Ballpark
Puzzle #39 · 28 October 2026
The five questions from that day's Ballpark, each with its answer, the fact behind it and a link to the source. Rather play it first? It is in the archive.
1. How much did the Osborne 1, the first mass-produced portable computer (1981), weigh?
24 pounds
24 pounds. It cost $1,795, a bargain at the time because it came bundled with software worth about $1,500 on its own. Source
Image: Piergiovanna Grossi · CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
2. How many chess games are possible after each player's first move?
400 positions
400: 20 white options × 20 black options. Source
Image: Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
3. How many lakes of 10 acres or more are there in the US state of Minnesota?
11,842 lakes
11,842, so the state's nickname, Land of 10,000 Lakes, undersells it. Even so, four of its counties have no natural lakes at all. Source
Image: Tony Webster · CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
4. About how many cases of wild polio were there worldwide in 1988, when the global eradication campaign was launched, per the WHO?
350,000 cases
An estimated 350,000 cases in more than 125 countries. Cases have fallen by over 99% since. Source
5. About how many peanuts does it take to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter?
540 peanuts
About 540, says the US National Peanut Board. It also reckons one acre of peanuts is enough for 35,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Source
Image: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped