Weekend Trivia: 01/07/2013

What prominent Washington, D.C., building has a gargoyle of Darth Vader, the evil Star Wars villain, peering down at passersby?

• Washington National Cathedral, on its northwest tower. The futuristic sculpture was based on a drawing that placed third in a contest held in the 1980s by the Cathedral and National Geographic World magazine (nowNational Geographic Kids). Other winning entries are also represented on the tower.

For what product are spiders “milked”?

• Venom, which is extracted from their fangs by anesthetizing them and then zapping them with electricity. The venom is used for research and pharmacological purposes, including the treatment of diabetes, heart disease, and epilepsy.

 

In what country is the major airport named for a legendary 13th-century conqueror?

• Mongolia. Its airport in Ulan Bator was named for Genghis Khan in 2006, using the official Mongolian spelling of his name, Chinggis Khaan.