Serving Whitman County since 1877

Trivia and Strange 5/12/11

TRIVIA TEST

1. GOVERNMENT: What do FICA taxes pay for?

2. LANGUAGE: What is a wunderkind?

3. HISTORY: To what royal house did England’s King Henry VIII belong?

4. U.S. STATES: What is Hawaii’s state flower?

5. ANATOMY: In what part of the body is the sternum located?

6. MEASUREMENTS: On what type of scale are wind forces measured?

7. ROYAL TITLES: How should one address a duke in greeting?

8. GEOGRAPHY: What U.S. city is known as the “City of Brotherly Love”?

9. LITERATURE: What is doggerel?

10. MEDICINE: Who is credited with discovering the polio vaccine?

Answers

1. Social Security

2. A prodigy

3. Tudor

4. Yellow hibiscus

5. Chest

6. Beaufort Scale

7. Your grace

8. Philadelphia

9. Crudely written poetry

10. Albert Sabin

(c) 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.

STRANGE BUT TRUE

By Samantha Weaver

It was British author Douglas Adams, best known for his “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” novels, who made the following sage observation: “Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.”

In the African nation of Sudan, a traditional wedding includes a ceremony known as “sungkem,” in which the bride and groom kiss the knees of their parents.

“Casablanca,” starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, is one of the most beloved movies of all time, frequently being listed at or near the top of lists of the best films ever made. However, shortly after its release in November 1942, The New Yorker rated it only “pretty tolerable.”

Connoisseurs of frog legs claim that you should leave the toes on when frying — they’re good for picking your teeth after eating.

The deepest hole ever drilled by humans reached a whopping depth of 7.62 miles. The project, known as the Kola Superdeep Borehole, was undertaken in Russia for the purpose of scientific research.

At any given time, about two-thirds of the earth’s surface is covered by clouds.

The tiny nation of San Marino, which is entirely encircled by Italy, is the world’s oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic. It was founded by a stonecutter in the year 301, and the constitution was enacted in 1600 — the world’s oldest still in effect.

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Thought for the Day: “There’s no secret about success. Did you ever know a successful man who didn’t tell you about it?” — Kin Hubbard

(c) 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.

 

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