(CNN) -- It's a number that even astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is having a hard time wrapping his brilliant mind around.

His Christmas Day tweet commemorating the birthday of Isaac Newton was retweeted more than 69,000 times as of this writing, making it the most popular of his Twitter career so far -- and, arguably, his most controversial.

"On this day long ago, a child was born who, by age 30, would transform the world. Happy Birthday Isaac Newton b. Dec 25, 1642," the StarTalk host tweeted.

He followed it up with a nod to the commercialization of Christmas: "Merry Christmas to all. A Pagan holiday (BC) becomes a Religious holiday (AD). Which then becomes a Shopping holiday (USA)." By then, he was on a roll. Earlier in the day, he tweeted, "QUESTION: This year, what do all the world's Muslims and Jews call December 25th? ANSWER: Thursday."

His comments drew criticism and name-calling from various corners of the internet. "Overly reductive, deliberately cynical and unnecessarily provocative," one person said on Twitter.

Another accused him of "trolling Christmas today to show you how smart he is."

Tyson's response to the controversy? "Imagine a world in which we are all enlightened by objective truths rather than offended by them."

Later Friday, Tyson pondered "My Most Retweeted Tweet" in a Facebook post. He did not defend or disavow his comments. Instead, in true scientific form, he attempted to quantify their popularity compared to previous tweets.

"My sense in this case is that the high rate of re-tweeting, is not to share my enthusiasm of this fact, but is driven by accusations that the tweet is somehow anti-Christian," he wrote. "If a person actually wanted to express anti-Christian sentiment, my guess is that alerting people of Isaac Newton's birthday would appear nowhere on the list." What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Who tweeted on Christmas day?
2. How many people retweeted it?
3. What did the tweet say?
4. What did he follow it up with?
5. What did it say?
6. Was he on a roll?
7. Did he tweet earlier that day?
8. What?
9. Where all his comments favorable?
10. What did one person say?
11. What did someone else say?
12. What was his reply to that?
13. What did he think about in a Facebook post?
14. When?
15. Did he defend what he said?
16. What did he do instead?
17. What did he say?
18. What was it driven by?
19. What followed that?
20. What is he known as?
Answer: 1. Neil deGrasse Tyson
2. 69,000 times
3. On this day long ago, a child was born who, by age 30, would transform the world. Happy Birthday Isaac Newton b. Dec 25, 1642,"
4. a nod to the commercialization of Christmas
5. "Merry Christmas to all. A Pagan holiday (BC) becomes a Religious holiday (AD). Which then becomes a Shopping holiday (USA).
6. Yes
7. Yes
8. "QUESTION: This year, what do all the world's Muslims and Jews call December 25th? ANSWER: Thursday."
9. No
10. Overly reductive, deliberately cynical and unnecessarily provocative,"
11. trolling Christmas today to show you how smart he is."
12. "Imagine a world in which we are all enlightened by objective truths rather than offended by them."
13. My Most Retweeted Tweet
14. Later Friday
15. No
16. attempted to quantify their popularity compared to previous tweets.
17. "My sense in this case is that the high rate of re-tweeting, is not to share my enthusiasm of this fact
18. by accusations that the tweet is somehow anti-Christian,
19. "If a person actually wanted to express anti-Christian sentiment, my guess is that alerting people of Isaac Newton's birthday would appear nowhere on the list."
20. an astrophysicist

question: Chapter XI

Now that Grandfather had fought through the Old French War, in which our chair made no very distinguished figure, he thought it high time to tell the children some of the more private history of that praiseworthy old piece of furniture.

"In 1757," said Grandfather, "after Shirley had been summoned to England, Thomas Pownall was appointed governor of Massachusetts. He was a gay and fashionable English gentleman, who had spent much of his life in London, but had a considerable acquaintance with America. The new governor appears to have taken no active part in the war that was going on; although, at one period, he talked of marching against the enemy, at the head of his company of cadets. But, on the whole, he probably concluded that it was more befitting a governor to remain quietly in our chair, reading the newspapers and official documents."

"Did the people like Pownall?" asked Charley.

"They found no fault with him," replied Grandfather. "It was no time to quarrel with the governor, when the utmost harmony was required, in order to defend the country against the French. But Pownall did not remain long in Massachusetts. In 1759, he was sent to be governor of South Carolina. In thus exchanging one government for another, I suppose he felt no regret, except at the necessity of leaving Grandfather's chair behind him."

"He might have taken it to South Carolina," observed Clara.

"It appears to me," said Laurence, giving the rein to his fancy, "that the fate of this ancient chair was, somehow or other, mysteriously connected with the fortunes of old Massachusetts. If Governor Pownall had put it aboard the vessel in which he sailed for South Carolina, she would probably have lain wind-bound in Boston harbor. It was ordained that the chair should not be taken away. Don't you think so, Grandfather?"
1. when did Pownall become governor?
2. where was Shirley then?
3. did people like Pownall?
4. what happened in 1759?
5. what did he leave behind?
6. what war did grandfather fight in?
7. what did he decide to tell the kids?
8. where did Pownall grow up?
9. did he take part in the war?
10. what did he think about doing against the enenemy?
11. why didnt he?
****
answer:
1. In 1757
2. England
3. yes
4. he was sent to be governor of South Carolina
5. Grandfather's chair
6. the Old French War
7. some of the more private history of the old piece of furniture
8. London
9. no
10. marching against them
11. it was more befitting a governor to remain quietly in our chair