Final Jeopardy: 1950s Public Works (12-9-21)

Today’s Final Jeopardy question (12/9/2021) in the category “1950s Public Works” was:

Dubbed “the greatest construction show on earth”, when completed it connected Minnesota to Montreal

Quarterfinal No. 4 of the 2021 Professors Tournament features: Ramón Guerra, an associate professor of English and Latino studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha; Ed Hashima, a history professor at American River College in Sacramento, CA; and Julia Williams, an English professor at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN.

Round 1 Categories: Prof Talk – Around the Mediterranean – What Does It Prevent? – All on Your Head Now – College Sports – Lit Characters’ Bad Choices

Ed found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Around the Mediterranean” under the $800 clue with 6 clues left after it. He was in first place with $6,000, $2,400 more than Ramón in second place. Ed bet $1,200 and said Beirut. That was WRONG.

This city can be said to be twice on the Mediterranean Coast; one as a world capital, the other in Lebanon. show

WHAT IS TRIPOLI?

Ed finished in the lead with $8,200. Ramón was second with $3,800 and Julia was last with $1,800. No clues went uncovered.

Round 2 Categories: Yiddish Theater – Science Vocabulary – State Songs – Describing the TV Drama – In Recent Years – Show Me Your P-H-D

Ed found the first Daily Double in “Yiddish Theater” under the $400 clue on the 7th pick. In first place with $10,600, he had $6,800 more than Julia in second place. He bet $2,400 and he was RIGHT.

A surprise New York hit in 2018 was a Yiddish-language “Fiddler on the Roof”; this song becomes “Ven ikh bin a rotshild” show

WHAT IS “IF I WERE A RICH MAN”?

Ed got the last Daily Double in “Science Vocabulary” under the $1,200 clue with 2 clues left after it. He was leading with $26,200 now, $20,400 more than Julia in second place. Ed bet $1,200 and he was RIGHT.

“Specific” this is the ratio of a substance’s density to that of a standard substance, often water. show

WHAT IS GRAVITY?

Ed finished in the lead with $27,400. Julia was second with $5,800 and Ramón was last with $1,400. No clues went uncovered.

Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHAT IS THE ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY?

From Great Lakes Cruises: “Opened in 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway is the result of a close partnership between Canada and the United States, serving two Canadian provinces (Ontario and Quebec) and eight American states (Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania). Ships passing though the Seaway cross the US-Canadian border 27 times during transit, making bi-national coordination critical to its operation.”

Although frequently used in print in the 1950s to apply to the St. Lawrence Seaway, “the greatest construction show on earth” description wasn’t exclusive to it. Disneyland also used the phrase in a 1959 poster to promote several new attractions. Of course, the original Greatest Show on Earth was P.T. Barnum’s circus. Cecil B. DeMille paid $250K for the rights to use that title (and more) for his 1952 Best Picture-winning film of the same name.

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Ramón drew a blank. He bet his whole $1,400 and was left with nothing.

Julia wrote down “interstate highway system.” She lost $2,000 and had $3,800 left.

Ed got it right. He bet $4,700 and won the game with $32,100. Ed is the 4th semi-finalist.

A triple stumper from each round:

LIT CHARACTERS’ BAD CHOICES ($400) James, don’t break up a family’s baseball game & try to kill this girl! Edward will be mad & it just won’t end well for you!

YIDDISH THEATER ($1600) The play “Chantzhe in Amerika” is about a woman wanting to learn this modern skill; “How I Learned to” do it is a non-Yiddish play

More clues on Page 2

2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “Holiday Songs”

This song had its beginnings as a book handed out to children at Christmas at Montgomery Ward show

WHAT IS “RUDOLPH, THE RED-NOSED REINDEER”?

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