Parrotman Quiz 300

Answer: Thermopylae

"300" tells the Spartan side of the Battle of Thermopylae, in which a small group of Spartans led by King Leonidas held off a vastly larger force of Persian troops for several days in one of the greatest "last stands" in history.

The Greek forces were roughly 7000, and were outnumbered by the Persians by at least 10 and possibly as many as 40 to 1 (70,000 to 300,000).

Thermopylae took place in 480 and while it was a technically a defeat for the Greeks, it did buy time for the Greeks to defeat the Persians in the naval battle at Salamis. Ultimately, Greece's defeat of the Persian invasion was critical in the shaping of the next 2000 years of civilization.

"300" was directed by Frank Miller and based on his graphic novel of the same name. It is done in a highly refined cartoon style and stars Gerard Butler as Leonidas. The film was released in March 2007 and was a huge hit worldwide, grossing over $450 million.

Answer: 87 seconds

By using a bowling alley with ten lanes and taking just seconds between his throws, Ketola was able to throw 12 consecutive strikes in just 87 seconds. While the record is not official, Ketola did video tape his attempt and posted it on-line. The previous record had been 1 minute, 51 seconds (111 seconds).

Answer: Gideon

Gideon initially had a larger force than the Midianites. God tells him to send away all but 300 of his men so God can show off. Gideon splits his men into three groups, who are able to spread confusion among the Midianites and gain the advantage.

The story of Gideon is just one of the cases in Judges where God helps the Israelites defeat their foes. Samson killed Philistines, while Ehud assassinated Eglon, the king of Moab. The pattern is cyclical: God saves the Israelites, the Israelites fall away from God, so God has them conquered by whoever the nastiest person that month is, and then the Israelites promise to return to God if he saves them. It happens multiple times in the early books of Judges.

Answer: Greece

The Hellenic Parliament is a unicameral body with 300 members. While Greece is the birthplace of the idea of democracy, it has only had a democratic legislature since 1844. The number of 300 was set in 1952. The government as it currently exists has only been around since 1975, following a military dictatorship.

The two primary parties in Greece are New Democracy, the centre-right coalition founded in 1974 and Syriza (formerly PASOK), the leftist coalition. While New Democracy has generally had the upper hand, there have been several Socialist governments in Greece since the restoration of democracy in 1974.

The lower house of the Italian Parliament has 630 members, and the German Bundestag has 736 members. The Austrian parliament has 244 members.

Answer: Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr in 624 was the first major military victory for the forces of Islam under Muhammad. While it is downplayed, Muhammad was actually a quite gifted tactical strategist and general, who led his forces to multiple victories. Badr was a major upset, as Muhammad had only 300 men against roughly 1000 from Mecca. It is the only battle specifically mentioned in the Koran.

Kheiban (628), Mecca (630) and Hunayn (630) were all later victories for Muhammad, after he had managed to raise a substantially larger army.

Answer: Sculptor

The NGC 300 Galaxy is located in Sculptor, which is near the southern galactic pole. It is 94 thousand light years across, a little smaller than the Milky Way, and roughly 6 million light-years away.

Sculptor was first identified by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille, who spent several years in South Africa (1751-52) mapping the southern sky. Cetus and Aquarius are north of Sculptor and Phoenix is south.

Answer: Beef: It's What's for Dinner. 300

The Beef. It's What for Dinner 300 is also known as the Daytona 300. While the roots of the race go back to 1948, it has been in its modern form as part of the Xfinity series since 1982. It is held at Daytona International Speedway in mid-February to start the Xfinity season. Both Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart won the race seven times.

The Kansas Lottery is held in Kansas City. The Alsco Uniforms 300 takes place near Charlotte, North Carolina. And the Food City 300 happens in Bristol, Tennessee.

Answer: Texas

The Old 300" were a group of landowners who were given tracts by Stephen F Austin, who had obtained the authority for the land from the Mexican government. In 1821, Mexico overthrew Spanish rule and a few years later, sought to built up its northern frontier by bringing settlers into Texas. This incident casts a bad light on Austin, as he spent several years in Mexico City lobbying to retain slavery in Texas territory.

Bringing Americans into Texas ultimately proved to be a bad idea for Mexico, as the United States started a war with Mexico shortly after Texas became a state in 1845. The US wound up seizing California as well as much of the rest of what became the western United States.

The other three states were opening for settlement in the 1820s. Illinois joined the union in 1818, Alabama in 1819 and Missouri in 1821.

Answer: Roger Clemens

Roger Clemens hit the 300 win mark in June 2003. He holds the distinction of being the only pitcher to have won over 300 games and not be admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, largely based on allegations regarding steroids. Clemens was one of the most dominant pitchers of his time, racking up 354 wins and seven Cy Young Awards. He was with the Boston Red Sox for most of his career (1984-1996) before moving to Toronto and New York. He got win #300 while pitching with the Yankees.

Greg Maddux hit 300 in August 2004, Tom Glavine reached 300 in August 2007 and Randy Johnson threw his 300th victory in June 2009. They are the only four pitchers to have reached 300 in recent decades. It is becoming increasingly harder for a pitcher to reach 300 victories given changes in both the rules and the nature of pitching rotations.

Answer: The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" which started in October 1952, aired its three hundredth episode on March 22, 1961. The episode "Little House Guest" was about the Nelsons looking after young Barry while his mother was having a baby. The show starred Ozzie and Harriet Nelson with their sons David and Ricky, and was one of the first family sitcoms.

"Lassie" began in 1954, and had their 300th, "Lassies Ordeal" in November 1962. "The Danny Thomas Show" (AKA "Make Room for Daddy") began in 1953 and aired its 300th episode, "Rusty's Birthday" in February 1963. And "Gunsmoke" which began in September 1955, had its 300th, "Quintcident" on April 27, 1963.