they're still using it What's in your wallet? |
| #8213, aired 2020-04-29 | 19th CENTURY NOVELS: Its first line ends, "the period was so far like the present period... for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only" A Tale of Two Cities |
| #8212, aired 2020-04-28 | 1950s FILMS: The last line of this epic film was "Go--proclaim liberty throughout all the lands unto all the inhabitants thereof" The Ten Commandments |
| #8211, aired 2020-04-27 | CIVIL WAR PEOPLE: Before they were photographed together in 1862, Lincoln wryly noted this general "should have no problem" sitting still for it George McClellan |
| #8210, aired 2020-04-24 | MEN & MACHINES: John Moore-Brabazon, the first pilot licensed by England, had learned about engines working for this man, first half of a famous pair (Charles) Rolls |
| #8209, aired 2020-04-23 | STATESMEN: The first Asian to accept the Nobel Peace Prize was the prime minister of this country who in 1967 renounced use of nuclear weapons Japan |
| #8208, aired 2020-04-22 | WORLD ELECTIONS: In 2014 this democratic nation broke the record for total turnout in a single election with more than 500 million voters India |
| #8207, aired 2020-04-21 | CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS: Publishers Weekly has dubbed this former middle school English teacher turned bestselling author "Storyteller of the Gods" Rick Riordan |
| #8206, aired 2020-04-20 | RECENT MOVIE SONGS: In October 2019 this song, a duet, was still in the Top 10 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart after spending a year on the chart "Shallow" |
| #8205, aired 2020-04-17 | HISTORIC FIGURES: In legend, this real European leader fielded an elite corps called the 12 Peers that included Oliver & Roland Charlemagne |
| #8204, aired 2020-04-16 | SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS: An account of a deposed Duke of Genoa in a 1549 "History of Italy" is a presumed source for this play The Tempest |
| #8203, aired 2020-04-15 | PRESIDENTIAL GEOGRAPHY: This Midwest city is the burial place of one 19th century president & was named for a relative of another Cleveland, Ohio |
| #8202, aired 2020-04-14 | COUNTRY NAMES: The cartographic feature from which this country gets its name passes near the town of Guayllabamba Ecuador |
| #8201, aired 2020-04-13 | RELIGIOUS WORDS: This word for a concept in Eastern religions comes from Latin roots for "made in flesh" & "again" reincarnation |
| #8200, aired 2020-04-10 | WORDS IN THE NEWS: On September 25, 2019, searches on merriam-webster.com for the definition of this 3-word Latin term increased by 5,500% quid pro quo |
| #8199, aired 2020-04-09 | EUROPEAN BORDERS: Barely changed since a 1297 agreement, the border between these 2 countries is called La Raya on one side & A Raia on the other Spain & Portugal |
| #8198, aired 2020-04-08 | AMERICAN AUTHORS: She published under her middle name; her first name was Nelle, Ellen backward in honor of her grandmother Ellen Finch Harper Lee |
| #8197, aired 2020-04-07 | AMERICAN HISTORY: A 1711 bill cleared the names of 22 people who were tried in this town, including Rebecca Nurse, Giles Corey & John Proctor Salem, Massachusetts |
| #8196, aired 2020-04-06 | WONDERS OF THE MODERN WORLD: Nicknamed "The Big Ditch", in 2014 this modern wonder celebrated its 100th anniversary the Panama Canal |
| #8195, aired 2020-04-03 | HISTORIC AMERICANS: In 1904 this Hungarian-born newspaper publisher wrote, "Our republic and its press will rise or fall together" Joseph Pulitzer |
| #8194, aired 2020-04-02 | CLASSIC AMERICAN NOVELS: Lady Duff Twysden was the basis for a character in this 1926 novel set partly in Spain The Sun Also Rises |
| #8193, aired 2020-04-01 | CANADIAN GEOGRAPHY: Canada's Four Corners monument marks the junction of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut & these 2 Prairie provinces Saskatchewan & Manitoba |
| #8192, aired 2020-03-31 | GEOGRAPHIC NAMESAKES: A county in England has an ocean coastline roughly twice as long as the 18 miles of this U.S. state named for it New Hampshire |
| #8191, aired 2020-03-30 | ADVERTISING CHARACTERS: Jack Keil's team created this animal character rolled out in 1980, the year of the USA's highest recorded murder rate McGruff (the Crime Dog) |
| #8190, aired 2020-03-27 | PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY: He was the first president to deliver the State of the Union Address on television Harry Truman |
| #8189, aired 2020-03-26 | WESTERN HEMISPHERE GEOGRAPHY: The Yucatan Peninsula is shared by these 3 countries Mexico, Guatemala & Belize |
| #8188, aired 2020-03-25 | ALLITERATIVE LEGISLATION: Signed into law in March 1941, House Resolution 1776 was this act that provided aid to a foe from 1776 the Lend-Lease Act |
| #8187, aired 2020-03-24 | AMERICAN POETS: This New York woman died in 1887, the year after the subject of her most famous poem was unveiled Emma Lazarus |
| #8186, aired 2020-03-23 | 1970s SITCOMS: A warning on early episodes said this show "seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices and concerns" All in the Family |
| #8185, aired 2020-03-20 | WOMEN AUTHORS: 2 events figure prominently in her 2003 memoir: a coup in Chile on September 11, 1973 & the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 Isabel Allende |
| #8184, aired 2020-03-19 | 20th CENTURY HISTORY: 1946 was the last year this place, now a country, was represented in the U.S. House of Representatives the Philippines |
| #8183, aired 2020-03-18 | FAIRS & EXPOSITIONS: To celebrate the 500th anniversary of a major event, Seville, Spain & Genoa, Italy both had expositions in this year 1992 |
| #8182, aired 2020-03-17 | U.N. MEMBERS: It incorporated the "one country, two systems" principle in its constitution in 1982 & put it into practice after a 1997 reunification China |
| #8181, aired 2020-03-16 | MOVIE MUSICALS: Water pressure issues in Culver City, home to MGM, impacted the filming of an iconic scene in this 1952 movie musical Singin' in the Rain |
| #8180, aired 2020-03-13 | BIRDS: Black-footed & black-browed are 2 species of this seabird whose name was influenced by the Latin word for "white" albatross |
| #8179, aired 2020-03-12 | ACTORS: Speaking of his role in a 1964 film, he apologized for "the most atrocious Cockney accent in the history of cinema" Dick Van Dyke |
| #8178, aired 2020-03-11 | BOOK WORDS: A 1964 essay coined this 2-word term for "artistically serious" comic books & endorsed it over "illustories" & "picto-fiction" graphic novels |
| #8177, aired 2020-03-10 | 19th CENTURY PLAYS: From the title of a British-set comedy, it completes the final line "I've now realized for the first time in my life the vital..." The Importance of Being Earnest |
| #8176, aired 2020-03-09 | RELIGION: These 2 countries that border each other are second & third in worldwide population of Muslims India & Pakistan |
| #8175, aired 2020-03-06 | 21st CENTURY MOVIES: After its initial release in 2016, it became the first major motion picture to be dubbed in Tahitian Moana |
| #8174, aired 2020-03-05 | BRITISH NOVELS: A laboratory known as the House of Pain is on Noble's Isle, the title setting of this novel The Island of Doctor Moreau |
| #8173, aired 2020-03-04 | 20th CENTURY ARTISTS: This artist who lived from 1904 to 1989 had a first name that means "savior" in Spanish (Salvador) Dali |
| #8172, aired 2020-03-03 | CHILDREN'S BOOKS: This book was published in Latin as "Virent Ova! Viret Perna!!" Green Eggs and Ham |
| #8171, aired 2020-03-02 | FROM THE DESK OF THE POPE: A 1919 letter quotes Jesus, "Go into the whole world and preach the gospel" & notes the vigilance, energy & hardships of these workers missionaries |
| #8170, aired 2020-02-28 | THE CIVIL WAR: The Chicago Tribune called Clement Vallandigham, an anti-war Ohio Democrat, a "traitor" & a "hissing" one of these creatures Copperhead |
| #8169, aired 2020-02-27 | 18th CENTURY AMERICA: The first Census, in 1790, listed 24 urban places; this port was the most populous one in the South Charleston |
| #8168, aired 2020-02-26 | SCIENCE WORDS: In 1611 Kepler used this word from the Latin for "attendant" to describe the discoveries of Galileo satellite |
| #8167, aired 2020-02-25 | FAST FOOD: This sandwich was 1st sold in 1962 as an attempt to give the many Catholics of Cincinnati something to eat on Fridays during Lent Filet-O-Fish |
| #8166, aired 2020-02-24 | MUSIC STARS: On July 26, 1972 he testified before a Senate subcommittee on national penitentiaries Johnny Cash |
| #8165, aired 2020-02-21 | INTERNATIONAL AWARD TROPHIES: La Maison Chopard crafts this annual award’s crystal base & 118-gram, 18-carat frond Palme d'Or |
| #8164, aired 2020-02-20 | THE RACE TO SPACE: In the 1960s this Mideast country had a space program & one of its rocket launches, the Cedar IV, is commemorated on a stamp Lebanon |
| #8163, aired 2020-02-19 | INTERNATIONAL SPORTS: It’s the only country that has played in every FIFA World Cup tournament, winning 5 times Brazil |
| #8162, aired 2020-02-18 | AFRICAN GEOGRAPHY: This West African country of 12 million doesn't border the 1,200-mile-wide gulf of the same name Guinea |
| #8161, aired 2020-02-17 | FROM SCREEN TO STAGE: This 2007 movie came to Broadway with an all-female creative team including book & direction and with songs by pop star Sara Bareilles Waitress |
| #8160, aired 2020-02-14 | FAMOUS FIRST LINES: These 7 words precede, "The rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals" "It was a dark and stormy night" |
| #8159, aired 2020-02-13 | INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE: There are reminiscences of branding cattle & lassoing steers in “Martín Fierro”, the national poem of this Western Hemisphere country Argentina |
| #8158, aired 2020-02-12 | 20th CENTURY EUROPEAN LEADERS: In a 1930s broadcast, this man spoke of “A quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing” Neville Chamberlain |
| #8157, aired 2020-02-11 | AMERICAN HISTORY: After statesman & banker Robert Morris turned down a job offer from George Washington, this man took the job Alexander Hamilton |
| #8156, aired 2020-02-10 | SPORTS TERMS: A member of the British Amateur Athletic Club wrote this 1867 set of 12 regulations whose name honors nobleman John Sholto Douglas the 12 rules of Queensberry |
| #8155, aired 2020-02-07 | QUOTES ABOUT 19th CENTURY AUTHORS: This author "showed that abysses may exist inside a governess", a heroine who was a "commonplace spinster" Charlotte Brontë |
| #8154, aired 2020-02-06 | RANKS & TITLES: Canada, Belgium & the U.S. are among nations that bestow this artistic title that dates to the Greeks & a tree sacred to Apollo (Poet) Laureate |
| #8153, aired 2020-02-05 | AMERICAN HISTORY: At Harpers Ferry, John Brown & his rebels were defeated by troops commanded by this man who 2 years later led a rebel army himself Robert E. Lee |
| #8152, aired 2020-02-04 | WORLD MAMMALS: A drawing of it by John Hunter, naturalist & governor of New South Wales, published in 1802 labels it Ornithorhyncus paradoxus a (duck-billed) platypus |
| #8151, aired 2020-02-03 | ASIAN GEOGRAPHY: This 150- by 2.5-mile area created in 1953 is now home to more than 100 endangered & protected species DMZ (the demilitarized zone between North & South Korea) |
| #8150, aired 2020-01-31 | FRENCH TOWNS: Legend says local farm wife Marie Harel & a priest from Brie created the famous product of this Normandy village Camembert |
| #8149, aired 2020-01-30 | ADVERTISING & MUSIC: In 2008, 34 years after it made Billboard’s Top 10, this song title was used by a southern state in a tourism campaign "Sweet Home Alabama" |
| #8148, aired 2020-01-29 | 21st CENTURY OSCAR WINNERS: This man won Best Supporting Actor twice, both for films that won Best Picture Mahershala Ali |
| #8147, aired 2020-01-28 | WORLD CAPITALS: Sharing its name with another ancient city on the sea, this African capital is called "Bride of the Mediterranean" Tripoli |
| #8146, aired 2020-01-27 | POETS: A Dartmouth dropout, he received 2 honorary degrees from Dartmouth--in 1933 & 1955 Robert Frost |
| #8145, aired 2020-01-24 | BESTSELLING AUTHORS: Now in her 70s, this author splits her time between Paris & San Francisco, often writing 20 to 22 hours a day on an old typewriter Danielle Steel |
| #8144, aired 2020-01-23 | FAMOUS NAMES: A new Election Day ritual is leaving “I Voted” stickers on the headstone of this historic woman at a Rochester, New York cemetery Susan B. Anthony |
| #8143, aired 2020-01-22 | U.S. TERRITORIES: Of the 5 inhabited U.S. territories, this is the only one where cars drive on the left U.S. Virgin Islands |
| #8142, aired 2020-01-21 | CLASSIC MOVIES: This 1939 film was loosely based on Senator Burton Wheeler, victim of a sham investigation for looking into the Justice Department Mr. Smith Goes to Washington |
| #8141, aired 2020-01-20 | CABINET POSITIONS: Of the 4 jobs in George Washington’s cabinet, the 2 that have been filled by women in the 230 years since Secretary of State & Attorney General |
| #8140, aired 2020-01-17 | DNA MAKES NEWS: In 1993 remains of the Russian Royal Family killed in 1918 were confirmed by comparing their DNA to this member of the British Royal Family Prince Philip |
| #8139, aired 2020-01-16 | WESTERN HEMISPHERE GEOGRAPHY: It's the easternmost capital city in Central America Panama City |
| #8138, aired 2020-01-15 | CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: Einstein's theory of relativity & Max Planck's quantum theory inspired this book that won a 1963 Newbery Medal A Wrinkle in Time |
| #8137, aired 2020-01-14 | WORLD GEOGRAPHY: About the size of West Virginia, Devon Island is the largest uninhabited island in the world & a possession of this country Canada |
| #8136, aired 2020-01-13 | THE BIBLE: This book of the Bible ends with "fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys" Exodus |
| #8135, aired 2020-01-10 | CONSTITUTIONS OF THE WORLD: This country's 1979 constitution forbids amendments altering its official ideology or religion Iran |
| #8134, aired 2020-01-09 | LAW ENFORCEMENT: In 1892 Francisca Rojas became the world's first person convicted on the basis of this kind of evidence fingerprint |
| #8133, aired 2020-01-08 | EUROPEAN HISTORY: It took the French army until 1995 to declare him innocent, 101 years after he was convicted of treason (Alfred) Dreyfus |
| #8132, aired 2020-01-07 | INTERNATIONAL SPORTS STARS: Now with over 185 million followers, he surpassed Selena Gomez in 2018 to become the most followed person on Instagram (Cristiano) Ronaldo |
| #8131, aired 2020-01-06 | 1960s NOVELS: This book defines its own title as "concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers... was the process of a rational mind" Catch-22 |
| #8130, aired 2020-01-03 | CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS: Until a 1913 amendment allowed this, 1/3 of U.S. government revenue came from liquor income tax |
| #8129, aired 2020-01-02 | SCIENTISTS: About 100 years before Darwin, this naturalist put orangutans & humans in a group with the Latin name "Homo" (Carolus) Linnaeus |
| #8128, aired 2020-01-01 | SINGLE-NAMED PERFORMERS: The last single-named actress to win an Oscar was this woman who won for her supporting role in "Precious" Mo'Nique |
| #8127, aired 2019-12-31 | BUSINESS & INNOVATION: Stuck with 260 tons of unused turkey in late 1953, this company ordered aluminum trays & sold 10 million units of a new item in 1954 Swanson |
| #8126, aired 2019-12-30 | 1950s PEOPLE: In a New Yorker profile, he said, "Where I like it is out west in Wyoming, Montana, & Idaho, & I like Cuba & Paris" Ernest Hemingway |
| #8125, aired 2019-12-27 | ART FIRSTS: The first French museum to buy this type of painting was the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, in 1901 Impressionist |
| #8124, aired 2019-12-26 | 19th CENTURY HISTORY: Wanting more French influence in the area he called Latin America, Napoleon III installed an emperor in this country Mexico |
| #8123, aired 2019-12-25 | ORGANIZATIONS: Founded by students at William & Mary in 1776; its members include 17 U.S. Presidents, 41 Supreme Court Justices & more than 140 Nobel laureates Phi Beta Kappa |
| #8122, aired 2019-12-24 | HISTORIC AMERICAN CITIES: Damage from Hurricane Matthew in this city in 2016 revealed a plot of colonist graves from perhaps as long as 430 years ago St. Augustine, Florida |
| #8121, aired 2019-12-23 | BRITISH AUTHORS: In 2016 the OED celebrated his 100th birthday by adding words connected to his writings, including scrumdiddlyumptious Roald Dahl |
| #8120, aired 2019-12-20 | CLASSIC FICTION: A 1902 work says of a riverboat journey, "We penetrated deeper and deeper into" this, the work's title Heart of Darkness |
| #8119, aired 2019-12-19 | SCIENCE & INNOVATION: In her 20+ years working for this company, Audrey Sherman of Saint Paul has been granted more than 130 patents 3M |
| #8118, aired 2019-12-18 | PLANTS & TREES: One of Britain's few native evergreen trees, it's prized for bringing color to winter, & its foliage is often hung in homes holly |
| #8117, aired 2019-12-17 | MILESTONES IN U.S. HISTORY: Congress declared September 6, 2008 Louisa Swain Day because Louisa did this in Wyoming on that date in 1870 voted |
| #8116, aired 2019-12-16 | TV THEME MUSIC: A short piece for 2 guitars called "Strange No. 3" was the first part of the theme music for this drama series that debuted in 1959 The Twilight Zone |
| #8115, aired 2019-12-13 | BUSINESS NAMESAKES: It's the last name of the man who said, "Our whole concept was based on speed, lower prices & volume...my God, the carhops were slow" McDonald |
| #8114, aired 2019-12-12 | WOMEN AUTHORS: In 1947 she testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee on how the film "Song of Russia" was Communist propaganda Ayn Rand |
| #8113, aired 2019-12-11 | NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARKS: Established in 2015, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park has sites in Hanford, Washington; Los Alamos, N.M. & this Tennessee city Oak Ridge |
| #8112, aired 2019-12-10 | OSCAR-WINNING FILMS: The first words spoken in this 1970 Best Picture Oscar winner are "Ten-hut!" "Be seated" Patton |
| #8111, aired 2019-12-09 | VICE PRESIDENTS: George H.W. Bush in 1988 was the first sitting vice president to be elected to the top job since this man 152 years before Martin Van Buren |
| #8110, aired 2019-12-06 | EUROPE: A tourism website for this country noted its colorful history "filled with barbarians", royalty, "& even a movie star" Monaco |
| #8109, aired 2019-12-05 | HOLIDAY SONGS: This song had its beginnings as a book handed out to children at Christmas at Montgomery Ward "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer" |
| #8108, aired 2019-12-04 | OPERA TITLE NAMES: Before being consumed in flames, he flirts with a bride on her wedding day & a list of his amorous conquests is sung Don Giovanni |
| #8107, aired 2019-12-03 | LITERARY NEW YORK CITY: An insider described the scene there: "Just...loudmouths showing off, saving their gags for days, waiting to spring them" Algonquin Round Table |
| #8106, aired 2019-12-02 | HISTORIC LISTS: "Why does not the Pope... build the basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?" is one of these Luther's theses |
| #8105, aired 2019-11-29 | CLASSIC BRITISH NOVELS: The title character of this novel says of his home, "The wind breathes cold through the broken battlements and casements" Dracula |
| #8104, aired 2019-11-28 | WORD ORIGINS: From a Sanskrit word for "descent", it's the form a god takes upon descending to Earth avatar |
| #8103, aired 2019-11-27 | MOVIE QUOTES: The 2 single-word quotes on AFI's list of the top 100 movie quotes; 1 is from 1941, the other from 1967 "Rosebud" and "Plastics" |
| #8102, aired 2019-11-26 | POLITICAL PHRASES: Speechwriter Samuel Rosenman said FDR "attached no importance to" this phrase, "two monosyllables" in a 1932 speech New Deal |
| #8101, aired 2019-11-25 | BUSINESS 2019: The New York Stock Exchange allowed jeans on the trading floor for the initial public offering of the stock with this 4-letter symbol LEVI |
| #8100, aired 2019-11-22 | HOME & GARDEN: In 1847 eccentric horticulturalist Sir Charles Isham popularized these when he imported terra cotta ones from Nuremberg garden gnomes |
| #8099, aired 2019-11-21 | AMERICAN HISTORY: One a Civil War hero & one a U.S. Senator, brothers with this last name were both considered for the 1884 Republican presidential nomination Sherman |
| #8098, aired 2019-11-20 | MOVIE & BOOK TITLES: This title of a 1962 novel & 1975 film refers to the direction the last of 3 geese took in an old nursery rhyme One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
| #8097, aired 2019-11-19 | BUSINESS & INDUSTRY: Peaking at 9,000 locations in 2004, this chain of stores was down to one in 2019, located in Bend, Oregon Blockbuster |
| #8096, aired 2019-11-18 | U.S. CITIES: Celebrating electricity & technology, an exposition in this U.S. "City of Light" in 1901 was overshadowed by another major event Buffalo |
| #8095, aired 2019-11-15 | INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES: A dispute over Etorofu, Habomai, Kunashiri & Shikotan has kept these 2 countries from ever signing a WWII peace treaty Japan & Russia |
| #8094, aired 2019-11-14 | OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS: By Hebrew word count, the longest book bears this name that led to a word for a long complaint or rant Jeremiah |
| #8093, aired 2019-11-13 | ITALIAN INVENTORS: In a 1644 letter he wrote, "We live submerged at the bottom of an ocean of air", which is what his invention measures Torricelli |
| #8092, aired 2019-11-12 | U.S. DEMOGRAPHICS: In 2018 Forbes said this "Belt's Demographic Delight is" this other "Belt's Demographic Dilemma" the Sun Belt & the Rust Belt |
| #8091, aired 2019-11-11 | FAMOUS PHRASES: In the title of a groundbreaking 1890 expose of poverty in New York City slums, these 3 words follow "How the" Other Half Lives |
| #8090, aired 2019-11-08 | LITERARY CHARACTERS: From an 1894 work, his name literally translates to "tiger king" Shere Khan |
| #8089, aired 2019-11-07 | 20th CENTURY ART: A derisive description of the shape of the houses in the 1908 painting "Houses at l'Estaque" gave this art style its name Cubism |
| #8088, aired 2019-11-06 | 20th CENTURY AMERICA: In 1939, turned down by 2 local theaters, Howard University was able to get an outdoor venue for this singer's yearly concert Marian Anderson |
| #8087, aired 2019-11-05 | THE 50 STATES: In 1840 this New England state was home to 24 of the 100 most populous U.S. urban places; now, its capital is its only one in the top 100 Massachusetts |
| #8086, aired 2019-11-04 | ANCIENT HISTORY: According to Herodotus, a messenger was sent 150 miles from Athens to Sparta, just before this 490 B.C. battle the Battle of Marathon |
| #8085, aired 2019-11-01 | RELIGION: This denomination takes its name from the day, as told in the New Testament, when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles Pentecostalism |
| #8084, aired 2019-10-31 | NOVELISTS: In a 1952 novel, he wrote, "But there were dry years too, & they put a terror on the valley. The water came in a thirty-year cycle" John Steinbeck |
| #8083, aired 2019-10-30 | WORLD CAPITALS: In 1865 this city named for an early 19th century British hero became a British colonial capital Wellington |
| #8082, aired 2019-10-29 | 1950s CINEMA: Objects of attention in this suspenseful film include a digging dog, a scantily clad dancer & a possible murderer Rear Window |
| #8081, aired 2019-10-28 | 19th CENTURY AMERICA: Before its official opening on May 24, 1883 Emily Roebling became the first person to cross it in a carriage the Brooklyn Bridge |
| #8080, aired 2019-10-25 | BRITISH HISTORY: In 2018 Parliament Square got its first statue of a woman, Millicent Fawcett, a founding member of the London Society for Women's this Suffrage |
| #8079, aired 2019-10-24 | THE HISTORY OF FRANCE: This modern regime that lasted 4 years changed the national motto to "Travail, Famille, Patrie"--"Work, Family, Fatherland" Vichy France |
| #8078, aired 2019-10-23 | 1930s NOVEL CHARACTERS: Prior to a murder in a 1934 book, he says he hasn't been a detective since 1927 & that his wife inherited a lumber mill Nick Charles |
| #8077, aired 2019-10-22 | FEMALE MUSIC SUPERSTARS: With more than 30 Top 10 albums since 1963, this singer-actress ranks No. 1 among the Billboard 200's Greatest Women Artists of All Time Barbra Streisand |
| #8076, aired 2019-10-21 | U.S. CITIES: Named for the ore once mined there, this city at an altitude of 10,152 feet is home to the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum Leadville |
| #8075, aired 2019-10-18 | THE POSTCOLONIAL WORLD: This African nation left the British Commonwealth in 2003 over sanctions on its undemocratic government; in 2018 it applied to rejoin Zimbabwe |
| #8074, aired 2019-10-17 | MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS: The soundtrack of this 2018 film has "Material Girl" & "Money (That's What I Want)" in Chinese & English Crazy Rich Asians |
| #8073, aired 2019-10-16 | WORLD LEADERS: This man who ruled from 1949 to 1976 was sometimes called "the Red Sun" Mao Zedong (Mao) |
| #8072, aired 2019-10-15 | 20th CENTURY AMERICAN WOMEN: In her only kids' book, she says, "There was Rose. Rose was her name & would she have been Rose if her name had not been Rose" Gertrude Stein |
| #8071, aired 2019-10-14 | CHEMICAL SYMBOL WORDPLAY: Fittingly, the symbols for the 4 elements in sodium citrate, which can make cheese melt easier, spell this 5-letter food nacho |
| #8070, aired 2019-10-11 | AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHTS: In 1963 the Pulitzer Advisory Board vetoed his controversial play & gave no award; he would go on to win 3 Pulitzers Edward Albee |
| #8069, aired 2019-10-10 | ENGLISH HISTORY: In 1600 a royal charter authorized it to set forth to "parts of Asia and Africa" in search of "trade and traffic" British East India Company |
| #8068, aired 2019-10-09 | HIT 1980s ALBUMS: This American singer-songwriter briefly landed on the U.N.'s apartheid blacklist for his 1986 multi-platinum album Paul Simon |
| #8067, aired 2019-10-08 | LAST WORDS: In 1876 in the Dakotas this American said, "The old duffer broke me on the last hand" Bill Hickok |
| #8066, aired 2019-10-07 | OBSERVANCES: Washington made the very first presidential proclamation in response to a request for "a day of public" this Thanksgiving |
| #8065, aired 2019-10-04 | WORLD LITERATURE: Some parts were translated from a 15th century Syrian manuscript when this work was introduced to Europe around 1700 One Thousand and One Nights |
| #8064, aired 2019-10-03 | PHRASE ORIGINS: The OED's first citation for this phrase referring to a region of the U.S. is from a Durant, Oklahoma newspaper in 1936 Dust Bowl |
| #8063, aired 2019-10-02 | ANIMAL AKAs: It's also called the czar fish sturgeon |
| #8062, aired 2019-10-01 | MOUNTAIN RANGES: A chain of volcanoes is named for this mountain range where the continental USA's deadliest eruption took place Cascades |
| #8061, aired 2019-09-30 | SYMBOLIC OBJECTS: To complete one of its regular trips, in 1948 it took a boat across the English Channel; in 1952 it took a plane en route to Finland Olympic torch (Olympic flame) |
| #8060, aired 2019-09-27 | EPITAPHS: From his own 1898 poem, the epitaph of this Irish-born man ends, "his mourners will be outcast men, & outcasts always mourn" Oscar Wilde |
| #8059, aired 2019-09-26 | WORLD LANDMARKS: "The Eighth Wonder", by composer Alan John & librettist Dennis Watkins, is about this building that opened in 1973 the Sydney Opera House |
| #8058, aired 2019-09-25 | NATURAL GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES: Timely for 2018, in 1866 Mark Twain wrote of this landmark's "sputtering jets of fire" & "heat from Pele's furnaces" Mount Kīlauea |
| #8057, aired 2019-09-24 | AMERICAN COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES: The 1862 Morrill Act gave states federal acreage to sell for school funds, leading to the creation of 69 of these land-grant universities (land-grant colleges) |
| #8056, aired 2019-09-23 | MUSICAL THEATRE INSPIRATIONS: The title of this musical that opened on Broadway in 1964 was inspired by a Marc Chagall painting Fiddler on the Roof |
| #8055, aired 2019-09-20 | U.S. CURRENCY: In 1929 Alexander Hamilton became the new face of the $10 bill, replacing this foe of his legacy, who got moved to another denomination Andrew Jackson |
| #8054, aired 2019-09-19 | TOYS & GAMES: Invented in 1974 as a model to teach 3-D problems, it became one of the bestselling toys of all time Rubik's Cube |
| #8053, aired 2019-09-18 | THE 1940s: This nickname for a history-changing weapon of 1945 came from a character in "The Maltese Falcon" Fat Man |
| #8052, aired 2019-09-17 | NATIONAL ANTHEMS: With lyrics by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier, it debuted on June 24, 1880, at a celebration of St. Jean Baptiste Day "O Canada" |
| #8051, aired 2019-09-16 | EUROPEAN AUTHORS: When he didn't win the inaugural 1901 Nobel Prize, 42 of his peers apologized to him, calling him "the most revered patriarch of today's literature" Leo Tolstoy |
| #8050, aired 2019-09-13 | PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES: This is the most recent presidential election year when both major presidential candidates were residents of the same state 2016 |
| #8049, aired 2019-09-12 | AMERICAN MUSEUMS: President Johnson signed a law that added 2 words to the name of this museum established in 1946, D.C.'s most popular the Air & Space Museum |
| #8048, aired 2019-09-11 | CHILDREN'S BOOKS: The original title of this 1900 classic included a gem; another working title mentioned a Plains state The Wonderful Wizard of Oz |
| #8047, aired 2019-09-10 | 1960s TV HISTORY: The 1967 finale of "The Fugitive" drew in 78 million viewers, surpassing the 73 million who tuned into this show Sunday, February 9, 1964 The Ed Sullivan Show |
| #8046, aired 2019-09-09 | BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY: A site excavated since 1899, Tell es-Safi has been identified as this Philistine city, home to a giant warrior Gath |
