FACTUAL RIDDLES LIII

1. What ten words have the most dictionary definitions?

2. Why is coffee referred to as a "cup of Joe?"

3. The risk that the Apollo 11 astronauts (Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins) would not return was so high that no insurance company would insure their lives. How did they provide financial security for their families in the event of their deaths?

4. What are the three oldest airlines in the world?

5. Statistically, what is the deadliest job in America?

Answers:

1. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the 10 words with the most definitions are:

SET - 430
RUN - 396
GO - 368
TAKE - 343
STAND - 334
GET - 289
TURN - 288
PUT - 268
FALL - 264
STRIKE - 250

These numbers are based on the OED of 1989. The next OED will be published in 2037. Since language constantly evolves, the editors have said that RUN has overtaken SET. (No pun intended)

2. When Josephus Daniels was appointed Secretary of the Navy in 1913, he abolished alcohol from military ships. Legend has it that sailors began to refer to the hardest drink available to them - coffee - as a "cup of joe."

3. The three astronauts signed hundreds of pictures. If they did not return, their families could sell the photos to bring in enough money to survive. Today, these pictures sell for up to $30,000 each at space memorabilia auctions.

4. KLM     (1919)
   Avianca  (1919)
   Qantas   (1920)

5. President of the United States - Of the 45 men who have held the post, four have been assassinated in office - a rate of roughly 9 percent (or about one in ten) killed on the job.