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So how much does a footballer earn for each breath he takes?
Once upon a time, family arguments were left to fester.
Supposedly innocent boardgames turned into international incidents when no one could agree the official rules, the minutiae of sporting history was the cause of countless rifts and even the simplest quiz questions were greeted with the sound of slamming doors.
Then came the internet. At the touch of a button we could find out how many siblings had played in the football league, who was the last voice of the speaking clock and what was number one in March 1975. With seemingly no end to the burning questions we need answers to,
an entire company was launched to field requests at any time of the night and day.
Today, Any Questions Answered receives more than 20,000 texts a day from the public and it's team of 1,400 researchers are on standby round the clock to do the leg work.
"It's a fascinating insight into how people's minds work," says Kelly Sames, from Leeds, who joined AQA in March. "Especially at two in the morning when they've had a few drinks. The other day someone wanted to know where Dale Winton's tan ranked on the pantone colour scale."
For the record, it's 167CB and in the eight months or so Kelly has been working for AQA she has become an expert in trivia and a valuable member of any pub quiz team.
"Before I got the job I already retained a lot of useless knowledge, but now it's even worse," she says. "I can tell you that tortoises don't make much noise except when they are making love and then they emit a kind of hissing sound. Also for every breath the average professional footballer takes
he earns 62p. Useless, perhaps, but true.
"There's always a pretty constant stream of questions and the aim is that they should be answered within 15 minutes, but there are times when there's a deluge of texts.
"When the final of X-Factor was shown, there were loads from people who were out of the country or not near a television wanting to know who'd won, but it also sparked a barrage of other questions like what was the name of the series' first winner.
"It was Steve Brookstein. He may have been forgotten by the British public, but at least he's remembered by us."
Like many of AQA's researchers, Kelly applied for a job as a way of earning a little extra money.
"I heard about it through money expert Martin Lewis's website," she says. "For every question you answer you get 30p. You're never going to get rich from it, but it's good pocket money and best of all you can do it sitting in front of the television.
"Inevitably some questions are odder than others. Some people see us as agony aunts. They ask things like 'Why hasn't he texted me back?' or 'Do you think we'll still be together in 12 months?' Clearly there's not an awful lot you can say to something like that, but I try to be positive."
The researchers are expecting a busy Christmas, with queries no doubt ranging from how to win at Monopoly to what's the best way to cook a turkey.
"It is slightly addictive," says Kelly. "When you know you can settle an argument in a matter of minutes it's hard to resist, especially if you think you're right.
"I was going ice-skating with my boyfriend and was convinced the blades could slice off your fingers. He said it was just an urban myth, so I sent a text. Sadly he was right and I had to eat my words."
For more information, visit www.63336.com.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Who was the first weatherman? A 32-year-old Yorkshireman, George Cowling was the first British televised weatherman. He broadcast from the BBC's Lime Grove Studios on January 11, 1954.
In which Yorkshire town was rugby league invented? Rugby League was invented in Huddersfield – 22 clubs (plus Stockport, who negotiated by telephone) met at the town's George Hotel in 1895 to agree a new league.
Why are pork pies referred to as growlers? The Yorkshire slang term is believed to have been inspired by the stray dogs that used to be attracted by the smell.
How many golf courses are there in Yorkshire? Yorkshire has 156 courses and three of them (Moortown, Lindrick and Ganton) have hosted the Ryder Cup.
What is the surface area of the North York Moors? The Moors cover an area of 1,436 sq km or 554 sq miles. The highest point is 454m or 1,490ft and it is home to a population of about 25,000.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -9 C to 1 C
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Sunny spells
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