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Please Don’t Call It Trivia!! Questions: 1. Which 2004 hit song had the line, “The Bush Twins want you back”? 2. When spelling the first 100 whole numbers, which is first alphabetically? Which is last? 3. Name the five island nations that have more than 30 million people each. 4. Name five four-letter English words that begin with D and end with R. 5. Who played the male and female leads in the 1942 movie Casablanca? Fun Facts: In Switzerland, it is illegal to own just one guinea pig because they are very social animals. It is co...
Questions: For some practicing Jews, what is the shmita or Shemitah? Name the four main actors on the hit 1970s TV show All in the Family. Cape Verde is this year’s FIFA Cinderella team. Where is the country of Cape Verde? Which two British royals, which German emperor and which pope did Buffalo Bill Cody perform for? Name all the U.S. state capitals with two- or three-word names. Fun Facts: James Doohan, the actor who played Scotty on Star Trek, died in 2005 at the age of 85. A few years later, his son Chris and astronaut Richard Garriott s... Full story
Questions Tom Brady’s 649 career touchdown passes is the NFL record. Name the next four leaders. What is the name of the pig in the book Charlotte’s Web? What country is named after another name for Jesus? What year did the Battle of the Little Bighorn take place? How many countries are participating in this year’s FIFA World Cup tournament? Fun Facts New Mexico and New Jersey are the only states with unique letters in their names: X appears only in New Mexico, and J appears only in New Jersey. The Latin word for silver is argentum. That...
It was 1831, and the community of Albany, New York, was preparing to celebrate the fifty-fifth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Two French dignitaries were present to witness the entire event. As the pair of notables left their hotel that summer morning to the sounds of ringing church bells, patriotic celebration and the sights of gathering crowds, they were welcomed by the lieutenant governor to the state capital’s Fourth of July parade. Frenchmen Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont, were asked to be i...
To defend the Declaration of Independence is to defend the American people, because as Thomas Jefferson (its author) maintained, the Declaration is “an expression of the American mind.” And never before in our nation’s history has a full-throated and unapologetic apologetic been needed to protect and preserve the Declaration of Independence for our children and their posterity. The core American ideals of self-evident truth, human equality and the divine endowment of inalienable rights, have been incrementally upended by an alien ideol...
Questions: What are the host countries of this year’s World Cup Soccer Tournament? Where is the General Sherman tree? What year was the last official French execution by guillotine? What percent of all the artwork owned by the Louvre is on display? What are the three largest metropolitan areas in Brazil? Fun Facts: A sunflower typically follows the Sun for several weeks during its growth phase, then settles facing east for the rest of its life. Elvis Presley has been dead for seven years longer than he was alive. Eighty percent of Soviet men b...
As we approach the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence, we find our country teetering on an identity struggle of mammoth proportions and severity, not only about who we think we are but who we want to continue to be. Jefferson called the Declaration “an expression of the American mind,” and it is this American mind that is being challenged today at every turn. We recently watched an avowed socialist become mayor of our greatest city, unthinkable even a decade or two ago. Acts of political violence have increased precipitously acr...
In 1,350 words, the Declaration of Independence succinctly captured the full essence of the American ideal by unpacking the source of civil and religious liberty as well as natural rights and human conscience. In fact, as noted by a host of Constitutional experts, the Declaration is the first political document to found a nation in the name of “the laws of nature and of nature’s God.”. This is what sets it apart from every other political document in history. Thomas Jefferson, though a confirmed deist himself, spoke volumes on this subje...
Questions: Name the five American women who have won 10 or more Grand Slam tennis singles titles. What ancient civilization built Machu Picchu? Who composed the violin concertos known as The Four Seasons? Name the four U.S. states whose largest cities begin with the letter L. Which continents contain the Volga, Yangtze, Murray and Onyx rivers, as their longest rivers? Fun Facts: When General Mills released a new cereal in 1941, it was called “CheeriOats,” but after a trademark dispute with Quaker Oats, the name was shortened to “Ch...
Questions: What year was the peak year for the percentage of U.S. high school students who smoked? What are the names of Martin Sheen’s two sons? Give the first names of the last six U.S. First Ladies. How many times did Scarlett O’Hara marry in the story of Gone With the Wind? What is the name of Bruce Willis’ wisecracking character in the Die Hard movies? Fun Facts: Rubies, sapphires, and emeralds are rarer than diamonds. It’s about the same distance from California to Maine as it is from California to Hawaii. Mount Everest is more than twice...
Questions In what mountain range was the 5,300-year-old frozen and mummified body of Ötzi the Iceman found? What year did the first woman officially run the Boston Marathon? What are the four smallest Wyoming counties by population, and what are their county seats? Correctly spell the word for ten to the 100th power. What are the names of the tree-like humanoid and the raccoon on Guardians of the Galaxy? Fun Facts The Pomp and Circumstance march played at graduations was composed by Edward Elgar and was first used at a graduation ceremony by...
Questions: Rounded to the nearest tenth, how many miles is 10 kilometers? How many non-presidents are on the six most common U.S. currency bills? What animal’s name comes from the Latin for “spotted lion”? What is the latest possible date for Mother’s Day? Which common Italian ingredient was first developed in Emilia-Romagna by monks trying not to waste milk? Fun Facts: Just days after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, U.S. forces arrived at Guam, then a Spanish possession. The Spanish garrison, unaware that war had been de...
After four weeks of searching, the Big Horn Basin Treasure Hunt has come to an end. Rachael Handley of the Powell area located the hidden silver at 7:10 a.m. Sunday, successfully solving the series of weekly clues and becoming the first to uncover the prize. Handley said she first learned about the hunt in March and followed it casually at first, not expecting to participate. But late Saturday night, she found herself drawn in. “I couldn’t sleep and found myself thinking of this treasure hunt and who found it. Lo and behold, no one had fou...
Questions: What is the longest U.S. river east of the Mississippi River? What is the difference between an opossum and a possum? What is the lowest whole number spelled with a “c”? By what unique method did Alexander the Great attack the Phoenician island of Tyre? As a basketball passes through the hoop, what percent of the inside area of the rim is filled? Fun Facts: April 30 is National Honesty Day in the United States. It was intentionally placed at the end of April to contrast with April Fools’ Day. Albert Einstein has a great...
As part of our Trailblazer series, Shelley Deromedi submitted the following story her daughter, Jenny Deromedi, a ninth grader at the time, wrote a school paper on the Deromedi family. A copy of the paper ran in a 1990 Independent Record as part of the late Dorothy Milek’s Museum Musings column. Jenny’s paper won first place in the high school division of a writing contest. Jenny was a 1993 graduate of Hot Springs County High School and class valedictorian. She passed away in a tragic accident in 1998. Hot Springs County: A Family History As...
by John Bernhisel Look closely below for clues to two silver bars hidden somewhere in the Big Horn Basin. Not everything is a clue, but the ones that are will lead you to the treasure. If you find it, please text a picture to the number on the box. Questions: Which of the traditional names of the chess pieces is last alphabetically? What are the little donuts sold by Hostess called? Who stood immediately behind Lyndon Johnson when he signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act? What year was The Jungle Book first published, and who wrote it? How many...
by Terri Lynn Geissinger Part two When we think of a Trailblazer, we often picture a lean-muscled man with a scraggly beard, standing courageously in the sunset gazing over the mountains he just traversed. He is dressed in furs and leather with a rifle slung over the shoulder and a sharp blade tucked in his knee-high boot, chewing on a piece of jerky from his last kill. Rarely do we imagine a 25-year-old petite woman, 5’2 weighing 90lbs, wearing a calico dress with a baby girl on her hip. Her sharp blue eyes, constantly looking out for p...
by John Bernhisel This is the third set of clues in the search for two silver bars hidden somewhere in the Big Horn Basin. Look for new clues each week in April. For more information, visit Big Horn Basin Treasure Hunt on Facebook. Questions: Name all the last names that appear twice in a list of U.S. Presidents. As the bird flies, how many miles is it from the Montana state line near Frannie to the Thermopolis airport? The number 19 written in binary is 10011. What is the base ten value for 100000? Grover Cleveland was the first U.S....
by Terri Lynn Geissinger I have four grandmothers who were Trailblazers. Two were on the Oregon Trail together in 1851. One of them, Laurette, survived a difficult birth to a baby boy at Mormon Ferry (Casper today) and was unable to continue the arduous journey. With a frail newborn and a two-year old son, the young couple watched as the rest of the wagon train moved on. My grandparents wintered over in the area at a primitive camp and barely survived. Two of their mules, who were tied close to camp, froze to death standing in place; the mules...
by John Bernhisel Look closely below for clues to two silver bars hidden somewhere in the Big Horn Basin. New clues will appear each week in April. See Big Horn Basin Treasure Hunt on Facebook for more information. Questions: Name all the U.S. Presidents who served during the first decade of the 21st century. Who are the four richest former NBA players alive today? How did a British chemist named James Smithson, who died in 1829, become famous in America? What two cities on opposite sides of the Danube River merged in 1873? How many pairs of...
by Lily Hayes Trailblazing in Hot Springs County brought many new families to our community, some here for a short time, some a lasting legacy. John Weber, a freighter with a team of sixteen horses (instead of mules) originating from Missouri to the new Wyoming town called Thermopolis. I don’t have any records regarding what was hauled, but, what I do know John’s family was with him in the wagon, his wife and beautiful daughters, some riding horseback, others driving a team. One of those was Lottie. This beauty later caught the eye of Vin...
If you look closely at these words, you may find clues pointing to two silver bars hidden somewhere in the Big Horn Basin. More clues will appear each week throughout April. See Big Horn Basin Treasure Hunt on Facebook for more information Questions: How many other counties does Park County, Wyoming touch? From what mountain range does the Big Horn River emerge near Thermopolis, that forms the southern edge of the Big Horn Basin? Of the four American Presidents that were assassinated, who lived the longest after being shot? Complete this...
by Terri Geissinger John Dwight Woodruff lived an intriguing life, full of adventure and risk. Little did he know then, that his name would be listed among the most influential pioneers of Wyoming. He is credited for building the first cabin in the Big Horn Basin in 1871 which was dedicated as a State Historic Site in 1940. The handsome historic monument bears his name but says little of his remarkable legacy story. Born in New York in 1847, he was the fifth child of eleven and his father’s namesake. Before he was two years old, the family p...
Readers across the Big Horn Basin will soon have more than trivia to look forward to. Beginning in April, John Bernhisel’s weekly column Please Don’t Call It Trivia! will feature a Basin-wide treasure hunt, with two one-ounce silver bars hidden somewhere in the region. Each column will include clues that, when pieced together over time, lead to the prize. Not every trivia item will be a clue, but any could be. Much of the puzzle can be solved from home, though finding the treasure will require getting out and following the trail. This isn...
by Terri Geissinger Hans Jensen was born in Denmark, April 1856, into a large family of eleven children. As a young strapping teenager, he went to work as a sailor and fisherman to help his family make ends meet. Those years on the frigid, unforgiving North Sea toughened his nerves and hardened his attitude toward the commercial fishing business of which he vowed never to return. In his early-twenties, Hans joined the mass exodus of a poverty-stricken country and boarded a steerage ship to the United States. After a brutal journey across the...