One-Letter Name - TV Tropes One-Letter Name You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share — Sebastian Stark, Shark When you take Only One Name to the extreme, this is the result. Most often a Code Name . For some reason letters from the second half of the alphabet are much more likely to be chosen. Even people who change their names to something starting with A to get to the top of an alphabetical list seem to never use just A. A fair number of older novels (from, say, the 19th and early 20th centuries) use this as a form of "discretion shot". (See Spell My Name with a Blank .) For example, a lot of Sherlock Holmes stories refer to "Mr. B——" as a way to imply that this is a real person and the story really happened in the real world, but that due to the potentially embarrassing nature of the events Watson is too much of a gentleman to reveal Mr. B's true identity. open/close all folders Anime and Manga A serial killer in Hell Teacher Nube that patterns himself after Aka Manto (Red Mantle) is simply referred to by authorities as "A".

It's clear this is an attributed alias, but we never learn his real name. I Wish has the male protagonist called K. It's stated early on that he goes by K, because his real name is cursed. Count D and his relatives in Pet Shop of Horrors . D, the alien spy from Project A-ko . It is, however, a code name. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX : In the English dub, Aster Phoenix's adoptive father is named The D . In the Japanese version, he was called DD, which is a two-letter name , but comes close. In the Japanese version, the Deck Destruction pro-duelist is named X. In the English dub, he was called Howard X. Miller. G, the Big Bad of Real Bout High School , who honestly doesn't remember his name after the years of psychological and physical conditioning he was subjected to since he was a boy in order to become the perfect bodyguard. As far as he's concerned, it's a placeholder; He'll find out what his name is if it's the last thing he does. Like many characters in the series , G is a Captain Ersatz of a King of Fighters character; in his case, K' (see below).

G., the first Vongola Storm Guardian from Katekyo Hitman Reborn! . Phantom Thief G? from D.Gray-Man Soldat J, from GaoGaiGar J from Heat Guy J J from Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo . You know, the one with the garlic/onion (the heroes can never decide this) for a head? In the Diamond/Pearl saga of the Pokï¿½mon anime, a villain known as Pokemon Hunter J and a one-shot filler character known as O were introduced. In Pokï¿½mon Adventures , the protagonists of each arc are named after their generation's games. So the protagonists for the XY arc are named... X and Y. Granted, when romanized their names become Ekkusu and Wai, but it still doesn't make their names any less weird. Averted with Y in the Viz version, as her actual name is Yvonne but has 'Y' as her nickname. Gravitation 's K. (Although his actual name is revealed later.) K in Puni Puni Poemi . L from Death Note .

A handful of other characters use one-letter codenames at some point, as well, (most notably L's successor Near first introduces himself as N) but, as revealed in the "how to read" book , L actually is his first name. The full name being L Lawliet. L-sama from Slayers novel afterwords. Though this is an abbreviation of L.O.N. or Lord of Nightmares. In Valvrave the Liberator , soldiers trained at the Karlstein Institute have their real names taken, and they are replaced by combining this with You Are Number 6 . So we have L-Elf (Elf meaning 11), and several others. Y in Humanity Has Declined . Assuming that's her actual name, seeing as no one else has one... The main antagonist of the third Tenchi Muyo! OVA goes by Z, remarking that his real name, Z-0001332536893, is too long. Mazinger universe: Fanon often refers to the eponymous Humongous Mecha Mazinger Z as simply "Z". Z, the Big Bad from the eponymous One Piece movie One Piece Film: Z .

The Alphabets, Major Eberbach's subordinates in From Eroica with Love , are each known by one single letter as a codename. The Major always seems to have 28 of them around despite having sent some to Alaska. (Also, the letters are pronounced like German alphabets.) In Naruto , a lot of people from the Village Hidden in the Clouds: The Raikage is "A", his brother is "B" (though everyone called him "Killer Bee" ), he has an aide named "C" and they sent a shinobi after Sasuke, who was called "J", and an incidental character was named "F". In this case, these are code-names/ranks (that may have fully replaced the characters' original names which are never revealed). For example, B is given the name after being chosen as the combat partner for A when he was promoted to head of the village and its armed forces (implying the Raikage is always called "A" and paired with an assistant/bodyguard called "B"). The Gundam Engineers Doctor J, Professor G, Doktor S, Instructor H, and Master O.

The sequel novel Frozen Teardrop has Trowa and Quatre taking similar aliases Doktor T and Instructor W, as well as revealing Doctor J's real name: Jay Nul [C] - Control (itself a One-Letter Title ) has an Asset going by the name Q. Also, a chain reaction that impacts the global economy when a Financial District goes bankrupt is simply known as C . Bungou Stray Dogs has a character that technically has a full name, but is only ever referred to as Q by the other characters. Audio Play Ixpellia from Striker S Sound Stage X , whose nickname of Ix/Ikusu is transcribed in English as "X" in the CD booklet. Card Games Magic: The Gathering card (from an official joke set) has a zero letter name. Comic Books Films — Live-Action F, the voiceless vampire girl in Marebito . G, of the movie Holy Man (played by Eddie Murphy ) - the titular character, in this case. In Envy, Christopher Walken 's hobo character calls himself "the J-Man." The film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen has M, who is the one who gathers the League and gives them their task.

Of course, it turns out that M stands for Moriarty . V for Vendetta : "Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V." Willem Dafoe's character in New Rose Hotel is known only as X. X, leader of the alien invaders in Godzilla Final Wars .

He says it's just a nickname for the humans to call him because his real name is too hard for humans to say . X is one of the men going to the Million Man March in Get on the Bus. Flip doesn't believe it's his real name, and it isn't — it's short for Xavier, but he's always preferred "X". Z (pronounced Zed) from (and short for) Zardoz . Men in Black agents, including Agents J, K, L, and Zednote (i.e., 'Z' in any English-speaking country except the U.S., and French-speaking countries as well), along with almost everyone else with the organization. The third movie adds an "AA", but it's only in a Bad Future anyway. Interestingly, the names appear to be based on the first letter of the first name (James, Kevin, Laura, Michael ). This begs the question - are there only 26 agents in the MIB? What happens when two agents have their first names start on the same letter? The animated series also has Alpha, one of the founding members of MIB and K's mentor, before he went rogue. When he first meets J, he introduces himself as agent A.

When J later mentions A to K and Zed, Zed points out that there is no agent A. The James Bond films famously have several of these. Bond's boss M, based on the Real Life head of Mi 6 , who goes by the codename "C". It's mentioned in Casino Royale (2006) that M is not just a random letter (whether it references a name - the novels have the original Miles Messervy and Barbara Mawdsley, a prop in Skyfall has the name Olivia Mansfield - is unclear): Bond: I had no idea it stood for- M: Utter one more syllable and I'll have you killed. Gadgeteer Q ("Q" being short for "Quartermaster"/"Quartermaster's department", referencing his job to supply agents). Q's assistant, dubbed as R ("reserve"), before he gets promoted to Q. Faust: Love of the Damned : The main bad guy is known only as "M", though it's presumably short for Mephistopheles . Fanfic The Big Bad of Pokï¿½umans , Mr. X. Jokes Via Reader's Digest, 1958: My friend R.B.

Jones doesn't have a first or middle name ï¿½ only the initials R.B. This unusual arrangement was never a problem until he went to work for a government agency. The government is not accustomed to initialed employees, so R.B. had a lot of explaining to do. On the official forms for the payroll and personnel departments, his name was carefully entered as R (Only) B (Only) Jones. Sure enough, when R.B. got his pay check, it was made out to Ronly Bonly Jones. Literature In The Bourne Series , Jason Bourne went by the military-alphabet name Delta when he was in the Medusa program in Vietnam. General G in the novel From Russia with Love . Probably at least partly because of his long freakin' name , Grubozaboyschikov. Older Than Television : The protagonist of ''The Castle' by Franz Kafka is known only as K. The protagonist of Franz Kafka's The Trial is named Joseph K. In Sputnik Sweetheart , the narrator is only ever known by the letter K.

In the Japanese novel Kokoro , Sensei writes a long testament about his relationship with his dead friend, whom he only refers to as " K ." As the title probably suggests, the heroine of the erotic classic The Story of O is known only by her initial. S (aka "The Stooge"), the protagonist of Paul Pope's sci-fi graphic novel, Heavy Liquid . V from Vegan Virgin Valentine. Her full name is Vivienne Vail Valentine , so you can see why she shortens it. To Kill a Mockingbird has a bit character called X Billups. Most people didn't believe that was his full name until he was asked to spell it during a court case. John Hackworth's nemesis Dr. X in The Diamond Age . (A slight subversion in that his actual name is quite long, but it is very hard to pronounce, so everyone just calls him Dr. X. Interestingly, his Chinese name is written with only one character as well.) 6 and @ from Max Berry's book Syrup. When 6 was born, her parents named her 0 (zero), then on her first birthday, she was renamed 1, up until they were killed when she was, yup, six years old. The name stuck.

As for @, well, it's not explained, but 6 says she only did it to copy her. In The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois, the island of Krakatoa is settled by twenty families, who take on the letters A through T as names (e.g., the man who founded the island is only known as Mr. M, his wife is Mrs. M, and their children are M-1 and M-2). When the protagonist is stranded there, he asks if they would like to start referring to him as Mr. U; they decline, as it would lead to pronoun confusion. No mention is made of how they manage to non-confusingly talk about the I family, though at least I is only a pronoun in the subjective case. Members of the Audubon Ballroom in Honor Harrington use X as a surname, though most have a different legal name. As an extension of this, freed slave and noted academic Web Du Havel's full name is W. E. B. Du Havel. He didn't understand how names work when he needed to provide one for the record, so W. E. B. doesn't actually stand for anything.

The Aann, a reptilian race from the Humanx Commonwealth novels, use a string of capital letters in place of a surname. As they advance in rank within their society, letters are removed from these strings, meaning that the Emperor of their kind has a one-letter surname. E.E. "Doc" Smith and Stephen Goldin's Family D'Alembert series has two major villains: Lady A, and someone (or something) called C. However, there is no B in the hierarchy (nor D through Z for that matter) and C is actually the boss. Why this is so is only revealed when it's almost too late to save the situation. J. Eugene Raxford in Donald E. Westlake's The Spy in the Ointment, due to not being given real names by the FBI agents he's forced to deal with, mentally refers to them as Agent A, B, etc. The protagonist of I Am J is a teenage trans boy whose name is "J".

Early in the book, a flashback shows that in sixth grade he gets into a confrontation with a teacher when she kept on calling him "Jenifer", though his soon-to-be friend Melissa stepped in and made an excuse that he couldn't be called "Jenifer" because of an incident in his family that caused the name to bring up negative memories. In Ödön von Horvaths novel Jugend ohne Gott the narrator only refers to his students by letters, which are implied to be the first letter of their first names. Live Action TV Mr. X, Mulder's second Mysterious Informant from The X-Files . Lord Zedd from Power Rangers . His Mooks had this letter on their breastplates. Power Rangers S.P.D. had a character named Z, short for Elizabeth. Power Rangers RPM has a character known only as Dr. K, later explained as being because she grew up in a secret government think-tank codenamed "Alphabet Soup". Presumably Dr. A through Dr. J had non-Ranger based areas of expertise. One episode of Shark involved a fashion designer named Z Pruitt. He was much ridiculed. Doctor Who has a villain named Omega.

In "The Happiness Patrol", the natives of Terra Alpha all have one-letter surnames denoting social rank. Offworlders have their surname replaced by 'Sigma'. The Doctor himself has been known to sign his name as simply "?". Get Smart : When Max and the Chief swap roles due to a bureaucratic foulup, the Chief goes back to his old designation of Agent Q (he joined CONTROL before they switched to numbers). On Dollhouse , all the actives in the LA house are apparently assigned a letter, but are referred to as the military phonetic code for said letter (Alpha, Echo, November, Sierra, Whiskey, etc). How they deal with having more than 26 actives is never addressed; quite possibly they just don't ever have that many. Music The alternative rock band A, though they were originally called Grand Designs. E from the band Eels , who used to also make solo albums under that name, until he decided it made his music too hard to track down. He has gone by his real name though - his autobiography Things The Grandchildren Should Know and the soundtrack to the film Levity are both credited to Mark Oliver Everett.

He initially started being called E in high school because he just knew too many other people named Mark . Ian "H" Watkins of Steps.." V from BTS . Hello! Project former group W. Quite tricky to search for their material, if it wasn't for one of their alternate names, Double You. If plurals of a single letter count, short-lived Christian swing/ska band The W's. X was at the forefront of the Los Angeles punk scene. X Japan was known in its early years only as X; they adopted the "Japan" once they broke into the international market, to distinguish from the above. Y is AOA drummer Youkyung's "angel name"note To go with the group's angel concept they were given stage-names called "angel names" at debut. but like the other members' angel names it's stopped being used for the most part. In Vivian Stanshall's comedy LP Sir Henry at Ndidi's Kraal, the eponymous Sir Henry Rawlinson mounts an expedition to Africa, the "dark incontinent" . He can't remember his native bearers' names, so "to their - ahem - cheery delight, I numbered the sods.

The last twenty-seven I named after the letters of our alphabet. The twenty-seventh - knew you were going to ask me that! - was a question mark. Professional Wrestling After Kodo Fuyuki stripped Hayabusa of his gimmick and gave it to Mr. Gannosuke in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling , the former Hayabusa became the delinquent known as H. Tabletop Games In Pathfinder , there's a Monk archetype which - at high levels - allows the monk to heal and resurrect all their allies in return for being wiped from existence to the extent that their name can't be written down. It has been proposed that one could abuse the one letter name trope to use 26 monks to destroy the alphabet. Video Games Classic and Modern One-Syllable Girls' Names By Jennifer White Updated September 13, 2016 Many parents choose short, one-syllable names for their babies , but there are a variety of reasons why. Some like a name that's nickname-proof, so they opt for the name Kate over Katherine or Beth over Elizabeth . Other parents prefer one-syllable names because they're short and sweet, but usually sound strong and decisive.

And often a short first name matches better with a long surname. We put together a list of top one-syllable names for baby girls, which includes some that are contemporary favorites, and some that have classic style. Grace This very old name has recently seen a resurgence on the top baby names charts, thanks in part to celebrity parents choosing it for their daughters. Its simple, straightforward meaning: "virtue" is a lovely sentiment for parents choosing a name for their baby. Claire This classic name, which has analogues in French, English and Italian also has seen a recent revival in popularity. And like Grace, Claire's meaning: "clear, bright" will certainly appeal to parents. Faith Have a little Faith in this classic, Biblical name that has millennial cred thanks in part to the dark slayer character from the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She's remained a low-key favorite among parents seeking names with deeper meaning. Brooke The hottest name of the 1980s, thanks to supermodel and actress Brooke Shields, this name has been overtaken by her two-syllable sister Brooklyn on the popularity charts.

Still, Brooke is a cool-sounding name with a little edge to her that might suit parents considering a more retro moniker for their daughter. Paige Another name that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s, Paige still pops up every so often as a name on TV shows. Like Brooke, Paige is one of those names that exudes sophistication, no matter what decade she's in. Reese This used to be primarily a last name or a boys' name, but thanks to Academy Award-winner Reese Witherspoon, this name is making a small comeback. It's still not among the most common of names, ranking outside the top 100, so it could be a good pick for parents seeking something outside the box. Kate This name has many famous namesakes, most of whom are named Catherine (as in the Princess of Wales) or Katherine (or in Hepburn's case, Katharine) and use Kate for short. If you want to cut to the chase and avoid the risk of your Katherine being nicknamed "Kathy," then Kate might be the way to go.

Quinn Another last name that enjoyed a bit of a bump among the most popular girls' names in the 1980s and 1990s, Quinn is a fine choice for parents seeking a bit of Irish charm for their wee daughter's name. Hope What better sentiment to bestow on a new daughter than Hope? This name has remained low-key in its popularity but has never totally left the public eye. Like her sisters Grace and Faith, Hope is a Biblical name that's taken on new meaning in the modern era. Rose Although it sounds a little old-fashioned, Rose is still a sweet, pretty name that offers a classic feeling for a new baby, whether wild, Irish or otherwise. Continue Reading Using the Correct Name Control in e-filing Corporate Tax Returns Small Businesses & Self-Employed Like - Click this link to Add this page to your bookmarks Using the Correct Name Control in e-filing Corporate Tax Returns Q1. What is a name control? A1. A name control is a sequence of characters derived from a taxpayer’s name that is used by IRS in processing the tax return filed by the taxpayer.

It is important that the combination of name control and taxpayer identification number (TIN) provided on an electronically filed return match IRS’s record of name controls and TINs. A name control is established by the IRS when the taxpayer requests an Employer Identification Number (EIN). The IRS creates the name control from the legal name listed on the Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number. When a return or extension is filed, the IRS checks whether a name/TIN combination is correct by matching it against a file containing all employer identification numbers (EIN) issued by IRS. The name control listed on the return/extension is then compared to the name control on the IRS file. If it matches the name control in our records, it is considered to be correct. Q2. Why is the name control important? A2. In e-file, a taxpayer’s Employer Identification Number (EIN) and name control in the Return Header must match the data in the IRS e-file database. If the EIN and name control do not match at the parent (consolidated) level, the e-filed return will reject. Q3. Are my subsidiary corporations’ name controls important? A3.

Yes, if the Employer Identification Number (EIN) and name control do not match at the subsidiary level, the e-filed return will NOT reject. However, the subsidiary information is used to post an indicator on the subsidiary account that a separate filing is not required. If there is a mismatch, and the mismatch cannot be resolved by IRS, you may receive correspondence. Q4. Can I verify my corporation’s name control prior to e-filing? A4. Yes. IRS recommends that corporations that have any question about the name control they will use in their e-filed tax return verify it before filing. Here are ways name controls can be verified: Review the rules in the Business Name Control matrix that is in FAQ 5 below. If you have an IRS representative on-site, you may contact them for assistance. Call the Business & Specialty Help Line at 1-800-829-4933 for assistance.

You must qualify in one of the following categories to receive assistance: The paid preparer and the paid preparer authorization on the last filed return must be checked An officer of the corporation Have or provide a Form 8821 Tax Information Authorization authorizing you to discuss the corporation’s entity information Have or provide a Form 2848 Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative authorizing you to discuss the corporation’s entity information Q5. How can I determine my corporation’s name control using the Business Name Control matrix? A5. The name control consists of up to four alpha and/or numeric characters. It can be determined from the information specified on the first name line. Generally, the name control is derived from the first four characters of the corporation name. An ampersand (&) and hyphen (-) are the only special characters allowed in the name control. The name control can have less, but no more than four characters. Blanks may be present only at the end of the name control. Note: Do not include ''dba'' as part of the name control. The initials stand for ''doing business as”. Business Name Control Valid Characters: Numeric (0- 9) Q6.

What do I do if my return rejects because of a name control mismatch? A6. Ensure that the Employer Identification Number (EIN) is correct. Review the rules in the Business Name Control matrix. If you get a reject because of an EIN/Name Control mismatch, please call the e-Help Desk at 1-866-255-0654 and follow the prompts for assistance. Q7. Is a taxpayer covered by the electronic filing mandate that officially changed their name and that has already notified the IRS of this change required to file electronically? A7. Yes. Since the notification to IRS of the name change would have resulted in a new Name Control (if applicable), there will not be a problem using the new name and new Name Control. If, for some reason, the e-filed return rejected for a Name Control/ EIN mismatch, and the EIN is correct, the filer should refile the return and check the “Name change” checkbox on the return. Q8. How do you officially change the name of a Corporation with the Internal Revenue Service? A8.

If you are filing a current year return, mark the appropriate name change box of the Form 1120 type you are using: Form 1120: Page 1, Line E, Box 3 Form 1120S: Page 1, Line F, Box 3 Form 1120-F: Page 1, Top Right "Name or Address Change" Box If you have already filed your return for the current year, write to us at the address where you filed your return to inform us of the name change. In addition: The notification must be signed by a Corporate Officer. Articles of Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation from the state that authorized the Corporation’s name change must be attached The Only State... Quiz Extra Trivia ...whose current State Capitol building predates the revolution? The Maryland State House, built in 1772, has a unique wooden dome which was constructed without nails. ...to produce two US Presidents whose sons also became Presidents? Coincidentally, both sons shared their Father's names--John Quincy Adams and George Walker Bush. ...to host a Confederate President's inauguration? Jefferson Davis took his oath of office at the Alabama State Capitol building in 1861.

...whose official state seal is not circular? Connecticut's seal, depicting three grapevines and the state motto, is oval-shaped. ...to have two Federal Reserve Banks? The Federal bank in Kansas City covers the Great Plains region, while the bank in St. Louis covers part of the Central US. ...in which the Northern half is in a different time zone than the Southern half? Northern Idaho is on Pacific Time, while Southern Idaho is on Mountain Time. ...to have multiple native sons immortalized atop Mount Rushmore? George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were both born in Virginia, as were six other Presidents. ...that has 'parishes' instead of counties? Louisiana's unique use of the word 'parish' is a holdover from its days as a French Colony. ...with a community-owned major league professional sports team? The NFL's Green Bay Packers are owned by a large group of stockholders mostly residing in Wisconsin. ...whose median age is under 30 years old? The Mormon Church's encouragement of large families may explain why Utah's median age is only 28.8 years. ...to lie entirely above 1,000 meters elevation?

Colorado's lowest point, at the border with Kansas, is higher than Pennsylvania's tallest summit. ...where prostitution is legal? However, not all counties have legalized it--including the counties Las Vegas and Reno are in. ...with a state capital of over a million people? The next biggest state capital, Indianapolis, has half a million fewer citizens. ...to be named after an American? Perhaps only George Washington had the gravitas to merit such an honor; a state of Franklin was attempted but failed to be approved. ...whose three largest cities begin with the same letter? The largest city in Ohio is Columbus, followed by Cleveland and then Cincinnati. ...to host three modern Olympic Games? Besides the two Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. ...never to cast an electoral vote for Ronald Reagan? Minnesota was the only state to spurn the GOP in 1984, remaining loyal to Minnesotan Walter Mondale. ...whose name has no letters in common with that of its capital? This may not be the most interesting 'Only' stat about South Dakota, but it's the only one I could find... ...to border the Canadian province of New Brunswick?

Maine has one border with New Hampshire, but is otherwise surrounded by Canadian provinces. ...with a modern city founded by European colonists prior to 1600? St. Augustine, founded in 1565, was originally the capital of Spanish Florida. ...to have a Unicameral Legislature? Nebraska's legislature, nicknamed 'The Unicameral' by residents, is also uniquely unaffiliated with any political party. ...whose legal right to statehood was brought before the Supreme Court? Virginia v. West Virginia, in which Virgina strove to regain counties that had seceded during the Civil War, was decided in favor of the Defendant. ...to have territory in the Eastern Hemisphere? This means that Alaska is technically the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost State. ...to have a state-owned bank? The Bank of North Dakota was founded in 1919, and receives funds from state agencies. ...whose official State Motto is in Spanish? Montana's state motto is 'Oro y Plata,' or 'Gold and Silver,' in tribute to the state's mining industry. Exceptional Quality ...to border more than two Great Lakes?

In fact, Michigan borders four Great Lakes--all except for Lake Ontario. ...with an automobile on its commemorative State Quarter? The auto, an 'Indycar,' is a reference to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. ...with a state-wide ban on the carrying of concealed firearms? The only other holdout, Wisconsin, lifted its ban in 2011. ...to include a noncontiguous parcel of land completely surrounded by two other states? Due to a surveying error, the 'Kentucky Bend' of the Mississippi is bound by Missouri on three sides and Tennessee on a fourth. ...whose two biggest cities have lent their names to a Tony-winning musical and an Oscar-winning film, respectively? 'Nashville' won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1976; 'Memphis' won a Tony for Best Musical in 2010. ...to have a higher population density than Puerto Rico? The most densely populated state, New Jersey's 1,189 residents/square mile beats out Puerto Rico's 1,163. ...in which diamonds are mined? Crater of Diamonds State Park is also the world's only diamond-bearing site open to the public.

...whose postal abbreviation consists of two vowels? Iowa is also the only state whose name begins with two vowels. ...to be represented by an African-American Senator prior to the 20th Century? Before 1967, Mississippi's Hiram Revels (1870) and Blanche Bruce (1875) were the only two black US Senators in history. ...to have divorce laws written into its Constitution? The original South Carolina consitution prohibited divorce altogether, but has since been amended. ...named after a German-born monarch? Georgia was named after Britain's King George II, who was born in Hanover, Germany. ...that allows residents to vote from outer space? The reasoning behind this 1997 law makes sense when you consider that most Astronauts live and work in Houston. ...to have a lighthouse that stands over 60 meters high? The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, 63 meters tall (200 feet), is located on the state's easternmost island. ...to be admitted to the Union under a President Roosevelt? Oklahoma joined the Union in 1907, during Theodore Roosevelt's second term; none were admitted under FDR.

...to have a county where a plurality of citizens report their primary ancestry as Polish? Nearly one fourth of Luzerne County, in the state's Northeast region, identifies as Polish-American. ...to contain more than one Ivy League school? Columbia University is located in New York City, while Cornell is in Ithaca ...without commercial air service? Travel from � to Y by Internet BORED? Play our free word games – INTERACTIVE HANGMAN by Eric Shackle Seasoned globetrotters may boast of having toured the world from A to Z (Australia to Zimbabwe), but few, if any, have travelled from ï¿½ (pronounced Aw) to Y (pronounced E). Those are two little-known places with the world's shortest names. ï¿½ (population 150) is a tiny fishing hamlet in the Lofoten Islands, a granite chain in north-west Norway, in the Arctic circle, while Y is an even smaller French village, with only 29 inhabitants. ï¿½ is in Norway "Exposed to North Sea gales, the [Lofoten] islands nonetheless enjoy a summer that makes the slender beaches as appealing as the spectacular scenery and abundant birdlife," says a Polish website.

"Adjacent to prime cod grounds, the islands' many fishing hamlets are situated at the foot of towering cliffs, inhabited by cormorants, puffins, and guillemots. A road connects the major settlements, the largest of which is Svolvar, site of the main services and a colony of artists. At the island's southern extremity, ï¿½ boasts the world's shortest place name." The largest building in ï¿½ is the Lofoten Stockfish Museum. Its website says "The museum provides an insight into the production of Norway's oldest export commodity, stockfish, which was used in foreign trade as early as in the 800s. The museum also shows how work at a conventional fish landing station is carried out... "Large, heated video room with non-stop 30 min. video (English subtitles) – covers everything from the catch, to delivery on the most important market: Italy – plus a 5 min. video in various languages specially intended for groups. "Coffee and waffles [are available] in authentic maritime atmosphere. You can also try tasting stockfish: Lofoten's own 'snacks'.

We take pride in offering professional guiding in Norwegian, English, German, French and Italian." The website also reveals that towards the end of April, an area of 400,000 square metres of Lofoten is covered in stockfish – cod hung out to dry on racks. Every year, 16 million kilograms is hung out, the weight being reduced by about 80 per cent when dried. How did ï¿½ acquire its brief name? We e-mailed the question to the Lofoten Tï¿½rrfiskmuseum. Back came this reply from Elin Graner: "ï¿½ is an old word for a little river. There is a little river coming from the mountains and it ends in the sea here, so that`s the reason for the name. "ï¿½ is the last letter in our alphabet, and the very end of the Lofoten road. The ï¿½ sign on the road is stolen by tourists every year, so it was decided to write ï¿½ i Lofoten instead, to avoid this (it would be too big to steal).

"But then the population in ï¿½ said 'NO, the name of our place is ï¿½, not ï¿½ i Lofoten, so now there is a small sign with only one letter again." Elin said that although ï¿½ no longer has a landing station for fish, fisherman families still live there. "Lofoten has been, and still is dependant on stockfish production. It was the first commodity that the vikings exchanged for goods in other countries. ï¿½ used to be much larger than it is to-day. Because it is difficult to get a job, young people move to other places." Not every visitor has a kind word to say about ï¿½. Take this extract from a diary English undergraduate Matthew Mayer (19), of Crawley, West Sussex, has posted on his website: "Unfortunately our plans for whale-eating came to nothing since there was only one cafï¿½-restaurant in ï¿½. I bought a watermelon and cake for lunch. "After lunch I went alone to the world-famous Stockfish Museum, 'the only one of its kind in the world' (it was not hard to see why).

No one seemed to be about at the entrance, so I walked in, took a guide leaflet and had a look around without having to pay. "The museum was hilarious in its irrelevance. Facts such as 'Wheelbarrows were used for the internal transport if fish on the quay until the 1970s', 'With the help of air conditioning the stockfish can be dried a further 5%, turning it into klipfish' and 'Up until 1955 workers had to kneel down on the floor to brace the fish' were read and promptly forgotten. "My desire for stockfish sated, I headed back into ï¿½ to have a look around. Many of the buildings in the pretty fishing village have been incorporated into the Norsk Fiskevï¿½rsmuseum (Norwegian Fishing Museum). I was able to visit the deserted cod liver oil factory, fisherman's house, forge, bakery and woodshed. This was all very interesting but could have done with a bit more explanation." Despite Matthew's criticism, ï¿½ is a picturesque and popular tourist resort in summer. Some 1,500 miles to the south lies the French village of Y.

Its brief name dates back to 1241. Y is near the township of Ham ans Athies in the department of Somme in Picardy. In World War I (1914-18), the Somme, on the Western Front, was a bloody battlefield, where more than a million British, U.S., Australian/New Zealand, French and German troops were killed in two horrific encounters. The American Somme Cemetery, 98 miles northeast of Paris, contains the remains of 1,844 soldiers, most of whom served in American units attached to British armies or in operations near Cantigny. Y is a French village Famous German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) mentioned the village in his book, Der Rote Kampfflieger, published in 1917. An English language version was published in 1918 as The Red Battle Flyer. "We went on a shooting expedition on the twentieth of April," he wrote. "We came home very late and lost Schï¿½fer on the way. Of course everyone hoped that he would come to land before dark. It struck nine, it struck ten, but no Schï¿½fer was visible.

"His benzene could not last so long. Consequently, he had landed somewhere, for no one was willing to admit that he had been shot down. No one dared to mention the possibility. Still, everyone was afraid for him. "The ubiquitous telephone was set in motion in order to find out whether a flying man had come down anywhere. Nobody could give us information. No Division and no Brigade had seen anything of him. We felt very uncomfortable. At last we went to bed. All of us were perfectly convinced that he would turn up in the end. "At two o'clock, after midnight, I was suddenly awakened. The telephone orderly, beaming with pleasure, reported to me: 'Schï¿½fer is in the Village of Y, and would like to be fetched home.'" And that, judging by the Internet search engines, was the last time anyone seems to have heard about Y*. Footnote: Wondering why the name of the Norwegian hamlet is written as ï¿½ instead of A? The Norwegian alphabet has 29 letters, three more than English. The extra characters are ï¿½ (ï¿½), ï¿½ (ï¿½) and ï¿½ (ï¿½).

They're pronounced as the vowels in pat, pert and port. Norwegian computer keyboards have three extra keys. © 2002 Eric Shackle (eshackle@ozemail.com.au).

Question: With only one letter in its name. What is the name of the pub with the shortest name?
Answer: Q