http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/questions The Most Important Questions in the History of the Universe Wed, 25 Apr 2007 07:00:31 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A: Sure, we’ve all seen less than subtle product placement on the big screen. The lead character finding his fiancée while chatting on AOL, a couple serendipitously bumping into one another at a Starbucks, a ball player getting that extra ounce of energy from the last sip of his Coke. ... http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/questions/q-have-product-placement-deals-ever-found-their-way-into-novels/ A: Well, for good reason! Apparently those in charge of the burial were ridiculously cautious about not letting word get out as to the location of the site. It was on August 18, 1227 when Genghis, the most feared leader of the 13th century, was led to burial, with a ... http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/questions/q-how-come-no-one-knows-where-genghis-khan-is-buried/ A: So, you’re in a bit of a dilemma. You have this, uh, friend. Yeah, that’s it—a friend. And he’s gotten himself into a little bit of a, um, predicament. He just needs some legal advice, that’s all. Well, for those trying to discern between the two, there’s a quick ... http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/questions/q-what%e2%80%99s-the-difference-between-murder-and-manslaughter/ A: Before we get going on the art, let’s chat about the worth of this delectable beverage. It’s estimated that about one-third of the world’s population consumes the dark, caffeinated deliciousness that is coffee. And for said deliciousness we can thank the farmers of the Islamic world, who first cultivated ... http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/questions/q-what%e2%80%99s-the-greatest-piece-of-art-written-about-coffee/ A: You hear the term all the time, but what makes a grand jury so special? Well, unlike regular jurors who hear both sides of a case, the grand jury only hears the State’s side of a criminal case shortly after a defendant is arrested. The job of the grand ... http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/questions/q-what%e2%80%99s-so-grand-about-a-%e2%80%9cgrand-jury%e2%80%9d/ A: There are only three things you need to be a true Muhammad Ali superfan: an Amazon.com account, an exceptionally sturdy coffee table, and $3,000 in cash—minimum. That can get you a Collector’s Edition copy of GOAT (short for Greatest of All Time), a book that packs six decades of ... http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/questions/q-what%e2%80%99s-the-largest-book-ever-created-about-an-athlete/ A: Sure, all board games dream of becoming famous, but none has surpassed the star-power of SCRABBLE. Invented in 1931 by out-of-work architect Alfred Mosher Butts, the game inspiringly overcame the definition of its name (scrabble literally means “to scrape or grope frenetically”) and went on to sell more than ... http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/questions/q-how-much-money-can-you-make-off-of-competitive-scrabble/ A: There’s no doubt about it, if you’re looking to pick one buccaneer who did more for pirate feminism than any other, it’d have to be Grace O’Malley (born Gráinne O’Malley), the 16th-century’s Irish Sea Queen. Earning her sea legs as a kid on voyages with her father, O’Malley went ... http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/questions/q-who%e2%80%99s-the-greatest-female-pirate-of-all-time/ A: Sure, there have been celebrity-laced goods like rapper Eminem’s childhood home that went up for sale on the site, and the fake stuff as well -- like the time a fan tried to make a statement by posting the heavy metal band Metallica’s integrity up on the auction block. ... http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/questions/q-what%e2%80%99s-the-greatest-pr-related-stunt-involving-e-bay/ A: Now realize, we’re talking candy here, not flotation device (we did use the word genius, right?) Well, here’s the story. Before electric refrigeration became widespread and affordable (around 1920), summer was a bad time for chocolate makers. So when Ohio chocolate manufacturer Clarence Crane was looking for some non-melty ... http://www.mentalfloss.com/trivia/questions/q-who%e2%80%99s-the-genius-behind-the-life-saver/