Springfield IRL
After two seasons of shorts, The Simpsons debuted as a series on December 17, 1989. Celebrate the show's thirtieth anniversary with this theme of seven people who could have walked out of the show into real life, and don't have a cow, man.
Carlos Frenk
publication date: Tuesday, December 17, 2019
category: 
Education
clue: This science professor left his native Mexico to study the cosmos in England.
explanation: Professor Frenk is a distinguished cosmologist at Durham University. more…
intended difficulty: medium
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, and Erik Bates
Nicky Jam
publication date: Monday, December 16, 2019
category: 
Music
clue: He ended a ten-year lull in his career by rising like a bird from the ashes.
explanation: Nick Rivera Caminero, known professionally as Nicky Jam, scored several hit songs with his comeback album Fénix. more…
intended difficulty: very hard
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, and Erik Bates
Tim Lovejoy
publication date: Sunday, December 15, 2019
category: 
Sports
clue: British viewers used to see him cover football every ante meridiem.
explanation: Lovejoy is best known for hosting the long-running Soccer AM. more…
intended difficulty: medium
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Matthew Preston, and Erik Bates
Ed Flanders
publication date: Saturday, December 14, 2019
category: 
Television
clue: Besides practicing medicine on NBC in the 1980s, he also won a Tony for his 1973 performance in a Eugene O'Neill play.
explanation: Flanders appeared in St. Elsewhere and A Moon for the Misbegotten. more…
intended difficulty: medium
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Matthew Preston, and Erik Bates
Charles Burns
publication date: Friday, December 13, 2019
category: 
Comics
clue: This cartoonist is well regarded for his use of black when drawing a hole.
explanation: Burns's most celebrated work is the graphic novel Black Hole. more…
intended difficulty: medium
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Matthew Preston, and Erik Bates
Maggie Simpson
publication date: Thursday, December 12, 2019
category: Music
clue: This folk singer has recorded albums about an electric angel and a so-so café.
explanation: Simpson's albums include OK Café and Angel of Thunder. more…
intended difficulty: hard
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Matthew Preston, and Erik Bates
Bart Simpson
publication date: Wednesday, December 11, 2019
category: 
Movies
clue: His Canadian documentary warned about the dangers of corporate overreach.
explanation: Film producer Simpson is best known for his well-received documentary The Corporation. more…
intended difficulty: medium
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Matthew Preston, and Erik Bates
Other Themes in Winter 2020
49ers vs. Chiefs
As the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face off in Super Bowl LIV, here's having fun with the matchup: Seven goos who, being 49ers or Chiefs, already have a team to root for in the big game. Go »
