Know more. Gloat responsibly.

Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 5-minute read

Good morning. Today’s issue contains an Olympic transportation scandal, a man who voluntarily fell out of the sky, and evidence that Hollywood’s nightmares begin in the grocery aisle. Please distribute your newfound superiority responsibly.

Fred Lorz crossed the finish line first at the 1904 Olympic marathon in St. Louis. Unfortunately, approximately 11 miles of his performance had involved sitting in an automobile. This remains an excellent way to improve your marathon time and a poor way to remain an Olympic champion.

The race was already a spectacular failure of event planning. Held on August 30, it sent runners over dusty roads in punishing heat, with passing vehicles making the air worse. After roughly nine miles, Lorz developed cramps and accepted a ride. Eventually, he resumed running and entered the stadium ahead of everyone else. When his automotive assistance became known, he was disqualified. He maintained that the finish had been a joke. An ambitious defense, considering the audience had come for the Olympics rather than experimental comedy. (smithsonianmag.com)

The actual winner, Thomas Hicks, had received assistance of a different kind. His handlers gave him strychnine and egg whites, later adding brandy. Strychnine was then used in small doses as a stimulant, despite being a powerful poison. The Games had no rule prohibiting performance-enhancing drugs at the time. Hicks finished in 3 hours, 28 minutes and 53 seconds, then needed medical attention. The ordeal was dangerous, and the people responsible for supporting him had helped make it so. (artsandculture.google.com)

Here’s the detail to keep: Lorz could actually run. After his ban was lifted, he won the 1905 Boston Marathon. On foot. The man had genuine athletic ability and still managed to become best remembered for accepting a lift. Somewhere inside this story is an inspirational comeback. It simply has to get past the car first. (artsandculture.google.com)

On October 22, 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin made a pioneering parachute descent over Paris.

His equipment consisted of a basket suspended beneath a silk parachute, released from a balloon roughly 2,000 feet above Parc Monceau. The descent swung alarmingly, but he reached the ground alive.

The distinction worth knowing: Garnerin’s achievement was a parachute descent from a balloon. Calling it a jump from an airplane would give aviation a century’s worth of credit it had not yet earned. (smithsonianmag.com)

Jeff Goldblum was born October 22, 1952. That makes today his 74th birthday. (biography.com)

Beyond Jurassic Park, The Fly, and the world’s most thoughtfully deployed pauses, he performs jazz with The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. Apparently being Jeff Goldblum already wasn’t enough of an evening’s entertainment. (orsymphony.org)

Birthday question: Which instrument does Goldblum play with the group?

A. Trumpet
B. Piano
C. Saxophone

The men’s all-around final at the 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships is scheduled for today in Rotterdam. (usagym.org)

It’s an opportunity to watch elite athletes demonstrate several varieties of physical control while the rest of us congratulate ourselves for putting on socks standing up.

Future trivia question: Which country hosted these championships?

A. Belgium
B. Denmark
C. The Netherlands

Today’s theme: Horror movies become considerably less intimidating when you meet the production department.

SMUG: The blood in Psycho’s famous shower scene was chocolate syrup. Black-and-white photography did the rest. One of cinema’s most unsettling sequences had an ingredient list compatible with ice cream. (bfi.org.uk)

SMUGGER: Michael Myers’ mask in the original Halloween began as a Captain Kirk mask. Production designer Tommy Lee Wallace widened the eyeholes and painted it. Underneath one of horror’s most recognizable faces was an extremely unhelpful version of William Shatner. (halloweenmovies.com)

SMUGGEST: The original 1968 Night of the Living Dead entered the U.S. public domain because its released print lacked the copyright notice required at the time. A replacement title card had omitted it. The zombies survived. The paperwork did not. (blogs.loc.gov)

Three questions. Your confidence has been notified. Your knowledge has requested more information.

1. Which planet has the Great Red Spot?

A. Mars
B. Jupiter
C. Neptune

2. Which metal has the chemical symbol Ag?

A. Gold
B. Aluminum
C. Silver

3. What is the world’s largest landlocked country by area?

A. Kazakhstan
B. Mongolia
C. Chad

Commit to your answers. Looking thoughtful afterward will not change them.

Birthday Bragging Rights: B. Piano. Goldblum’s musical career involves actual jazz piano, rather than merely standing near a keyboard looking intriguingly distracted. (shop.slso.org)

Future Trivia: C. The Netherlands. Rotterdam is the host city for the 2026 championships. (usagym.org)

Daily Smug Test

1. B. Jupiter. The Great Red Spot is a gigantic atmospheric storm. An impressive commitment to making weather everyone else’s problem. (nasa.gov)

2. C. Silver. Ag comes from the Latin argentum. Chemistry occasionally requires knowing what the Romans called your cutlery. (edu.rsc.org)

3. A. Kazakhstan. It’s the largest landlocked country by area. Its Caspian Sea shoreline does not provide an outlet to the world’s oceans. (worldfactbook.co)

Your standing:

3/3: Smuggest. Let someone else speak eventually.
2/3: Smug. Enough knowledge to become a mild social problem.
0–1/3: You’ve learned three things. That was secretly the assignment.

Knowing the answer is satisfying. Having somewhere to prove it is better.

Head to citygames.co for daily puzzles, trivia, and challenges around Grand Rapids. Play directly on the website. No download required.

Bring your brain. Leave the marathon car at home.

Know more. Gloat responsibly.