Category Archives: Facts and Trivia

Trivia’s Facts and More (12/21)

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This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

Besides the most famous reindeer of all, Rudolph, can you name Santa’s eight remaining reindeer?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

One of the most popular songs at Christmas is “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer.”  People know bits and pieces about the history behind the song; but, here is the rest the story.

In the late 1930s, American retailer Montgomery Ward was looking to create a nationwide marketing campaign for the month of December.  They looked for help from their talented copywriter, Robert L. May.  

As May crafted poetry to share the story of his newly invented character, Rudolph, he enlisted the help of Denver Gillen.  Gillen worked in Montgomery Ward’s art department, and his illustrations would be featured in the short publication.

While Gillen envisoned Rudolph as a young deer with his big, red nose, May crafted rhyming couplets (a sample follows).

Twas the day before Christmas, and all through the hills

The reindeer were playing, enjoying the spills

Of skating and coasting, and climbing the willows

And hopscotch and leapfrog (protected by pillows)

Over 800 Montgomery Ward stores opted in to participate in the December promotion.  Nearly two and a half million copies were ordered (at at cost of 1.5 cents apiece).  The copies were given freely to children who visited each participating store.

Following World War II in 1949, Montgomery Ward decided to bring back their highly successful Christmas promotion, which again featured “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”  Over three and a half million copies were printed.

Eventually Montgomery Ward granted May the copyright privileges to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”  He shared his poetry story with his brother-in-law, Johnny Marks.  Marks just happened to be a songwriter.  With May’s approval, he adapted the story to lyrics of a Christmas song of the same name.

Actor and singing cowboy, Gene Autry, was signed to record the song, and it became a top hit in 1946.  The lyrics featured an updated story about this famous reindeer.  Later in 1964, television’s classic animated feature, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” was produced by Rankin/Bass.  

Moving from top left and clockwise:  cover of one version of Robert L. May’s book, Robert L. May, Gene Autry, scene from television’s 1964 feature, gene autry’s album cover.  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen

Trivia’s Facts and More (12/14)

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This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

How do you know that Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are about to get married?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

The 25th President of the United States was William McKinley, who hailed from the state of Ohio.

Here are a few quick facts about President McKinley:

  • Political party:  Republican
  • Birthplace:  Niles, Ohio (January 29, 1843)
  • Death:  September 14, 1901 (Buffalo, New York)
  • Nickname:  “The Idol of Ohio”
  • Colleges attended:  Allegheny College (Salem, Ohio), Mount Union College (Alliance, Ohio)
  • Occupations:  School teacher, soldier, lawyer

McKinley spent his entire political career in the Buckeye state of Ohio.  Elected to seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and two terms as Governor, he was well-positioned to become President of the American Union.

McKinley’s earlier years found him serving in the Union army during the American Civil War, where he led a group of volunteers from his home state.  Later, he practiced law in the city of Canton, which was not far from his childhood roots in Niles.  

McKinley was elected to two terms as President.  In both the elections of 1896 and 1900, his Democratic challenger was William Jennings Bryant.  Unfortunately, he became the third President to be assassinated during the early months of his second term.  

McKinley was attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York when he was murdered.  His Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt, succeeded him as President.

As President, McKinley was a strong supporter of protective tariffs.  During his first term, the United States successfully defended itself in the Spanish-American War of 1898.  In the treaty that ended the hostilities, the United States gained the Spanish territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

McKinley’s namesake has been used as the portrait on the United States’ $500 bill.  His name was designated for the highest mountain peak in North America, Mount McKinley.  In 2015 the Alaskan peak was renamed Denali, its traditional native name.

Moving from top left and clockwise:  presidential portrait, canton home, mckinley national memorial (in canton), civil war portrait, his assassination in the cleveland newspaper.  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

They all have rings.

Trivia’s Facts and More (11/30)

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This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

Simon has scored 14, 20, 22, and 16 points in four basketball games.  If his final average will reach 20 points per game, how many points must he score in a fifth game?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

Admitted to the American Union on February 14, 1859, Oregon is the 33rd state of the United States.

Here are a few quick facts about Oregon:

  • Capital city:  Salem
  • Largest city:  Portland (population:  630,498)
  • Nickname:  Beaver State
  • State bird:  Western meadowlark
  • State tree:  Douglas fir
  • State motto:  Alis Volat Propiis (She Flies With Her Own Wings)

Oregon is well-known for its diverse landscape.  The western coastal region features rainforests, mountains, and fertile valleys.  The eastern side of the state offers a more arid and harsh environment with grasslands and deserts.

Oregon’s coastal mountain range is filled with an array of volcanic peaks.  From their ancient activity, numerous lava flows have created volcanic rock formations, which resemble a moon-like terrain.  During the 1960s, America’s space agency, NASA, utilizes this region to prepare Apollo astronauts for eventual travel to the Moon.

Another prominent holdover from these past volcanic times is Crater Lake, which is part of a national park (established in 1902).  America’s fifth oldest national park is home to the deepest lake in the United States, reaching 1,949 feet.  The crater’s basin is all that remains from a collapsed, ancient caldera.

Oregon leads the nation in growing a variety of crops:  peppermint, blackberries, boysenberries, longberries, black raspberries, and hazelnuts.  Wild mushroom hunting is legal, and a harvest of one gallon per day is allowed.  The state is the nation’s leading source of Christmas trees.

Oregon is one of five American states that do not levy a general sales tax (joining with Alaska, Montana, Delaware, and New Hampshire).  Eleven lighthouses provide safety for boats traveling along the state’s Pacific coastline.  

Moving from top left and clockwise:  pacific coast highway runs along the entire oregon coastline,  crater lake, state capitol building in salem, inside sea lion caves near florence, 1960’s nasa’s apollo training in central oregon’s moon country, Yaquina lighthouse near newport.  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

28.  He has currently scored a total of 72 points.  An average of 20 points per game for five games equals 100 total points.  

Trivia’s Facts and More (11/23)

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This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

A bus driver goes the wrong way along a one-way street.  A police officer passes him, yet he does not stop the bus driver.  Why?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

Found throughout the continental United States, red foxes are known for their clever and cunning intelligence.  They have been characterized as one of nature’s original artful dodgers.

Here are a few quick facts about red foxes:

  • Body length:  18-34 inches
  • Tail length:  12-22 inches
  • Weight:  6-20 pounds
  • Top speed:  30 mph
  • Lifespan:  2-4 years

Because of their ability to adapt, foxes live in a diversity of habitats:  forests, grasslands, deserts, marshes, and mountains.  Featuring a rusty, reddish brown fur, foxes are larger than their cousins, the grey fox and Arctic fox.

Being an omnivore, foxes enjoy a variety of food sources:  insects, crayfish, fruits, reptiles, rodents, birds, eggs, and rabbits.  They are members of the dog family (canidae), but they lack necessary facial muscles to bare their teeth.

During the daytime, most foxes remain hidden in burrows or dens.  Their acute sense of hearing greatly aids their search for prey.  They have the ability to jump high in the air before pouncing upon their next meal.  Being nocturnal hunters, they usually hunt alone.  If they have surplus food, they will likely bury it.  

With the arrival of autumn, foxes’ fur thickens for the coming winter season.  Seeking warmth on a cold night, foxes enjoy being curled up within their long, bushy tails.  For mating purposes, males and females frequently pair up during the winter months of December through February.  

Moving from top left and clockwise:  adult foxes.  final two images:  pairs from the younger generation.  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

The bus driver is walking.

Trivia’s Facts and More (11/16)

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This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

Which of the following must will result in a positive answer.

(A)  The product of 2 positive numbers

(B)  The product of a positive and a negative number

(C)  The sum of 2 negative numbers

(D)  The product of 2 negative numbers

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

In many parts of North America as well as the rest of the world, the mating sounds of the cicadas fill the air during late spring and early summer.  

Here are a few quick facts about the cicadas in the United States:

  • Body size:  approximately 2 inches
  • Wing span:  approximately 2-3 inches
  • Color:  brown, green, or black body with dark head; clear wings with orange or black veins
  • Habitat:  wooded areas, pastures, suburban areas

Two major groups of cicadas are found in the United States.  The annual species is found in much of the world while the periodical species live in the eastern region of the country and parts of the Midwest.

Cicadas resemble beetle-like creatures with very short antennae.  Being herbivores, the nymphs suck on tree-root sap while the adults do not eat.  

Adult cicadas are large, flying insects with bulging eyes and veined wings.  Nymphs appear as stocky and grublike with legs.  After reaching adulthood, the average lifespan of a cicada is 3-4 weeks.

The life cycle of a cicada begins when a female makes a slit in a tree branch.  She wedges her eggs inside the branch.  Hatched nymphs drop from the branch to the ground where they burrow into soil to reach the juicy, nutritious tree roots.

In late spring and early summer, adult cicadas emerge from the warming soil, which has sustained them as nymphs.  They scale a nearby tree to finish their final transformation.  During the molting stage, they will acquire wings.  Depending upon the species, they may emerge every three years (“dogday” cicadas) or after 13-17 years (periodical cicadas). 

As the mature adults begin their short lifespan, males begin their mating ritual with their loud clacking or buzzing songs.  The life cycle begins all over once again.

top three photos:  adult cicadas.  Bottom two photos:  cicada nymphs.  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

A and D

Trivia’s Facts and More (11/9)

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This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

In the kitchen, what do you have to break before you can use it?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

Born in North Bend, Ohio, Benjamin Harrison will become the 23rd President of the United States.  He serves a single term (1889-1893).

Here are a few quick facts about President Harrison:

  • Political party:  Republican
  • State represented:  Indiana
  • Occupations:  lawyer, U.S. Senator
  • LIfespan:  1833-1901
  • College attended:  Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)

Harrison spends much of his early life in Ohio where he attends college, becomes a lawyer, and lives in Cincinnati.  He serves in the Union army during the Civil War, and he rises to the rank of general.  Later, he will move to Indiana to further his law career and is elected to the United States Senate for one term.

Harrison’s family roots run deeply through earlier generations of American history.  He is the great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison, who signs the Declaration of Independence.  He is the grandson of American’s ninth President, William Henry Harrison.

Harrison carries two nicknames, which refer to his family lineage as well as his place in Presidential history.  He is sometimes referred to as “Young Tippecanoe.”  His grandfather, William Henry Harrison, is known as “Old Tippecanoe.”  Some historians have labeled him as “The Centennial President.”  His term of office begins 100 years after America’s first President, George Washington.

As President, Harrison signs two significant pieces of legislation in 1890:  Sherman Antitrust Act and McKinley Tariff Act.  Both bills are named after Ohio Senators, their chief sponsors.  Harrison is an ardent protectionist so his support for tariffs is expected. 

He also supports veterans’ benefits (from the Civil War), forest conservation, expansion of the U.S. Navy, and annexation of Hawaii.  Hawaiian annexation is achieved in 1898 under President McKinley’s administration.  Forest conversation and expansion of the navy will become hallmarks of the Theodore Roosevelt administration in the early 1900s.

In Harrison’s first election for the Presidency in 1888, he defeats Democratic incumbent Grover Cleveland.  Despite losing the popular vote, he comes out on top with a majority of electoral votes.  When running for re-election in 1892, Cleveland challenges Harrison and wins decisively.  

from top left and moving clockwise:  white house portrait of harrison, historical marker of harrison’s birthplace in north bend, his home in indianapolis,  from his later years, and during the CIVIL war.  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

Egg

Trivia’s Facts and More (10/26)

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This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

Being one of the original thirteen English colonies, the state of North Carolina is admitted as the 12th one to the American union on November 21, 1789.

Here are a few quick facts about North Carolina:

  • Capital city:  Raleigh
  • Most populous city:  Charlotte (874,579, based on 2020 census)
  • Bird:  cardinal
  • Flower:  flowering dogwood
  • Motto:  Esse Quam Videri (To Be, Rather Than To Seem)

North Carolina’s nickname of the Tar Heel State refers to its history of ship building.  From the state’s abundant pine forests, a variety of naval stores are extracted from these trees.  These include tar, pitch, and turpentine.

The state’s landscape features three major physiographic regions.  The physical geology includes the Coastal Plain (also called the tidewater), the Piedmont (low, rolling plateau), and the Blue Ridge (Appalachian Mountains).  

Located along the Atlantic coastline, Kitty Hawk is famously remembered as the site of the Wright brothers’ first of  its kind successful airplane flight.  One of the state’s license plate designs features the words, “First in Flight.” 

In 1587, Roanoke Island becomes the first English colony in North America.  The settlement is twenty years ahead of the founding of the Jamestown colony in 1607.  Later, the inhabitants mysteriously disappear.  

The communities of Winston and Salem originally sit about one mile apart.  In 1913, they merge together and become Winston-Salem.  The city claims to be the birthplace of Krispy Kreme donuts when the very first business opens in 1937 to sell them.

North Carolina produces nearly sixty percent of the sweet potato crop in the United States.  The tallest brick lighthouse in the United States is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which stands 210 feet tall after being rebuilt in 1870.

from top left and moving clockwise:  wright brothers making history at kitty hawk, cape hatteras lighthouse, sweet potato crop, flowering dogwood, and state capitol in raleigh.   (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

Silence

Trivia’s Facts and More (10/19)

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This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

David’s father has three sons.  Two are named Snap and Crackle.  What is the third son’s name?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

The second largest wild cat in the Western Hemisphere is the cougar, which also goes by several names:  puma, mountain lion, panther, jaguar, and catamount.

Here are a few quick facts about the cougar:

  • Height (at shoulder):  2-3 feet
  • Length (body):  5-8 feet
  • Weight:  adult male, 130 pounds; adult female, 100 pounds
  • Top Speed:  25-35 miles per hour
  • Lifespan:  8-15 years, but some may live 20 years

The cougar’s range extends throughout the western United States and Canada, and all of South America.  This wild cat has proven to be vary adaptable as it is able to live in snow-covered mountains as well as in tropical rainforests.

With its short, coarse coat, long tail, and brownish color, cougars have been widely photographed.  Being a carnivore, its diet might consist of small- to medium-sized mammals such as coyotes and rodents.  While Its favorite prey is deer, cougars may also seek food from domestic livestock:  poultry, sheep, calves, goats, and pigs.

Being a nocturnal, stealth hunter of its prey, cougars are solitary as they stalk each kill.  They generally hunt at dawn or dusk.  Because of their mysterious hunting times, they are sometimes nicknamed ghost cats.  Larger animals may prey upon cougars, such as bears and wolves. 

Generally, females give birth to kittens every other year.  Average size of a litter is three.  The gestation period is about 90-100 days.  Kittens are covered with dark spots, and their banded tails serve as camouflage.  Kittens stay with their mothers for up to two years.  

The physical traits of cougars’ agility and strength are legendary.  Some may be able to leap up to 18 feet from the ground to a tree branch.  Others have been observed covering a length of ground with a single bound of 20-35 feet.

top row:  VARIOUS male cougars.  bottom row:  female with kittens and single spotted kitten (seeming to be posing for the photo).  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

David (sorry, he is not nicknamed “Pop”)

Trivia’s Facts and More (10/12)

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This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

There is a house.  A person enters this house blind to most of the world’s knowledge, but exits it seeing so much more of it.  What is it?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

One of the most fascinating insects is the quiet and elusive walking stick, who is one of the largest insects in the world.

Here are a few quick facts about the walking stick:

  • Size:  varies with an average range of 1-12 inches in length
  • Color:  light to dark brown
  • Diet:  primary food is leaves (herbivores)
  • Habitat:  woods, forests, grasslands

Living in temperate and tropical climates, the walking stick is a member of the Phasmida family of insects.  With more than 3,000 species, they live on every continent except Antarctica.  

The walking stick’s name is quite descriptive as it looks very much like a thin twig.  This long  insect features slender legs and antennae.  They have the ability to regenerate a lost leg.

Since each resembles a narrow twig, the walking stick is blessed with a well-camouflaged appearance.  They hide in plain sight, and few predators notice them.  One of the most successful predators is the bat, which is equipped to hunt by echolocation.   Bats use a biological sonar system to help locate their prey.

The life cycle of the walking stick begins with a female laying dozens of seed-like eggs.  Eggs are dropped to the ground, one at time.  Some eggs may take up to two years to hatch.  Nymphs look like tiny adults, and they will reach full maturity in about 3-12 months.  The average lifespan of a walking stick is two years.

An unusual trait of walking stick reproduction is what happens when a male is not present to mate.  Females lay their eggs, which will only bear female offspring.  This phenomena is called parthenogenesis.

top left and moving clockwise:  notice the length of a walking stick in contrast with a human hand, movement over a rocky formation, walking upon a piece of wood, can you see the camouflaged walking stick in this final photo?   (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

A schoolhouse.

Trivia’s Facts and More (10/5)

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This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

How many birthdays does the average person have?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

Grover Cleveland had the distinction of being the only American President elected to this high office for two non-consecutive terms.  He served his country as the 22nd and 24th President.

Here are a few quick facts about President Cleveland:

  • Lifespan:  March 18, 1837 to June 24, 1908
  • Political party:  Democratic
  • Terms of office:  1885-1889, 1893-1897
  • Career outside of politics:  teacher and lawyer

President Cleveland’s full name was Stephen Grover Cleveland, but he dropped the first name in favor of using just his middle name.  Born in the state of New Jersey, Cleveland spent most of his political career in New York state as mayor of Buffalo and governor of New York.

Sometimes nicknamed “The Veto President,” Cleveland earned this distinction during his first term as President.  He used his veto power 414 times, which was more than the combined vetoes of the preceding 21 Presidents.  One significant bill would have provided pensions to Civil War veterans.

Cleveland became known as a political reformer.  He served as the only Democratic President between Abraham Lincoln (elected in 1860) and William Howard Taft (elected in 1908).  Following Cleveland’s two terms as President, the next Democratic occupant of the White House would be Woodrow Wilson, who was elected in 1912..

During Cleveland’s first year of his second term in office, the country faced a severe economic downturn with the Panic of 1893.  Filled with bank failures and railroad bankruptcies, this event would only later be surpassed by the Great Depression era during President Herbert Hoover’s inaugural year of his term in office (elected in 1928).  

Cleveland became the first President to be married in a ceremony held at the White House.  He and his bride, Frances Folsom, were wed in 1886. He also became the first President to father a child (Esther), who was born in the White House.

top left and moving clockwise:  Portrait, standing (notice the top hat), wife frances, princeton home at westand in new jersey, campaign poster from 1888 when cleveland was defeated for re-election (with running mate a. g. thurman)  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

One  [Analyze what a birthday is?  Don’t become lured into the word “average.”  It’s a single day when someone is born.]