Show #9629 - Thursday, October 1, 2026. HISTORIC ZOOLOGY

Described when first encountered in 1835, this species "must have weighed at least 200 pounds... gave a deep hiss, & drew in its head". Answer: the Galápagos tortoise

Democracy

Chosen by Merriam-Webster as its first Word of the Year in 2003, this term describes a system of government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Cigna

Healthcare giant formed in 1982 when CG Corporation (Connecticut General) and INA Corporation (Insurance Company of North America) merged their businesses and combined letters from their names.

Japanese tea ceremony

Traditional Japanese cultural rituals involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha; held at Kyoto's Katsura Imperial Villa inside the Shōkin-tei Pavilion since the 17th century.

Grasslands

Biomes defined primarily by continuous cover of grasses and herbaceous plants; temperate types include North American prairies and Eurasian steppes.

Mahatma Gandhi

Leader of Indian independence whose early acts of rebellion growing up in Porbandar, British India, included stealing money to buy cigarettes and secretly eating meat.

Saturday Night Live (SNL)

Late-night sketch comedy show on which Billy Crystal played character Fernando Lamas, interviewing guests with his catchphrase 'You look marvelous!'

Capitalism

Economic and political system in which trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit; experienced a major spike in Merriam-Webster searches alongside socialism during the 2012 US presidential election.

Dempster Dumpster

Large mechanized trash container patented in 1937 by the Dempster brothers of Knoxville, Tennessee, designed to be mechanically lifted and emptied into garbage trucks.

Buckingham Palace Balcony

Famous waving spot on the East Front of Buckingham Palace, accessible via the Centre Room (opened to public tours in 2024) where the Royal Family gathers during national celebrations.

Tarmac

Originally a trademarked name for tarmacadam paving, famous in media as the airport runway surface kissed by Pope John Paul II upon landing in Scotland in 1982.

George Washington

First US President and childless Founding Father who raised his stepchildren (including John 'Jacky' Parke Custis, with whom he clashed over poor academic grades) after marrying Martha Custis.

When Harry Met Sally…

1989 romantic comedy directed by Rob Reiner; features the famous Katz's Delicatessen fake-orgasm scene suggested by Meg Ryan and capped by the iconic line delivered by Reiner's mother, 'I'll have what she's having.'

Truthiness

Merriam-Webster's 2006 Word of the Year, coined and popularized by comedian Stephen Colbert on 'The Colbert Report' to describe the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than those known to be true based on evidence.

A Star Is Born

Classic romantic musical drama film remade multiple times; the 1976 version starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson was panned by the Village Voice with the pun 'A Bore Is Starred.'

2001: A Space Odyssey

1968 film directed by Stanley Kubrick; for its 50th anniversary, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum created an immersive installation of its iconic, surreal hotel room.

Gravel

Unconsolidated rock fragments formed by natural weathering and erosion (e.g., smooth pea gravel), as opposed to manufactured crushed stone.

Eros

Greek god of passion and physical desire (equivalent to Roman Cupid), depicted in ancient Greek artwork being spanked with a sandal by his mother Aphrodite.

Monsters, Inc.

2001 Pixar animated film where Billy Crystal voices Mike Wazowski, who improvised a cover-up song ('Put that thing back where it came from, or so help me…') when human child Boo was discovered in the monster world.

Bailout

Merriam-Webster's 2008 Word of the Year, defined as a financial rescue of a struggling company or economy, highlighted by the US government's massive takeover of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

San Marino

Landlocked microstate enclosed by Italy, recognized as the world's oldest surviving republic; celebrates its national holiday on September 3, the Feast of Saint Marinus, its legendary 4th-century founder.

Hall of Mirrors

Grand central gallery of the Palace of Versailles in France, lined with 357 mirrors; served as the site for the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871 and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles ending WWI in 1919.

Agricultural lime

Soil additive made from ground limestone (calcium carbonate); applied to athletic fields and lawns to neutralize acidic soil, boost pH, and promote lush grass growth.

James McNeill Whistler

American painter famous for 'Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1' ('Whistler's Mother'); expelled from West Point in 1854 after failing chemistry.

The Princess Bride

1987 classic fantasy comedy film featuring Billy Crystal as Miracle Max, who claims an MLT (mutton, lettuce, and tomato) sandwich is better than true love and calls out 'Have fun storming the castle!'

Pragmatic

Merriam-Webster's 2011 Word of the Year; an adjective describing an approach that deals with things sensibly, logically, and realistically based on practical considerations rather than theoretical ones.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

Fundamental document of the French Revolution drafted in August 1789 by the National Constituent Assembly; Article 1 famously states that 'Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.'

White House Situation Room

5,000-square-foot conference and intelligence management complex in the basement of the West Wing of the White House; famous for iconic photos (e.g., during the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden) and updated with a $50 million renovation in 2023.

Mosses

Small, non-vascular flowerless plants (bryophytes) anchored by multicellular structures called rhizoids rather than roots; often used as eco-friendly, low-maintenance lawn alternatives.

Thomas Edison

Prolific American inventor of the phonograph, incandescent light bulb, and kinetoscope; as a child in Ohio, he accidentally burned down his father's barn after experimenting with fire.

700 Sundays

Tony Award-winning one-man Broadway play by Billy Crystal, representing the estimated number of Sundays he spent with his father before his father's unexpected death.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain's 1876 novel which marked the first literary appearance of Tom's friend Huckleberry Finn (who later starred in his own 1884 sequel).

Snoop Dogg

Iconic West Coast rapper who rose to fame with Dr. Dre on 'Still D.R.E.' and 'Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang', known for lyrics like 'Top dollar with the gold flea collar, dippin' in my blue Impala.'

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

Dystopian novel by George Orwell set in Oceanian society ruled by Big Brother; protagonist Winston Smith is 39 years old and uncertain of the exact year because history is constantly rewritten.

Hungary

Central European country whose native Hungarian name is Magyarország; capital city is Budapest.

Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard / UNC

2023 Supreme Court cases challenging race-based affirmative action in higher education admissions, resulting in a ruling against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.

Kowtow

Verb derived from the traditional Chinese custom of kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground to show deep respect or worship; now means to act in an excessively subservient or obsequious manner.

Dime novel

19th-century American genre of cheap, melodramatic paperback fiction sold for ten cents; inaugurated in 1860 with Ann S. Stephens' 'Malaeska: The Indian Wife of the White Hunter.'

The Pussycat Dolls

American pop girl group and dance ensemble lead-sung by Nicole Scherzinger, who achieved global fame in 2005 with their hit single 'Don't Cha' featuring Busta Rhymes.

10 Downing Street

Official headquarters and residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in London; narrowly survived destruction during a German Blitz bomb attack in WWII.

Torino (Turin)

City in northern Italy originally settled as Taurisia by ancient Celtic-Ligurian tribes; hosted the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.

Separate but equal

Racial segregation doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) allowing segregated facilities if equal; unanimously declared unconstitutional in public education by Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

Kopeck

Monetary unit equal to 1/100th of a Russian ruble (also used in Belarus and Ukraine); named after the spear (kop'yo) depicted on early medieval coins.

Saint Anthony the Great

3rd-4th century Christian monk considered the Father of All Monks; famous for enduring supernatural temptations in the Egyptian desert, inspiring Gustave Flaubert's literary work 'The Temptation of Saint Anthony.'

Tyga

American rapper (Michael Ray Stevenson, backronym for 'Thank You God Always') known for his 2011 hit single 'Rack City' and tracks like 'Make It Nasty' (pronounced 'TIE-guh').

Seven Against Thebes

In Greek mythology, the seven champions (including Capaneus, Amphiaraus, and Polynices) who marched from Argos to wage war on Thebes to restore Polynices to the throne; subject of a famous tragedy by Aeschylus.

Bhutan

Landlocked South Asian nation in the Eastern Himalayas that calls itself Druk Yul ('Land of the Thunder Dragon') in the Dzongkha language, famous for its Gross National Happiness philosophy.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

2022 landmark US Supreme Court decision in which Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, ending the constitutional right to abortion.

Keelhauling

Form of severe maritime punishment where an offending sailor was bound, weighed down, and dragged under the hull (keel) of a ship from one side to the other, often causing serious injury or drowning.

The Mayor of Casterbridge

1886 novel by Thomas Hardy subtitled 'The Life and Death of a Man of Character'; follows Michael Henchard, who impulsively sells his wife and baby daughter at a fair and later rises to become mayor of Casterbridge.

Phish

American rock band formed at the University of Vermont in 1983, celebrated for musical improvisation, extended jams, and dedicated cult following ('Phishheads').

Carbon-14

Radioactive isotope of carbon ($^{14}\text{C}$) with a half-life of approximately $5730\,\text{years}$; used in radiocarbon dating to estimate the age of organic materials based on decay after death.

Éire

Irish-language name for the island of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, derived from the Old Irish goddess Ériu.

Same-sex marriage

Legal recognition of marriage between couples of the same sex; guaranteed across all US states by the Supreme Court's landmark 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015).

Klezmer

Traditional instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe, named from the Yiddish words kley (vessel/tool) and zemer (song/music).

The Bostonians

1886 novel by Henry James focusing on the feminist movement in Boston and a romantic rivalry between conservative Basil Ransom and suffragist Olive Chancellor for the affections of charismatic orator Verena Tarrant.

A Flock of Seagulls

English new wave and synth-pop band formed in 1979, famous for their 1982 hit single 'I Ran (So Far Away)' and frontman Mike Score's distinctive wing-like haircut.

Gang of Four

Political faction of four Chinese Communist Party officials—led by Mao Zedong's ultimate wife Jiang Qing, alongside Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen—who controlled power during the Cultural Revolution.

Aotearoa

Māori name for New Zealand, commonly translated as 'the land of the long white cloud'.

Executive privilege

Principle allowing the US President to withhold confidential communications from Congress or the courts; ruled not absolute in criminal investigations by United States v. Nixon (1974).

Kelpie

Shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting lochs and pools in Scottish folklore, often appearing as a horse that lures victims onto its back before dragging them underwater to drown.