Dr. Sturgis is 100% right. He did rewrite the paper entirely and gave Sheldon proper recognition in the footnotes. Sheldon had nothing to do with the actual rewrite.
The firecracker that Missy uses to blow up her trophy is actually an M-80 "Ashcan". They were banned for public use in the '60s and made illegal in the '70s. Classified as an explosive, they would be impossible for a 12-year-old to get easily.
Chi-Chi's was a casual dining Tex-Mex restaurant chain (now defunct) that is credited with popularizing the sizzling fajita.
This is the final appearance of Veronica in the series (with the exception of a flashback to her and Georgie's baptism in the series finale.)