This is a mixed bag of trivia – maybe some you know; maybe some you don’t know! Have fun!
1. According to legend, what did Archimedes have in common with Lady Godiva? Both invented military machines; both were expert equestrians; both created exquisite chocolates; both went running down the street nude.
2. Television was first introduced in Australia in 1956, just in time for what event? The Melbourne Olympics; the assassination of JFK; the first Gulf war; the first moon landing.
3. What method did the ancient Incas use to maximize available farming land on the mountainsides of Peru? Walled gardening; terracing; planting potatoes; mixing salt with the soil.
4. Why was Susan B. Anthony chosen to represent the one-dollar coin in 1979? Women’s right to vote; child labor laws; anti-smoking laws; end of sweatshop labor.
5. On what date was gold discovered in California? Junes 16, 1739; December 11, 1892; February 29, 1832; January 24, 1848.
6. Who was the leader of the Cherokee tribe at the time of the Trail of Tears? William Wayne Keeler; Charles Thompson; John Ross; Lewis Downing.
7. In 1815, one of the largest volcanic eruptions took place. It was so massive, it was one of the few eruptions to be labeled VEI-7. The following year was one of the coldest in history due to the smoke and ash from the volcano blocking out much of the sun for that year. Which of these volcanoes erupted: Mount St. Helen’s; Mount Vesuvius; Mount Tambora; Krakatoa.
8. @moonwalker tweeted “Forgot wallet at NASA; one giant leap back down.” Who was the first to take a stroll on the moon before collecting his belongings in 1969? Yuri Gagarin; Neil Armstrong; Shelia Dorsey; John Glenn.
Answers
1. In his excitement over discovering how to measure the king’s crown using water displacement, Archimedes leapt from his bathtub and ran down the street naked, crying “Eureka!” In Lady Godiva’s stunt, her husband agreed to reduce taxes on the people of Coventry if she’d ride naked through the town. 2. The Melbourne Olympics. 3. Terracing. 4. A suffragette, Anthony was involved in the fight for women’s right to vote. 5. Gold was discovered on January 24,1848, and later miners that came to California were called “forty-niners” because most of them came in 1849. 6. John Ross. His father was of Scottish descent and his mother was one-eighth Cherokee, yet he gave his allegiance to the Cherokees. 7. Mount Tambora of Sumbawa, Indonesia is regarded as one of the largest volcanic eruptions of all time. It was so loud that it could be heard over 1,200 miles away. 8. Neil Armstrong was one of the three men aboard Apollo 11 in 1969. This was the first moonwalk in the history of mankind. Unfortunately, he forgot to update his Twitter; he blamed poor reception.