Salt: A World History

Question 1

Confucianism

Answer 1

System of philosophical and ethical teachings based in the theory that human beings are fundamentally good, teachable and improbable.

Question 2

Legalism

Answer 2

Philosophical belief that human beings are inclined to do wrong and they are motivated by self interest and require strict laws to control their impulses.

Question 3

Li Bing

Answer 3

Chinese hydraulic engineer and politician known for helping develop one of the first dams and early water systems during the Qin dynasty.

Question 4

Rustichello da Pisa

Answer 4

13th Contrary Italian romance novelist who co-authored Marco Polo’s autobiography after they spent time together in prison in Genoa.

Question 5

Marco Polo

Answer 5

13th Century explorer who traveled with his brother and uncle to China when he was 17.

Question 6

Wilfred The Hairy

Answer 6

The count of Barcelona in the late 800s who is responsible for the hereditary passing of titles, repopulating the land of Vic, and has become a modern symbol of independence.

Question 7

Herodotus

Answer 7

Ancient Greek historian known as “The Father of History” for his work recording the history of the Greco-Persian Wars.

Question 8

Marcus Apicius

Answer 8

Author of the first recorded cookbook in history who also poisoned himself after spending a majority of his wealth on a new kitchen

Question 9

Murex shellfish

Answer 9

This crustacean is known for creating purple dye used to clothe royalty because of it’s limited quantity.

Question 10

Patricians

Answer 10

Roman upper class who held all the government and religious positions of power.

Question 11

Plebeians

Answer 11

Roman lower class who typically held trade jobs and had few rights. This class was often given olive oil or salt to win the favor of the powerful.

Question 12

Collegio del Sal

Answer 12

State entity in Venice responsible for controlling the salt production, imports and exports for the region.

Question 13

The importance of Cod & Halibut to Northern European economies

Answer 13

Both Cod and Halibut are very low fat fish, meaning when salted they could be very well preserved for long durations. These fish also were caught in schools which allowed economies to be built on trading this fish with other traditional European markets.

Question 14

Cape Cod

Answer 14

Area in Massachusetts founded in 1600s. The town’s abundance of cod and ability to easily make salt made it an early important settlement in America.

Question 15

Captain John Smith

Answer 15

One of the founder of Jamestown colony, also known for his work surveying the American coastline and identifying his top harbor locations for future colonies.

Question 16

Samuel Winslow

Answer 16

In 1641 Samuel received the first North American Patton for his new way of producing salt.

Question 17

Red Herring

Answer 17

Something that misleads or distracts - Origins go back to herring being soaked in brine that made them more pungent and turn a shade of red. These fish would then be used to train hounds to follow the scent of their prey and not the fish smell.

Question 18

Sleepy/Salty John Sears

Answer 18

Sailor known for nodding off during the day help fuel the growth in American made salt in New England during the revolutionary war when England cut off the American supply.

Question 19

Gabelle (guh - bell)

Answer 19

French salt tax instituted in the 14th century that was universally hated by citizens and was used on and off to finance France through Napoleon.

Question 20

Mercantilism

Answer 20

An economic system of trade that spanned from the 16th century to the 18th century based on the idea that a nation’s wealth and power were best served by increasing exports and so involved increasing trade.

Question 21

The Erie Canal

Answer 21

Man made water way built in 1825 that at the time was the second largest canal in the world. This canal allowed for salt produced in upstate NY to be able to be widely traded across the states and production was spurred by salt restrictions during war.

Question 22

Robert Fulton

Answer 22

Inventor of the commercial steamboat, first steamboat operated between NYC and Albany.

Question 23

Comstock Lode

Answer 23

a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, in Virginia City, Nevada, which was the first major discovery of silver ore in the United States.

Question 24

Avery Island

Answer 24

Island in Louisiana that has been both a salt plantation for the Avery family since the civil war and the home of the Tabasco company.

Question 25

Clerihew

Answer 25

A whimsical, four-line biographical poem invented by Edmund Clerihew Bentley. The first line is the name of the poem’s subject, usually a famous person put in an absurd light, or revealing something unknown or spurious about them. The rhyme scheme is AABB.

Question 26

Clarence Birdseye

Answer 26

American inventor responsible for ushering in the era of frozen food to preserve and keep food for longer.

Question 27

Salt Dome

Answer 27

Geological phenomenon where minerals (usually salt) form a dome at depth in the earth that push vertically up and cause a variety of by products including salt brines and pockets of petroleum.