The Wombat File Is Yours to Keep

All right all right. Full credit responses to Round Two are in. Guesses and revised answers submitted between now and 12:01 AM Friday will -- if correct -- receive half-credit.

Below, our five hysterically historical questions, with the light of clue-age appended for those still enshrouded with perplexity.

1. In 1559, Dr. Gilbert Lymborch wrote a treatise on the "acidulous" waters of this location in an area variously claimed over the years by more than one European power. Over two centuries later, to capitalize on the town's rising fame, Cardinal Jean-Theodore of Bavaria announced the construction of a large building called the Redoute, which took seven years to complete, and became one of the grandest facilities of its kind. Those who worked within were notorious for their haughty bearing, and styled themselves with such titles as "captain," "gendarme," or "hussar." What is the name of the town? What was the profession of these self-titled men? Clue: the name of the town is a word which has passed into common -- even trendy -- parlance. The men in question worked in a field which is not now associated with this term, but was closely tied to it at the time. (50 points/75 points) (25 points/38 points).

2. Executive Order 6102 was signed on April 5, 1933 by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Most of its provisions were repealed in 1972. This order restricted the ownership and use of what substance? Clue: It is believed that many people ignored this order and were secretive about their possession of this substance throughout this period. (100 points) (50 points)

3. The reign of the Phrygian king Midas, in myth, was said to be legitimized by the landing of an eagle on his father's ox-cart. That ox-cart became a commemorative emblem of Phrygian royalty and was still to be found in the palace of the (now long-gone) kings of Phrygia in the fourth century B.C.E. The cart, and a challenge associated with it, was the subject of a famed prophecy. When a well-known leader arrived, he is said to have tackled the problem ingeniously, and the prophecy was fulfilled. Who was the man? What famous phrase was the result of his (possibly legendary) solution? Clue: In some languages, this man was known as "the two-horned one," because coins minted during his rule seemingly depicted him with the two ram's horns of the Egyptian god Ammon. He was recently represented in a big-budget film. The phrase is often used with regard to an intellectual feat. (75 points/ 50 points) (38 points/ 25 points)

4. James Leonard Plimpton made an important advance in the design of this product in 1863, creating the template that more or less defined the product until late in the 20th century. The first public facility for its use was opened in Newport, Rhode Island, a few years later. After major improvements made in England, the product hit its first real boom in the 1880s, when manufacturers produced thousands every week during peak sales. What was it? Clue: In 1979 Scott Olson and Brennan Olson of Minnesota created a revolution in the industry when they revitalized a design from the 1960s. The company they founded has become synonymous with this change in both the industry and the practice it enables. (50 points) (25 points)

5. The Battle of Three Kings was fought largely due to the actions of a monarch who styled himself "Most Obedient King." In 1574, his religious idealism led him to offer his support to one side in a civil war being fought on another continent, in the hopes of eventually toppling both sides. He took with him in his expedition 500 ships and 23,000 men, including the flower of his country's nobility. The battle itself was a rout for his forces, and resulted in his death, and that of the leaders of both sides in the civil war, as well as the slaughter of his force and the capture (and expensive ransoming) of its surviving leaders. As a direct result of this catastrophe, his country lost its independence for more than half a century. What country did he rule? In what foreign nation was The Battle of Three Kings fought? This adventure more or less marked the end of the invading country's globe-spanning imperial ambitions. The name of its antagonist can be translated as the phrase "The Western Kingdom." It is, interestingly, the only country on its continent that does not belong to the continent-spanning association of sovereign states. (75 points/25 points). (38 points/13 points).

And if you're finding this whole exercise tediously easy, please feel free to break your skull against the mighty King William College Quiz.