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Any Questions #291 - "Most Populous U.S. Cities"

WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel crack open the almanac.

Last week's challenge
Start with the name SAINT PATRICK. Change one letter to an O and you can rearrange the result to spell a five-letter word for someone who reads words for a living and a seven-letter word for someone who reads music for a living. What are the words?
Answer: If you change the K to an O, you can spell ACTOR and PIANIST.

THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: MOST POPULOUS U.S. CITIES
On-air questions: On March 24, 2011, data from the prior year's U.S. Census was released, showing that New York City was the most populous city in the United States. Its population at the time was over 8.1 million people, more than twice that of Los Angeles, the next city on the list. New York City is also the city with the highest population density: just over 27,000 people per square mile. In an effort to cater to as many public radio listeners as possible, this week our quiz is about the five most populous U.S. cities.

1. New York City is home to three of the world's most expensive stadiums (four if you count MetLife Stadium, the home of the New York Jets and the New York Giants, which is in East Rutherford, New Jersey). Two of the three are CitiField and Madison Square Garden. What's the third?
2. Located on Santa Monica Boulevard in the Westwood district of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles California Temple was dedicated in 1956 and was, at the time, the largest temple operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons). It was surpassed in size after renovations were completed on a temple in what city?
3. In December of 1942, physicist Enrico Fermi and his team initiated the first nuclear chain reaction in a facility built below the University of Chicago. This experiment – one which contributed to the creation of the atomic bomb – was part of what top secret initiative?
4. In 1967, Houston became known as "Space City" largely because of the presence of a NASA facility once known simply as the Manned Spacecraft Center. Home to a well-known mission control center (itself nicknamed "Houston"), the facility was renamed in 1973 for what recently-deceased U.S. president?
5. Philadelphia is the setting for many films, including the 2000 film Unbreakable and 2016's Split, directed by whom, a Philadelphia native whose cinematic twist endings have become a hallmark of his movies?

Extra credit
1. The Phoenix Art Museum, which opened in 1959, was designed by Alden Dow, an architect based in Michigan and known for his contributions to a style known as Michigan Modern. Dow was a student of what other famous American architect?
2. The Battle of the Alamo took place in San Antonio in late February and early March of 1836. What Mexican president launched the attack on the Alamo, only to be defeated the following month at the Battle of San Jacinto?

This week's challenge
Start with the phrase MANY PEOPLE. Rearrange the letters to spell two five-letter words: one for a type of tree and one for a type of flower. What are they?

ANSWERS
On-air questions

1. Yankee Stadium
2. Salt Lake City
3. The Manhattan Project
4. Lyndon Johnson
5. M. Night Shyamalan

Extra credit
1. Frank Lloyd Wright
2. Antonio López de Santa Anna

 

A lifelong resident of the Capital Region, Ian joined WAMC in late 2008 and became news director in 2013. He began working on Morning Edition and has produced The Capitol Connection, Congressional Corner, and several other WAMC programs. Ian can also be heard as the host of the WAMC News Podcast and on The Roundtable and various newscasts. Ian holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in English, both from the University at Albany, where he has taught journalism since 2013.
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