How well do you know your planets?

Questions: 

1. In 1973, what common child’s toy was banned in Indonesia for “promoting western culture?”

2. Velveeta cannot be labeled as cheese. What is it called instead?  

3. What is the only planet in the Solar System not named after a Greek or Roman God?

4. Which famous building has the U.S. Postal Zip Code 20500?

5. In which city are the Athletics playing their Major League Baseball home games this season?

Interesting Facts:

An Ostrich’s eyeball is about the size of a Mandarin orange. Their brain is the size of a walnut.

The word mortgage has the same root as other words like mortuary and mortify. It comes from the French word for “death pledge.” 

The phrase “Elementary, my dear Watson” never appeared in a Sherlock Holmes book. It didn’t become popular until a 1929 Sherlock Holmes movie.

April 9 was the 160th anniversary of the end of the Civil War when Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia.

Louis I, Duke of Orléans, was the younger brother of King Charles VI of France. After the King suffered bouts of insanity, Louis gained increasing power. Rivals publicly cut off the duke’s hands and murdered him after a rumor surfaced of an affair between him and the queen. His murder sparked a 28-year civil war.

During mating season, clam worms transform. Their muscles grow for swimming, and their bodies become filled with sperm or eggs. When ready, they swim to the surface in a frenzy and explode, releasing their gametes into the sea. The adults don’t survive this “mating.”

Jack Nicholson holds the record for presenting the Academy Award for Best Picture eight times. Tied for second place are Audrey Hepburn and Warren Beatty, who have each announced the Oscar four times.

Napoleon had the 80-year-old Pope Pius VI arrested in 1798 for not submitting to his authority. The Pope died in French custody.

Adélie penguin parents take turns incubating their eggs while the other is off feeding. They will nest for up to 12 days without leaving once.

Answers:

1. The hula hoop (The hip movements and shaking were considered too suggestive.)

2.  A “pasteurized cheese product” or “cheese product”

3. Earth (The others are named after Roman gods, except Uranus - the Greek God of the Sky.)

4. The White House (and other buildings associated with the Executive Office)

5. Sacramento (They played in Oakland from 1968 to 2023 and will relocate to Las Vegas for the 2028 season.)