Trivia Books

Potomac Books really hit paydirt with their 'Most Wanted' series. Thus far Potomac has cranked out about two dozen titles including basketball, wrestling, Hollywood, espionage, dogs and NASCAR. Having an lifelong interest in aviation history and trivia, I was interested to see Steven Ruffin's book with its aviation theme. I have to say it's one neat little item, a real treasure trove of fascinating facts and amazing stories.

Ruffin's book is subtitled 'The Top 10 Book of Winged Wonders, Lucky Landings and Other Aerial Oddities.' Within its 313 pages you'll find dozens of top 10 lists arranged under the topics of Notable Flights; Fantastic Flying Machines; Aeronauts, Aviators and Others in High Places; Flying to Kill - Aerial Combat; Flying the Skies, Friendly and Otherwise; Aviation in Print and on Screen; and Miscellaneous Aeronautica.

That breakdown translates to lists of the heaviest airplanes ever flown, worst air disasters, helicopter milestones, elite air combat units, busiest airports, aviation controversies and so on. Here's some samples from various lists: The #1 pilot with the best stuff - Jimmy Doolittle; the #1 Unforgettable Aircraft Name - Spirit of St. Louis; the #1 Silver Screen Air Classic - Twelve O'Clock High; and, lastly, the #1 Naughtiest Airplane Nickname - The Baltimore Whore (the B-26).

The entries are generally accurate though I came across several clunkers in various air combat lists (i.e. The exact circumstances of Mick Mannock's death aren't "still a mystery." He was downed by ground fire. LBJ's June 1942 combat mission was a complete hoax and has been widely discredited. Pappy Boyington's total of 28 victories is no longer accepted because he inflated his score with the AVG).

Despite the occasional hiccup, I enjoyed Ruffin's book and recommend it to all aviation buffs and trivia nuts. It's an interesting, informative and sometimes funny trip through the history of flight.

After reading this book, I have to say that it seems that Colonel Ruffin has a winner! This is a perfect mixture of fact, humor, mystery, and excitement. It seems to accurately portray the history of aviation and those who lived it. I definitely recommend it as a great read!

When is Colonel Ruffin going to grace us with another work??

This is a very helpful book on improving my english skills and how to write letters as well writing resume.

Best English/Writing Text I have used to date.

This interactive quiz is a lot of fun! It can be played by yourself or with another player and can be at the pace you want it to be; so you can be fast or slow answering the questions. While some questions are a little easy, some others will really pick your brain.

I would recommend it for anybody that owns lots of knowledge on Disney movies and theme parks.

The only problem that I encountered was that the batteries were dead when it arrived at home and I had to replace; since they are not regular size it is a little pricey to change. Otherwise, tons of fun!

We are totally Disney people and on our drives down to the happiest place on earth this is perfect to take along....not to hard but some Disney knowledge is helpful..

nice layout, could have used better quality paper and more color print, but all in all a good series of books, great for older kids.

Thanks for the book. Quick shipping and the condition was as stated. The title of the book is a little misleading though. This trivia is tough!!! It's nice to be challenged though. We'll ALL (not just kids) enjoy learning some of the more obscure trivia from the Bible.

The 6th edition of "Famous First Facts" continues the format that was used in the 5th edition. Entries are assigned a four-digit number. In the previous edition, starting with #1001, the final entry was 8155, on page 629. In the present edition, the final entry is 8549 on page 755.

The five indexes (which take up 551 additional pages) use these reference numbers to guide the reader to information. A reader can look up items by subject, year, calendar date, personal names, and place names. The personal names index was changed for this edition. The 4th edition listed the subjects of the firsts attached to a person's name along with the entry numbers. Now only the entry numbers are given. I'm sure this was done to save space. The great majority of names have only one entry number listed with them. Other names have several numbers (e.g., Thomas Alva Edison has 19, and Dwight David Eisenhower has 25), which can make the task of finding a specific first a bit frustrating.

The arrangement of categories has also been changed. In the 5th edition, broad categories were listed in alphabetical order from Agriculture to Writing Implements. In the new edition, categories have been reorganized into broad chapter headings. Agriculture is now included in the chapter on Business and Industry, along with, among others, Fishing and Whaling, Hospitality, and Shipping.

Within chapters, the number of sections has been reduced. For example, the 5th edition's chapter had firsts associated with various religions listed (i.e., Religion-Buddhist, Religion-Catholic, Religion-Jewish, Religion-Mormon Church, etc.). Now these items are listed in a single, chronological list. The only division in the Religion chapter is Publications.

Pictures have been added, and short trivia items are set off in boxes. The pictures are captioned, but there is no indication as to numbered item with which they are associated.

Some of the various quibbles I had with the 5th edition have been cleared up, while others have not. I found at least one new entry that deserves inclusion, but isn't exactly correct. Anyway, here are comments on specific items, in no particular order, keyed to entry numbers in the 6th edition where appropriate:

"7720. Sportscaster who was a woman to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was Lesley Visser, who received the organization's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award on August 5, 2006 in Canton, OH." This was probably a case of news reports that didn't get the story correct. As the first woman to receive the Pete Rozelle Award, she was the first woman honored by the Hall of Fame, but was not "inducted" into it.

In 2006 the National Baseball Hall of Fame did induct its first woman, but she is not listed. Effa Manley, a Negro Leagues executive, was one of 17 inductees last year who were associated with the Negro Leagues.

Just as there has been a Sergeant Major of the Army since 1966 (5451. William O. Wooldridge was first), who serves as the enlisted advisor to the army chief of staff, there has been a person of equivalent rank each of the other services. However, the first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard have never received their due in any edition of the book.

The Grammy Award to Milli Vanilli, which became the first to be retracted, is listed (1282), but there is no mention of the first Academy Award to be revoked. On April 14, 1969, the film "Young Americans" was awarded the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for 1968. It was declared ineligible on May 7, 1969, when it was discovered that the film had been first exhibited in a theater in October 1967, thereby making it ineligible for the 1968 award. On May 8, 1969, "Journey Into Self", which finished second in the voting, was announced as the official winner.

There is at least one item of misinformation from the 4th edition that has not been corrected. The first postage stamp depicting a Jew (4739) was NOT the 3-cent commemorative honoring Samuel Gompers, issued January 27, 1950. It was, in fact, the Four Chaplains 3-cent stamp issued May 28, 1948. The stamp was a tribute to the four military clergymen who went down with the S.S. Dorchester, so that others could take seats in lifeboats. One of the chaplains pictured is Rabbi Alexander D. Goode. Gompers was the first Jew to be honored on a postage stamp by himself.

This entry has not been changed (3941): The first "Pope to visit the White House in Washington, DC, was Pope John Paul II, who flew across the Atlantic in Shepherd 1, landing in Boston, MA, on October 1, 1979. In six days he visited Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Urbandale, IA, Chicago, and Washington. He returned to Rome from Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington, on October 6." Here's a question: On which date did Pope John Paul II visit the White House? The entry doesn't say.

One interesting aspect of the previous edition was retained. Entries within a category or subcategory are arranged chronologically, rather than alphabetically. So, under NEWS, the first four items are "Opinion poll" (in 1824), "News dispatch by telegraph" (1844), "News dispatch by commercial telegraph" (1844), and "Press censorship by military authorities" (1861). When items are read in order, the reader follows a time line of the firsts in a given subject.

The biggest drawback of this book is the steep price increase. If you can afford it, it's worth it.

Now in an updated sixth edition with roughly 1,000 new entries and a few new black-and-white images, Famous First Facts is a massive hardcover compendium of amazing achievements, discoveries, and events in world history. More than 7,500 entries total stretch from 10,000 B.C. (earliest human artifacts found in America) through 2006 A.D. Featuring multiple entry indexes by year, subject, day, name, or geographical area, and organized into 16 sections on subjects ranging from social and scientific realms to technology, arts, sports, religion, literature, and much more, Famous First Facts remains a solid reference especially recommended for public and school libraries. A sample famous first fact: in 1658 New Amsterdam (now New York City), the first police force was employed, consisting of eight men.

I thought this book gives you a tremendous amount of information. However I took a star off my rating because I think it gives a little to much to stomach per chapter. Overall it is a great Intro to Business text book.

This text, I found, to be easy to read and understand. Following along through the fundamentals of business was a snap and made the semester much more enjoyable (if college can be).

Very interesting, just what the title suggests. Would recomend.

Abbot Fay's I Never Knew That About Colorado: A Quaint Volume Of Forgotten Lore is a fascinating compendium of bits and pieces of obscure Colorado history. Here are to be found the true stories of such little known events personalities as Colorado's post-Civil War slavery; Adolph Hitler's Colorado ranch; Mark Twain and Denver censorship; when it literally snowed ducks on I-70; the bombing of Colorado during World War II; "The Man Who Word Out His Coffin"; and many more such astonishing history-based tales. I Never Knew That About Colorado is highly recommended reading for students of Colorado history, and anyone who enjoys relatively unknown, odd and dramatic historical anecdotes.

This is a simple introduction for a small child or older child who's not into history. Written in question and answer format it makes the information accessible, if however, disjointed. There is nothing in here about the ideas of Greece or her military campaigns or why she's important to western civilization. But information on how Greeks drank wine, when they married, etc. gives the child familiarity with Greeks as people. The answer to why Greeks built temples is to provide homes for their gods. If you're looking for a painless introduction to the word "Greece", this book is it.

Ancient worlds are revisited in Greeks Built Temples by Fiona MacDonald. Youngsters will smile at the rollicking illustrations of days long past, while they visit the site of the world's first shopping mall, and see what Emperor Augustus did about high-rise apartments.

Published in the Kingfisher series "I Wonder Why," this amazingly complete text leaves little to wonder about as data is skillfully woven into sometimes comically recreated scenes from early everyday life.

One can quibble about some of the information presented here,but the format and text got my five year old's attention, and I'mgrateful for any history book that can appeal to someone this young. Some of the facts were suitably "gross", (vomitoria, communal bathrooms) but they generated discussion, and isn't that the idea?

Ancient worlds are revisited in Romans Wore Togas by Fiona MacDonald. Youngsters will smile at the rollicking illustrations of days long past, while they learn what Roman children played with, visit the site of the world's first shopping mall, and see what Emperor Augustus did about high-rise apartments.

Published in the Kingfisher series "I Wonder Why," this amazingly complete text leaves little to wonder about as data is skillfully woven into sometimes comically recreated scenes from early everyday life.

This book is very useful for children who ask a lot of earth science questions. In fact the whole series of these books is quite nice. I've used them successfully with preschoolers through elementary school age children. The books are not designed as "sit down at group time and read to the class," but in small groups or one-on-one, they work very well.

This book is written for children, I'm 31 and while reading with my son I learned things I didn't know! I recommend it to any parent.