Ken Jennings

One day back in 2003, Ken Jennings and his college buddy Earl did what hundreds of thousands of people had done before: they auditioned for Jeopardy! Two years, 75 games, 2,642 correct answers, and over $2.5 million in winnings later, Ken Jennings emerged as trivia's undisputed king. Brainiac traces his rise from anonymous computer programmer to nerd folk icon. But along the way, it also explores his newly conquered kingdom: the world of trivia itself.Jennings had always been minutiae-mad, poring over almanacs and TV Guide listings at an age when most kids are still watching Elmo and putting beans up their nose. But trivia, he has found, is centuries older than his childhood obsession with it. Whisking us from the coffeehouses of seventeenth-century London to the Internet age, Jennings chronicles the ups and downs of the trivia fad: the quiz book explosion of the Jazz Age; the rise, fall, and rise again of TV quiz shows; the nostalgic campus trivia of the 1960s; and the 1980s, when Trivial Pursuit® again made it fashionable to be a know-it-all.Jennings also investigates the shadowy demimonde of today's trivia subculture, guiding us on a tour of trivia hotspots across America. He goes head-to-head with the blowhards and diehards of the college quiz-bowl circuit, the slightly soused faithful of the Boston pub trivia scene, and the raucous participants in the annual Q&A marathon in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, "The World's Largest Trivia Contest." And, of course, he takes us behind the scenes of his improbable 75-game run on Jeopardy!But above all, Brainiac is a love letter to the useless fact. What marsupial has fingerprints that are indistinguishable from human ones? What planet has a crater on it named after Laura Ingalls Wilder? What comedian had the misfortune to be born with the name "Albert Einstein"? Jennings also ponders questions that are a little more philosophical: What separates trivia from meaningless facts? Is being good at trivia a mark of intelligence? And is trivia just a waste of time, or does it serve some not-so-trivial purpose after all?Uproarious, silly, engaging, and erudite, this book is an irresistible celebration of nostalgia, curiosity, and nerdy obsession--in a word, trivia. The koala Venus Albert BrooksFrom the Hardcover edition.

Presents a history of humor, from fart jokes on clay Sumerian tablets all the way up to the latest Twitter memes, that tells the story of how comedy came to rule the modern world.

One of the most fascinating regions of Africa, the land that saw the rise and fall of the longest and most enigmatic of the Mediterranean civilizations, Egypt is full of landscapes of breathtaking beauty and artistic masterpieces, from the pyramids of Giza to the Valley of the Kings, from the Temple of Philae to Abu Simbel. Thrilling images combined with original text describe the myriad facets of a colorful and surprising land which the Ancients appropriately called "The Red and the Black," evoking the sharp contrast between the red of the scorching desert wastes and the black silt left by the flooding Nile. Within the pages of this book is an enthralling journey through a country with enduring appeal, savoring the complexity, mystery, and formidable wealth of the land of the pharaohs.

Provides facts about the universe, space exploration, black holes, astronomy and spacecraft using question and answer format. Leap into space and discover the wonders of the universe, astronomy and spaceflight.

This guide to the United State presidents contains illustrations, trivia, and quizzes. A trivia book combines engaging facts about the American presidents with illustrations and skill-reinforcing quizzes.

Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac is the ingeniously organized book where, for a change, the all-time Jeopardy! champ gets to ask the questions--and where every day of the year will give you the chance to test your trivia mettle.For example--February 21: In 1912, on this day, Teddy Roosevelt coined the political phrase "hat in the ring," so Ken Jennings fires off a series of "ring" questions. What two NFL quarterbacks have four Super Bowl rings each? What rings are divided by the Cassini Division? Also on this date, in 1981, the "goth" music scene was born in London, so here's a quiz on black-clad icons like Darth Vader, Johnny Cash, and Zorro. Do you know the secret identities of Ivanhoe's Black Knight or Men in Black's Agent M? In this ultimate book for trivia buffs and other assorted know-it-alls, the 365 entries feature "This Day in History" factoids, trivia quizzes, and questions categorized by Jennings as "Easy," "Hard," and "Yeah, Good Luck." Topics cover every subject under the sun, from paleontology to mixology, sports feats to Bach suites, medieval popes to daytime soaps. This addictive gathering of facts, oddities, devilishly clever quizzes, and other flights of fancy will make each day a fun and intriguing new challenge.From the Hardcover edition.

Ken Jennings wants to find out if mother and father always know best. Yes, all those years you were told not to sit too close to the television (you'll hurt your eyes!) or swallow your gum (it stays in your stomach for seven years!) or crack your knuckles (arthritis!) are called into question by our country's leading trivia guru. Jennings separates myth from fact to debunk a wide variety of parental edicts: no swimming after meals, sit up straight, don't talk to strangers, and so on. Armed with medical case histories, scientific findings, and even the occasional experiment on himself (or his kids), Jennings exposes countless examples of parental wisdom run amok. Whether you're a parent who wants to know what you can stop worrying about or a kid (of any age) looking to say, "I told you so," this is the anti-helicopter parenting book you've been waiting for.

"Now you can become a Junior Genius with Ken Jennings' first children's series! With this book about maps and geography, you'll become an expert and wow your friends and teachers with clever facts. Did you know that the biggest desert is actually covered in snow? Or that Christopher Columbus wasn't the first to think that the Earth was round? With great illustrations, cool trivia, and fun quizzes to test your knowledge, this Junior Genius Guide will have you on your way to whiz-kid status in no time!"--Back cover. Discover the fun facts about the world and become a master of geography with this interactive trivia book from JEOPARDY! champ and THE NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ken Jennings.