On this date in 1869, the Suez Canal opened. Here are some things you may not have known about it. The Suez Canal links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, and cuts 4,300 miles off the shipping distance from Europe to South Asia. It’s a sea level canal, so unlike the Panama Canal there are no locks and the […]
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Suez Canal: A Shortcut from Europe to South Asia - Trivia Minute by TriviaPeople.com

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Let’s start with salad, specifically salad dressing, even more specifically salad dressing names. We’ll start with the king of salad dressings in the United States: ranch. Ranch dressing was first created in 1954 by Steve Henson, who owned a dude ranch called Hidden Valley Ranch, near Santa Barbara, California. His customers liked the dressing so much that Henson started selling packets of dried mix so they could have it at home. Bottled, prepared ranch dressing was introduced in 1983. Thousand Island dressing’s origin story is not as clear, although it’s name refers to the Thousand Island region of New York and Ontario in the St. Lawrence River. One story says the dressing was invented by a fisherman’s wife. Another says it was created at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York and named after the region where the hotel’s owner spent his summers. Another story says it was simply based on the already existing French dressing. Speaking of French dressing, it’s not French. The ketchup, probably should have given that one away. Same thing, ketchup and all, goes for Russian dressing. Italian dressing, which doesn’t feature ketchup, is an American version of the classic vinaigrette. Green goddess dressing, was likely created in San Francisco in the 1920s as a tribute to a play of the same name. Our question, how many islands make up the Thousand Islands?   Today is National Science Day in the United States. Thursday is National Wedding Planning Day. Friday is Employee Appreciation Day. Saturday is National Mulled Wine Day, and Sunday is National Grammar Day. It’s the birthday of architect Frank Gehry, who turns 89; Thursday is the 91st birthday of entertainer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte. Saturday is the birthday of author Dr. Seuss, who was born in 1904; and Sunday is the 56th birthday of athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee.  Now, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1967, the top song in the U.S. was “I’m a Believer” by The Monkees. The No. 1 movie of 1967 was “The Graduate,” while the novel “The Secret of Santa Vittoria” by Robert Crichton topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.  Before the break we asked: What is the total number of islands in The Thousand Islands? The answer is 1,864. Now for the answer to last week’s question, which was: Which two Winter Olympic events debuted at the Summer Olympics? The answer is figure skating and ice hockey. The first person to submit a correct answer was Doug Button. This week’s question: What company manufactures Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing? Submit your answer at triviapeople.com/test and we’ll add the name of the person with the first correct answer to our winner’s wall … at triviapeople.com. We'll have the correct answer on next week’s episode. Thanks for listening to the Trivia Minute, please rate the show on iTunes, or support it at triviapeople.com/support. For other details, visit triviapeople.com We'll talk to you next week. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Links Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website. Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here. Subscribe on iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9  Subscribe on Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

571: Salad Dressing Names

Today is the 14th day of competition at the 23rd Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Here are a few things you might not have known about these Olympics and the Olympic Winter Games in general.  Ninety-two nations are competing in 102 events in 15 sports during the 19-day competition. The host South Koreans marched with their counterparts from North Korea under a unified Korean flag during the opening ceremony. The two countries combined to field a unified women’s ice hockey team, but otherwise participated separately. This is the third time the Winter Olympics have been held in East Asia, and the first of those to be held outside of Japan. Japan hosted the 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo and the 1998 games in Nagano. It’s the second time South Korea has hosted an Olympics, the first was the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul. It’s the first of three consecutive Olympics that will be held in Asia, with the 2020 Summer games scheduled for Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Olympics set for Beijing, which will become the first city to host the Summer and Winter Olympics. 2,914 athletes are competing, with 1,672 men and 1,242 women qualified. Six countries are making their Winter Olympics debut: Ecuador, Eritrea, Kosovo, Malaysia, Nigeria and Singapore. Ecuador, Eritrea, Kosovo and Singapore have each sent one athlete, while Malaysia has sent two and Nigeria has sent three. One country not officially represented is Russia, which was suspended following a doping controversy at the 2014 Olympics. Select Russian athletes are being allowed to compete under the Olympic Flag as Olympic Athletes from Russia.  Our question: This was not the first time North and South Korea marched together during the opening ceremony. What other years, and in what cities did the Koreans march as one? Today is World Day of Social Justice, Wednesday is National Sticky Buns Day, Thursday is National Margarita Day, Friday is Diesel Engine Day, Saturday is International Sword Swallowers Day, and Sunday is National Clam Chowder Day Today is the birthday of actor Sidney Poitier, who is 91; and singer Kurt Cobain, who would have been 51. Singer Nina Simone would have turned 85 on Wednesday, which is also the 78th birthday of U.S. Representative and civil rights activist John Lewis. Thursday is the birthday of George Washington, who was born in 1732. Friday is the birthday of educator and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, who was born in 1868. Sunday would have been the 75th birthday of musician George Harrison. Now, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1980, the top song in the U.S. was “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen. The No. 1 movie of 1980 was “The Empire Strikes Back,” while the novel “Princess Daisy” by Judith Krantz topped the New York Times Bestsellers list this week. Now for the answer to last week’s question, which was: What is the current initiation fee and annual dues for Club 33 at Disneyland? The answer is a reported $50,000 initiation fee and $15,000 yearly dues, although Disney doesn’t publicize either of those numbers. The first listener with a correct answer was Jim Cardillo. This week’s question: Which two Winter Olympic events debuted at the Summer Olympics? Submit your answer at triviapeople.com/test and we’ll add the name of the person with the first correct answer to our winner’s wall … at triviapeople.com. We'll have the correct answer on next week’s episode. Thanks for listening to the Trivia Minute, please rate the show on iTunes, or support it at triviapeople.com/support. For other details, visit triviapeople.com We'll talk to you next week. Links Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website. Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here. Subscribe on iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9 Subscribe on Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

570: WInter Olympics

569: We're Back and We're Going to Disneyland!

I hope you’re asking yourself, where has this guy been for the past eight months? Well, my wife and I moved from Yakima, Washington, to Los Angeles in a so-far successful attempt to avoid winter. Also, I’ve recently started a new job, because unlike other podcasters, we’re not rolling in Blue Apron or SquareSpace money yet.  So, inspired by my new-ish surroundings, here are five things you may not have known about Disneyland:  Walt Disney originally wanted to build an amusement park next to his studios in Burbank, California, north of downtown Los Angeles. However, the proposed site was too small, and Disney eventually purchased a 160-acre site in Anaheim, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles.   Construction of the park began one year and one day before the park opened on July 17, 1955. The construction also led the state of California to add two additional lanes to the interstate highway that was under construction nearby. Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, the centerpiece of the park, was not inspired by the film of the same name. The castle, which is one of the park’s original attractions, predates the film by about four years. It’s 77 feet tall and was inspired largely by Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. The park originally featured five themed areas called Main Street, USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. In 1957, an area called Holidayland opened. It featured a circus and a baseball field. It closed in 1961. New Orleans Square was added in 1966, Bear Country, which is now known as Critter Country, opened in 1972, and Mickey’s Toontown debuted in 1993. A new area called Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is under construction and is scheduled to open in 2019. In its early years, Disneyland was closed on Mondays and Tuesday in the off-season. This schedule was coordinated with the nearby Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park, which was closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays to make sure at least one park was open every day.  Our question: What is the name of the exclusive VIP lounge located in New Orleans Square? Today is Paul Bunyan Day, Tuesday is Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday. Wednesday is Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday. Thursday is National Hippopotamus Day. Friday is National Almond Day, Saturday is National Public Science Day, and Sunday is Drink Wine Day. Today is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. Tuesday is the 95th birthday of the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound, Chuck Yeager. The rest of the week: Wednesday: Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein turns 74; Susan B. Anthony was born 198 years ago Thursday; Actor LeVar Burton turns 59 on Friday; Michael Jordan turns 55 on Saturday, while writer Toni Morrison turns 87. Now, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1959, the top song in the U.S. was “Stagger Lee” by Lloyd Price. The No. 1 movie of 1959 was “Ben Hur,” while the novel “Doctor Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak topped the New York Times Bestsellers list. Links Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website. Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here. Subscribe on iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9 Subscribe on Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

569: Disneyland

To my listeners:
I hope you’ve noticed there has been a lack of “Trivia Minute” podcasts lately.
I have quite a few exciting and positive things going on in my life right now, so I’ve had to put the podcast on the back burner until things settle down (likely sometime this autumn).

My promise: The show will return, so please stay subscribed using whichever podcast service you use.
Keep an eye on this space for updates.
Thank you for listening!
— Marcus
P.S.: All 550-plus episodes will also remain available on TriviaPeople.com.


Suez Canal: A Shortcut from Europe to South Asia - Trivia Minute by TriviaPeople.com

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