Welcome back to Atlantic Trivia! Are you hungry for more?
I hope that while I’ve been away, you have been enjoying plenty of food for thought—literally. Research shows that berries help improve memory and that a walnut-heavy diet is associated with higher cognitive performance. Fatty fish and leafy greens are linked to slower cognitive decline. Caffeine is a brain boost too.
A challenge: Combine all these ingredients, Chopped-style, into the perfect pre-trivia meal.
Meanwhile, I have been away these past few weeks thinking mostly about chicken parmigiana. It’s not brain food per se, but I reckon we can call it creativity fuel—so long as it’s eaten for breakfast. That is the suggestion in the first edition of my new newsletter, Better With Time, an eight-week course of ways to add oomph to various parts of the day. Sign up for it here.
But first—at last—trivia!
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Monday, January 12, 2025
- What 19th-century statesman and fighter is known as El Libertador for his independence campaign in northern South America (including in the country that now bears his name)? — From Vivian Salama’s article on the chance of a domino effect after Nicolás Maduro’s capture
- English settlers who came to colonial America were thrilled to hunt the continent’s bountiful deer; the animals back in Britain could not be freely shot, because they legally belonged to what person? — From Yasmin Tayag’s essay on venison consumption in the United States
- A Dostoyevsky tale about a character who faces a more talented, more popular look-alike at work is an inspiration for what 2010 psychological thriller that centers on the performance of a different Russian’s work? — From Faith Hill’s article on the movie’s theme of women navigating hyper-competition
And by the way, did you know that venison, which comes from the Latin for “to hunt,” once referred to any wild game? That meant deer, but also hare, boar, some goats, and elk and their ilk.
That catchall spirit lives on today in South Africa. Because the country’s continent has no native deer species, venison there means meat from eland, kudu, gemsbok, springbok, or impala—which, to save you a search, are all species of antelope.
See you tomorrow!
Answers:
- Simón Bolívar. El Libertador’s dream of a united Latin America was one shared by Venezuela’s and Cuba’s socialist leaders, particularly regarding the relationship between their two countries. However linked the states are, Vivian does not think that Donald Trump’s blow to Venezuela will bring about the regime’s demise in Cuba. Read more.
- The King. The English hunted down the colonies’ deer population to about 1 percent what it had been in precolonial days, but the animals bounded back in a big way and are now often a nuisance. Yasmin’s solution: Eat them. Read more.
- Black Swan. That other Russian’s work is Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake, which—no spoilers—takes a toll on Natalie Portman’s character, especially once a fellow dancer played by Mila Kunis starts breathing down her neck. Faith writes that Black Swan’s story is eminently recognizable well beyond the ballet world. Read more.
How did you do? Come back tomorrow for more questions, 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].
The post Today’s Atlantic Trivia: Our Deer Departed appeared first on The Atlantic.
