Trivia 10 Flashcards
What true story inspired Scott O’Dell’s novel, Island of the Blue Dolphins.
In 1853 otter hunters returned to Santa Barbara from the remote channel island, San Nicolas with a 50 year old woman who had been living there alone & spoke a language no one could understand.
O’Dell’s novel is a coming of age story about a Native American teenager named Karana who survives alone on the island
The romanticized myth about the lone woman from San Nicolas Island vs. the truth that was discovered.
The original story was that she was the last of her tribe, and lived alone on the island and that she spoke a language no one could understand.
She actually remained on the island with her son who died shortly before she went ashore. She was outlived my members of her tribe who went ashore in 1835. Her language was different from the native Americans who lived in Santa Barbara but she was able to speak to someone before she died 7 weeks after arriving in Santa Barbara.
Who was Tecumseh?
A Shawnee chief who devoted his life to fighting the white peoples incursion on his land. He united many tribes and formed the Northwest Indian Confederacy. Fought with the British in the War of 1812. Died during the Battle of the Thames.
Who was Tenskwatawa?
Tecumseh’s brother, known as “The Prophet” had an alcohol induced vision of a land ruled by Native Americans each following their own traditions. The brothers founded Prophetstown where the Wabash and Tippecanoe rivers come together.
What is the rainiest place on earth?
Mawsynram, a village in Northeastern India in the Khasi Hills receives 12,000 millimeters of rain per year. Meghalaya district. Also Cherrapunji in Meghalaya
Shillong is the capital of…
The Indian State of Meghalaya, also the largest town/city in the mostly rural province
What borders the Indian state of Meghalaya to the north and south?
Bangladesh to the South, Indian state of Assam to the north
Sam Walton’s claim to fame
Founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club
Sam Walton’s first job was at…
A JCPenney store in Des Moines Iowa in 1940
In the book of Job, what are Job’s final words to God?
My ears had heard you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
How is Job 9:8 “He alone stretches out the heavens” significant to science?
Hebrew word “natah” “stretches out” implies ongoing continual expansion as we’ve discovered much later the universe is expanding
What was Sam Walton’s unique idea for his stores.
A large discount store where everything was discounted in rural areas.
First store Sam Walton ran and made successful by cutting prices ?
Ben Franklin circa 1950. Landlord wanted to buy store for his son. Walton wouldn’t sell, so LL refused to renew his lease.
Where & when was the first Walmart?
Rogers, Arkansas in 1962 near Bentonville.
Why did Walmart survive while Kmart and Woolco didn’t.
These stores were very successful at first, but in urban areas. Walmart was so far off the beaten path, they didn’t care about expanding into their area. Walmart was the only discount store option for people in rural areas.
Who were the Alan’s/Alani people
A nomadic, pastoral people of India-Iranian origin who occupied the northeast steppe near the Black Sea in early centuries AD. Warlike among the barbarians Rome dealt with. Many migrated and settled throughout Europe after Hun invasion but some descendants still live in area of North Caucasus mountains. Crimea north of Black Sea
The Alani/Alans originally occupied…?
The area North thé Black & Caspian seas.
The Hun incursion forced the Alani to migrate to…?
Spain, Catalonia province, Gaul, Northern Africa, Northern Italy, lower Danube River, by French/German border
What is the “train lady” tradition in Ukraine?
A cultural tradition of a job held by women who would signal the coming trains. They’d live in a small colorful house,, isolated, their lives revolving around the train schedule. In modern times, the job is more about keeping people off the tracks as the train approaches. Who knows now though with the war & all☹️
Who was Lewis Tappan?
White lifelong anti-slavery advocate (1788-1873
Lewis Tappan’s accomplishments?
Founder of the American Antislavery Society in 1833
He & his brother financed & backed Oberlin College a desegregated college
Took a leading role in the defense of the Africans In the Amistad.Trials
Aided in the formation of the American Missionary Society in 1846. This group helped freed slaves after the Civil War
Leadership role on establishing the American and Foreign AntiSlavery Society
Promoted desegregation in churches
The story behind the Amistad?
The Amistad was a ship carrying 53 slaves. The slaves revolted and took control of the ship. When US found them, slaves were imprisoned.
The slaves on the Amistad were originally from what part of Africa?
Mendeland, modern day Sierra Leone
On the Amistad, who was the man who freed himself from his chains and led the revolt?
Sengbe Pieh, Joseph Cinque
When did California become a State?
September 1850
Who were the Suebi? Where did they come from?
A Germanic people who lived around the Elbe River in Germany and Czech Republic. The Huns pushed them further into Europe and they settled in northwest Spain around 409 AD. Also Suevi
The Suebi were a conglomerate of what Germanic tribes?
Marcomanni, Quadi, & Lombards
Hermunduri, Alamanni, Semnones
Where does the Elbe River begin and end?
Begins in the mountains of northern Czech Republic , makes a half circle around Northern Czech Republic (Bohemia) and flows north through Germany into the North Sea and Cuxhaven
What North American animals thrive in burnt forests?
Black fire beetles lay their eggs in burnt trees. Black backed woodpeckers prefer burnt forests where they peck through trees and eat wood boring beetles
What physical characteristics does the black backed woodpecker have that enabled it to peck through the hardest wood thousands of times per day? 6 things
- Chisel-like beak covered in tough keratin
- Thick, spongy bone at the front of the skull acts as shock absorber
- Small smooth dense brain
- Nictitatuing membrane keeps out flying debris
- Long tongue and tongue bone for dislodging insects and decreasing vibrations
- Exceptionally fast contracting neck muscles
What is the world’s longest free flowing River?
Thé Amazon. It’s waters are not dammed or diverted anywhere
China’s Three Gorges Damn is between what two large cities in China on the Yangtze River?
Chongqing and Wuhan
Of China’s 10 largest cities, which ones are on the Yangtze River?
Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chongqing
Why are the parts of the Mars rover built in a sterile room?
The equipment will me searching for microbes on Mars and can’t be contaminated with microbes from earth.
First spacecraft to send us pictures of Mars?
Mariner 4 in 1965
Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to…?
Orbit another planet, Mars
What did we learn about Mars from Mariner 9’s photos?
That Mars once had running water as evidenced by River carved valleys, floodplains, channels and deltas
Giovanni Schiaparelli and Perceval Lowell…
Created and propagated the myth that Mars had active built canals and alien life. Schiaparelli’s map in 1877. Lowell had an observatory built in 1894. Even Tesla believed Mars had aliens
How long does it take Mars to go around the sun?
687 days
First spacecraft to land on Mars successfully?
Viking in 1976
What’s interesting about Lake Salda in Turkey?
Called the Turkish crater lake, this crater lake resembles a tropical island with white sand beaches. Mineral deposits make the shores white and the water is a beautiful turquoise when the sun is out.
A study published in 2017 reported that sperm counts in men …
Declined by 50% between 1973 & 2011
A more recent & global study found sperm counts in men…
Have declined by 63%
How does zinc help the immune system?
It’s important for the generation of T cells. Also plays a role in the function of cells that line the respiratory tract
How does vitamin C help the immune system?
Stimulâtes thé migrations of white blood cells (neutrophils)
Also support s macrophages
What religion were the Vandals in early centuries AD?
Arian Christians, that means they followed the beliefs of Arius of Alexandria who was denounced at the Council of Nicaea (325) Arianism states God created Jesus and therefore isn’t a trinity
After the Huns pushed them out of Germany/Poland where did the Vandals settle?
North Africa, Carthage, Algeria & Tunisia. There kingdom existed for a century before being taken over by the Byzantine Empire.
The Vandals had a reputation for destruction. When they sacked Rome,
They didn’t murder its inhabitants nor burn down the buildings
What are Visigoths and Ostrogoths?
Visigoths: means Western Goths, Alaric’s descendants who settled in Gaul and Iberia
Ostrogoths: Eastern Goths, settled in Italy
What we know about the Vandals and Goths is limited because
They kept no written record. What we know about them comes from Roman writings which are biased. Romans fought with them and described them as brutal, barbaric and subhuman
Who played Shuri in the Black Panther movies?
Letitia Wright
Who was Angela Bassett in the Black Panther movies?
Queen Ramonda
Who played Nakia in the Black Panther movies?
Lupita Nyong’o
Actor Winston Duke plays who in the Black Panther movies?
M’Baku
Name of Wakanda’s female warriors?
Dora Milaje (adored ones)
The mysterious dark matter in the universe is in one of which 3 categories?
- Ordinary matter, made of protons, neutrons and electrons. Does become radiant when exposed to light. Makes us 17.5% of universes total matter.
- Exotic dark matter 82.5 percent of universes total content
- Dark energy
Was the arrival of African captives to The Jamestown colony the beginning of slavery in America?
No. Christopher Columbus had Africans aboard his ship in the 1490s, possibly slaves.
Enslaved Africans were brought to the Spanish colony of St. Augustine in 1526.
Who was Juan Garrido?
A free African man who came to the Americas well before the 1619 slave ship to Jamestown. He was a conquistador
The beginning of African slavery in the English colonies?
A ship arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. «20 and odd negroes” famous journal entry by John Rolfe
First account of Europeans taking Africans as slaves?
1441, Portuguese captured 12 Africans from modern day Mauritania & brought them to Portugal as slaves.
What was the name of Pocahontas’ native tribe?
The Powhatan
Pocahontas didn’t marry John Smith. She married…
John Rolfe, though Smith was the one she saved. He was an adventurer and explorer. Rolfe arrived later. John Rolfe came later.
Pocahontas’s real name?
Matoaka, “Pocahontas “‘was a pet name meaning “playful one” or “favorite daughter”
How old was Pocahontas when she interceded for John Smith’s life?
13
Who was Wahunsenaca?
Known to English as Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas‘a dad, and chief of a coalition of 30 some tribes who dealt with the Jamestown colonists.
Who’s this dude?
Rob Ross who hosted an instructional painting show on PBS from 1983 to 1994
Who was Ahab’s father?
They were kings of…?
Omri
Isreal
Jezebel was the princess of…
Sidon
Omri, wicked king of Isreal ruled from… Then established a palace onna hill called…
Tirzah
Samaria
Four original members of the band, Queen
Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, Roger Taylor
The Egyptian crocodile god…
Sobek
In ancient Egypt, the sphinx was viewed as…
A protector and benevolent guardian, often seen outside of tombs
Sphinx is a combination of what three animals?
Human head, lions body, falcon wings, but other variants and combinations have been seen such as a crocodile with a falcons head
What does the Greek sphinx look like?
It’s a woman rather than a man with a lion’s body and sometimes wings
How long did it take for The Dome of Florence to be built ? (Years of start to finish)
1420-1471
Who decorated the interior of the Dome of Florence?
The frescoes depicted The Last Judgement was begun by Giorgio Vasari and completed by Federico Zucarro after Vasari died.
Who was Queen Amanirenas?
Queen of Nubia (Kush/Sudan)
40-10 BC (25BC when her husband died ?) a great archeress, she fought off the Roman Empire. The war ended with a peace treaty favoring Nubia
Who ruled Egypt while Queen Amanirenas ruled Nubia.
Cleopatra & Marc Antony
Kandake is the word for…
A Nubian Queen
What language do they speak in the Black Panther film in Wakanda?
The real African language of Xhosa/isiXhosa spoken in South Africa & Zimbabwe
Actual all female army in Africa’s history ?
The Dahomey Mino re a Fon all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey (in today’s Benin, West Africa) that existed from the 1600s until the late 1800s.
The Dahomey Mino we’re not like the Dor Milaje in that
Some were forced into service by husbands who complained about them. They mostly wore the same things as men rather than African ornate sexy costumes. They captured their enemy neighbors and sold them to the Europeans as slaves.
Queen Tassi Hangbe…
Was the queen of the Dahomey kingdom in the early 18th century. Her father was King Houegbadja, founder of the Dahomey kingdom. She was a fearless warrior and founder of the Dahomey Amazons. She urged women to hunt, farm and do all the things men did.
The Dahomey warriors were known to kill enemies by…
beheading them
How fast is the speed of light?
186, 282 miles per second
299, 792, 458 mètres per second
When did the Mayans on the Yucatán Peninsula thrive?
260-900 AD
Which Mayan leader helped Palenque become a major regional power?
Pakal the Great
A Mayan leader was called an…?
Ajaw
What did Europeans assume when they first saw the Mayan cities?
That Rome had conquered there & built the structures
What is the Temple of the Inscriptions ?
A temple in Palenque containing the second longest Mayan glyphic text ever found. It’s full of inscriptions giving archeologists tons of information about Mayan culture & history
What’s a bodhisattva ?
An enlightened being in Buddhism, other important figures in Buddhism. A bodhisattva will put of his own needs and search for enlightenment in order to ease the suffering of others. 5 specific bodhisattvas are venerated in Tibetan Buddhism
What are the Ajanta Caves
Located in Ajanta, central India in the cliffs above the Waghora river, are 30 caves full of awe inspiring ancient Buddhist art from the early centuries AD
What is the Iditarod?
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
Annual competitive dog sled race
Where does the Iditarod start & end?
Anchorage and goes north to Nome, Alaska
What is a sled dog driver called ?
A musher
Dorothy C. Page & Joe Redington, Sr. are known as…
The mother and father of the Iditarod, the race’s architects
Who was Herbert Nayokpuk
A very famous and well loved musher from Inupiaq tribe, was always in the top 10 finishers of the Iditarod. Known for his kindness as well as his skill.
Herbert Nayokpuk‘a nickname & how to pronounce his name?
The Shishmaref Cannonball
What does Y.M.C.A stand for?
Young Men’s Christian association
What was “The Great Race of Mercy” in American history?
Nome, Alaska had a diphtheria outbreak. Weather was very bad and airplanes couldn’t get the life saving serum there. . A relay race of sled dog teams made the dangerous journey and got it there.
Balto, Togo, Leonhard Seppala and Guunar Nelson in history?
Balto was a three year old inexperienced dog chosen by musher Guunar Kaasan and put in charge and led the last leg. They got there in amazing record time. Togo, who led Leonhard Seppala’s team went the longest and most perilous route.. Thirteen year old Togo did tte hardest work.
When was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Thirteen day standoff is October 1962
What caused the Cuban Missile Crisis?
The Soviet Union planned to bring nuclear missiles to Cuba. Kennedy declared he’ll use military force to stop it. People thought we were on the brink of nuclear war. Upon noticing much movement of Soviet equipment & Personnel to Cuba, US started reconnaissance by plane and took photos of nuclear missiles being brought to Cuba.
Who was Russia’s leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Nikita Khrushchev
What agreement did Kennedy & Khrushchev come to?
Russia would remove the missiles is US agreed not to invade Cuba. Kennedy also secretly removed missiles from Turkey.
2 sneaky things about Russia in Cuba we found out later
US thought Russia had 6-8 thousand troops in Russia, but that number was closer to 40,000. Troops wore checkered shirts to look like civilians and were issued Arctic equipment. They were hidden below decks in the ships.
2. Khrushchev left approximately 100 tactical nuclear weapons that US was unaware of, but removed them a couple months later in December bc Khrushchev didn’t trust Castro.
What first happened giving the Valley of Achor that name in the Bible?
It’s where Achan and his family were stoned to death for keeping the invaded gentiles sacred things for themselves. Joshua 7
What does Gloria in excelsis deo” mean?
Glory in the highest to God
What does excelsior mean?
“Ever Upward”
Why is Kobe beef so expensive?
Kobe beef comes from a specific breed of cattle called Wagyu. Wagyu are fed a special diet and massaged with sake. The marbled meat has a rich buttery flavor
Myalgic encephalommyelitas is the big word for…?
Chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS or ME
Define “myalgic “
Referring to muscle pain
Muscle pain = myalgia
What’s the Epstein Barr Virus?
A type of herpes virus 90-95% of us carry but won’t show symptoms unless our immune system is suppressed.
Long Covid describes symptoms that linger how long after negative test.
12 weeks, but see a doctor if the longer longer that 4 weeks.
Why won’t archeological evidence of Noah’s Ark ever be found?
Bible doesn’t say Mt. Ararat, but rather “mountains of Ararat.”
Ark was likely dismantled to build shelter. Not a lot of trees à after a huge flood
Wood is organic would’ve decayed by now
Anything found there’s no conclusive way to prove it was Noah’s Ark
What are archimimes?
The Latin name of funeral clowns. They would dress as the deceased and walk behind the coffin imitating them. Even wearing a mask to look like the deceased
Who was Joseph Grimaldi?
Considered the father of modern European clowning. Died in 1837