publication date: Thursday, June 27, 2019 (part of Summer 2019)

category: Controversy

clue: Being named for an inebriating plant and a celebrity-endorsed soft drink may have prepared her for a Ph.D. dissertation about the effect of unusual names on one's educational prospects.

explanation: When Vandyck graduated with her Ph.D. in June 2019, it became a meme online that there was a woman named Marijuana Pepsi. more…

intended difficulty: medium

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Chris Lemler, Matthew Preston, Erik Bates, and Aaron Shurtleff


Similar Goos

David Johnson

This sports fan is known for heckling and riding Rory McIlroy after missing a putt. Go »

George Soros

He devoted most of his billions to an open society, only to be met by a hostile society that placed him at the center of numerous conspiracy theories. Go »

Slobodan Milošević

Slobodan didn't get to be President by hating Albanians... Wait, yes he did. Go »

Elián González

He literally became the poster boy for Cuban political refugees. Go »

Lee Harvey Oswald

It's too bad this sharpshooter with three first names didn't live to hear the Dead Kennedys. Go »

Joe Jackson

He was a controversial player, but not for swinging Black Betsy without wearing proper footwear. Go »