This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Brain Teaser Question
If a doctor gives you three pills, telling you to take one very half hour, how many minutes will pass from taking the first pill to the last pill?
(answer found at the end of this post)
Featured Facts
The Cornhusker State of Nebraska entered the American Union on March 1, 1867. Following the end of the American Civil War, the Nebraska Territory was the first one granted admission to statehood.
While the city of Omaha has been the most populated one in the state, Lincoln has been the capital city. According to the 2022 U.S. Census, Omaha’s population stood at 486,051 while Lincoln’s was 291,082.
Here are a few interesting facts about Nebraska:
State Bird: Western meadowlark
State Flower: Goldenrod
State Motto: Equality Before the Law
Chimney Rock, located in northwestern Nebraska at Deadwood Gulch, was one of the most noted landmarks on the Oregon Trail. The Nebraska Legislature has been the only one in the United States to use a single house chamber (unicameral). The original nickname for the state was the “Tree Planter’s State.”
Left: Chimney Rock. Right: The football Cornhuskers’ Memorial Stadium on the University of Nebraska campus. (Courtesy of Pinterest)
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Brain Teaser Question
Put these statements in the right order.
(A) A woman tries on a dress.
(B) A woman buys a hat.
(C) A man buys a dress.
(D) A woman returns a dress to a store.
(E) A man gives his wife a present.
(answer found at the end of this post)
Featured Facts
Once a month, a special post will be published with something related to the given month. With the start of a new year just around the corner, it seems appropriate to look at a New Year’s tradition of many Americans.
A traditional southern dish is prepared by many families. It is called “Hoppin’ John,” and is eaten in the southern United States on New Year’s Day. The dish dates back to the 1800s, and the main ingredients are black-eyes peas (cow peas), rice, and pork (usually ham or bacon). Additional sides may include collard greens and corn bread.
By preparing and eating this dish, one hopes to experience luck in the year to come. Some families may eat the dish on New Year’s Eve while most will enjoy it on New Year’s Day.
Some of the ingredients of “Hoppin’ John” carry symbolic importance.
Black-eyed peas: represent coins
Collard greens: represent greenbacks (dollars) or cash
Corn bread: represents gold
Pork: recalls cheap cuts of meat provided to enslaved people
One customary act is to eat all but three of the black-eyed peas on one’s plate. This will promise a trio of benefits: luck, wealth, and romance.
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Brain Teaser Question
The 22nd and 24th U.S. President had the same parents, but they were not brothers. How could this be?
(answer found at the end of this post)
Featured Facts
Today’s post features six of my favorite Christmas movies. They will be listed in chronological order from the oldest to the most recent. If you feel like sharing your favorite Christmas movie, please leave a comment for other readers to see. Merry Christmas!
“It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
An angel was summoned to save George Bailey, a frustrated businessman. The director was Frank Capra, and this film was one of his favorites. The screenplay was based upon a short story, “The Greatest Gift.”
“Miracle on 34th Street” (1947)
Starring: Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, John Payne
The setting was New York City, and Macy’s Department Store became the center of much of the film’s story. A very young Natalie Wood played the six year-old daughter. Of course, Santa stole the show in the end.
“Holiday Affair” (1949)
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey
This romantic-comedy followed the life of a young widow and her son as she must choose between her “boring” attorney and a down on his luck vagabond. The screenplay was based upon the story, “Christmas Gift.”
“White Christmas” (1954)
Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen
A successful song and dance duo assisted two sisters in saving a failing Vermont Inn as Christmas approaches without any snow on the ground. Bing Crosby sang the classic Irving Berlin song of “White Christmas” as the film’s finale, but he had previously sung the song in two other films: “Holiday Inn” (1942) and “Blue Skies” (1946).
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965)
This made for TV movie was the first attempt of cartoonist George Schulz to bring his characters to life on the silver screen. Most of the children’s voices were those of real children.
“The Christmas Card” (2006)
Starring: Ed Asner, John Newton, Alice Evans, Lois Nettleton
This modern-day Hallmark movie brought an American soldier to a small town, guided by an inspirational Christmas card. The movie was filmed on location in Nevada City, California and Park City, Utah.
Below are single images from each film (courtesy of Pinterest). Starting from the left and going clockwise: Donna Reed and Jimmy Stewart, Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood, Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum, Bing Crosby joined by Rosemary Clooney with Vera-Ellen and Danny Kaye, the Peanuts cast, and John Newton and Ed Asner.
Answer to Brain Teaser Question
They were the same man–Grover Cleveland, the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms.
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Brain Teaser Question
What letter would come next in this sequence?
M, A, M, J, J, A, S, O, ___
(answer found at the end of this post)
Featured Facts
James Monroe was the 5th American President (1817-1825). He became the fourth Virginian to serve as President (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison being the first three).
Here are a few interesting facts about this two-term President:
Occupations: farmer, lawyer
Schooling: attended College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, VA)
Previous political experience: Governor of Virginia, Secretary of War, State
Two of the most significant accomplishments of the Monroe administration were the passage of the Missouri Compromise in 1820 and the establishment of the Monroe Doctrine. The Missouri Compromise redefined the division line between slave and free states in the Union. The Monroe Doctrine stated that no further European colonies would be allowed in the America’s while the United States would remain neutral in European affairs.
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Brain Teaser Question
What could you put in a 50-pound barrel of oil to make it weigh less than 50 pounds?
(answer found at the end of this post)
Featured Facts
In North America’s animal kingdom, one of the smallest and most dangerous creatures is the tiny tick. Having eight legs, they are arachnids (related to spiders).
Here are a few interesting facts about the tick:
Habitat: bodies of animals, in fields or woods (awaiting an animal host)
Diet: blood
Color: brown to reddish-brown (with leathery or shell-like covering)
Known as “black measles,” Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever came to the forefront when it cast its dark shadow over the Bitterroot Valley in western Montana. Early settlers in the valley contracted a mysterious disease. Scientific research began in the early 1900s and culminated in the beginning of the Rocky Mountain Labs research. The lab would research and refine treatments for the dreaded spotted fever, which scientists had discovered was carried by the tiny tick.
Photo by Erik Karits on Pexels.comOn the right: A tick is embedded in the skin. Notice its engorged (swollen) appearance (courtesy of Pinterest)
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Brain Teaser Question
Put these statements in the right order:
(A) The ship stopped to anchor in Commander Bay
(B) A boy awoke and saw a sea lion
(C) A boy went ashore and napped in a meadow
(D) A boy did not tell what he had seen
(E) A boy got a job on a ship
(answer found at the end of this post)
Featured Facts
The bald eagle is one of the largest birds in the United States. It is the only eagle unique to the continent of North America. Since 1782, the bald eagle has been the National Bird and Emblem of the United States.
Here are a few interesting facts about the bald eagle:
Habitat: coastlines and waterways (U.S. and southern Canada)
Wingspan: up to 8 feet
Top speed: between 40 and 45 miles per hour
Congress: name for a group of eagles
Lifespan: between 25 and 40 years in the wild
Facing near extinction in the 1960s from the use of the pesticide DDT, conservation efforts and federal protection of the eagles has led to a dramatic increase in its numbers. Estimated known nesting pairs have increased from a low of 417 in 1963 to more than 71,000 in 2020.
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Brain Teaser Question
Complete the analogy:
MOTH is to CLOTHING as . . .
(A) SHEEP is to WOOL
(B) BUTTERFLY is to WOOD
(C) PUNCTURE is to TIRE
(D) TEAR is to SWEATER
(E) TERMITE is to HOUSE
(answer found at the end of this post)
Featured Facts
The Buckeye State of Ohio was admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803. The state has proudly claimed to be home of eight American Presidents: William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Warren G. Harding.
Here are a few interesting facts about the state:
Motto: With God, All Things Are Possible
Capital City: Columbus (named after Christopher Columbus)
Lake Erie frames the northern border; the Ohio River marks the southern one
In the early 1900s, the Canton Bulldogs were organized as a professional football team. While the team no longer exists, Canton became the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. Two major amusement parks are located in the state: King’s Island near Cincinnati; Cedar Point along Lake Erie at Sandusky.
Pro Football Hall of Fame and King’s Island. (courtesy of Pinterest)
Answer to Brain Teaser Question
E
A moth, which is a living thing, destroys clothing–just as termite, which is a living thing, destroys a house. Choices C or D would be fine if they described living things.
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Brain Teaser Question
A sundial is a timepiece that has the fewest moving parts. What type of timepiece has the most moving parts?
(answer found at the end of this post)
Featured Facts
On April 24, 1990, NASA space shuttle Discovery was launched with a special object in its payload bay. Once in space orbit above the earth, the shuttle’s robotic arm gently lifted out a bus-sized telescope, to be called the Hubble Telescope.
Here are some interesting facts about the Hubble Telescope:
Dimensions: 44 feet long and 40 feet wide (with solar arrays)
Weight: 11 tons
Location and Speed: 355 miles above earth and moving at 17,500 mph
The telescope was named after Edwin Hubble, an American astronomer. Born in 1889, Hubble would become an authority in establishing many of the dynamics of extragalatic astronomy. He was a trailblazer in the field of observational cosmology. He continued his research until his death in 1953.
The Hubble Telescope in orbit and astronomer Edwin Hubble. (courtesy of Pinterest)
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Brain Teaser Question
You are competing in a linear race and you overtake the last runner. In which position are you now?
(A) Last
(B) Second to last
(C) Third to last
(D) Cannot be determined unless the number of runners is known
(E) Cannot be determined because this is an ambiguous question
(answer found at the end of this post)
Featured Facts
The American state of Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890. Its unique panhandle shape is easy to find on a map. It resembles a logger’s boot, which reflects upon the state’s mountainous and forested terrain, which are home to the mining and lumber industries.
One of its most famous natural landmarks is Hells Canyon. The Snake River flows through this nearly bottomless gorge, which is deeper than the Grand Canyon.
Here are a few more interesting facts about Idaho:
Nicknamed the “Gem State”
Largest city is Boise with population of 235,684 (2020 census)
Official Motto is “Esto Perpetua” (It is Forever)
Automobile license plates are identified with “Famous Potatoes” tagline
On September 8, 1974, Montana native and motorcycle daredevil Robert “Evil” Knievel attempted to ride his “rocket cycle” over the Snake River Canyon, which is located near the city of Twin Falls. His craft resembled more rocket than motorcycle, but he was unsuccessful in his ride. At least, he survived with just minor injuries.
On left, Evil Knievel makes final preparations for one of his famous motorcycle jumps. On right, he is helped into his “rocket cycle” prior to his attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon. (courtesy of Pinterest)
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. You are invited to participate with the opening question.
Brain Teaser Question
A knight wants to marry a princess and she wants to marry him. However, the king demands that the knight draw one of two slips of paper from a box. The king says one will say “Death” and the other “Marriage.” The princess whispers to her suitor that both slips say “Death.” What could the knight do to wed the princess?
(answer found at the end of this post)
Featured Facts
One of the most curious of all insects is the praying mantis. It’s distinctive shape and color may sometimes be difficult to find because these predatory creatures are experts at ambushing their prey.
Some characteristics about the praying mantis include:
Body length of about 1-4 inches.
Primary habitat in the foliage of meadows and fields.
Diet includes live insects and spiders.
Many know that its name comes from its “prayer-like” stance. Mantis means “prophet.” Its name is mistakenly spelled as “preying” mantis because it fiercely preys upon other insects. Yes, the mantis is a “good” bug to have around.
If one ever has a chance to watch this stealth predator at work, pay close attention. Staying perfectly motionless and blending in with the green foliage, the praying mantis will suddenly strike and grab its victim.
Images courtesy of Pinterest.
Answer to Brain Teaser Question
Before a crowd of witnesses, the knight could choose a paper, look at it, proclaim that it says “Marriage,” and promptly swallow it. As proof, he would ask the king to reveal the remaining paper, which would say “Death.” All would presume that the swallowed paper indeed must have said “Marriage”–thus beating the king at his own game.
Big Sky Buckeye 