Fact Funhouse

Short ‘n Sweet!

February is here—don’t blink or you might miss it! In honor of the shortest month of the year, this month’s Fact Funhouse quiz is about all things short-lived, short-statured, short-tempered, short-sighted and otherwise abbreviated. See if you can make short work of it!


At just 5’3″, this athlete is the shortest player in NBA history:

  • Spud Webb
  • Earl Boykins
  • Muggsy Bogues
  • Nate Robinson

 


What is the shortest film ever to win the Oscar for Best Picture?

  • Marty
  • Going My Way
  • The Sting
  • Driving Miss Daisy

Which book by Dr. Seuss has the briefest vocabulary?

  • Hop on Pop
  • The Cat in the Hat
  • Fox in Socks
  • Green Eggs & Ham

What is the shortest war in recorded history?

  • The Six-Day War
  • The Franco-Prussian War
  • The Anglo-Zanzibar War
  • The War of 1812


Who is the shortest actor in Hollywood history?

  • Danny DeVito
  • Peter Dinklage
  • Billy Barty
  • Verne Troyer

Which mammal has the shortest life span?

  • Mouse
  • Shrew
  • Hedgehog
  • Hamster

Which was the shortest-tenured U.S. President?

  • Gerald R. Ford
  • William Henry Harrison
  • John Qunicy Adams
  • Zachary Taylor


This short-fused shorty was handed his ultimate defeat in Belgium by the Duke of Wellington.

  • Kaiser Wilhelm II
  • Nicholas II
  • Napoleon Bonaparte
  • Louis XIV


Which pope had the shortest reign in history?

    • John Paul I

Leo XIII

John XXIII

  • Innocent III

 

Which U.S. State has the shortest coastline?

  • Rhode Island
  • Delaware
  • New Hampshire
  • Vermont

Answers:

  1. Born January 9, 1965, Muggsy Bogues was an NBA pint-sized powerhouse. He played in 889 games over 14 seasons and racked up 6,726 assists, the 25th highest tally in league history.
  2. Clocking in at just 90 minutes, 1955’s Marty, the directorial debut of Delbert Mann, also landed best actor accolades for Ernest Borgnine as the title character, a lonely, middle-aged Bronx butcher who finally gets the girl.
  3. Following the success of The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss’s publisher, Bennett Cerf, challenged the author to write a book using only 50 unique words. Would he? Could he? Of course! The result was Green Eggs & Ham.
  4. Unfolding in what is now Tanzania on August 27, 1896, The Anglo-Zanzibar War lasted between 38 and 45 minutes. Before news of the conflict could even travel back to England, it was all finished.
  5. Standing just 2’8″, the late Verne Troyer was the shortest actor in history. Known for his role as Mini-Me in the Austin Powers film series, his other credits include Men in Black, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and numerous other film, television and music video appearances.
  6. The common shrew, found throughout northern Europe and Great Britain, has a lifespan of less than 12 months. Bummer.
  7. Our ninth president, William Henry Harrison, was the first to die during his term, just one month after taking the oath of office on March 4, 1841. Harrison delivered a two-hour inaugural address in the cold rain. He then contracted pneumonia and died on Palm Sunday, April 4.
  8. My, my! At Waterloo, Napoleon did surrender—on June 18, 1815.
  9. Albino Luciani, better known as Pope John Paul I, ruled the Roman Catholic Church for just 33 days, the shortest reign in papal history. He was the last in a centuries-long succession of Italian-born popes, replaced by Polish-born John Paul II.
  10. If you’re looking for oceanfront property, it’s in short supply in New Hampshire. The state has just 18 miles of coastline.

Additional Issues

There’s a lot to love in this issue!

There’s a lot to love in this issue!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

That’s a Wrap!

That’s a Wrap!

An Attitude of Gratitude

An Attitude of Gratitude

Autumn Adventures and Cyber Savvy

Autumn Adventures and Cyber Savvy