LA Times Crossword 31 Mar 24, Sunday

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Constructed by: Rebecca Goldstein
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Funny Business

Themed answers include a BUSINESS name as a hidden word, although that named has been anagrammed (is FUNNY):

• 23A Composite image where stars appear as streaks : TIME-LAPSE PICTURE (funny “PEPSI”)
• 39A Flurry of emotions : MIXED FEELINGS (funny “FEDEX”)
• 47A Vehicle that may address the “last mile” problem : ELECTRIC SCOOTER (funny “COSTCO”)
• 63A “Don’t forget your umbrella and galoshes!” : IT’S RAINING CATS AND DOGS (funny “CIGNA”)
• 83A As the situation warrants : WHERE APPLICABLE (funny “APPLE”)
• 92A Phryge, for Paris 2024, e.g. : OLYMPIC MASCOT (funny “COMCAST”)
• 110A Period that included the storming of the Bastille : FRENCH REVOLUTION (funny “CHEVRON”)

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 14m 05s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Cymbals played with a pedal : HI-HAT

In a drum kit, a hi-hat is a pairing of cymbals that sits on a stand and is played by using a foot pedal. The top cymbal is raised and lowered by the foot, hence creating a crashing sound.

6 Doofus : TWIT

“Doofus” (also “dufus”) is student slang that has been around since the sixties. Apparently the word is a variant of the equally unattractive term “doo-doo”.

19 Sun-dried brick : ADOBE

The building material known as adobe has been around a long time, and has been used in dry climates all over the world. The original form of the word “adobe” dates back to Middle Egyptian times, about 2000 BC. The original spelling is “dj-b-t”, and translates as mud (sun-dried) brick.

21 32-foot pastry visible from the 405 in Los Angeles : DONUT

Randy’s Donuts is a bakery in Inglewood, California located near Los Angeles International Airport. The bakery is housed in a landmark building, a drive-in with a huge, 32½-foot diameter donut on top of the roof.

22 “Sex Education” protagonist : OTIS

“Sex Education” is a marvelous Netflic comedy-drama show made for Netflix that stars Gillian Anderson as a single-mother and sex therapist, and Asa Butterfield as her insecure teenage son. Highly recommended …

23 Composite image where stars appear as streaks : TIME-LAPSE PICTURE (funny “PEPSI”)

The Pepsi-Cola formulation was developed by one Caleb Bradham who made the drink at home and sold it as Brad’s Drink. Bradham’s aim was to provide a drink that was pleasant to taste, that would aid digestion and boost energy. Included in the formula were pepsin (a digestive enzyme) and kola nuts. These two ingredients inspired the brand name Pepsi-Cola. That name was shortened to just “Pepsi” in 1961.

28 Title role for Madonna : EVITA

“Evita” was the follow-up musical to “Jesus Christ Superstar” for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Both of these works were originally released as album musicals, and very successful ones at that (I remember buying them when they first came out). “Evita” was made into a film in 1996, with Madonna playing the title role and Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce playing her husband Juan Perón.

Madonna’s full name is Madonna Louise Ciccone. Born in Bay City, Michigan, Madonna was destined to become the top-selling female recording artist of all time, earning her the nickname “Queen of Pop”.

29 Chihuahua’s alert : BARK

Chihuahua is a state in northern Mexico that shares a border with Texas and New Mexico. It is the largest state in the country, earning it the nickname “El Estado Grande”. Chihuahua takes its name from the Chihuahuan Desert which lies largely within its borders. The Chihuahua breed of dog takes its name from the state.

32 Early social networking site : MYSPACE

MySpace is a US-based social network platform that launched in 2003, and became the largest social networking site in the world by 2005. In at least one month in 2006, MySpace received more visitors than Yahoo! And Google. The popularity of MySpace started to wane in 2009, when Facebook took over as number-one in social networking.

34 Cartagena kiss : BESO

Cartagena is a city on Spain’s Mediterranean coast. It is home to the Spanish Navy’s largest base in the Mediterranean Sea. Cartagena’s port was founded back in the second century BC by the Carthaginians.

39 Flurry of emotions : MIXED FEELINGS (funny “FEDEX”)

FedEx began operations in 1973 as Federal Express, but now operates very successfully under it’s more catchy, abbreviated name. Headquartered in Memphis with its “SuperHub” at Memphis International Airport, FedEx is the world’s largest airline in terms of tons of freight flown. And due to the presence of FedEx, Memphis Airport has the largest-volume cargo operation of any airport worldwide.

41 GoPro device : CAMERA

GoPro is a company that makes high-definition video cameras that have a rugged design. Famously, GoPro cameras are used in extreme conditions. For example, they are often mounted on moving vehicles or used by people playing sports. Two astronauts on the International Space Station inserted a GoPro camera inside a floating ball of water, and then showed the view from inside the ball of water. Amazing footage …

45 Ref. that added “adultification” in 2023 : OED

Work started on what was to become the first “Oxford English Dictionary” (OED) in 1857. Several interim versions of the dictionary were published in the coming years with the first full version appearing, in ten bound volumes, in 1928. The second edition of the OED appeared in 1989 and is made up of twenty volumes. The OED was first published in electronic form in 1988 and went online in 2000. Given the modern use of computers, the publishing house responsible feels that there will never be a third print version of the famous dictionary.

Adultification is the treating or considering a child as if they were an adult. “Adultification” usually implies that the child is being treated in a wrong or harmful way by being considered an adult. One example is an eldest child in a family bearing excessive responsibility due to his or her age relative to siblings.

46 Rattan : CANE

Rattan is the name of a large number of species of palms, all of which look less like trees and more like vines. The woody stems are used for making cane furniture.

47 Vehicle that may address the “last mile” problem : ELECTRIC SCOOTER (funny “COSTCO”)

In the world of transportation, the last mile is the final leg of the journey that brings a passenger or package to the final destination. The last mile “problem” refers to the fact that this final leg of the journey is usually the most expensive, and can account for about half of the total cost of transportation.

Costco is the largest warehouse club in the US, and the second largest retailer in the world (after Wal-Mart). Apparently Costco is also the largest retailer of wine in the whole world. The company was founded in 1983 in Kirkland, Washington. Kirkland Signature is Costco’s store brand, and you can even buy Kirkland Signature wine.

53 Comedian DeLaria : LEA

Lea DeLaria is a comedian and actor who is perhaps best known for portraying Carrie “Big Boo” Black on the hit comedy-drama “Orange is the New Black”. Another of DeLaria’s claims to fame is that she became the first openly gay comic to appear on a late-night talk show, doing so in 1993 on “The Arsenio Hall Show”.

54 Like last-minute tix, maybe : SRO

Standing room only (SRO)

57 Air space? : LUNG

The lungs are the two main organs in the human respiratory system. It is in the lungs that oxygen is extracted from the air and transferred into the bloodstream. At the same time, carbon dioxide is removed from the bloodstream and released into the atmosphere.

59 Rio hello : OLA

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil (after São Paulo). “Rio de Janeiro” translates as “January River”. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Year’s Day in 1502.

61 Bag-checking org. : TSA

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

62 __ fide : BONA

“Bona fide(s)” translates from the Latin as “in good faith”, and is used to indicate honest intentions. It can also mean that something is authentic, like a piece of art that is represented in good faith as being genuine.

63 “Don’t forget your umbrella and galoshes!” : IT’S RAINING CATS AND DOGS (funny “CIGNA”)

It has been “raining cats and dogs” at least since the 1700s, but no one seems to know the origin of the expression.

The health care management company known as Cigna was formed in 1982 by a merger of two insurance companies. One was Connecticut General (CG) and the other was the Insurance Company of North America (INA).

71 Bavarian range : ALPS

Bavaria in southeast Germany is the largest state in the country. The capital and largest city in Bavaria is Munich.

72 Prefix with cache : GEO-

Geocaching is a game rather like hide and seek that is played outdoors using hi-tech equipment. The idea is that someone places a waterproof container in a specific location with known GPS coordinates. The container has a logbook inside, so that players who find the “cache” can record their discovery along with any notes of interest. The location of the container is listed on special sites on the Internet for anyone to access. You can check out caches near you at www.geocaching.com. You will probably be surprised at how many there are! I know I was …

74 Ginger __ : SNAP

Ginger snap cookies are known as ginger nut biscuits back in Ireland where I come from …

75 Italian seaport : GENOA

Genoa is a seaport in the very north of Italy, in the region known as Liguria. One of Genoa’s most famous sons was Christopher Columbus. Another was the violinist Niccolò Paganini.

79 Brio : PEP

“Brio” is borrowed from Italian, in which language the term means “vigor and vivacity”. “Con brio” is a musical direction often found on a score, instructing the musicians to play “with energy, vigor”.

81 Word with bird’s or bull’s : -EYE

A bird’s eye view is one from above, as if one is observing as a bird in flight.

The bull’s eye (also “bullseye”) is the center of a target. The term was coined in the 1830s and comes from the resemblance of the target, in terms of size and color, to the eye of the bull.

83 As the situation warrants : WHERE APPLICABLE (funny “APPLE”)

Apple Computers was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company incorporated the following year, but without Wayne. He sold his share of the company back to Jobs and Wozniak, for $800 …

88 Simpson who plays the sax : LISA

Lisa Simpson is Bart’s brainy younger sister on TV’s “The Simpsons”. She is voiced by actress Yeardley Smith. In a 2008 episode of the show, Lisa enters a crossword tournament. Crossword celebrities Merl Reagle and Will Shortz make appearances in that episode, basically playing cartoon versions of themselves.

89 “Mr. Robot” creator Esmail : SAM

Sam Esmail is a film and TV producer who is best known as the creator of the television show “Mr Robot”. In 2017, Esmail married actress Emmy Rossum, one of the main leads in the excellent TV show “Shameless”. Esmail had directed Rossum in the 2014 romcom film “Comet”.

92 Phryge, for Paris 2024, e.g. : OLYMPIC MASCOT (funny “COMCAST”)

The Phryges are a pair of mascots representing the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Phrygia was a kingdom in Anatolia. Both mascots represent Phrygian caps, red hats worn by freed slaves in Phrygia, and also worn during the French Revolution as a symbol of freedom.

98 Has on the calendar : PLANS TO

Our word “calendar” ultimately derives from the Latin “calendae”. “Calends” were the first days of each Roman month. The Latin “calendarium” was an account book, as the debts fell due and accounts were reckoned on the first day of each month.

99 “American Dad” dad : STAN

“American Dad!” is an adult-oriented animated sitcom. Famously, one of the show’s creators is Seth MacFarlane, who also created “Family Guy”. Personally, I cannot stand either show …

105 Base for many Italian fashion labels : MILAN

Milan (“Milano” in Italian) is Italy’s second-largest city, second only to Rome. It is a European fashion capital, the headquarters for the big Italian fashion houses of Valentino, Gucci, Versace, Armani, Prada and others. Mario Prada was even born in Milan, and helped establish the city’s reputation in the world of fashion.

110 Period that included the storming of the Bastille : FRENCH REVOLUTION (funny “CHEVRON”)

The Bastille is a former fortress in Paris that was used as a prison by the kings of France. On 14 July 1789, an angry mob stormed the Bastille during the French Revolution. The mob was actually after the stores of gunpowder in the fortress, but while inside the building freed seven prisoners and killed the Bastille’s governor. The storming of the Bastille became a symbol of the French Revolution and has been celebrated in France every July 14th since 1790. That celebration is referred to as “la fête nationale” (the national day) in France, but in English-speaking countries it is usually known as “Bastille Day”.

The oil and gas company Chevron is a descendent of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. The US government stepped in and broke up Standard Oil in 1911, with one of the resulting “pieces” being Standard Oil Co. (California). Standard Oil of California changed its name to Chevron in 1984.

115 “The Color Purple” producer : OPRAH

“The Color Purple” is a 2023 musical drama film that is based on a stage musical of the same name, as well as a 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. Two of the movie’s producers are Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg. Spielberg had directed a 1985 big-screen adaptation of the novel, using the same title, in which Winfrey had starred.

117 Do some dirty dancing : TWERK

Twerking is a dancing move in which someone (usually a woman) shakes her hips up and down causing a lot of “wobbling”. It’s possible that “twerk” is a portmanteau of “twist” and “jerk”. The term may have been coined back in the early 2000s with the song “Whistle While You Twurk” released by the Ying Yang Twins. Twerking became a real phenomenon in 2013 when Miley Cyrus posted a video of herself twerking in a unicorn suit to the 2011 song “Wop” by J. Dash. That video went viral on YouTube, amassing over 4 million views in no time at all.

118 Jennifer of “Dirty Dancing” : GREY

Actress Jennifer Grey’s break came with her role in the marvelous 1986 comedy film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. She then played the iconic role of “Baby” in the 1987 movie “Dirty Dancing”. While filming “Ferris Bueller …”, Grey started dating co-star Matthew Broderick. The couple were involved in a head-on collision in Ireland caused by Broderick, one that resulted in the deaths of a mother and daughter.

The celebrated 1987 film “Dirty Dancing” stars Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, who were both relative unknowns at the time of filming. “Dirty Dancing” had a relatively low budget but was destined to earn over $200 million. It became the first movie to sell more than a million copies on home video. There was a prequel made in 2004 called “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights”, that wasn’t a good film at all. Patrick Swayze was paid $200,000 for his 1987 performance, and received $5 million to make a cameo in the prequel.

119 Dishwasher cycle : RINSE

The first mechanical dishwasher to be described as practical and reliable was invented by Josephine Cochrane of Ohio. Cochrane didn’t wash dishes herself, as she had servants for that task, so the main purpose of her invention was not to save effort. Rather, she wanted a device that washed dishes without chipping them, something her household help was liable to do.

121 Music League submissions : SONGS

Music League is an app in which users submit songs related to a theme. Users then vote on the songs submitted.

Down

1 “Hell __ no fury … ” : HATH

The phrase “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” comes from the 1697 play “The Mourning Bride” penned by English playwright William Congreve. A more complete quotation is:

Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned
Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned …

4 First pres. born outside the Thirteen Colonies : ABE

Abraham Lincoln was the first US president to come from outside of the original Thirteen Colonies. He was born in 1809, famously in a log cabin, on Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky. His family moved when he was two years old to another farm a few miles away. The creek running through the farm gave the name “Knob Creek Farm”. That same creek gave its name to the Knob Creek brand of bourbon.

5 Power trip? : TELEPORT

Teleportation is a favorite of authors of science fiction. The hypothetical process results in the transfer of matter from one point to another, with actually crossing the intervening space. Beam me up, Scotty!

8 HEMNES retailer : IKEA

IKEA’s Hemnes line of furniture is named for a Norwegian municipality.

9 Vanilla meas. : TSP

The flavor extract that we call “vanilla” comes from the pod-like fruit of climbing orchids belonging to the genus Vanilla. Genuine vanilla is a relatively expensive spice, second only to saffron, due to the amount of work required to grow and harvest the fruit (also called “beans” and “pods”). Spanish and Portuguese explorers came across the Vanilla orchid while exploring the Gulf Coast of Mexico. They gave it the name “vainilla” meaning “little pod”.

10 1990s media coverage? : CD CASE

A CD case is also known as a jewel box, and I am really not sure why. I’ve heard some explanations, but not one that I really buy …

11 Souped-up car : HOT ROD

A hot rod is an American car that has been modified for speed by installing a larger than normal engine. A street rod is generally a more comfortable type of hot rod, with the emphasis less on the engine and more on custom paint jobs and interiors. By definition, a street rod must be based on an automobile design that originated prior to 1949.

To soup up an engine is to increase its horsepower. The verb probably derives from the older slang term “soup”, which was a narcotic illegally injected into racehorses to make them run faster.

12 Indigenous Alaskan : INUK

The Inuit people live in the Arctic, in parts of the US, Russia, Greenland and Canada. A member of the Inuit people is known as an “Inuk”.

13 Water filter brand : PUR

Pur is a brand of water filters and related products that was sold to Procter & Gamble in 1999, and sold on again to Helen of Troy Limited.

17 [Not my error] : [SIC]

[Sic] indicates that a quotation is written as originally found, perhaps including a typo. “Sic” is Latin for “thus, like this”. The term is more completely written as “sic erat scriptum”, which translates as “thus was it written”.

24 Digital images? : AVATARS

The Sanskrit word “avatar” describes the concept of a deity descending into earthly life and taking on a persona. It’s easy to see how in the world of online presences one might use the word avatar to describe one’s online identity.

25 Wild goat : IBEX

“Ibex” is a common name for various species of mountain goat. “Ibex” is a Latin name that was used for wild goats found in the Alps and Apennines in Europe.

31 Actor Kilmer : VAL

Val Kilmer’s first big leading role in a movie was playing Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic “The Doors”. A few years later, Kilmer was chosen for the lead in another big production, “Batman Forever”. Things haven’t really gone as well for Kilmer since then, I’d say. Off the screen, he flirted with the idea of running for Governor of New Mexico in 2010. A Hollywood actor as a governor? Would never happen …

33 Blueprint bit : SPEC

Blueprints are reproductions of technical or architectural drawings that are contact prints made on light-sensitive sheets. They were introduced in the 1800s and the technology available dictated that the drawings were reproduced with white lines on a blue background, hence the name “blue-print”.

34 Hardwood tree : BIRCH

Birch is a hardwood tree. The smooth bark of the birch has eye-like features, leading to the tree’s nickname of “the Watchful Tree”.

35 House of Lords member : PEER

The UK Parliament is divided into two houses, with the upper house known as the House of Lords and the lower house as the House of Commons. The members of the House of Commons (MPs) are elected, but most new members of the House of Lords are appointed. Historically, a large proportion of the membership of the upper house were hereditary peers, but recent legislative changes are reducing the numbers who can sit in the House of Lords by virtue of birthright.

36 St. __ of Assisi : AGNES

Agnes of Assisi was a younger sister of Saint Clare of Assisi, and was made a saint in 1753 by Pope Benedict XIV.

39 Madrid “more” : MAS

Madrid is the most populous city in Spain, and is the nation’s capital. It is located very close to the geographical center of the country. Madrid is the second-largest city in the European Union by population, after Berlin. People from Madrid called themselves Madrileños.

41 Pegged instruments : CELLI

A cello has four tuning pegs in a pegbox, one for each string.

42 Indigenous Alaskan : ALEUT

The Aleuts live on the Aleutian Islands of the North Pacific, and on the Commander Islands at the western end of the same island chain. The Aleutian Islands are part of the United States, and the Commander Islands are in Russia.

44 Biotech bacteria : E COLI

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are usually harmless bacteria found in the human gut, working away quite happily. However, there are some strains that can produce lethal toxins. These strains can make their way into the food chain from animal fecal matter that comes into contact with food designated for human consumption.

50 Peak between Pelion and Olympus : OSSA

Mount Ossa in Greece is located between Mount Pelion in the south, and the famed Mount Olympus in the north. Mount Ossa is also known as Kissavos.

56 Musician Batiste : JON

Jon Batiste is a singer/songwriter who had a gig as bandleader and musical director on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” from 2015 to 2022.

58 Provide pardon : GRANT AMNESTY

A pardon is in effect a demonstration of pity and forgiveness for the crime. Amnesty is absolution while formally forgetting (“amnesty” is related to the term “amnesia”) that the crime took place. Further, a pardon can only be awarded to someone who has been convicted, whereas amnesty can be awarded to individuals who have not yet faced trial.

60 Acute thing : ANGLE

In geometry, there are several classes of angles:

• Acute (< 90 degrees) 
• Right (= 90 degrees) 
• Obtuse (> 90 degrees and < 180 degrees) 
• Straight (180 degrees) 
• Reflex (> 180 degrees)

64 Plant with a tiger tooth variety : ALOE

The tiger-tooth aloe is endemic to Kenya in East Africa. The species name is Aloe juvenna.

66 One on a fixie, say : GEAR

A fixed-gear bicycle (sometimes “fixie”) is a bike with a drivetrain that lacks a freewheel mechanism. A freewheel mechanism allows coasting without movement of the pedals, but does not allow slowing using the pedals. Fixed-gear bicycles have become popular again with cyclists in cities and towns who appreciate the simplicity of the design.

68 Yr. before a historic time change : ONE BC

The designations Anno Domini (AD, “year of Our Lord”) and Before Christ (BC) are found in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The dividing point between AD and BC is the year of the conception of Jesus, with AD 1 following 1 BC without a year “0” in between. The AD/BC scheme dates back to AD 525, and gained wide acceptance soon after AD 800. Nowadays a modified version has become popular, with CE (Common/Christian Era) used to replace AD, and BCE (Before the Common/Christian Era) used to replace BC.

69 Journalist King : GAYLE

Gayle King became co-anchor on the news magazine show “CBS This Morning” when the show debuted in 2012. King met Oprah Winfrey in 1976, with the pair now describing each other as best friends.

70 Dashboard display : SPEED

Back in the 1800s, “dashboard” was the name given to a board placed at the front of a carriage to stop mud from “dashing” against the passengers in the carriage, mud that was kicked up by the hooves of the horses. Quite interesting …

76 Simple : EASY AS PIE

The idiom “as easy as pie” is used to describe something that is simple to do. It appears that the reference here is to the simplicity of eating pie, rather than making a pie.

78 Lowest rank for a 35-Down : BARON
[35D House of Lords member : PEER]

In Britain, there are five ranks of peers. They are duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron, in descending order.

82 Unappealing plateful : GLOP

Glop is food that’s deemed unappetizing. “Glop” is imitative of the sound of inferior food hitting the plate.

83 Baylor University city : WACO

Baylor is a private Baptist university in Waco, Texas that was founded in 1845, making it the oldest continuously-operating university in the state. Baylor is named for US Congressman and Baptist minister Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor, who co-founded the school. The list of Baylor’s past presidents includes Ken Starr, the independent counsel whose investigation led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

85 “Postman __”: BBC stop-motion animation series : PAT

“Postman Pat” is a stop-motion animated children’s TV show that is very popular over in the UK. There are 184 episodes available, filmed between 1981 and 2017.

86 Crunchy snack : CORN NUTS

Corn nuts are kernels of corn that have been soaked in water for three days and then deep-fried in oil.

94 Poses in a yoga studio : ASANAS

“Asana” is a Sanskrit word that translates literally as “sitting down”. The asanas are the poses that a practitioner of yoga assumes. The most famous is the lotus position, the cross-legged pose called “padmasana”.

95 Lazy walrus, e.g., for short : STACHE

A walrus mustache is one that is very full, and long enough to cover both the top and bottom lips. The name comes from its similarity to the mustache on a walrus. A lazy walrus style needs less care, as the hair is allowed to grow well below the lower lip, but it is parted with the hair swept left and right so the mouth is not covered.

96 Paper money : CASH

Our word “cash” comes from the Middle French “caisse” meaning “money box”.

101 Marvin the Martian, e.g. : ALIEN

Marvin the Martian is a character from the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies universe who first appeared in a Bugs Bunny cartoon in 1948. He wears a green helmet and skirt that resembles armor worn in ancient depictions of the Roman god Mars. For decades, Marvin was one of the characters voiced by the celebrated Mel Blanc.

104 Switzerland’s capital : BERN

Bern (sometimes “Berne”, especially in French) is the capital city of Switzerland. The official language of the city is German, but the language most spoken in Bern is a dialect known as Bernese German.

108 NYC arena : MSG

Madison Square Garden (MSG) is an arena in New York City used for a variety of events. In the world of sports it is home to the New York Rangers of the NHL, as well as the New York Knicks of the NBA. “The Garden” is also the third busiest music venue in the world in terms of ticket sales. The current arena is the fourth structure to bear the name, a name taken from the Madison Square location in Manhattan. In turn, the square was named for James Madison, the fourth President of the US.

111 Troy research univ. : RPI

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is a private school in Troy, New York. The university is named after its founder Stephen Van Rensselaer who set up the school in 1824. The goal of RPI has always been the “application of science to the common purposes of life”, an objective set by the founder. Given that, the name for the school’s sports teams is quite apt: the Engineers.

112 Missy Elliott genre : RAP

Melissa “Missy” Elliott is a rap artist who was childhood friends with fellow rapper Timbaland.

113 Number of players in Battleship : TWO

Battleship is a remarkably fun guessing game that I used to play as a child. Back then, we would play it just using pencil and paper. These days kids are more likely to play an electronic version of the game.