Past trivia

I was away on vacation last week, and only touched a computer once or twice, and even then only briefly. I know many people visit BAXOJAYZ-CENTRICITY for the trivia, so here's what I didn't post:

In militaryspeak, what is an aerodynamic personnel decelerator?

• A parachute.

As a songwriter, what was Bruce Springsteen’s only No. 1 hit single on Billboard’s Hot 100? Bonus: Who recorded it?

• “Blinded by the Light,” recorded by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, which topped the charts in 1977. The song was the first track on Springsteen’s 1973 debut album, “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.”

Which state has the largest peach crop in the United States?

• California, followed by South Carolina, and then Georgia and New Jersey.

Who was the only American woman to found a lasting religion?

• Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science religion.

What is an octobass?

• It’s a rare three-stringed musical instrument, a much larger version of the double bass. More than 10 feet tall and rather unwieldy, playing it requires two musicians—one to do the bowing, the other to do the fingering.

In whose name did Stevie Wonder accept his 1985 Oscar for Best Original Song for “I Just Called to Say I Love You”?

• Then-imprisoned South African civil rights leader Nelson Mandela. As a result, Wonder’s music was banned in South Africa. The song was in the film The Woman in Red.

What is the key ingredient in the Hawaiian dish poi?

• Taro root. Taro is a thick-rooted leafy green vegetable. To make poi, the roots are cooked for a long time and then pounded into a paste.