Final Jeopardy: 19th Century America (11-11-24)
The Final Jeopardy question (11/11/2024) in the category “19th Century America” was:
It caused rich amusement that the name of this President, whose wife didn’t allow dancing, was similar to that of a dance
New champ Rachel Marcus, a writer & consultant from New York, NY, won $20,600 last Friday. In Game 2, she is up against: Joey DeSena, a development engineer from Raleigh, NC; and Chris Spencer, a medical writer from Washington, D.C.
Round 1 Categories: Time Magazine’s Person of the Year – All a Board! – Sky Rockets in Flight – Lawn & Garden – Sports Nicknames – Alliterative Phrases
Joey found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Sports Nicknames” under the $800 on the 13th pick of the round. He was in the lead with $3,400, $2,600 more than Rachel in second place. Joey bet $3,000 and he was RIGHT.
A world record-holding sprinter recently trademarked this famous victory pose, also his nickname show
Joey finished in the lead with $9,200. Rachel was second with $2,600 and Chris was last with $2,000. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: Mexican State Capitals – A No. 1 Bestseller That Year – 3-letter Responses – In the Archives – Beastie Boys – Etymology
Joey found the first Daily Double in “A No. 1 Best Seller That Year” under the $1,600 clue on the 16th pick of the round. He was in the lead with $13,200, $8,000 more than Chris in second place. Joey bet $3,200 and he was RIGHT.
1974, fiction: This book about espionage with 4 professions in the title worked its way to no. 1 show
On the very next pick, Joey found the last Daily Double in “Mexican State Capitals” under the $1,200 clue. He was in the lead with $16,400 now, $11,200 more than Chris in second place. Joey bet $1,000 and he was RIGHT.
Merida is the capital of this southeastern peninsular state show
Joey finished in the lead with $18,200. Rachel was second with $9,400 and Chris was last with $8,000. All clues were shown.
NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHO IS JAMES K. POLK?
The “Polka President” seems like a nickname James K. Polk got only as a result of his wife’s ban on dancing in the White House. Oddly enough, the only article I found using it was in an 1846 edition of Berrow’s Worcester Journal (on Newspapers.com): “It is almost plain that the Polka President has been raising the Oregon clamour for the mere purpose of currying favour with the mob and strengthening his party in the Legislature.”
Polk was a slaveholding Southern Democrat and the press up North thought he had his priorities mixed up. In July 1847, the National Anti-Slavery Standard came to this conclusion: “Some people have a prejudice against war, murder, hatred, malice, oppression, slavery, and the violations of promises, but Mr. Polk is not one of that kind; he has a religious prejudice against dancing, and a partiality for the Presbyterian religion.”
Chris didn’t have a response. He lost $7,999 and finished with $1.00.
Rachel thought it was Rutherford B. Hayes. She lost $9,399 and also wound up with $1.00.
Joey had James Madison. That only cost him $703. He won the game with the remaining $17,497 and became the new Jeopardy! champ.
A triple stumper from each round. (Please don’t put the answers in the comments)
ALL A BOARD! ($1000) A 1954 Supreme Court case that banned racial segregation in public schools involved the Board of Education of this city
IN THE ARCHIVES ($1600) Russia’s archives hold discoveries like proof Stalin ordered the Katyn Massacre of 20,000 officers & men in this country’s army
2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “GEOGRA-FLEE”
In July 2022 the ousted president of this country fled west across the Indian Ocean to the Maldives show
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Being Polish, I was able to get the final immediately. The only time in my life being Polish would have paid off.
I’m glad for you Albert as you were likely one of the few people who did get the FJ right.
Congrats, Albert
Tricky final, easy in hindsight, of course. I said Hayes just to say something.
The three DDs weren’t too impossible.
Good game, decent play, but they left a few on the table I thought someone would get. The city from the segregation case; the planetary rocket; the saucy state of Mexico; site of the Cinco de Mayo battle (which just about everyone on Facebook always misspells every May 5); Hebrew lampstand. Very surprised no one knew the “Marsh Girl” book, it was huge and was also a film.
Wow, that was a tough FJ, and I never was very good in riddles. Anyways, I went with William Henry Harrison, and I was sure that was likely going to be dead on arrival. It was another great game though, and I did pretty well myself.
You were only 2 presidents away, Rick…
Harrison, Tyler, Polk
Well I knew off the bat that the clues didn’t match the presidents after Pierce at all so that only left the remaining early 19th century presidents. In retrospect, Harrison would have been a poor choice as he wasn’t even in office that long (a month or two in my recollection) before Tyler took over the reins.
That was a tough final as we begin the week with a triple stumper.