Mike Brady told us a hilarious story this morning about former New Jersey governor/EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman's appearance on Jeopardy in 2004.
The final Jeopardy question asked how many members of the Senate there were in 1958. Now, the only possible answers that make sense are 96, 98, and 100 given that the only two states that had not entered the Union by World War I were Alaska and Hawaii. Whitman's guess? 46. Yes, that would mean there were 23 states in the Union in 1958 -- something that was true in ... 1820-1821. It doesn't even make sense if she thought each state had one senator. (Correct answer: 96. Alaska and Hawaii entered in 1959.) Time to go back to civics class, Governor.
er... i think it's christi"n"e todd whitman.
feel free to make the correction and delete my annoying comment.
Posted by: jami | November 11, 2005 at 12:00 AM
Oops, time for me to go back to spelling class. Fixed above - thanks.
Posted by: Brendan Nyhan | November 11, 2005 at 09:24 AM
People slip up all the time. In itself, it's no big deal. I can imagine myself in ordinary life, thinking about 48 states, mooshing the 40 into the 96, and saying 46, even knowing the right answer. I've never been on TV or on a time-pressured game show, but it's possible that that wouldn't improve my performance. Big deal.
Posted by: Michael Koplow | November 11, 2005 at 01:10 PM