Current Question - Where was Otis Rush born? Answer
to be posted later.
Which state was the first to make Christmas an official holiday?
Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an
official holiday, and the tradition began in 1836.
Why is Thanksgiving observed on the first to last Thursday of
November?
As part of the New Deal, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated
Thursday before last of November as Thanksgiving Day in the year
1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and
thus stimulate the economy.
Why is Veterans' Day held every year on November 11?
From Wikipedia: The armistice treaty ending WWI's Western
Front conflict between the Allies and Germany was signed on 11
November 1918.
The Armistice came into effect at 11 AM Paris time, for which
reason the occasion is sometimes referred to as "the eleventh
(hour) of the eleventh (day) of the eleventh (month)".
Based on percentages, which manager of the Braves MLB franchise
has the worst record?
Ted Turner had a 0% win percentage. He managed the team for
one game and lost.
Which U.S. Vice President wrote a #1 hit song?
Charles Dawes (the V.P. for Calvin Coolidge) co-wrote "It's All
in the Game", which was recorded by Tommy Edwards and hit Number
One in 1957.
Which
U.S. Vice President had the most Vice Presidents? Which had the
least?
President Franklin Roosevelt had three different Vice Presidents:
John Nance Garner, Henry A. Wallace, and Harry S. Truman. Vice
President Andrew Johnson succeeded Abraham Lincoln after his assassination,
but never had a Vice President of his own.
What U.S. mammal always gives birth to identical quadruplets?
The Armadillo.
Who was the first U.S. President to install solar panels on the
White House? Jimmy Carter.
How many Americans can drive a stick shift? 30% of Americans
can drive stick (as opposed to 90% of Europeans, Asians, others).
Currently only about 10% of new cars sold each year in the U.S.
have manual transmissions.
One ounce of platinum can make a wire of what length? 28
miles. link
As of August 3, what is the most purchased new car using the 'Cash
for Clunkers' program?
The
Ford Focus. It has since been passed by the Toyota Corolla
as the most purchased car according to the federal government.
Edmunds.com is disputing these statistics and the Associated Press
has since filed a "Freedom of Information Act" request
for all the government's data regarding the program.
How many miles does the average car travel to produce one pound
of pollution? The average car produces one pound of pollution
every 25 miles.
What percentage of restaurants fail in the first year?
90%
What was the population of the United States when President Lincoln
was inaugurated?
31 Million: 22 million in the Northern States, and 9 million in
the South. The South's 9 mil. included 3.5 million slaves.
Including Florida and North Dakota, which four states did not
have any earthquakes from 1975-1995?
From 1975-1995 there were only four states that did not
have any earthquakes. They were: Florida, Iowa, North Dakota,
and Wisconsin.
Which two states have the least amount of earthquakes?
Florida and North Dakota have the smallest number of earthquakes
in the United States.
In astronomy, what does retrograde motion refer to?
In astronomy, 'retrograde' refers to the motion of planetary body
in a direction opposite to that of other bodies within its system.
In astrology, the apparent retrograde motion of the planets was
traditionally thought to be unlucky or inauspicious, as it went
against the 'natural' order of movement, and a planet which was
retrograde at the time of birth was considered a weak spot in
the natal chart. See
wiki article
What is the price of a beer and a hotdog at the new Yankee Stadium?
A Nathan's Best hotdog is $6.75 and a 24 oz. PBR costs $9. Total
is a whopping $15.75!
When was the world's first documented use of imprisonment for
tax evasion?
306 A.D. by Emperor Constantine of the Holy Roman Empire.
When did the Federal Government start collecting income taxes?
The 1st U.S. federal tax office was created in 1862 to
raise funds for the Civil War. But the 1st permanent federal income
tax was established in 1913 with the ratification of the 16th
Amendment.
What is the largest archeological development East of the Mississippi?
Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon is the largest archeological
development east of the Mississippi River.
Where is the first university chartered and supported by state
funds?
Athens, GA.
The amusement park 'Six Flags Over Georgia' refers to which
six flags?
The popular theme park - Six Flags Over Georgia, was actually
named for six flags that flew over Georgia: England, Spain, Liberty,
Georgia, Confederate States of America, and the United States.
Where is the first college in the world that was chartered to
grant degrees to women?
Wesleyan College in Macon was the first college in the
world chartered to grant degrees to women.
What was the name of President Lincoln's secretary? President
Kennedy's?
Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy, and Kennedy's secretary
was named Lincoln.
What is the Dutch word for squirrel?
The Dutch word for "squirrel" is "eekhoorn,"
pronounced exactly like the English word "acorn."
Who is the only U.S. President born on The Fourth of July?
Calvin Coolidge.
Which U.S. President was sworn in by his father?
Calvin Coolidge. Vice President Coolidge was at his family's
home in Vermont when President Harding died. Coolidge's father,
a notary public, administered the oath of office to his son. The
next day Coolidge returned to Washington and the oath was re-administered
by Supreme Court Justice Hoehling.
When was the highest combined score for a pro football game?
The highest scoring game in NFL history was the Washington
Redskins vs. New York Giants on November 27, 1966. Washington
won by a score of 72-41, 113 combined points.
What is the official highest score difference in a collegiate
football game?
The 1916 Cumberland College vs. Georgia Tech football game
was played on October 7, 1916. It is the most lopsided game in
the history of college football, with Georgia Tech winning 222–0.
What materials make up a regulation baseball?
A cork nucleus is machine-wound with three layers of wool
yarn, then 150 yards of fine white polyester-cotton blend yarn.
This "center" is coated with rubber cement before the cover is
put on.
The cover is two pieces of elongated figure-eight-shaped white
cowhide. Then hand-stitched together with exactly 216 raised stitches,
using 88 inches of red cotton thread.
What is the average MPG of 2008 American cars sold in the U.S.?
Japanese cars?
For
2007 model years, US passenger cars averaged 29.0 mpg and
Japanese passenger cars averaged 35.8 mpg. Light trucks were worse.
The US trucks averaged 22.5 mpg and Japanese averaged 24.4. Honda's
cars have the best overall mpg.
How many times in weather history has there been both a blizzard
and a hurricane on the same day in the North American weather
area? Once in November 2008.
When were the US Post Office and The Secret Service created?
The Postal Service Act signed by President George Washington on
February 20, 1792 established the Department. It was a Cabinet
level department until 1971 when President Nixon signed The Postal
Reorganization Act.
The Secret Service was commissioned on July 5, 1865 in Washington,
D.C. as the "Secret Service Division," to suppress counterfeit
currency. After the assassination of President William McKinley
in 1901, Congress informally requested Secret Service presidential
protection.
As of Friday October 24, how many Americans had already voted
in the General Election? Twenty-six states allow early
voting.
In Georgia alone, it's estimated over one million voters have
already voted (10/29/2008).
How many words are there for "rice" in the Chinese language?
Two.
How many miles of train tracks are there in the U.S.? 233,000.
Where was the first Presidential debate held? In Chicago
on September 26, 1960 John Kennedy and Richard Nixon held the
first general election Presidential debate. Obama and McCain held
their first debate exactly 48 years later.
Which MLB player had the nickname 'I-285?' Pascual Gross
Perez was a right-handed baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates,
Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, and New York Yankees. He earned
his nickname after missing a start on August 19, 1982 while circling
Atlanta's Interstate 285 looking for Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
What is the population of Alaska? According to the U.S.
Census website, Alaska's population is 600,000 and the median
income is $54,600.
Which word in the English language has the most definitions?
'Set' - According to the Oxford English Dictionary, 'set' has
over 430 definitions.
Which Major League baseball catcher worked for the U.S. Government
as a spy? Boston Red Sox's Moe Berg
Who invented YouTube? It was invented by three former PayPal
employees in 2005. The three co-founders are Chad Hurley, Steve
Chen and Jawed Karim. It took them six months to build the site.
The bandwidth costs are estimated to be more than $1,000,000 a
day.
Which Major League Baseball manager also has a law degree?
Tony Larussa
Which Apollo astronaut was recently in the news for saying aliens
have been visiting the Earth for decades? According to news
reports, On July 22, 2008 Kerrang Radio was interviewing astronaut
Dr. Edgar Mitchell about moon landings. Mitchell is a retired
Apollo astronaut and the sixth person to walk on the moon:
"Jokingly the host asked him about aliens (the hosted later
confessed he had been a skeptic about such issues). Mitchell stated
quite matter-of-fact that aliens existed, that they have been
visiting the earth for 60 years and governments had covered up
these facts all along. He stated Roswell was a genuine ET craft
crash. That some UFOs that were seen were terrestrial in origin
being reversed engineered craft of inferior technology."
Click
here to listen to the interview!
Where is the atomic clock housed? NIST-F1,
the nation's primary time and frequency standard, is a cesium
fountain atomic clock developed at the NIST laboratories in Boulder,
Colorado.
What was legendary producer Tom Dowd's first job? The
Manhattan Project. At age 18, Dowd was drafted into the military.
Having studied physics at Columbia University, he was assigned
to the Manhattan Project and contributed to the development of
the atomic bomb.
One of his last jobs before he passed away was producing the Susan
Tedeschi song "Hampmotised."
What percent of the United States' energy needs are met by
hydroelectric power? Nuclear power? From the Energy
Information Administration, 20% Nuclear and 7.3% Hydroelectric
Where was Leo Fender born? Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender
was born on August 10, 1909 in Fullerton, CA. He was born in the
barn of his parent's orange grove ranch. For a full bio Click
Here
Where is the Shoeless Joe Museum located? It just opened
in Greenville, South Carolina. Click
Here
What was the first commercially available gas-electric hybrid
car sold in the U.S.? The Honda Insight. It was first available
in 1999. Recently an Insight won an amateur mileage competition
by getting over 100 mpg in mixed hwy/city driving.
Henry Ford's earliest automobiles were powered by what non-fossil
fuel? Ethanol
When was Atlanta's strongest earthquake on record? On
March 5, 1916 a 4.5 Magnitude earthquake hit what is now metro
Atlanta. The nearest major earthquake was the 7.3 Charleston,
SC quake of September 1, 1886.
What monkey is also known as the Jimmy Durante monkey? The
probosus monkey.
What was Humphrey Bogart's real name? Humphrey Bogart!
What is the origin of the word 'trivia?' The etymology
of the word trivia starts with Latin tri- = "three",
and via = "way", "road", thus trivium.
Who was the Vice Presidential candidate for the Republican
Party in 1964? Bill Miller.
What is the last day of the Mayan calendar? 12/21/2012.
What city lies on two different continents? Istanbul/Constantinople.
What is the highest city in the United States? Leadville,
Colorado
with an elevation of 10,430 feet
What is the capital or Uruguay? Montevideo Paraguay?
Asuncion
What is the scientific name for someone with an abnormally
high number of taste buds? A Supertaster.
What city, in one year, won all three major sporting championships?
Baltimore.
Name two #1 hits where the singer also whistles. Bobby
McFerrin "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and Otis Redding "Sittin'
On The Dock Of The Bay."
What percent of people are left-handed? From Wikipedia:
In 1977, a study suggested that approximately 15 to 25% of the
adult population was left-handed. Men are more likely to be left-handed
than women.
What is the 2nd closest sea to Raleigh, N.C.? Labrador
Sea (Caribbean is 1st).
What are the three largest cities by land area in the U.S.?
Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Jacksonville, Florida.
Who invented Coca-Cola and in what city? John Pemberton
in Columbus, Georgia.
In baseball, who are the top 5 base stealers of all time? Ricky
Henderson, Lou Brock, Billy Hamilton, Ty Cobb, Tim Raines.
What prehistoric tree is found in both the fossil record and
most yards in Atlanta? The Magnolia.
What musician has an album titled "Boogaloo Down Broadway?"
Grant
Green.
What
was Atlanta's first name? Marthasville.
What are the two most humid cities in the U.S. between June
and September? Virginia Beach and Orlando.
BB King's 2nd cousin is what blues legend? Bukka White
.
What's the only sport where you don't know who's winning until
the end? Boxing.
What fruit has it's seeds on the outside? Strawberries.
What is the banjo player's name from "Deliverance?"
Billy Redden (born 1956 in Rabun County, Georgia) is best known
for his role as Lonnie—the "banjo kid"—in
the 1972 movie Deliverance.
What name for one of the basic constituents of matter is a
word that first appeared in James Joyce's "Finnegan's Wake?"
Quark. The other basic constituent of matter is called a Lepton.
Of all the integers through 576, which comes last alphabetically?
Zero.
Which baseball player led the Southern Association in 1925
with 30 home runs? The Atlanta Crackers Nick Cullop ..
career .312 batting average, 420 HR, and 2670 hits.
Of all the currently proposed skyscrapers in the world, where
is the tallest one to be built? The 2000' Chicago Spire
in Chicago, Illinois
What's the capital of Ecuador? Washington State? Oregon?
Quito, Olympia, Salem
Who was the Vice President when the Japanese surrendered ending
WWII? No one. Truman was president when Japan surrendered
on 9/2/45. The position of Vice President was vacant from 4/12/45
- 1/20/49.
Where does the painting "Starry Night" by Vincent
van Gogh hang? The Museum of Modern Art in New York City
Who invented the use of ether? Crawford Long
Where was Johnny Cash born? Arkansas
What is the origin of the name "Wieuca Road" in Atlanta?
The first two letters of the three Stevens sisters: Wilma,
Eugenia, and Catherine.
Which pro baseball players had career 300 HR's and 300 steals?
Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonds, Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, Steve
Finley, Reggie Sanders
What was Al Sharpton's first job? James Brown's roadie
From what state can you cross southwardly into six different
states? Arkansas
Who was the last switch-hitting MVP in the National League?
Joey Ducky Medwick in 1937
Of the 48 contiguous states, which has the most shoreline?
Michigan
What are the two countries with the most people per square
mile? Vatican City and Singapore
Who was the last switch hitter to win MVP in the American League?
Vida Blue
Which city is further West, Los Angeles or Carson City,
NV? Carson City by 36 miles.
Which city is further East, Atlanta or Detroit? Detroit,
by 67 miles.
What record label was the 1st to sign Little Richard? Specialty
Records
Who was the Vice President 30 years ago today? Nelson
Rockefeller
What is the largest state East of the Mississippi? Georgia
How many states have any part north of the Southernmost tip
of Canada? 24, including California
