Grand Trivia

Grand Trivia Question # 19 - answered by Jane

2006-01-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

First President born in the USA

Who was the first person born in the United States of America to be elected President of the United States of America?

Answer

Martin Van Buren, born in 1782, was the first of our Presidents to be born after the establishment of the United States of America. His seven predecessors in the office were all born subjects of the British monarch.

It's A Wonderful Life: Answers

2006-01-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

My daughter Lillian answered most of these questions but never posted her answers, so I guess I'll have to give you the prize again, Jane!

Click here to see the answers to the
Special Trivia Test: It's A Wonderful Life

Grand Trivia Question #18 (Answered by Joan)

2006-01-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills!

The Forty-niners of California are mighty famous, but what was the site of the first gold rush in the United States?

Answer
Auraria, Georgia

Congratulations to Joan from the Grand Triviator.

According to an article entitled "Georgia Gold" by Charles A. Overbey in Gems and Minerals magazine and excerpted on the website: www.goldmaps.com:

Gold was discovered in NC in 1799 and later in SC, GA, AL, and VA. But the big rush didn't come till gold was discovered at Auraria, just five miles from Dahalonega, Georgia in 1828.

"A few months after the announcement of the discovery, hundreds of men were searching for the metal; and within a year, thousands of miners had descended into Georgia to seek the golden treasure. In 1830 a U.S. Army major described the motley appearance of the "whites, Indians, half-breeds and Negroes, boys of fourteen and old men of seventy" who sought their fortunes in the river beds and hillsides of Georgia."

Many Georgia miners joined the California Gold Rush later. A Dr. Stephenson tried to talk some out of going, telling thenm that there was still millions in the hills around Dahlonega. According to the website above:

"Mark Twain, hearing them from a friend, William Sellers, wrote in Gilded Age his famous version of Dr. Stephenson’s expression: 'There’s gold in them thar hills.'"

Another "Auraria" was established in Colorado by a Georgia miner during the Pikes Peak gold stampede. It is now part of Denver.

Grand Trivia Question #17 (Answered by Jane)

2006-01-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

Olde Towne

Almost everyone knows that St. Augustine, Florida is the nation’s oldest city established by Europeans. What town is second oldest?

Above is the oldest church in the US.

There seems to be some dispute about the title of Second Oldest City, but Santa Fe, New Mexico, seems to have the best claim. Established in 1607 and still a flourishing city it has the oldest church, the oldest capitol, and the oldest public building, according to their tourism folks.
So, congratulations to Jane!!

By the way, St. Mary's, Georgia, is proclaimed the Second Oldest City on a couple of websites, but I haven't found supporting evidence. The Spanish were definitely plying the Georgia Coast in the late 1500s but I don't think any of those settlements/camps have had continuous existence since.

Grand Trivia Question #16 (Answered by Joan)

2006-01-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

Tumbling Water

There are lots of high falls out west. And everyone knows there’s a lot of water over Niagara every day. But which falls is the highest east of Mississippi?

By The Way: I am still hoping someone can answer more of my Its a Wonderful Life Trivia!

Congrats, again, Joan!!
The tallest falls east of the Mississippi is Amicalola, Cherokee for "tumbling water."

Grand Trivia Question #15 (Answered by Joan)

2006-01-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

His John Hancock

Some folks will pay big money for the signatures of big shots. Which American’s signature commands the record price?

Happy New Year!

People pay a lot for famous signatures. Among the famous men who signed the Declaration of Independence are Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, and Ben Franklin, but it is Georgia's own Button Gwinnett who nets the highest price for a signature, mostly because only 8 are known to exist.

Special Trivia Test: It's A Wonderful Life

2006-01-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Season is winding down. I hope everyone has had a chance to watch again my favorite Christmas Movie Tradition: Frank Capra's It’s a Wonderful Life. In my classroom, there's always a test on audio-visual presentations. So here's your test. Let's everyone pitch in and see how many you can answer. Give Jane Ann and Ol' Wally a little competition!

1. What does Harry use for a sled in the opening scenes?

2. Young George Bailey is very proud to announce to Mary and Violet that he has been nominated for membership in what group?

3. What did the principal do when the floor opened over the swimming pool?

4. On what song did George and Mary harmonize the night of the dance?

5. What kept George from going off to see the world after his brother’s high school graduation?

6. When Mary’s mother asks what George is doing in their home, what does Mary say?

7. What kept Mary and George from going on their honeymoon?

8. With what song did Ernie and Bert seranade the newlyweds?

9. Uncle Billy had several pets. Which is seen most often in the film?

10. What memory aid does Uncle Billy use to help him remember important chores and events?

11. Why was George classified 4-F by the Selective Service?

12. George offers to perform an amazing feat for Mary. This feat is later painted by Mary and the painting ends up framed in their home. What was it?

13. As they wait for Harry’s train, George asks Uncle Billy about the three most exciting sounds in the world: What does Billy guess? What are George’s three?

14. What did Mary present to the new homeowners?

15. What yearly salary did Potter offer George?

16. How did George finish the following sentence as he turned down Mr. Potter’s offer? “In the whole vast configuration of things, I say, you’re nothing but a scurvy little __________.”

17. Who loses $8000?

18. Who is waiting to talk to George when he learns about the missing money?

19. What book is the angel, Clarence, reading?

20. What is Clarence’s last name?

21. How old does he say he will be “...next May”?

22. What is his rank?

23. What does he order at Nick’s Bar?

24. What happens when a bell rings?

25. When Clarence takes George to “Pottersville” how is Mary described?

26. George is very happy to find something in his pocket when he meets Bert on the bridge near the end of the movie. What was in his pocket?

27. What movie is playing at the theater in Bedford Falls when George returns?

28. Who is the last person to donate money to the fund to help George out of his predicament?

29. What completes this message from Clarence to George? “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the ___________.”

30. Who is said to have borrowed the names of the cabbie and cop from this movie for two famous characters he invented? (His production company denies it.)

The Answers:

1. What does Harry use for a sled in the opening scenes?
A snow shovel

2. Young George Bailey is very proud to announce to Mary and Violet that he has been nominated for membership in what group?
The National Geographic Society

3. What did the principal do when the floor opened over the swimming pool?
He grinned and jumped in himself!

4. On what song did George and Mary harmonize the night of the dance?
Buffalo Gals

5. What kept George from going off to see the world after his brother’s high school graduation?
His father's stroke and subsequent death

6. When Mary’s mother asks what George is doing in their home, what does Mary say?
"He's making violent love to me, Mother!"

7. What kept Mary and George from going on their honeymoon?
A run on the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan

8. With what song did Ernie and Bert seranade the newlyweds?
I Love You Dearly

9. Uncle Billy had several pets. Which is seen most often in the film?
A crow (or raven)

10. What memory aid does Uncle Billy use to help him remember important chores and events?
String around his finger - sometimes several

11. Why was George classified 4-F by the Selective Service?
His bad left ear

12. George offers to perform an amazing feat for Mary. This feat is later painted by Mary and the painting ends up framed in their home. What was it?
Lasso the moon.

13. As they wait for Harry’s train, George asks Uncle Billy about the three most exciting sounds in the world: What does Billy guess? What are George’s three?

GEORGE (cont'd): Thar she blows. You know what the three most exciting sounds in the world are?
UNCLE BILLY: Uh-huh. Breakfast is served; lunch is served; dinner . . .
GEORGE: No, no, no, no! Anchor chains, plane motors, and train whistles.

14. What did Mary present to the new homeowners?
"Bread, that this house may never know hunger. Salt, that life may always have flavor. And wine, that joy and prosperity may reign forever."

15. What yearly salary did Potter offer George?
$20,000

16. How did George finish the following sentence as he turned down Mr. Potter’s offer? “In the whole vast configuration of things, I say, you’re nothing but a scurvy little __________.”
spider

17. Who loses $8000?
Uncle Billy (and Potter steals it)

18. Who is waiting to talk to George when he learns about the missing money?
The bank examiner

19. What book is the angel, Clarence, reading?
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

20. What is Clarence’s last name?
Oddbody

21. How old does he say he will be “...next May”?
293

22. What is his rank?
Angel Second Class (Till the end of the movie, anyway)

23. What does he order at Nick’s Bar?
Mulled wine

24. What happens when a bell rings?
An angel gets his wings

25. When Clarence takes George to “Pottersville” how is Mary described?
An "Old Maid" librarian (and she is definitely made to look the part: it's hilariously non-PC!)

26. George is very happy to find something in his pocket when he meets Bert on the bridge near the end of the movie. What was in his pocket?
"Zuzu's petals" (Rose petals)

27. What movie is playing at the theater in Bedford Falls when George returns?
The Bells of St. Mary's

28. Who is the last person to donate money to the fund to help George out of his predicament?
The Bank Examiner

29. What completes this message from Clarence to George? “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the ___________.”
Wings

30. Who is said to have borrowed the names of the cabbie and cop from this movie for two famous characters he invented? (His production company denies it.)

Jim Henson -- Ernie & Bert

Grand Trivia Question #14 (Answered by Ol' Wally!)

2005-12-31T20:13:00.000-08:00

The Highest Home Runs

Which was the highest altitude major league stadium before the Colorado Rockies entered the bigs?

Answer according to Ballparks.com:

With an altitude of more than 1,000 feet above sea level, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was (until the Colorado Rockies entered the major leagues) the highest park in the majors, which results in many homers and the nickname "the Launching Pad."

Grand Trivia Question #13 (Answered by Jane)

2005-12-31T10:51:00.000-08:00

Degrees
of
Femininity

What was the first college in the world specifically chartered to grant degrees to women?

Wesleyan College in Macon Georgia is the oldest college specifically chartered for women. Congrats to Jane, the champion pursuer of trivia for the week.

Grand Trivia Question #12 (Answered)

2005-12-30T20:59:00.000-08:00

Three “P”s

Even though Georgia is known as the Peach State it actually ranks third behind California and South Carolina in the production of peaches. (That's Gaffney, South Carolina's Giant Peach in the picture.)

Georgia is, however, the undisputed number one producer of two other “P” products. What are they?

Answer:

(Congratulations to Beth, Joan & Jane!)
Peanuts and Pecans

Bonus Answer that
the Grand Triviator
overlooked:

(Thanks, Joan!!)
Poultry!!
I found this on a University of Georgia page:

Grand Trivia Question #11 (Answered by Jane)

2005-12-30T15:06:00.000-08:00

The Sons-in-Law

In 1924 Al Smith deadlocked for the Democratic nomination for President with the son-in-law of an American President. A third dark horse candidate got the nomination but Republican Calvin Coolidge got the Presidency. Who was the son-in-law candidate and who was his father-in-law President? Bonus: Who is the only son-in-law of a President to actually succeed in becoming an American President?

Ah, Jane (again!!) has searched out the answers:

William McAdoo (above) was the son-in-law of

Rome's favorite son, Woodrow Wilson.

Bonus:
As indicated in an earlier post --

Jefferson Davis (above) was the son-in-law of

Zachary Taylor (Second cousin of both Jane and the Great Triviator)

Grand Trivia Question #10 (Answered by Jane)

2005-12-29T21:30:00.000-08:00

World’s Largest Campus

In terms of contiguous acres, what is the largest college campus in the world?

Berry College
28,000 acres along US Highway 27 north of Rome, Georgia.

Way to go, Jane!

Grand Trivia Question #9 (Answered)

2005-12-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

Vicious Beasts

Which wild mammal (excluding untamed humans) in North America kills the most humans each year?

It's not these guys:

We have a Winner!! It's Jane again!

According to CNN

It's not the vicious wolf, the powerful grizzly, disease carrying mouse, or a prowling cougar that kills Americans most frequently...

IT IS BAMBI!!!!

Grand Trivia Question #8 (Answered by Jane)

2005-12-29T14:08:00.000-08:00

City of Bridges

They say Venice, Italy, is the World City of Bridges, but which is the American City of Bridges? Which city in the U.S. has the most bridges?
(For our purposes we will define a bridge as a structure of at least twenty feet in length that spans a body or stream of water.)

Update: It's not Chicago or San Francisco.

Answer: Where the Allegheny and the Monongahela join to form the Mighty Ohio lies the City of 1900 Bridges --

Pittsburgh!!

Grand Trivia Question #7 (Answered by Jane)

2005-12-28T21:58:00.000-08:00

D-Day Brass

Henry Fonda played the part of our mystery person
in the movie, The Longest Day.

Who was the highest ranking American officer to wade ashore in Normandy in the first wave of attack on D-Day, June 6, 1944? By the way, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor that day and was one-half of the only father/son pair in the invading forces on the "Longest Day".

Update: Cousin Jane wins the prize! The Answer is below.

Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Gen. Roosevelt's son, Quentin, also participated in the D-Day invasion. His father, the late President, was also awarded the Medal of Honor -- Posthumously for his charge up that San Juan hill in the
Spanish-American War.

Check it out here.

Grand Trivia Question #6 (Answered by Carol)

2005-12-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

As the Crow Flies

Try to make a guess without referring to a map. As the crow flies which is closest to Rome, Georgia?

a. Dallas, Texas
b. Chicago, Illinois
c. Miami, Florida
d. Philiadelphia, Pennsylvania

In case you have chanced upon this site and are not familiar with our fair city: Rome is about halfway between Atlanta and Chattanooga TN.

The Answer is b. Chicago!
TaDah!!

Most folks are surprised to learn that The Windy City
is closer to us here in Rome than Miami or Dallas.
Miami, Dallas and Philly are all very nearly equidistant from Rome.

Jefferson C. & Jefferson F. Davis (Question 4)

2005-12-27T07:22:00.000-08:00

Jefferson C. Davis

Finally, after grovelling, I persuaded someone to actually give a stab at my Jefferson Davis question.

Carol said today at 5:46 AM...
"He was a Union general in the Civil War. He also fought at Stones River - which is next door to me in Murfreesboro, TN. He marched with Sherman..."

Yes!!
Jefferson C. Davis, despite the coincidence of his name, was a Union General, to whom Sherman gave the order in May 1864 (referring to our fair city, Rome, Georgia), "attack the town directly, at the point of greatest resistance."

The Rome folk, what there was left of them, did their best to offer great resistance. They and the Army had built fortifications around the city. The fiercest fighting took place just a few blocks from where I am sitting at Fort Attaway (There's a Japanese restaurant there now.) Our boys retreated across the river to Myrtle Hill (Fort Stovall to the Army) and managed to keep up some aggravation for the Yankees from that high ground. Sherman moved into Rome and used it as his HQ for a while as he prepared to take Atlanta.

My question went like this:

Who was Jefferson C. Davis?

President of the Confederate States of America

Union General during the Civil War

Son-in-law of the President of the USA

United States Secretary of War

Bonus: Who is the very interesting match for each of the other answers?

Answer to the Bonus:
All of the answers except "Union general" apply to the more famous Jefferson F. Davis (No one knows what the "F" stands for, though some sources say his folks named him "Finis" cause they didn't plan any further Davis editions.) The President of the Confederacy had married the daughter of Zachary Taylor, though she died young and before Taylor was elected President. Davis served as Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce. He was the prominent and nationally respected U.S. Senator from Mississippi when Abraham Lincoln was elected President by the smallest plurality of votes before or since (and without even appearing on the ballot in many states). Davis tried valiantly to hold the South in the Union, but when Mississippi seceded he announced his resignation from the Senate:

"I find in myself perhaps a type of the general feeling of my constituents toward yours. I am sure I feel no hostility toward you, Senators of the North. I am sure there is not one of you, whatever sharp discussion there may have been between us, to whom I cannot say in the presence of my God, I wish you well, and such I am sure is the feeling of the people whom I represent toward those whom you represent. I carry with me no hostile remembrance. Whatever offense I have given which has not been redressed or for which satisfaction has not been demanded, I have, Senators, in this hour of our parting, to offer you my apology for any pain which in the heat of discussion I have inflicted. I go hence unincumbered by the remembrance of any injury received, and having discharged the duty of making the only reparation in my power for any injury offered, Mr. President and Senators, having made the announcement which the occasion seemed to me to require, it only remains for me to bid you a final adieu."

Grand Trivia Question #5 (Revealed by the Triviator)

2005-12-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

Separated at Birth:

Terrell's Celebrity Twin

My sister at Daddy's Roses has linked to the site above that compares your very own uploaded facial image to the faces of a gazillion celebrities and declares which you most closely resemble -- physically, not emotionally, politically, intellectually or etceterally. So my Grand Trivia question of today is: Who is Terrell's Celebrity Twin? Follow this link before you peek below.

Don't Peek!!!

I Said Don't Peek!!!

Did You Guess Yet???!!!

Yep, ugly ol' Dennis Hopper!!
Can you believe it??

Grand Trivia Question #4 (Answered by Carol)

2005-12-22T16:18:00.003-08:00

Jeff Davis

The Line Item Veto trivia question reminded me of this one:
Who was Jefferson C. Davis?

President of the Confederate States of America
Union General during the Civil War
Son-in-law of the President of the USA
United States Secretary of War

Bonus: Who is the very interesting match for each of the other answers?

Watch for the answer here.

12/23 -- Alrighty, now, folks!! Surely somebody's gonna step up and take a guess on this one. Remember Google is sitting right there at the top right hand side of your browser just waiting to help you search for the answer. Maybe I should call this A Google Scavenger Hunt.

ANSWERED (Finally!) Here!

Grand Trivia Question #3 (Answered by Joan & Jane)

2005-12-21T21:14:00.000-08:00

Ohi

Ohio is the only State of the United States the name of which can be spelled using only three letters of the Alphabet: O, H, and I. The names of which of our States can be properly spelled using only four different letters each?

Answers Below

Hurray for Joan (and Jane!!)
Ten states have names that can be spelled with 4 or less letters each:

ALBM
ALSK
HAWI
INDA
IOWA
KANS
MISP
OHI
TENS
UTAH

Grand Trivia Question #2 (Answered -sorta- by Jane)

2005-12-21T20:31:00.001-08:00

Due South

You lead an expedition from Rome, Georgia. You have been instructed by your commanders to travel by land and water due south until such time as you set foot on foreign soil. When you acheive your goal, on the soil of what nation will you find yourself? (Alabama doesn't count.)

Answer Below:

Rome GA is located at 85.2º W, a line of longitude that passes out of Georgia into Alabama, across the Gulf of Mexico, just misses the western tip of Cuba and strikes the Honduran northern coast near Santa Rosa de Aguan. Traveling further in a Southerly direction will take you across Nicaragua and Costa Rica into the Pacific passing to the west of South America and finally making landfall again on the coast of the Bellinghausen Sea in Ellsworth Land in Antarctica passing just east of Vinson Massif (the highest point on the continent) before reaching the South Pole.

I suspect that a low percentage of the populace of Northwest Georgia would guess that they live west of the entire continent of South America.

Congrats to Cousin Jane who supposed Cuba or Honduras to be the answer.

GrandTrivia Question # 1 (Answered by Carol)

2005-12-20T14:55:00.002-08:00

Line Item Veto

President Clinton gained the power of Line Item Veto on January 1, 1997. It was a short-lived privilege of the President. The Supreme Court on a 6-3 vote, June 25, 1998, struck down the legislation under which Clinton exercised that veto. Only one American President other than Clinton has been allowed to veto line items. Who was it?

Answer Below:

Congratulations, Carol!

The other Line Item Veto President was also a Southernor. Many folks forget that there was one American President who is not counted in the usual list of 43. The President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, was granted the Line Item Veto in the (Confederate) American Constitution of 1861.