Trivia #40

Answer: E. West Virginia


The panhandles of Florida and Oklahoma are probably the most recognizable, but look closely at a map and you’ll notice them on several other U.S. states: Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Nebraska, and Texas among them — a northern one that hugs the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania and an eastern one that sits directly below Maryland’s panhandle. The state was originally part of Virginia, and its boundaries stretched west to the Ohio River, which formed the northern panhandle between Pennsylvania and Ohio. In 1861, West Virginia separated from Virginia when it joined the Confederacy, splitting mostly along the Allegheny Mountain range and extending the eastern panhandle to include the town of Harper’s Ferry.

Answer: E. Quebec


Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! — apparently the only town in the world with two exclamation points in its name — sits at the top of the Témiscouata valley. Some believe that the exclamatory portion of the town’s name comes from the sound that newcomers would make upon seeing the valley’s shining lake for the first time: ha! ha! Others say that the name comes from the fact that “haha” was once a synonym for cul-de-sac (a possible reference to Lake Témiscouata presenting an obstacle to roads). Either way, this funny Canadian town name has had visitors chuckling for generations.

As well as being apologetic, Canadians are pretty funny. This town, in Quebec, is up there with some of the most amusing names we've heard. There is a little more to it than just wanting to sound amusing, though. The expression ha-ha was used in the country to explain an unexpected obstacle, in this case, nearby Lake Témiscouata. What’s more, the town is the only place name in the world with two exclamation marks. It’s so surprising, they exclaimed it twice.

Answer: E. Wagner

As a child, Wagner showed little interest in music. He was the only child in his family not to receive piano lessons. Wagner's musical career remained on shaky ground; he was no child prodigy. It was through the theater group at Magdeburg that Wagner met his first wife, Minna Planer, an attractive, though somewhat disturbed, young actress Born in Germany on May 22, 1813, Richard Wagner went on to become one of the world's most influential — and controversial — composers. He is famous for both his epic operas, including the four-part, 18-hour Ring Cycle, as well as for his anti-semitic writings, which, posthumously, made him a favorite of Adolf Hitler. There is evidence that Wagner's music was played at the Dachau concentration camp to "re-educate" the prisoners. Wagner had a tumultuous love life, which involved several scandalous affairs. He died of a heart attack in Venice on February 13, 1883.

Answer: B. Manitoba


If you’re afraid of snakes, then Manitoba may well not be the place for you, especially in May. The snake population in the early 2000s was dangerously low, so the Narcisse Snake Pits Wildlife Management Area was born. Today, the area has the largest population of snakes in the world, around 70,000, in fact. The most prolific are the red-sided garter snakes.

Answer: A. The original recipe called for equal parts of one pound of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, keeping it simple for those with illiteracy.

If you've never had a pound cake, it's essentially a very sweet, heavy, and rich cake from a recipe that's been passed down through generations. But where did it start? The original recipe called for one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. That's right — no yeast, no baking powder or soda, no leaveners. The simplicity of the recipe may explain why it has stuck around through the yingredien tears; pound cake was invented in the 1700s, an era with low literacy, so knowing all you needed was a pound of each ingredient made it a snap to remember and make. As you can imagine, with such big portions of each ingredient, a finished pound cake was large and meant to serve multiple families. Over time, the recipe was adapted and altered to make a lighter, smaller cake, but the name stuck around, as did the core four ingredients.