Today’s Answers

Don’t take the hump but today we have five questions following a bit of a theme that might eventually prove to be of help.

One

In American Gods, which character is revealed to be an incarnation of Odin, the old god associated with wisdom and knowledge—and who wrote the novel?

Answer: Mr. Wednesday; Neil Gaiman.

Mr. Wednesday is a central character and con man in Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods, who hires the ex-convict Shadow Moon as his bodyguard. It is later revealed that Wednesday is actually an incarnation of Odin the All-Father, traveling across America to recruit forgotten Old Gods for an impending war against the powerful New Gods of modern technology and culture.

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Two

This small island at the east end of the Wilhelm Peninsula was named after when it was found. What is that name, and of what continent is it part?

Answers: Wednesday Island; Antarctica.

Wednesday Island is a 1-nautical-mile-long island located at the east end of the Wauwermans Islands in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica. The Wauwermans Islands were discovered by a German expedition (1873–1874) and mapped by Belgian (1897–1899) and French (1903–1905) expeditions. Wednesday Island itself was charted by the British Graham Land Expedition (1934–1937) and was named because it was first sighted on a Wednesday.

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Three

With cover artwork photographed at the Fifth Avenue/53rd Street subway station in New York City, this debut album was released in 1964. What album, and what folk-rock duo released it?

Answers: Wednesday Morning 3 A.M.; Simon & Garfunkel.

Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., the debut studio album by the American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Released in 1964, the album was initially unsuccessful, prompting Paul Simon to move to London and Art Garfunkel to continue his studies. However, following the success of an overdubbed version of The Sound of Silence, the album was re-released in 1966 and reached No. 30 on the Billboard 200. The text also notes that the song He Was My Brother was dedicated to Andrew Goodman, a friend of Simon’s who was killed during Freedom Summer.

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Four

In the calendar of many Christians this day is observed 46 days before Easter Sunday. What day, and what is used to ‘mark’ the day?

Answers: Ash Wednesday; ash of burned palms.

Ash Wednesday occurs 46 days before Easter Sunday, making it a moveable feast. Its date can range from 4 February to 10 March, though it has never fallen on a Leap Year Day (29 February) since the Gregorian calendar was introduced, and will not do so until 2096. It also occasionally coincides with Valentine’s Day. The day marks the beginning of a 40-day period of fasting and prayer, reflecting Jesus’ time in the desert and Moses’ repentance. Sundays in Lent are not counted, which makes the difference between 40 and 46 days.

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Five

When they first appeared on television who was Pugsley’s elder sister, and who had created the original cartoons which appeared in The New Yorker?

Answers: Wednesday (Addams); Charles Addams.

Charles Addams, the brilliant macabre cartoonist who created The Addams Family, began his career publishing dark humor cartoons in The New Yorker. Known for his own witty, eccentric charm, he lived in a Victorian home in New York reflecting the delightfully spooky aesthetic of his famous fictional clan.

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Finally…

Why Hump Day?

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Hump Day

Wednesday is known as ‘hump day’, as it is regarded as the midway point of the typical five-day week.

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