Events of the 1960s Guesstimania REVEAL

Here are the questions again:

Question 1: The 1960 U.S Presidential election pitted John F. Kennedy versus Richard M. Nixon (hi Kioshk!) A total of 68,832,482 votes were cast, with Kennedy receiving 303 votes in the electoral college to Nixon’s 219. Of those 68 million-plus popular votes, how many were cast for Nixon?

Question 2: Construction on the Berlin Wall commenced on August 13, 1961. Prior to that date, how many East Germans are believed to have left the country in order to escape the DDR?

Question 3: The Cuban Missile Crisis dominated the headlines in 1962, when the Soviet Union was discovered to be placing nuclear missiles on the island, well within reach. At the time, how many total nuclear warheads were contained within the entire Soviet inventory?

Question 4: British Kenya became an independent country on December 12, 1963, but retained Queen Elizabeth II as monarch. The short-lived state threw off the remaining shackles of colonialism and became a republic one year later. What was the population of Kenya in 1963, according to estimates prepared by the United Nations?

Question 5: On February 7, 1964 the Beatles landed at JFK airport in NYC for their first visit to America. They were greeted by a large number of screaming fans. During their first interview in the states there was this memorable exchange:

Q: In Detroit Michigan, there handing out car stickers saying, ‘Stamp Out The Beatles.’

Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.

Detroit was not stamped out. Instead, two days later, on February 9, the Beatles made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. How many viewers tuned in to watch?

Question 6: On March 8, 1965, some 3,500 United States Marines arrived in Da Nang, South Vietnam, becoming the first American ground combat troops in Vietnam. Between August 1964 and February 1973, roughly the beginning and end of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, how many American men were conscripted (drafted) into military service?

Question 7: How many guitar pickers are there in Nashville, at least according to John Sebastian of the Lovin’ Spoonful in their 1966 song “Nashville Cats”? (An additional fact which may or may not be helpful, according to Sebastian there are 16,821 mothers from Nashville).

Question 8: Sweden changed from driving on the left side of the road to the right on September 3, 1967. That meant they had to change traffic signs throughout the country. How many signs had to be changed?

Question 9: In 1968, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson had one of the most impressive seasons in the history of Major League Baseball, despite the fact that his team lost to the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. Starting 34 games, Gibson posted a 22-9 record and a 1.12 earned run average. Among other statistics, Gibson led the league in strikeouts. How many strikeouts did he have for the season?

Question 10: On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission landed the first man on the moon (Allegedly!). From the time of the launch of the spacecraft via Saturn V rocket in Florida until splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on return, how many hours did the entire mission last?

zomfg!!!!!!! 😮

Your contestants:

IRL Robert
IRL Ann
IRL Scott
IRL Kelly
IRL Greg
IRL Ray
IRL Mary
rickroll
FerencL
Doctor Zeus
Xander Biscuits
filthyvermin
ArcticKnight
nails
eyebooger
aaronk56

Okay, it's 4:00. Let's get this show on the road.

Question 1: The 1960 U.S Presidential election pitted John F. Kennedy versus Richard M. Nixon (hi Kioshk!) A total of 68,832,482 votes were cast, with Kennedy receiving 303 votes in the electoral college to Nixon’s 219. Of those 68 million-plus popular votes, how many were cast for Nixon?

This was intended to be a relative softball, to ease us into the game. How soft was it? Not as soft as you might think!

The correct answer to Question 1:

Spoiler

Show

Let's see how you did:

[table=head]Player Answer
IRL Scott 34,100,000.00
Doctor Zeus 34,000,000.00
Xander Biscuits 34,000,000.00
aaronk56 34,302,400.00
IRL Greg 34,400,000.00
FerencL 33,312,312.00
IRL Robert 35,000,000.00
IRL Ray 32,574,193.00
nails 32,100,000.00
rickroll 32,000,000.00
ArcticKnight 32,000,000.00
eyebooger 32,000,000.00
IRL Mary 40,000,000.00
IRL Kelly 27,862,000.00
filthyvermin 26,900,000.00
IRL Ann 58,000,000.00[/table]

Yeah, the formatting could use some work here.

Contestant Answer Correct Answer Variance Score

IRL Scott 34,100,000.00 34,108,157.00 8,157.00 16.00
Doctor Zeus 34,000,000.00 34,108,157.00 108,157.00 14.50
Xander Biscuits 34,000,000.00 34,108,157.00 108,157.00 14.50
aaronk56 34,302,400.00 34,108,157.00 194,243.00 13.00
IRL Greg 34,400,000.00 34,108,157.00 291,843.00 12.00
FerencL 33,312,312.00 34,108,157.00 795,845.00 11.00
IRL Robert 35,000,000.00 34,108,157.00 891,843.00 10.00
IRL Ray 32,574,193.00 34,108,157.00 1,533,964.00 9.00
nails 32,100,000.00 34,108,157.00 2,008,157.00 8.00
rickroll 32,000,000.00 34,108,157.00 2,108,157.00 6.00
ArcticKnight 32,000,000.00 34,108,157.00 2,108,157.00 6.00
eyebooger 32,000,000.00 34,108,157.00 2,108,157.00 6.00
IRL Mary 40,000,000.00 34,108,157.00 5,891,843.00 4.00
IRL Kelly 27,862,000.00 34,108,157.00 6,246,157.00 3.00
filthyvermin 26,900,000.00 34,108,157.00 7,208,157.00 2.00
IRL Ann 58,000,000.00 34,108,157.00 23,891,843.00 1.00

Question 2: Construction on the Berlin Wall commenced on August 13, 1961. Prior to that date, how many East Germans are believed to have left the country in order to escape the DDR?

(not pictured: Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas)

Why would anyone leave the glorious workers' paradise? I dunno, ask filthy.

The correct answer to Question 2:

Spoiler

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Your answers to Question 2:

IRL Kelly 2,000,200.00
IRL Mary 1,700,000.00
IRL Greg 6,000,000.00
Doctor Zeus 1,000,000.00
ArcticKnight 1,000,000.00
nails 6,000,000.00
IRL Ray 579,342.00
eyebooger 250,000.00
rickroll 200,000.00
IRL Scott 150,000.00
aaronk56 84,675.00
FerencL 12,312.00
Xander Biscuits 10,000.00
IRL Ann 2,000.00
filthyvermin 15.00
IRL Robert 10,000,000.00

Contestant Answer Correct Answer Variance Absolute Variance Score

IRL Kelly 2,000,200.00 3,500,000.00 -1,499,800.00 1,499,800.00 16.00
IRL Mary 1,700,000.00 3,500,000.00 -1,800,000.00 1,800,000.00 15.00
IRL Greg 6,000,000.00 3,500,000.00 2,500,000.00 2,500,000.00 12.50
Doctor Zeus 1,000,000.00 3,500,000.00 -2,500,000.00 2,500,000.00 12.50
ArcticKnight 1,000,000.00 3,500,000.00 -2,500,000.00 2,500,000.00 12.50
nails 6,000,000.00 3,500,000.00 2,500,000.00 2,500,000.00 12.50
IRL Ray 579,342.00 3,500,000.00 -2,920,658.00 2,920,658.00 10.00
eyebooger 250,000.00 3,500,000.00 -3,250,000.00 3,250,000.00 9.00
rickroll 200,000.00 3,500,000.00 -3,300,000.00 3,300,000.00 8.00
IRL Scott 150,000.00 3,500,000.00 -3,350,000.00 3,350,000.00 7.00
aaronk56 84,675.00 3,500,000.00 -3,415,325.00 3,415,325.00 6.00
FerencL 12,312.00 3,500,000.00 -3,487,688.00 3,487,688.00 5.00
Xander Biscuits 10,000.00 3,500,000.00 -3,490,000.00 3,490,000.00 4.00
IRL Ann 2,000.00 3,500,000.00 -3,498,000.00 3,498,000.00 3.00
filthyvermin 15.00 3,500,000.00 -3,499,985.00 3,499,985.00 2.00
IRL Robert 10,000,000.00 3,500,000.00 6,500,000.00 6,500,000.00 1.00

Scores after 2 questions:

Doctor Zeus 27
IRL Greg 24.5
IRL Scott 23
nails 20.5
IRL Kelly 19
IRL Ray 19
IRL Mary 19
aaronk56 19
Xander Biscuits 18.5
ArcticKnight 18.5
FerencL 16
eyebooger 15
rickroll 14
IRL Robert 11
IRL Ann 4
filthyvermin 4

Lets gooooo

Question 3: The Cuban Missile Crisis dominated the headlines in 1962, when the Soviet Union was discovered to be placing nuclear missiles on the island, well within reach. At the time, how many total nuclear warheads were contained within the entire Soviet inventory?

Enough to turn Miami into a parking lot. But how many exactly?

The correct answer to Question 3:

Spoiler

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I had originally recorded it as 3,250, but this source is pretty official.

Your answers to Question 3:

nails 4,500.00
eyebooger 1,750.00
ArcticKnight 500.00
IRL Mary 400.00
aaronk56 317.00
IRL Greg 261.00
Xander Biscuits 250.00
IRL Ann 200.00
FerencL 132.00
IRL Scott 120.00
IRL Kelly 100.00
filthyvermin 21.00
Doctor Zeus 20.00
IRL Ray 7,938.00
rickroll 8,000.00
IRL Robert 30,000.00

Contestant Answer Correct Answer Variance Absolute Variance Score
nails 4,500.00 3,350.00 1,150.00 1,150.00 16.00
eyebooger 1,750.00 3,350.00 -1,600.00 1,600.00 15.00
ArcticKnight 500.00 3,350.00 -2,850.00 2,850.00 14.00
IRL Mary 400.00 3,350.00 -2,950.00 2,950.00 13.00
aaronk56 317.00 3,350.00 -3,033.00 3,033.00 12.00
IRL Greg 261.00 3,350.00 -3,089.00 3,089.00 11.00
Xander Biscuits 250.00 3,350.00 -3,100.00 3,100.00 10.00
IRL Ann 200.00 3,350.00 -3,150.00 3,150.00 9.00
FerencL 132.00 3,350.00 -3,218.00 3,218.00 8.00
IRL Scott 120.00 3,350.00 -3,230.00 3,230.00 7.00
IRL Kelly 100.00 3,350.00 -3,250.00 3,250.00 6.00
filthyvermin 21.00 3,350.00 -3,329.00 3,329.00 5.00
Doctor Zeus 20.00 3,350.00 -3,330.00 3,330.00 4.00
IRL Ray 7,938.00 3,350.00 4,588.00 4,588.00 3.00
rickroll 8,000.00 3,350.00 4,650.00 4,650.00 2.00
IRL Robert 30,000.00 3,350.00 26,650.00 26,650.00 1.00

Lol

Ouch. Doctor Zeus drops out of the lead.

Scores after 3 questions:

nails 36.5
IRL Greg 35.5
ArcticKnight 32.5
IRL Mary 32
Doctor Zeus 31
aaronk56 31
IRL Scott 30
eyebooger 30
Xander Biscuits 28.5
IRL Kelly 25
FerencL 24
IRL Ray 22
rickroll 16
IRL Ann 13
IRL Robert 12
filthyvermin 9

Question 4: British Kenya became an independent country on December 12, 1963, but retained Queen Elizabeth II as monarch. The short-lived state threw off the remaining shackles of colonialism and became a republic one year later. What was the population of Kenya in 1963, according to estimates prepared by the United Nations?

I have it on good authority that Khruschev was in Kenya to party when this went down.

Answer to question 4:

Spoiler

Show

More or less

Your answers to Question 4:

Xander Biscuits 9,400,000.00
IRL Robert 10,000,000.00
nails 11,000,000.00
eyebooger 13,000,000.00
filthyvermin 3,500,000.00
IRL Kelly 3,000,000.00
FerencL 16,312,312.00
IRL Ann 40,000.00
aaronk56 18,635,814.00
IRL Greg 20,000,000.00
Doctor Zeus 20,000,000.00
IRL Ray 21,790,543.00
rickroll 22,000,000.00
IRL Scott 25,000,000.00
ArcticKnight 40,000,000.00
IRL Mary 500,000,000.00

I particularly enjoyed the estimated population of 500 million by one of our IRL players.

Contestant Answer Correct Answer Variance Absolute Variance Score

Xander Biscuits 9,400,000.00 8,697,200.00 702,800.00 702,800.00 16.00
IRL Robert 10,000,000.00 8,697,200.00 1,302,800.00 1,302,800.00 15.00
nails 11,000,000.00 8,697,200.00 2,302,800.00 2,302,800.00 14.00
eyebooger 13,000,000.00 8,697,200.00 4,302,800.00 4,302,800.00 13.00
filthyvermin 3,500,000.00 8,697,200.00 -5,197,200.00 5,197,200.00 12.00
IRL Kelly 3,000,000.00 8,697,200.00 -5,697,200.00 5,697,200.00 11.00
FerencL 16,312,312.00 8,697,200.00 7,615,112.00 7,615,112.00 10.00
IRL Ann 40,000.00 8,697,200.00 -8,657,200.00 8,657,200.00 9.00
aaronk56 18,635,814.00 8,697,200.00 9,938,614.00 9,938,614.00 8.00
IRL Greg 20,000,000.00 8,697,200.00 11,302,800.00 11,302,800.00 6.50
Doctor Zeus 20,000,000.00 8,697,200.00 11,302,800.00 11,302,800.00 6.50
IRL Ray 21,790,543.00 8,697,200.00 13,093,343.00 13,093,343.00 5.00
rickroll 22,000,000.00 8,697,200.00 13,302,800.00 13,302,800.00 4.00
IRL Scott 25,000,000.00 8,697,200.00 16,302,800.00 16,302,800.00 3.00
ArcticKnight 40,000,000.00 8,697,200.00 31,302,800.00 31,302,800.00 2.00
IRL Mary 500,000,000.00 8,697,200.00 491,302,800.00 491,302,800.00 1.00