It’s a short holiday week here for Atlantic Trivia; I’ll be quizzing you Monday and Tuesday, and then we’ll part until the new year.
But note that Anders Celsius developed his centigrade system for measuring temperature on December 25, 1741. The first predicted return of Halley’s Comet was observed precisely 17 years later. The keen mind can still accomplish a lot at Christmas.
In fact, who needs presents (I desperately ask as I realize that my online orders will not arrive before Thursday)? Isn’t knowledge the greatest gift of all?
Find last week’s questions here, and to get Atlantic Trivia in your inbox every day, sign up for The Atlantic Daily.
Monday, December 22, 2025
- What 41-year-old American downhill skier—the 2010 Olympic women’s gold medalist—this month became the oldest competitor ever to win the sport’s World Cup? — From Sally Jenkins’s story about professional athletes competing into their 40s
- North of 66°30′ N, the sun stays above the horizon for a full 24 hours at least once a year. This demarcating line is known by what name? — From Shayla Love’s story about timekeeping on the Norwegian island of Sommarøy
- What 19th-century American author was best known for his rags-to-riches stories that he hoped would “exert a wholesome influence on his young readers”? — From Jake Lundberg’s story on a new Netflix series about President James Garfield
And by the way, did you know that twice a year in the tropics, the sun is positioned ever so briefly exactly overhead? Elsewhere in the world, the sun never reaches true zenith, but in the band around the equator, its semiannual appearance produces the eerie effect of shadowlessness for objects on the ground.
Look up Lāhainā Noon (as it’s called in Hawaiʻi) if you wish to be disconcerted by some apparently levitating traffic cones and parking-lot stanchions. The magic lasts only a jiffy; then you’re stuck with the bummer of merely being in Hawaiʻi.
Have a great weekend!
Answers:
- Lindsey Vonn. The skier’s previous World Cup win was seven years prior, Sally writes. Watching Vonn—or the literal grandfather lately throwing touchdown passes for the Indianapolis Colts—Sally wonders how many “gladdening third acts” sports ageism has cheated us out of. Read more.
- The Arctic Circle. Sommarøy made international news in 2019 when villagers petitioned to make the place a “time-free zone.” Love traveled there this summer to spend nine days figuring out whether people can actually buck the clock. Read more.
- Horatio Alger. Garfield’s own unlikely ascendance to his Gilded Age presidency was the subject of Alger’s From Canal Boy to President. Jake writes that Netflix’s framing of Garfield as “a good man in an age of bad politicians” is “hopeful but perhaps too hopeful for our current moment.” Read more.
How did you do? Come back tomorrow for more questions, or click here for last week’s. And if you think up a great question after reading an Atlantic story—or simply want to share a fact—send it my way at [email protected].
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