One of the “Smart Search” tools that Ask Jeeves offers (its been around for about a year) is called Famous People Search. FPS offers biographical info and direct links to key resources about celebrities and newsmakers that are placed at the top of a results page. Info comes from mining specialty databases like Who2.com, AllMusic.com and other sources.
Today, I’ve noticed that for some types of queries you not only get the biographical info but you also get an answers for certain queries. For example:
When is David Bowie’s birthday
At the top of the serp (before the organic results) you’ll see the answer (David Bowie was born January 8, 1947) along with more bio info and direct links.
How Old is Robert DeNiro?
On a related note, this is Academy Awards season and AJ provides answers for queries about past Oscar winners.
Examples:
+ Best Picture 2001
+ Best Actress 1967
+ Best Actor 1972