Trivia Quiz?

[phkrause]

Iceberg, Right Ahead! The Sinking of Titanic

On April 14th, 1912, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg, and began a descent into the sea that would leave over 1,500 people dead. Today we take a look back and see how much you know about the most famous shipwreck in history. 

What Role Did the Weather Play in the Iceberg Going Unseen That Night?

What Did David Blair Accidentally Take in His Pocket When He Left the Titanic?

How Much Longer Is the Titanic Expected to Last?

What Conspiracy Theories Surround the Sinking?

[phkrause]

Where did the Titanic set sail from when she departed on April 10, 1912?

Ireland Germany New York England

My pick is England!!

[phkrause]

On 4/15/2017 at 3:17 PM, phkrause said:

In 1892, which product did the William Wrigley begin including with the Wrigley Company's baking powder?

A. Chewing gum
B. A baseball
C. Life Savers
D. Soap

I'm thinking "gum!"

A. Chewing gum

For each can of baking powder sold, the Wrigley Company included two packages of chewing gum, which became more popular than the rest of the products. Hence, the gum company was born.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

On 4/15/2017 at 4:31 PM, phkrause said:

Who bought a ticket for the Titanic but ended up not boarding the ship?

Babe Ruth Mark Twain Henry Ford Milton Hershey

Pretty sure it wasn't Ruth! My thought is, is that its Hershey??

Answer: Milton S. Hershey bought a VIP ticket for the Titanic but ended up not boarding the ship as planned. The founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company had spent the winter in France and planned to sail home on the Titanic. The Hershey Community Archives has in its collection a $300 check Hershey wrote to the White Star Line as deposit toward his stateroom. Fortunately for Hershey, business back home apparently intervened, and he and his wife instead caught a ship that was sailing earlier, the German liner Amerika. The Amerika would earn its own footnote in the disaster, as one of several ships to send the Titanic warnings of ice in its path.

[phkrause]

On 4/15/2017 at 4:58 PM, phkrause said:

What Role Did the Weather Play in the Iceberg Going Unseen That Night?

The crew aboard the Titanic realized they were headed straight for an iceberg only 37 seconds before impact, too late to avoid the crash. It was a famously calm night, and most have dismissed the lookout crew's claim that the iceberg just came out of the haze, as though appearing out of nowhere. After all, how could an iceberg go completely unseen on a totally clear night? 

Well new research now indicates that that's likely exactly what happened. In fact, it was the calmness of the weather that was likely the problem. After years of research into weather reports and logs, Titanic expert Tim Maltin came to the conclusion that the Titanic that night was actually passing through a combination of rare weather elements that would have caused light to bend and to make it appear from the ship's lookouts that the horizon was higher than it was, thus hiding the iceberg from view. In other words, it now seems likely that the Titanic was passing through a set of atmospheric conditions that means, yes, the iceberg did appear as though out of nowhere.

 

On 4/15/2017 at 4:58 PM, phkrause said:

What Did David Blair Accidentally Take in His Pocket When He Left the Titanic?

The atmospheric conditions weren't the only problem that night for the lookout crew. They also were lacking a very standard and important tool: binoculars.

David Blair was the second officer aboard the Titanic as it traveled from Belfast to Southampton, and was scheduled to keep that job for the ship's famous voyage. But at the last minute, he was replaced to make room for an officer with more experience. In his hurry to leave the boat, he accidentally took with him the key to a locker that many now believe contained the vessel's binoculars to be used by lookouts in the crow's nest. So it was that the lookout crew was working only on the strength of their eyes that night. One lookout who survived later testified that he believed a set of binoculars would have allowed him to see the iceberg far enough in advance to avoid it altogether. 

 

On 4/15/2017 at 4:58 PM, phkrause said:

How Much Longer Is the Titanic Expected to Last?

The Titanic has been underwater for over 100 years, but it may only have another 15 or 20 left. A species of rust-eating bacteria called Halomonas titanicae has been discovered steadily devouring the ship's 50,000 tons of iron. According to Dr. Henrietta Mann, a professor involved in the bacteria's discovery, "I think Titanic has maybe 15 or 20 years left ... Eventually there will be nothing left but a rust stain on the bottom of the Atlantic."

 

On 4/15/2017 at 4:58 PM, phkrause said:

What Conspiracy Theories Surround the Sinking?

Titanic conspiracy theories are a niche market; the population that believes the theories isn't as big as those that dispute more recent tragedies. However, some of the theories are certainly creative. One claims the ship was deliberately sunk because it was a hit. Three of the passengers were financial scions who supposedly didn't support forming the Federal Reserve Bank in the United States. All three died in the disaster, and the bank was established in 1913, leading some to believe the sinking was meant to get those three out of the way. Another theory is that there was a cursed Egyptian mummy in the cargo hold. There's no concrete evidence to support these theories, but the fanfiction is probably awesome.

[phkrause]

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

Where did the Titanic set sail from when she departed on April 10, 1912?

Ireland Germany New York England

My pick is England!!

Answer: The Titanic set sail from the White Star Dock in Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912. The British passenger liner sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in the early morning of 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage. The sinking resulted in the loss of more than 1,500 passengers and crew making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history.

[phkrause]

What does the Japanese term "Bushu-suru" mean in English?

A. To start wars
B. A one-term president
C. To vomit
D. Points of Light

[phkrause]

The tradition of the Easter Bunny began in which European country?

France Italy Spain Germany

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Some Truly Eggscellent Easter Trivia

How much do you know about Easter, bunnies, eggs and more?  Test your knowledge of Easter traditions with some fun facts and Easter trivia.

What is the Name for Ukrainian Eggs Colored with Dye and Beeswax?

So What Does the Rabbit Represent?

What is the Most Popular Part of a Chocolate Rabbit to Eat First?

How Much Did the World’s Largest Easter Egg Weigh?

[phkrause]

Emma Morano, the world’s oldest person died yesterday. How old was she?

109 113 117 123

117 if I'm not mistaken

[phkrause]

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

What does the Japanese term "Bushu-suru" mean in English?

A. To start wars
B. A one-term president
C. To vomit
D. Points of Light

C. To vomit

The term translates to "do the Bush thing" or "to vomit," referring to the 1992 state dinner during which President Bush, ill with the flu, threw up on the Japanese prime minister.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

22 hours ago, phkrause said:

The tradition of the Easter Bunny began in which European country?

France Italy Spain Germany

Answer: The story of the Easter Bunny, which is called der Osterhase in German, originated in Germany in the 16th century. German immigrants were responsible for the Easter bunny gaining popularity around the world, according to History.com. According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.”

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

What is the Name for Ukrainian Eggs Colored with Dye and Beeswax?

It’s one thing to break out the Paas kit and turn your eggs into lovely shades of red, blue, green, and scrambled (for the clumsy oaf in every family.) But if you REALLY want to turn your eggs into elaborately decorated works of art, you need to master the Ukrainian art of Pysanka. No painting is required, as all designs are drawn on via melted beeswax. The eggs are then dipped in dyes, either aniline or naturally derived, to give it color..

While you could theoretically create any design you pleased, a true Pysanka egg is exclusively printed with classical Ukrainian folk symbols. There are a lot of them, so get to studying.

 

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

So What Does the Rabbit Represent?

It has to mean something, right? It’s not like they decided on “rabbit” by opening a door and naming their new holiday after the first animal they saw..

As a matter of fact, there’s a very meaningful reason that Easter is represented by a bunny. As many of you know, rabbits are very good at reproducing, and are seen as a symbol of fertility and life. As such, they were the spirit animal of Eostra, the 13th-century German goddess of fertility. As such, her name soon became the namesake of a holiday designed to commemorate Jesus’s return from the dead, and the rabbit followed suit.

 

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

What is the Most Popular Part of a Chocolate Rabbit to Eat First?

Yes, people do have a preference as to what part of the bunny they eat first. Also, by and large, most people start the same way: at the ears. Three out of every four people who eat chocolate bunnies say they like to eat the ears first, presumably so the poor widdle gwey wabbit can’t hear you laughing at its misery anymore.

 

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

How Much Did the World’s Largest Easter Egg Weigh?

You eat more than two Cadbury eggs, and you feel so heavy you might never want to eat again. Now imagine eating tens of thousands of those things at once. Very likely, you feel fat just thinking about it.

Well, something like that did in fact exist. The largest chocolate egg ever created came about on April 16, 2011. A chocolate maker in Tosca, Italy had seemingly no customers that day, so he decided to create a 15873-pound monstrosity for the sake of Guinness World Record immortality. The egg stood over 34 feet tall, and measured up to 64 feet around. The egg seemingly no longer exists, which probably means the entire town of Tosca, three years later, is still laid out in a village-wide cocoa coma. A cocoma, even.

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

Emma Morano, the world’s oldest person died yesterday. How old was she?

109 113 117 123

117 if I'm not mistaken

Answer: The world's oldest person died in Italy at the age of 117 yesterday. Emma Morano was born on November 29, 1899 in the Piedmont region of Italy. She was officially the last person born in the 1800s still living. She held the Guinness World Record titles for oldest living person and oldest living woman. She had attributed her longevity to her genetics and a diet of three eggs a day, two of them raw. She was five years younger than Jeanne Calment, the 122-year-old who held the title for oldest person ever.

[phkrause]

On which holiday did Theodore Roosevelt's mother and first wife die in 1884?

A. Christmas Day
B. Valentine's Day
C. Independence Day
D. Thanksgiving

[phkrause]

Who was the highest paid actor in 2016?

Johnny Depp Dwayne Johnson Matt Damon Tom Cruise

[phkrause]

4 Trivia Questions About The Failed Bay of Pigs Invasion

On April 17, 1961, more than 1,400 Cuban exiles, armed and trained by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, stormed ashore at the Bay of Pigs, a remote swampy area on Cuba's southern coast. Try your luck with these trivia questions to see how much you know about this pivotal Cold War event. 

Who Hatched the Plan for the Invasion?

What about Air Support for the Invaders?

What Flawed Assumption Doomed the Invasion?

What Effect Did the Botched Invasion Have on the Kennedy Administration?

[phkrause]

Which beverage was originally called Fruit Smack?

Red Bull Kool-Aid SunnyD Sunkist

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

On which holiday did Theodore Roosevelt's mother and first wife die in 1884?

A. Christmas Day
B. Valentine's Day
C. Independence Day
D. Thanksgiving

B. Valentine's Day

Alice Lee Roosevelt, the future president's wife, and his mother, Mittie Bulloch, died within hours of each other on Valentine's Day, 1884. Alice died of complications from Bright's Disease, and Mittie died of typhoid fever.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

Who was the highest paid actor in 2016?

Johnny Depp Dwayne Johnson Matt Damon Tom Cruise

Answer: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was the world’s highest-paid actor last year at a stunning $64.5 million earned, according to Forbes. The former wrestler’s millions came from upfront fees for movies including Central Intelligence and Fast 8, as well as the forthcoming Baywatch in which he’s set to play Mitch Buchannon. Since helping launch the billion-dollar Fast and Furious franchise and leading 2015's "San Andreas" to a surprising $473 million worldwide, Dwayne Johnson has become Hollywood's go-to action hero.

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Who Hatched the Plan for the Invasion?

Officials of the Eisenhower Administration, alarmed at the socialist leanings of the new Castro government in Cuba, in March 1960 gave the CIA $13.1 million to develop a plan for the overthrow of Fidel Castro. Working with Cuban exile leaders in South Florida, the intelligence agency began covertly training counter-revolutionary forces, known collectively as Brigade 2506. After his November 1960 election to the presidency, John F. Kennedy was informed of the ongoing preparations for an invasion and gave his blessing, although many of his military advisers warned him the planned invasion had little chance of success.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

What about Air Support for the Invaders?

To provide support for amphibious troops coming ashore at the Bay of Pigs, the original invasion plan called for two series of air strikes. The first came in the form of eight B-26 bombers, repainted to resemble planes of the Cuban air force, that attacked Cuban airfields in the early morning hours of April 15. According to the account posted at JFKLibrary.org, ¨the bombers missed many of their targets and left most of Castro's air force intact.¨ Making matters worse, photos of the camouflaged U.S. bombers became public, making it clear that the United States was supporting the invasion. In the wake of this revelation, President Kennedy canceled the second air strike, depriving the amphibious invaders at the Bay of Pigs of crucial air support.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Flawed Assumption Doomed the Invasion?

Both the Cuban exiles who made up Brigade 2506 and their CIA handlers fervently believed that the Bay of Pigs invasion would inspire many anti-Castro Cubans to rise up in support of the attempt to overthrow the Castro government. This home-grown support was considered critical to the eventual success or failure of the invasion. Unfortunately, it never materialized. As a result, the Bay of Pigs invaders soon found themselves pinned down by Cuban fighter planes. 

In the early afternoon of April 19, just a little over two days since the invasion started, the exile brigade had little choice but to surrender. Sixty-eight of the invaders had been killed during the ill-fated mission, and Cuban forces captured more than 1,200 of the invaders, who eventually were given show trials before being locked up in Cuban prisons. 

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Effect Did the Botched Invasion Have on the Kennedy Administration?

The ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion came less than three months after President Kennedy had taken office and was widely used by America's enemies to paint the new American leader as inexperienced, indecisive, and weak. Emboldened by the disastrous invasion attempt, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev four months later began building the wall that for nearly three decades separated Communist East Berlin from West Berlin. And it brought closer cooperation between the Soviet Union and Cuba that in 1962 led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. 

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which beverage was originally called Fruit Smack?

Red Bull Kool-Aid SunnyD Sunkist

Answer: Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in Hastings, Nebraska. Its predecessor was a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack. To reduce shipping costs, in 1927, Perkins discovered a way to remove the liquid from Fruit Smack, leaving only a powder. This powder was named Kool-Aid. Perkins moved his production to Chicago in 1931 and Kool-Aid was sold to General Foods in 1953. Hastings still celebrates a yearly summer festival called Kool-Aid Days on the second weekend in August, in honor of their city's claim to fame. Kool-Aid is known as Nebraska's official soft drink.

[phkrause]

Which grunge band's bassist became politically active post-musical career and penned the book Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy?

A. Pearl Jam
B. Soul Asylum
C. Alice in Chains
D. Nirvana

[phkrause]

Whose famous horse ride was immortalized in a poem by Longfellow?

George Washington Napoleon Bonaparte Alexander the Great Paul Revere

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Hold on and Answer These Trivia Questions

April 18, 1906, was the day that San Francisco shook. The Great San Francisco Earthquake blasted the city awake, and that, plus aftershocks and a terrible series of fires, managed to destroy the city. Try answering these trivia questions about a seismic event that demands respect.

Why Were the Fires Following the Quake So Devastating?

What Geologic Effects Did the Quake Have?

What Technological First Did the Quake Necessitate?

How Did the Quake Help the Bay Area Grow?