Tag Archives: american history

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 (11/9)

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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 (10/5)

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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.]

Trivia’s Facts and More (9/21)

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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

I am nature’s event of early morning light, which sketches another greeting card.  What am I?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

As one of the 13 original English colonies in North America, Connecticut becomes the fifth state in the American Union when it is granted statehood on January 9, 1788.

Here are a few quick facts about Connecticut:

  • Capital city:  Hartford
  • Nickname:  Constitution State
  • Bird:  Robin
  • Flower:  Mountain laurel
  • Motto:  Qui Transtulit Sustinet (He Who Transplanted Still Sustains)

Connecticut offers a variety of places and historical events of interest.  One of the oldest universities in the United States is Yale University, which is located in New Haven.  Founded in 1701, Yale is several years younger than its fellow Ivy League school, Harvard University (founded in 1636).

Connecticut’s namesake is derived from the Native American “Quinnehtukqut,” which means “beside the long tidal river.”  This has long been a reference to the Connecticut River, which flows through the middle of the state from the Canadian border to Long Island Sound (at Old Saybrook).  

The oldest American newspaper in continuous circulation is the Hartford Courant, which is founded in 1764.  In 1878, the citizens of New Haven become the world’s first subscribers to a telephone exchange service.

Connecticut offers plenty of charming locations as epitomized by the seaside village of Mystic.  Along Long Island Sound, Hammonasset Beach State Park occupies a sandy two-mile stretch near the town of Madison.

Two famous American writers reside as neighbors in the Nook Farm area of Hartford.  Connecticut native, Harriet Beecher Stowe, lives there from 1873-1896.  Missouri native, Samuel Clemons, who is better known as Mark Twain, lives next door from 1874-1891.  

top left and moving clockwise:  current state capitol building (built in 1878), home of harriet Beecher Stowe, hammonasset beach state park, former state capitol building (built in 1796), Home of mark Twain, state flower mountain laurel.  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

A sunrise

Trivia’s Facts and More (8/31)

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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 has 13 hearts but no other organs?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

The 21st President of the United States was Chester Alan Arthur.  He assumed the office upon the death of President James Garfield, who was assassinated.

Here are a few quick facts about President Arthur:

  • Native state:  Vermont
  • Term of office:  1881-1885
  • Political party:  Republican
  • Lifespan:  1829-1886

Nicknamed “The Gentleman Boss” because of his duties and service to both the Union army and later the port authority of New York, Arthur’s previous occupations included teacher and lawyer.  During the Civil War, he served as Union quartermaster where it was his duty to organize food and supplies for the New York troops.

The son of a Baptist preacher, Arthur quite frankly never expected to be President.  However, circumstances placed him in the highest office in the land, and he performed his tasks with devotion and diligence.

One of his administration’s most significant tasks was in reforming the federal government’s civil service.  In 1883, Arthur signed the Pendleton Act, which eliminated the “spoils” system in filing jobs with the federal government.  A Civil Service Commission was established, and future federal jobs would be distributed on merit instead of patronage.  

Before Arthur moved into the White House, designer Louis Comfort Tiffany was hired to redecorate its state rooms.  More than 20 wagon loads of furnishings were hauled away to be auctioned off.

As the Election of 1884 loomed ahead, Arthur declined to run for re-election.  He had been hiding a serious illness throughout much of his term of office.  Bright’s disease, a fatal kidney illness, took his life in 1886.

left to right:  portrait of president arthur, photo from younger years, summer home at sag harbor, new york.  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

A deck of cards

Trivia’s Facts and More (8/17)

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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

You walk into a room that contains a match, a kerosene lamp, a candle, and a fireplace.  What would you light first?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

The Hawkeye state of Iowa becomes the 29th state admitted to the American union on December 28, 1846.

Here are a few quick facts about Iowa:

  • Capital City:  Des Moines (also most populated city)
  • State Bird:  Eastern goldfinch
  • State Flower:  Wild prairie rose
  • State Motto:  Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain 

One of Iowa’s most recognized citizens is Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947).  She is honored for her efforts as a women’s suffrage leader.  In 1920, passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants women the right to vote.  Catt also founded the League of Women Voters in 1920.

When one drives along any highway through the state, it is easy to understand that Iowa is America’s leading corn producer.  Iowa is the only American state bordered by two navigable rivers:  Missouri on the west and Mississippi on the east.

Sioux City is located along the northwestern border of the state.  While most of the city is located in Iowa, parts of the city are also found in Nebraska and South Dakota. 

The television show of M*A*S*H features one character with an Iowa address.  Walter “Radar” O’Reilly hails from Ottumwa.  Gary Burghoff, who portrays this unforgettable character, is a native of Bristol, Connecticut.

clockwise from top left: Carrie chapman catt, Albert the bull in audubon, world’s largest coffee pot in stanton, President herbert hoover’s birthplace in west branch, orange city tulip festival (since 1933).   (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

 

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

The match

Trivia’s Facts and More (6/15)

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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 mother and father have four daughters, and each daughter has one brother.  How many people are in the family?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts became the sixth state to join the American Union on February 6, 1788.  Its roots have been traced back to the earliest of the English colonies in North America.

Here are a few quick facts about Massachusetts:

  • Capital City:  Boston (which is also the largest city)
  • Nickname:  Bay State (also known as the Old Colony State, the Codfish State, the Baked Bean State)
  • State Flower:  Mayflower
  • State Bird:  Chickadee, Wild Turkey
  • Motto:  Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem (By the Sword We Seek Peace, but Peace Only Under Liberty)

Being one of the original 13 English colonies, Massachusetts played a prominent role in the founding of the United States.  On December 21, 1620, the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock after crossing the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Mayflower.  On March 4, 1628, English King Charles I granted a royal charter for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

On September 7, 1630, the city of Boston was founded.  The Boston harbor would later be the site of the infamous Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773.  A couple of years later just up the road in April, 1775, the first battles of the Revolutionary War were fought at Lexington and Concord as Massachusetts minutemen militia fired the “Shot Heard Round the World.”

Athletics made an impression in the late 1800s in Massachusetts.  In 1891, James Naismith invented the game of basketball, and the first game was played at the YMCA in Springfield.  In 1895, William G. Morgan invented the game of volleyball.  The game was designed to be less strenuous than basketball, and the first matches were played in Holyoke.

Numerous firsts have been recorded during the course of history in the Commonwealth.  Here is a brief sample:

  • The Boston Common became America’s first public park in 1634.
  • Harvard University founded as the first college in North American in 1636 at Cambridge.
  • The Little Brewster Island Lighthouse became America’s first lighthouse when it began operations on September 14, 1716 in the Boston harbor.
  • The first American subway was opened in Boston on September 1, 1897.  It was known as the Tremont Street Line.
  • America’s first chocolate chip cookies were invented by Ruth Wakefield in 1939.  She began to experiment with adding semi-sweet chocolate pieces to her cookie recipe.  They became a huge hit at her Toll House restaurant in Whitman.

clockwise from top left:  James Naismith holding a basketball with a peach basket (used as a basketball hoop in the early years of the game), modern look of the Little brewster island lighthouse at boston harbor, ruth wakefield (inventor of the chocolate chip cookie), aerial view of the boston common, harvard university campus.  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

Seven (The daughters share their “one” brother)

Trivia’s Facts and More (5/11)

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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

If you are running a race and pass the person in second place, then what place are you in?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

The American state of Kentucky is filled with numerous attractions.  Its rich history as the 15th state of the United States began when it was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792.

Here are a few quick facts about the Bluegrass State:

  • Capital City:  Frankfort
  • State Bird:  Cardinal
  • State Flower:  Goldenrod
  • State Motto:  United We Stand, Divided We Fall

Kentucky’s name has been traced to the Native American nation of Iroquois.  Their language uses the word “Ken-tah-ten” means “land of tomorrow.”

President Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace is located near the town of Hodgenville, Kentucky.  The site is marked, and can be found about three miles south of the community.

One of the most dramatic landscapes to visit is the Cumberland Gap, which is a pass through the Appalachian Mountains.  Located in the tri-state area of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee, the pass has served as a crossroads for the nation’s early migration westward from the original thirteen American states.

Kentucky’s largest city is Louisville.  The city is home to significant points of interest.  Being the birthplace of boxer Muhammad Ali, one is encouraged to visit the Muhammad Ali Center.  Major League Baseball’s famed Louisville Slugger bats are manufactured here as well.  A museum invites baseball fans to see the history behind any slugger’s baseball bat.

There are countless attractions throughout Kentucky.  Following Interstate 65 south from Louisville, one will travel in close proximity to most of these places.

Before leaving Louisville, a visit to Churchill Downs would offer a look at the home of the Kentucky Derby, the oldest continually-running horse race in America.  Founded in 1874, the track hosts thoroughbred horse racing’s opening Triple Crown race each season.

The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green showcases the venerable Chevrolet Corvette, which has been manufactured since 1953.  For many years, Corvettes have been manufactured at a nearby assembly plant.

Mammoth Cave is recognized as the world’s largest cavern.  The area was established as a national park in 1941.

Fort Knox houses a U.S. military installation, which is located next to the United States Bullion Depository.  Nearly 150 million ounces of gold are kept there.  Visitors are not permitted inside the depository.

clockwise from top left:  national corvette museum, mammoth cave, louisville slugger museum, landscape near cumberland gap, muhammad ali center, churchill downs, fort knox, president lincoln’s birthplace, (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

Second place

Trivia’s Facts and More (4/6)

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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

Take me out and scratch my head.  I am now black but once was red.  What at I?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

As one of the original 13 American colonies under England’s rule, the American state of Pennsylvania has enjoyed a unique and dynamic history.

Here are a few quick facts about the Keystone State:

  • Capital City:  Harrisburg
  • Statehood:  December 12, 1787 (second state after Delaware to join the Union)
  • State Flower:  Mountain Laurel
  • State Bird:  Ruffed Grouse
  • State Motto:  Virtue, Liberty, and Independence

Pennsylvania was named after founder William Penn’s father, Admiral Sir William Penn.  The state’s name honored (Penn) and the Latin word (Sylvania) which means woodlands.

When the colony of Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 by William Penn, he desired a place that offered a fair form of government as well as religious freedom.  Known as the Keystone State, this nickname recognized the central location of Pennsylvania in relation to the rest of the 13 colonies.

Pennsylvania was the only original colony not bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.  It has provided home for the largest concentration of Amish culture in the United States.  They have accepted a simple way of life which has included plain clothing and a reluctance to use modern technology.  Most of the Amish have lived in the region centered around the city of Lancaster.

In 1900 after selling his Lancaster Caramel Company, businessman Milton Hershey opened his Hershey Chocolate Company in the company town of Hershey, which was located about 30 miles northwest of Lancaster.  

German immigrants arrived in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.  They have been commonly called Pennsylvania Dutch.  Most settled before 1800 in order to escape religious persecution.

top left and moving clockwise:  Mountain laurel, ruffed grouse, original hershey chocolate factory, amish buggy,  pennsylvania state flag.  (Images courtesy of Pinterest)

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

A match