Who watches Jeopardy?

[David Lockmiller]

Two men met at the White House just over four years after they had previously met. Who were these men and where had they previously met?

[RJNorton]

Vicki and I often watch Jeopardy, but we did not do so last night. The first two names that come to mind are Abraham Lincoln and Edwin Stanton. The two men had met previously in Cincinnati. I have forgotten the year, so the gap may not be 4 years, but I'll still guess Lincoln and Stanton.

[David Lockmiller]

On April 9 1865, Robert E. Lee, then in charge of the Confederate Army, surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant, then in charge of the Union Army. By May 1869, Grant was President of the United States, while Lee was President of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia (now Washington and Lee University).

*******************************************************

On May 1, 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant welcomed the president of Washington College, Robert E. Lee, to the White House. Lee had considered inviting President-elect Grant to visit Washington College before Grant was inaugurated, but Lee didn’t want to make a request that his busy former adversary felt obligated to accept. After Grant was inaugurated in March 1869, he learned of Lee’s interest in visiting with him, and the President invited Lee to the White House. Unfortunately, there are no definitive answers to what was said between President Grant and General Lee [and the meeting lasted only 15 minutes].

Robert E. Lee may have been the only American in history to visit the White House after being stripped of his citizenship. A bill to restore General Lee’s American citizenship was passed by Congress in 1975 – 110 years after the Civil War ended – and President Gerald Ford signed off on the restoration of Lee’s citizenship in a ceremony at Arlington House, the home that Lee lived in before it was occupied by Union soldiers during the Civil War and turned into a National Cemetery.

(Source: Anthony Bergen – Presidential Historian)

[Gene C]

That was interesting David, I didn't know that.

[David Lockmiller]

(04-24-2019 09:57 AM)Gene C Wrote:  That was interesting David, I didn't know that.

I did not know the answer to the question either.

Holzhauer won $118,816 in the game that aired on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, having capped off his winnings by correctly answering this Final Jeopardy clue: “On May 1, 1869, these two men met at the White House, four years and three weeks after a more historic meeting between them.”

I wonder if he knew the answer to the question or put a guess together by knowing that Grant was President at the time and then guessed that Lee was the other party by calculating four years back to their Appomattox Court House meeting on April 9, 1865.

I would guess that he worked out the answer quickly, but still it was very impressive.

[RJNorton]

I second Gene - that was a great question, David.

[David Lockmiller]

In tonight's Jeopardy, no one (including the continuing reigning champion, James Holzhauer) came up with an answer in the category "Spanish Civil War" as to what 19th Century President had a military unit named after him (or, a question phrased quite similarly).

The correct answer was the Lincoln Brigade.

For those not watching tonight, James Holzhauer won once again but the outcome was very close. The two men on the panel both came up with the correct answer to the final Jeopardy question and both men bet almost their maximum winnings to that point. But James Holzhauer bet enough of his total winnings to that point that it did not matter that the other contestant bet one dollar short of his cumulative winnings to that point.

Afterwards, James Holzhauer acknowledged by gesture to his fellow contestant a game well-played.

Congratulations to both gentlemen, and especially to James Holzhauer for his humility.

[RJNorton]

I recall the final Jeopardy question that led to Ken Jennings' defeat. I may not remember the exact wording, but I definitely recall what Jennings' wrong answer was and what was the right answer.

Question: Without looking it up, what was the final Jeopardy question and answer that led to the defeat of Ken Jennings?

[RJNorton]

Hint #1: It has to do with something that is seasonal.

[David Lockmiller]

Ken Jennings (from an article in the April 30, 2019 NYTimes)

Before he became a “Jeopardy!” legend, Ken Jennings was a 29-year-old computer programmer living in Salt Lake City, wondering if there was any way out of a career in coding.

“My wife says I kept talking about going to law school, that’s how desperate I was,” he joked.

Jennings had double-majored in English and computer science and always wanted to write, but after graduating and getting engaged he took a job at a tech start-up to pay the bills. Then he qualified for “Jeopardy!”

[Joe Di Cola]

(04-30-2019 08:15 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Hint #1: It has to do with something that is seasonal.

Didn't he pick the wrong overnight delivery service--UPS instead of FedEx or vice-versa?

[RJNorton]

Close enough, Joe. The question had to do with what company annually hires a certain amount (roughly 50,000 as I recall) of white collar workers for only four months per year. Jennings guessed FedEx, and the right answer was H&R Block. Another contestant got it right, and bet enough money to beat Jennings. Thus Jennings lost after a string of over 70 straight victories. The new champion that David is talking about is winning money at a faster pace than Jennings did.

[David Lockmiller]

In tonight's (April 30, 2019) episode of Jeopardy, one of the questions correctly answered by James Holzhauer and referencing the ship 'Abraham Lincoln' was the "opera Madame Butterfly."

Madame Butterfly – Giacomo Puccini

To justify her faith it seems, in Nagasaki Port,
The ship, ‘Abraham Lincoln’ is seen anchored at its station.
Poor Butterfly at once prepares without a second thought
To welcome him without recrimination.

(Source: Opera Stories in Verse by Hugh Lawrence Monro Wyles)

[David Lockmiller]

May 1, 2019 Jeopardy with another Abraham Lincoln related answer.

Log Cabin has been making syrup for 120 years. Minnesota grocer Patrick J. Towle introduced the brand in 1887, and named it in honor of his childhood hero. President Lincoln grew up in a log cabin, deep in the woods of Kentucky—hence the brand name Log Cabin, chosen by Mr. Towle to honor Abraham Lincoln.

(Source: Log Cabin Syrups)

[David Lockmiller]

James Holzhauer had been taking the online tryout for “Jeopardy!” for about six years before he was finally asked to audition in person.

Determined to reach the “Jeopardy!” stage, Holzhauer solicited tips in an online poker forum: What could he do to get a spot on the show?

“The number one piece of advice he got was just, ‘Smile, look like you’re having a good time,’” said Ben Yu, a longtime friend and fellow professional gambler.

James Holzhauer - NYTimes story May 7, 2019