Final Jeopardy: 20th Century Names (7-25-25)
Here are some more clues from the 7/25/2025 Jeopardy! game. Please don’t put the answers to these clues in the comments so people who missed the game can have a chance to answer them. It is okay to refer to them by category and clue value or by part of the clue.
STARS ($800) Called the Star of Isis in Ancient Egypt, its rise in summer forecasted the rise of the Nile River
($1000) Arcturus, the brightest star in Boötes, is this colorful type of star, the fate of some main sequence stars
STATELY BODIES OF WATER ($2000) Some call this bay the “Other Jersey Shore”
16-LETTER WORDS ($2000) Unable to be broken down by microorganisms–like styrofoam, which takes about 500 years to decompose
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SNEAK PEEK CATEGORY: WAR BONDS
($200) General Douglas MacArthur, Syngman Rhee
($400) Saddam Hussein, ‘Stormin’ Norman” Schwarzkopf
($600) Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, Florence Nightingale
($800) George Washington, Marquis de Montcalm
($1000) Henry V, Joan of Arc
SNEAK PEEK ANSWERS show
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I thought the the clue was worded in a way that made it seem that the obituary was written in 1935. I wrote Jeopardy, linking from this website, that I thought it should have been worded to say that according to a 1951 obituary, this person in 1935 was described as owning……”. I was listening to the clue in the other room and it was REALLY confusing because I thought it sounded like Hearst, but I knew he lived at least into the 1940s, after Citizen Kane was released. Then after I read it a couple of times, I realized that technically the clue didn’t have to mean the obituary itself was written in 1935.
Oh my, I was CERTAIN Scott would nail Final. I thought of Hearst immediately and realized the lack of newspapers in the clue was deliberate. Briefly thought of Hughes, but why would his obit from the 1970s say what he owned in 1935? Jonathan started the game in a pool of quicksand, maybe headed for oblivion, but rallied strongly and got close to the lead. Then Scott, superchamp that he is/was, took off down the stretch and threatened a runaway. There was a meme on FB last night that Scott would not qualify for next ToC if he continued into Season 42.
I crashed on all 3 DDs, although the middle one wasn’t too tough. But I just couldn’t pin down exactly where Cape Ann is. But Massachusetts Bay Colony came to mind right away. The stumpers stumped me too, although the 16-letter one wasn’t all that challenging.
Re FJ from 2years ago: my longtime friend Sharon from RI was on that final 2023 show. She performed admirably and really could have won. I tried mentally telegraphing her the answers to the last DD and Final, but to no avail. Either one probably would have won her the game and allowed her to reign all summer. (I believe the champ who defeated her won several games. Sharon got trounced in her Second Chance appearance, and I believe J! paid all her expenses for that. She netted $5K for two losses and a free trip to LA.)
Hughes was 30 years old in 1935 and getting plenty of publicity. Newspapers described him as a “young millionaire film producer” and “millionaire sportsman-aviator”
True, he was quite the wealthy figure, hobnobbing with Kate Hepburn and others.
I just read the Wiki entry on WR Hearst. Fascinating, especially in light of the implication of great wealth in the FJ clue. He spent most of the 1930s basically insolvent and even had to pay rent to live at San Simeon. Many of his possessions and real estate were sold off.
Re the earlier reply about French study: it was forced on us starting in 4th grade. I hated it, signed up for espanol when I went to jr high. But they stuck me in a class that took French for the next three years. By then it was easy for me so I continued it through HS and first year of college. I don’t recall getting much instruction re history, though, but a lot of geography and some music.
When trying to find the source of the info in the clue, I saw the San Francisco Examiner tributes on the day Hearst died. Flags in the Bay area and even in NYC were flown at half staff. An article “Party Lines Disappear in Statements of Tribute” had tributes from Senators and Representatives, incl. then Sen. Richard Nixon.
I was reading the articles on Newspapers.com. The San Francisco Examiner also has an online archive.
I was 2/3 on DD, and got FJ. What I find more than quizzical is Scott 1. getting Lysistrada and 2. missing Hearst with Hughes. Huh? Hughes died in 76. He was played, what, several or many times, by Dominic Cooper, in movies and in TV. Citizen Kane came out 5 or 6 years after Hearst’s demise. I just can’t believe it.
The first round spells category was right up my wife’s alley, but she doesn’t watch J! I ran the category, getting the $200, $600, and $1k clues expressly due to my wife!
Thanks again VJ for another wonderful season of recaps!!
Thanks, Jason, I’m glad you enjoyed the recaps.
First of all, Scott didn’t get any of the DDs. Sarah got the one in the first round and Jonathan got both in the second round.
Secondly. you’re thinking Hearst died in 1935 but (as the recap states) he died on 8/15/1951. he was alive when Citizen Kane came out.
I can see Scott thinking of Hughes because of the movies. Of course, if they had included the 28 newspapers, that would have been a dead giveaway.
Oops! I recalled a lot, but not the DOD!! Oy!
I don’t think I’m as obvious as some others, who completely repeat what you wrote in the recap, when I don’t read it. That’s just me. I should read them, because, without fail, I learn something new!
No worries, Jason. I always try hard to find interesting and pertinent stuff (even entertaining sometimes) connected to the FJ clue but I don’t demand that people read it.
I think the people who repeat stuff I wrote in the recap do read it though. I’d never know half of my typos and mistakes if it wasn’t for them. 🤣
Hmmm……….I sure thought that Scott would return in Season 42 as the reigning champion, but that wasn’t the way it ultimately played out. On the other hand, Jonathan should have wagered the store in FJ as he had absolutely nothing to lose. In any case, Jonathan still managed to eek out a Win. You know, it was almost as if Scott had decided to throw the match for some reason or another, but that was just a supposition on my part. Anyways, I also went with Howard Hughes in FJ. Actually, I didn’t think that William Randolph Hearst had lived that long.
Final Jeopardy category should be 20th century names.
When I saw the clue this morning, I thought of the right response immediately. Then I realized he was still alive in 1935 and I thought of Howard Hughes. Then I remembered Hughes died the year my son was born. That’s when I knew 1935 wasn’t the year of death, so I didn’t switch.
Scott still played an impressive game, but he needed at least one of those DD’s or some of the $2K stumpers to achieve a runaway today. I was shocked Central Jersey Scott didn’t know the ‘other Jersey shore’ bay. North Jersey me knew it.
Note: If you want to read that whole “40 Years Run” article, don’t let the Save American Heritage popup deter you. Just click the little ‘x’ in the upper right hand corner to close that after the page fully loads.
What a dramatic ending to Season 41. Scott’s streak has ended on the last game of Season 41. We got to congratulate him for a remarkable run and he made July a great month this year. We’ll look forward to seeing Scott again in the 2026 postseason and Jonathan gets to enjoy the summer as a Jeopardy champion. Jonathan will be back on September 8 to defend his title when Season 42 begins.