Trivia Quiz?

[phkrause]

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

Who created the TV talk show "The View"?

Oprah Winfrey Barbara Walters Whoopi Goldberg Larry King

Barbara Walters

Answer: The View is a talk show that has aired on ABC since August 11, 1997. The show was created and co-hosted by Barbara Walters. The View is co-hosted by a panel of women who discuss a variety of social, political, entertainment, and general public-interest topics. At various times the panel of women has included Lisa Ling, Star Jones, Meredith Vieira, and comedian Joy Behar. Through the years several other notable women, including Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd, and Rosie O'Donnell sat on the show's panel.

[phkrause]

Which U.S. state is the only one to share a border with just one state?

A. Florida
B. Washington
C. New Mexico
D. Maine

Maine

[phkrause]

In the original version of Trivial Pursuit, which category is represented by the color blue?

Entertainment History Sports & Leisure Geography

Geography is my guess

[phkrause]

4 Trivia Questions about the Clash of the Ironclads

Early on the morning of March 9, 1862, the Union's USS Monitor faced off against the Confederacy's CSS Virginia in what would be the most important naval battle of the Civil War. In observance of this landmark Civil War event, we've put together some trivia questions; try your luck with them to see how much you know about this epic clash of the ironclads.

Wasn't the Confederate Ship Called the Merrimack?

Were These Warships the First Ironclads?

Which Ship Won the Battle of Hampton Roads?

What Was the Fate of the Battle's Ironclads?

[phkrause]

How many periods are in a hockey game?

Five Four Three Two

[phkrause]

17 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which U.S. state is the only one to share a border with just one state?

A. Florida
B. Washington
C. New Mexico
D. Maine

Maine

D. Maine

Maine shares a border with just New Hampshire...and Canada.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

In the original version of Trivial Pursuit, which category is represented by the color blue?

Entertainment History Sports & Leisure Geography

Geography is my guess

Answer: Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which winning is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. Questions are split into six categories, with each one having its own color to readily identify itself; in the original version of Trivial Pursuit, the categories are Geography (blue), Entertainment (pink), History (yellow), Arts & Literature (originally brown, later purple), Science & Nature (green), and Sports & Leisure (orange).

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Wasn't the Confederate Ship Called the Merrimack?

While most American children are taught that the ironclads that clashed at the Battle of Hampton Roads were the Monitor and the Merrimack, the Confederate ship's official name that day was the CSS Virginia. In fact, both of these ships began life as Union naval vessels. The USS Merrimack was docked at Norfolk Navy Yard in Virginia in April 1861 when the state voted to secede from the Union. Unable to sail the ship out of the port, the U.S. Navy burned the vessel and sank it to keep it out of the Confederacy's hands. However, the ever-resourceful Confederacy managed to salvage much of the ship's superstructure from its watery grave, slapped on an iron hull, and rechristened the ship the CSS Virginia. Northern newspaper accounts of the naval engagement invariably referred to the Confederates' vessel by its original name, and thus the confusion.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Were These Warships the First Ironclads?

The French navy has the distinction of launching the world's first ironclad warship, although the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia were the first ironclads to face off in a naval battle. In November 1859, the French launched La Gloire, the first ironclad battleship in the world. In response, the British Royal Navy hastened to build its own ironclad to maintain a balance of power between the two often-contentious neighbors. The British ship, an iron-hulled frigate, was launched and christened the HMS Warrior in October 1861.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which Ship Won the Battle of Hampton Roads?

The face-off between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia ended in something of a draw, with each of the ships pulling back from the fighting having managed to inflict minimal damage on the other. However, the Union's ironclad arrived in Hampton Roads late on March 8, the first of two days of naval battle. During that first day, the ironclad Confederate warship inflicted heavy damage on two wooden Union naval vessels, the USS Cumberland and the USS Congress. Over the two-day battle, the Union suffered far heavier casualties -- 261 killed, 108 wounded -- than the Confederacy -- 7 killed and 17 wounded. But the Confederacy was unsuccessful in achieving its ultimate goal of breaking the Union blockade of the port of Hampton Roads.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Was the Fate of the Battle's Ironclads?

While neither of the ironclad warships sustained significant damage in the Battle of Hampton Roads, both would be lost before the end of 1862. An effort to sail the CSS Virginia up the James River to Richmond ended in failure because the river was not deep enough to allow the ship's passage. Stuck in the river short of its destination, the Virginia was torched by its Confederate commander to keep it from falling into Union hands. The USS Monitor, dispatched to reinforce the Union blockade along the North Carolina coast, was battered by a storm and sank on December 31, 1862.

[phkrause]

17 hours ago, phkrause said:

How many periods are in a hockey game?

Five Four Three Two

Answer: A regulation ice hockey game consists of three periods of twenty minutes, the clock running only when the puck is in play. The teams change ends after each period of play, including overtime. It's known that hockey has been around since at least 1363, when Edward III of England banned the sport in a royal proclamation. Hockey pucks have three-inch diameters. They are frozen before each game so that they don't bounce during the game. The first puck used during outdoor hockey in the 1800s was made of frozen cow dung.

[phkrause]

Which fast-food chain did Dave Thomas work for before founding Wendy's?

A. McDonald's
B. KFC
C. Taco Bell
D. Hardee's

[phkrause]

Where is the lowest point in North America?

Death Valley, California New Orleans, Louisiana San Luis, Arizona Salton Sea, California

[phkrause]

Four Amazing Trivia Questions about Ulysses S. Grant

On this day in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln officially promoted then-Major General Ulysses S. Grant to the rank of lieutenant general of the U.S. Army, tasking the future president with the job of leading all Union troops against the Confederate Army.  Can you answer these four trivia questions about this great historical figure?

What Happened to Ulysses S. Grant on March 10th, 1864 that Changed History?

What Was Grant's Connection To Abraham Lincoln Assassination?

What Famous Author Saved Ulysses S. Grant from Bankruptcy?

Why Did Grant Enter West Point Military Academy Under a Fraudulent Name?

[phkrause]

Which U.S. state's unofficial nickname is the "Show-Me State"?

Missouri Virginia Ohio Wisconsin

[Outta Here]

15 minutes ago, phkrause said:

Which U.S. state's unofficial nickname is the "Show-Me State"?

Missouri Virginia Ohio Wisconsin

Ooh! Pick me!!! It's Missouri! My home state!

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which fast-food chain did Dave Thomas work for before founding Wendy's?

A. McDonald's
B. KFC
C. Taco Bell
D. Hardee's

B. KFC

As head cook at Kentucky Fried Chicken, Thomas may have gotten his hands on that secret recipe!

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

Where is the lowest point in North America?

Death Valley, California New Orleans, Louisiana San Luis, Arizona Salton Sea, California

Answer: Death Valley is the lowest point in North America with an elevation of -282 feet at its Badwater Basin. Death Valley is within Death Valley National Park in the Mojave Desert of California. It is one of the hottest places in the world at the height of summertime along with deserts in Africa and in the Middle East. It is also unusually dry and records small amounts of rainfall annually. Death Valley was named by gold-seekers, some of whom died crossing the valley during the 1849 California gold rush.

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Happened to Ulysses S. Grant on March 10th, 1864 that Changed History?

It is quite possible that if Grant hadn't been appointed the commander of the Union Armies during the American Civil War the outcome might have been very different. That's because his stance on how to win the war was different than everyone else's. He believed that the only way to win was to eliminate the Confederate armies and set out to hunt them down. Grant led the Union Army to victory during the Civil War and later helped steer the nation through Reconstruction during his two terms as president.

 

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Was Grant's Connection To Abraham Lincoln Assassination?

On April 14th, 1865, a date that some will recognize, Ulysses S. Grant and his wife declined an invitation to sit in the balcony of the Ford Theater with Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln to visit their children in New Jersey. Grant later described Lincoln’s death as the “darkest day of my life,” and bitterly regretted not having been at his side. Despite being a potential target himself, he was convinced he would have somehow stopped John Wilkes Booth from pulling the trigger.

 

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Famous Author Saved Ulysses S. Grant from Bankruptcy?

After his two terms, Grant settled down in Illinois and tried to help his son get into a business venture by borrowing money.  Turned out that the business partner was a scam artist that cost Grant everything.  With nothing left and having been diagnosed with throat cancer, Grant and his family’s salvation came in the form of Mark Twain who penned Grant’s memoirs. “The Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant” hit stores later the year, and was hailed as a literary masterpiece. It was also a massive bestseller. Only a year after the book was published, Twain presented Grant’s widow Julia with a royalty check for a whopping $200,000.

 

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Did Grant Enter West Point Military Academy Under a Fraudulent Name?

Grant entered West Point Military Academy as Ulysses S. Grant rather than his birth name of Hiram Ulysses Grant after the Congressman who wrote his recommendation to West Point wrote his name down wrong. Rather than risk not being accepted, Grant simply changed his name and was known as Ulysses S. Grant afterward. Although some claim that the 'S' stood for "Simpson," his mother's maiden name, most historians agree that the 'S' was simply a middle initial and didn't stand for anything.

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which U.S. state's unofficial nickname is the "Show-Me State"?

Missouri Virginia Ohio Wisconsin

 

19 hours ago, Aubrey said:

Ooh! Pick me!!! It's Missouri! My home state!

Answer: There are a number of stories behind Missouri's sobriquet "Show-Me" state. The slogan is not official, but is common throughout the state and is used on Missouri license plates. The most widely known legend attributes the phrase to Missouri's U.S. Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver. In a speech he declared, "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me." Regardless of whether Vandiver coined the phrase, it is certain that his speech helped to popularize the saying.

[phkrause]

Which of the following measures hurricane strength?

A. Richter Scale
B. Fujita-Pearson Scale
C. Saffir-Simpson Scale
D. Mercalli Scale

[phkrause]

What does the "O" in O.J. Simpson stand for?

Oscar Oliver Orenthal Orlando

Orenthal

[phkrause]

4 Electrifying Trivia Questions About Frankenstein

On March 11, 1818, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley at age 18, was published. Answering these trivia questions should not be too horrifying.

Where Did the Idea for the Book Come From?

Why Did Mary Shelley Write the Novel?

Was Frankenstein the Monster's Name?

Has the Book Frankenstein Ever Been Out of Print?

[phkrause]

Which TV character often advised his wife to "Stifle yourself"?

Ricky Ricardo George Jefferson Al Bundy Archie Bunker

Archie Bunker

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which of the following measures hurricane strength?

A. Richter Scale
B. Fujita-Pearson Scale
C. Saffir-Simpson Scale
D. Mercalli Scale

C. Saffir-Simpson Scale

The Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale measures the strength of hurricanes.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

What does the "O" in O.J. Simpson stand for?

Oscar Oliver Orenthal Orlando

Orenthal

Answer: Orenthal James Simpson was born on July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, California. His aunt gave him the name Orenthal, supposedly the name of a French actor she liked. O.J. was famously acquitted for the murders of his ex-wife and her friend following a high-profile 1995 criminal trial. Simpson later was sentenced to up to 33 years in prison in 2008 for kidnapping and armed robbery. Simpson continues to serve his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nevada. He will be eligible for parole in October 2017.

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Where Did the Idea for the Book Come From?

There is some suggestion that Mary Godwin, before her marriage to Percy Bysshe Shelley, traveled through Southern Germany by boat in 1814 and stayed near Darmstadt. The Frankenstein Castle sits on a hill overlooking the town, and even then, was the subject of numerous myths and folktales. One, in particular, is the story of alchemist, theologian, and physician Johann Conrad Dippel, who was born in Frankenstein Castle.

Although little has been proven about Dippel's life, many rumors exist, including that he was searching for the Elixir of Life and the Philosopher's Stone, which could turn metals into gold. He did develop Dippel's Oil, a substance composed of charred animal bones, hooves and hides, similar to Neat's Foot Oil. However, dark rumors existed at the time that Dippel was experimenting that might have involved bodies stolen from graveyards, reanimation experiments and transferring the soul of a body into another.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Did Mary Shelley Write the Novel?

She traveled to the Swiss villa near Lake Geneva belonging to poet George Gordon Lord Byron, along with Percy Bysshe Shelley, and others during the summer of 1816. Because of the eruption of Mt. Tambora in 1815 in Indonesia, it created incessant rain, forcing the group to spend a great deal of time indoors. That year became known as "the year without a summer." They passed much of the time telling ghost stories, writing, and reading, and it was Byron who suggested they have a contest writing such stories. Mary, Shelley's soon to be wife, said the idea for the story came to her because of conversations between Percy Shelley and Lord Byron about life and the possibility of the reanimation of corpses, among other subjects. Mary Shelley's novel was published two years later with no author listed. However, the preface to the book was written by her husband, Percy Shelley, and includes the reasons they decided to write stories with a supernatural theme.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Was Frankenstein the Monster's Name?

No. Victor Frankenstein was the name of the monster's creator, not the creature itself. Nowhere in Mary Shelley's novel does she call the monster by a name. Instead, she refers to the monster as "it," "creature," and by other words. As for the monster, it refers to itself as when speaking to Victor as "the Adam of your labours." It goes on to say, "I should have been your Adam but instead I am your fallen angel."

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Has the Book Frankenstein Ever Been Out of Print?

No. Since its initial release of 500 copies in 1818, the book has continuously been in print. It has also inspired numerous movies, musicals, comic books and toys. The first film depiction of the book was made in 1910 by Edison Studios, the company owned by inventor Thomas Edison. One of the most popular movies was released in 1931. Frankenstein starred Boris Karloff as the monster and Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein.

The duo starred again in Bride of Frankenstein in the 1935 movie, with Elsa Lanchester as the bride. The monster even made its way into comedies such as the 1948 Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein, the Mel Brooks' comedy starring Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle. In television programming, it extended to Fred Gwynne's character of Herman Munster.