(These game titles are so clever, aren't they?)
This week I'm having a difficult time conjuring a column so I will use a recent game from my YouTube channel, as is my nature. This game has trivia from mainly the 1950s with some 60s and a bit of Thomas Jefferson thrown in for good measure. The woman we were celebrating (Pat Hacker) requested that I go this route so I obliged her.
One: This merchant who created the five and ten cent store, was born on April 13, 1852. The stores were quite famous in the 1950s and 60s. In fact, a major event took place at one of the lunch counters located within one of the stores on Feb 1, 1960. The merchant's name puts one in the mind of a sheep, to an extent.
Two: A particular comic strip started in 1950 and featured a boy who was 4 years old. By 1957 he was 6; he's been around the age of 8 since about 1979. He has an interesting dog with a fascinating imagination. Who is he?
Three: This rather infamous Belly O the Beast (US of A) agency conjured the first “10 most wanted list” in 1950. What is it?
Four: In 1950 the interior of something was dismantled leaving it a shell. It was then rebuilt using concrete and steel beams in place of the original wooden joists. I wonder where the Truman regime slept.
Five: A 60 second variety of a particular staple was first seen on store shelves in 1950. What is it?
Six: The Type A/B Personality Theory was actually invented by this industry in the 1950's to prove coronary heart disease and cancer were risks related to high-stress personality types instead of a particular product made by said industry.
Seven: These were not given people's names in the US of A until 1950. Prior to that some examples of them were: “easy, jig, item and love.” Within my lifetime masculine names have been given since some of the ladies were getting upset!
Eight: This person, who happened to be the third president of the US shares the day with Pat but was born in 1743.
Nine: What C word was demonized in the 1950s because of the “boogeyman factor” which was needed to keep the military industrial complex going strong? Minds out of gutter, this is a family show. To this day people shout about this or that person being one of “these” but most don't really even know the true meaning of the word.
Ten: Private Kenneth Shadrick was the first US casualty of this war, on July 5, 1950.
Eleven: Since 1950 the United States has lost a total of 8-10 of these, that we know about. That is not including the two that were dropped on purpose.
Twelve: A major tobacco company called Kent sold cigs in the 1950s with a particular kind of filter and they bragged about the health benefits of said filter. What ingredient was in these that is now known as a carcinogenic and has been removed from structures galore across the land?
Thirteen: ACROSS THE POND: The London Times made a prediction in 1894 claiming that by 1950 London would be under nine feet of this particular kind of material. What is it?
Fourteen: On April 13, 1964 - Sidney Poitier became the first black to win an Oscar for best actor. He won it for his role in this movie.
Fifteen: Of these choices, how much was a VW Beetle in the 1960s: A) $1,769 B) $2,050 or C) $1,453.
Sixteen: In 1961, this invasion was a total failure and led to animosity between the US president and the Intel agencies.
Seventeen: ACROSS THE POND: In 1962 the Fab Four launched their first single in the UK. What was it?
Eighteen: In 1963 the United States began to use these to aid in the mail arriving in a more timely and organized manner.
Nineteen: What is the name of the slave woman who gave birth to six children who were fathered by Thomas Jefferson?
Twenty: Thomas Jefferson took a razor blade to a well known item and removed the miracles and supernatural jazz. He then arranged it so that the “four biggies” lined up a bit better. The desired result was for an integrated narrative to be imparted. What was this item?
I think that's all I can muster for the week. I hope you enjoyed the game and that you got all of the answers correct.
THE END (Interstate Crosscheck, “War is a Racket,” by General Smedley Butler, “Erasing the Liberty,” by Philip Tourney - P.S. The war on drugs is also a racket!)
Answers: One, F.W. Woolworth/Woolworth, more info: The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960, which led to the Woolworth Department Store chain removing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States. While not the first sit-in of the Civil Rights Movement, the Greensboro sit-ins were an instrumental action, and also the most well-known sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement. They are considered a catalyst to the subsequent sit-in movement. These sit-ins led to increased national sentiment at a crucial period in US history. The primary event took place at the Greensboro, North Carolina, Woolworth Store, now the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.
Two, Charlie Brown of The Peanuts. Three, FBI. Four, White House.
Five, Minute Rice/rice. Six, Cigarette or Tobacco would be fine. Seven, Hurricanes.
Eight, Thomas Jefferson. Nine, Communism. Ten, Korean.
Eleven, Nuclear Bombs. Twelve, Asbestos.
Thirteen, Horse Manure, more info: By the late 1800s, large cities all around the world were “drowning in horse manure.” In order for these cities to function, they were dependent on thousands of horses for the transport of both people and goods. This huge number of horses created major problems. The main concern was the large amount of manure left behind on the streets. On average a horse will produce between 15 and 35 pounds of manure per day, so you can imagine the sheer scale of the problem. The manure on London’s streets also attracted huge numbers of flies which then spread typhoid fever and other diseases. This problem came to a head when in 1894, The Times newspaper predicted… “In 50 years, every street in London will be buried under nine feet of manure.” This became known as the “Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894.”
Fourteen, Lillies of the Field. Fifteen, A) - $1,769. Sixteen, Bay of Pigs.
Seventeen, Love me Do. Eighteen, Zip Codes. Nineteen, Sally Hemings.
Twenty, The Bible, more info: In his retirement, the nation's third president carried out a project he had contemplated for years; he literally cut and pasted passages from the four Gospels into one integrated narrative of Jesus' life -- minus the miracles and supernatural events. The result, he said, was "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man." Judging by the wear and tear on the book, it appears Jefferson read it regularly.