Trivia People

1958 Edsel Pacer (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

On this date in 1957, the Ford Motor Company introduced its Edsel division.

Here are a few facts about one of the biggest marketing disasters in automotive history.

In 1955, Ford began developing a new intermediate car brand that would fit between the company’s upmarket Lincoln and medium-price Mercury divisions. Its main competition was General Motors’ Oldsmobile and Buick divisions. The division was named for Edsel Ford, the son of company founder Henry Ford and father of Henry Ford the Second, who was company president at the time. Henry Ford the Second and the rest of the Ford family objected to using the name Edsel. The name was decided upon at a board meeting in which Henry Ford the Second was absent.

The brand debuted with “The Edsel Show,” a television special on CBS that starred Bing Crosby. Ford had kept the Edsel models under wraps until that point only showing blurry glimpses of cars or ones covered with tarps. The cars were shipped to dealers secretly and stayed under wraps until the debut day. When the vehicles debuted, the public was not impressed. The trademark grille was thought to resemble a toilet seat or “an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon.” The push-button transmission was located in the traditional location of the horn button, so drivers trying to honk their horns would accidentally shift gears. Also, the transmission couldn’t shift out of park if it was on a hill.

It’s estimated that the Ford Motor Company lost $350 million on the Edsel division. 118,287 Edsels were built during the three-year run, less than half the number Ford needed to sell to break even on the venture.

It is estimated that fewer than 10,000 Edsels survive today. A mint-condition convertible could sell for more than $100,000.

Our question, what eventual U.S. Defense Secretary is said to have been the force behind scrapping the Edsel division?

Today is also: Immigrants’ Day in Argentina and Newspaper Carriers Day in the United States. It’s also unofficially National Wildlife Day and National Macadamia Nut Day in the United States. It’s the birthday of radio personality Paul Harvey, golfer Tom Watson and entertainer Beyonce Knowles.

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Vehicles in Stockholm navigate city streets on the first day of Sweden’s switch from driving on the left side of the road to driving on the right side. (Photo by Jan Collsiöövia Wikimedia Commons).

On September 3, 1967, drivers in Sweden switched from driving on the left side of the road to driving on the right.

Here are a few things you may not have known about what was called Dagen H.

First off, Dagen is the Swedish word for day and the “H” stands of Hogertrafik, or right-hand traffic.

The government of Sweden decided to switch sides because it was the only Nordic country that drove on the left. Norway and Finland, which share land borders with Sweden drove on the right. Most vehicles in Sweden were left-hand-drive vehicles designed to be driven on the right side. This led to many head-on collisions because of poor visibility from the driver sitting on the wrong side. Despite a 1955 referendum in which 83 percent of Swedes voted to keep driving on the left, the government began implementing the change in 1963. Four years of preparations included education campaigns and a song contest. The song that was chosen was “Håll Dig Till Höger, Svensson” or “Keep to the Right, Svensson” by the Telstars

The largest cost associated with the switch was replacing trams with buses and switching out headlights on vehicles so they wouldn’t blind oncoming traffic. On the day of the switch there were only 157 minor accidents reported,. The first Monday after the switch the number of reported traffic accidents  was lower than the previous weeks. The dip in accident numbers is attributed to people paying closer attention after the changeover. Accident rates returned to normal by 1969.

According to WorldStandards.eu, 65 percent of the world drives on the right side of the road. Most of the places that don’t are former British colonies. Japan is one of the few countries without a history of British colonization that drives on the left. Iceland made the switch from left to right in 1968. The most recent country to switch is Samoa in 2009.

Our question, besides Great Britain, name one European country that still drives on the left.

Today is also Independence Day in Qatar, Memorial Day in Tunisia and Merchant Navy Day in the United Kingdom. In the United States it is unofficially National Welch Rarebit Day and U.S. Bowling League Day. It’s the birthday of physicist Carl D. Anderson, musician Al Jardine and actor Charlie Sheen.

Now for our weekly take-home test: What two Norwegian cities have hosted the Winter Olympics? Click here to submit an answer

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Sources

http://www.wired.com/2014/02/throwback-thursday-sweden/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ODZtwkBYPs

http://icelandreview.com/stuff/ask-ir/2012/11/12/why-did-iceland-change-left-hand-right-hand-traffic

A painting from circa 1700 shows the scale of the Great London Fire of 1666. (Image via London Fire Brigade)

The Great Fire of London started on this date in 1666. Here are some things you may not have known about the fire.

It started in the bakery of Thomas Farriner in Pudding Lane. The family managed to escape the fire by climbing to the house next door. At the time, the common method of firefighting was to demolish surrounding buildings to create a firebreak. The neighbors protested and Sir Thomas Bloodworth, the Lord Mayor of London was summoned to decide whether to overrule the homeowners. Bloodworth decided it was not necessary to demolish the surrounding buildings and returned home to go to bed.

By Sunday morning the fire had consumed 300 houses and several churches along with structures on London Bridge, according to the diary of Samuel Pepys, a senior naval official. Pepys traveled by river from the Tower of London to Whitehall, where he related the news of the fire to King Charles II. On Pepys’ advice, the king ordered that houses in every direction from the fire be demolished. Easterly winds were pushing the flames further to the north and west into the heart of the City of London, the area contained by the old Roman City Wall. By Tuesday the fire destroyed St. Paul’s Cathedral and hopped the River Fleet to threaten the district of Westminster, the location of Charles’ Palace of Whitehall. On Wednesday, the Fifth of September, the winds finally died down and the firebreaks created by the Tower Garrison held.

Only eight people are recorded as dying in the fire, although the number was likely higher as the fire burned so hot that no remains would have been left behind and record-keeping relating to the poor and middle-class was not very precise.

A French watchmaker was convicted and executed for starting the fire, although after his death it was discovered that he had been aboard a ship at the time the fire started. King Charles requested grandiose rebuilding plans, but ultimately the previous system of streets was kept due to difficulties relating to private property compensation. Among the most noteworthy buildings rebuilt after the fire was St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Our question, who designed the rebuilt St. Paul’s Cathedral?

Today is National Day in Vietnam and the 70th anniversary of the official surrender of Japan to end World War II. For more information on VJ Day, check out Episode 153 at triviapeople.com/153. In the United States it is also unofficially National Blueberry Popsicle Day. It’s the birthday of Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani, teacher Christa McAuliffe and tennis great Jimmy Connors.

Our weekly take-home test: What two Norwegian cities have hosted the Winter Olympics? Submit your answer here.

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The bow of the wreck of the Titanic. (Courtesy of NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island via Wikimedia Commons)

30 years ago today, a joint American and French expedition discovered the wreck of the RMS Titanic on the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Here are a few things you may not have known about the discovery.

Soon after the vessel sank in 1912, schemes to find and or raise the wreck were hatched by relatives of some of the wealthy victims of the sinking. Given the technology of the time, none of these proved feasible. In the 1960s and 1970s several outlandish ideas to raise the wreck were hatched, including tying balloons to the wreck, filling it full of ping-pong balls, and freezing the water around the wreck in order to float it. None of these ideas overcame the issue that the wreck is located under more than 12,000 feet of water and under more than 6,000 pounds per square inch of water pressure.

The first legitimate attempt came in the early 1980s when Texas oilman Jack Grimm sponsored three expeditions to find the Titanic. The first featured a low-resolution sonar that was lost after 36 hours of searching. The second used a better sonar but didn’t discover anything. The third expedition was cut short by bad weather. It turned out that the first mission had passed over the wreck and the second came within a mile-and-a-half of it.

Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute helped develop a remote-controlled deep-sea submarine called Argo along with a robot tethered to it called Jason that was able to get into smaller areas than Argo. The system was built under sponsorship of the U.S. Navy, which allowed the researchers to use the system when it wasn’t being used for naval purposes. In 1985, after spending more than two weeks mapping the wreck of the USS Scorpion, the researchers had 12 days to look for Titanic. After a week of searching using the cameras on Argo, a boiler from Titanic was discovered at 12:48 a.m. on Sept. 1. The main part of the wreck was discovered the next day.

Ballard returned to Titanic in 1986 using the deep-sea vehicle Alvin, becoming the first person to explore the wreck first-hand. Since the discovery, many artifacts have been pilfered from the wreck against the wishes of Robert Ballard. The wreck has deteriorated greatly since sinking and it has been estimated that the wreck could collapse completely as soon as 2025.

Our question, Where did Titanic depart on her maiden voyage?

Today is Independence Day in Uzbekistan, Flag Day in Honduras, and Constitution Day in Slovakia. It is also the birthday of “Tarzan” author Edgar Rice Burroughs, boxer Rocky Marciano, and comedian Lily Tomlin.

Our weekly take-home test: What two Norwegian cities have hosted the Winter Olympics?

Tweet the answer to us @triviapodcast or submit an 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 reveal the correct answer on Friday’s episode.

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The skyline of Bjørvika, Oslo. (Photo by Leif-Harald Ruud via Wikimedia Commons)

On this date in the year 1314, the city of Oslo became the capital of Norway.

Here are some things you may not have known about the city.

Oslo traces its history to about 1000 AD with the building of St. Clement’s Church. King Hakkon the Fifth moved the capital of Norway from Bergen on the western coast to Oslo, which is located at the head of a fjord in the eastern part of the country. The new location being closer to trading partners in Sweden and Denmark. Soon after the move, the Black Death devastated Norway, killing about three-quarters of the population of Oslo.

The population loss left Norway in a vulnerable position and it soon entered into the Kalmar Union with Denmark and Sweden and was ruled from Copenhagen by Queen Margaret of Denmark. In 1624 after being destroyed by fire 14 times, King Christian the Fourth ordered the city of Oslo moved across the bay and rebuilt with the new name of Christiania. Norway would remained tied to Denmark until 1814, and then Sweden until 1905.

In 1905, Norway became independent under King Hakkon VII, the grandfather of Harald the Fifth, the reigning monarch. In 1925, the city of Christiania reverted to the name Oslo.

As of 2014, Oslo had a population of more than 630,000. Slightly more than 70 percent are ethnically Norwegian. Pakistanis are the largest ethnic minority, followed by Poles and Swedes.

Our question: Oslo is the site of the annual presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize. Who was the first American honored with the Peace Prize?

Today is Independence Day in Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia and Trinidad and Tobago. In the United States, it’s unofficially National Trail Mix Day. It’s the birthday of educator Maria Montessori, baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson and musician Van Morrison.

Our weekly take-home test: What two Norwegian cities have hosted the Winter Olympics?

Tweet the answer to us @triviapodcast or submit an 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 reveal the correct answer on Friday’s episode.

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Martin Luther King Jr. waves to the crowd during the March on Washington on August 28, 1963.

On this date in 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most iconic speeches of the last century on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Here are some things you may not have known about the “I Have a Dream” speech:

The full name of the event King was speaking at was the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Initially it was organized by A. Phillip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, who envisioned a two-day sit-in and protest with a rally at the Lincoln Memorial. Later a group of civil-rights leaders called the Big Six took over organizing and funding of the event.

The night before the march, as one of the Big Six, King had been so busy helping organize the event that he hadn’t settled on what he planned to say the next day. The speech has its roots in several other of King’s speeches, including one he gave in Detroit in June 1963. Toward the end of the speech, at the urging of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, King broke from his prepared remarks and began speaking extemporaneously. This is the part of the speech that is most famous today.

In the speech, King didn’t use the word “dream” until more than 11 minutes into the 16-minute address. King then proceeds to use the phrase “I Have a Dream” or a variation eight times in the final third of the speech.

The repeated use of a word or term for emphasis is a rhetorical device known as anaphora. It also adds rhythm to a work and helps make the text easier to remember.

Our question, who was president of the United States during the March on Washington?

Today is also unofficially National Cherry Turnovers Day in the United States. It’s the birthday of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, actor and dancer Donald O’Connor, actor Jack Black and singer Florence Welch.

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Sources

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_a_Dream

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphora_(rhetoric)

An early oil field in Pennsylvania. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

On this date in 1859, the first large-scale oil well began operating in Titusville, Pennsylvania.

Here are some things you may not have known about the early days of oil.

Oil naturally seeps from the ground in large parts of western Pennsylvania. Native Americans had used the oil for centuries as an insect repellant, and for medicinal and religious purposes. When white settlers reached the area in the 1700s, the oil was regarded more as a nuisance than a benefit, as it made farming difficult.

In the 1850s, Samuel Kier developed a way to distill kerosene from crude oil, creating the first marketable product to be made from the substance. Previously kerosene was made from coal, a process that was not economical.

Encouraged by the new market for crude oil, the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company sent Edwin Drake to the Oil Creek Valley to begin digging exploratory wells. Just as his funding was about to dry up, Drake struck oil on August 27, 1859, triggering an oil rush. In 1859 the United States produced 2,000 barrels of crude oil. Ten years later the total output increased to 4 million barrels a year. The towns of Titusville, Oil City and the redundantly named Pithole quickly sprung up to support the industry. The population of Titusville increased from 250 residents to more than 10,000 in five years time. At the time, Pennsylvania produced one-third of the worlds’ crude oil.

In 1895, the state of Ohio surpassed Pennsylvania as the largest oil producer in the United States. Pennsylvania’s share further declined with discoveries in Texas, Wyoming and California in the early 20th century.

Our question: What two major brands of oil products are named after the state of Pennsylvania?

Today is also: Independence Day in Moldova. In the United States, it is unofficially National Pots du Creme Day, and National Just Because Day. It is the birthday of artist Man Ray, former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and actor Paul Reubens, better known as Pee Wee Herman.

LINKS

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Sources

http://www.enopetroleum.com/earlyoilpennsylvania.html

http://www.petroleumhistory.org/OilHistory/pages/drake/drakewell.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titusville,_Pennsylvania

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_oil_rush

Krakatoa eruption lithograph by Parker & Coward. Part of the Report of the Krakatoa Committee of the Royal Society. (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Today marks the 132nd anniversary of the beginning of the eruption of Krakatoa in what is now Indonesia.

Here are some things you may not have known about the eruption:

The island of Krakatoa is located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra.

Krakatoa is located at the subduction zone of the Eurasian Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate which causes the area to be geologically active.

The islands appear to have been only occasionally inhabited, likely due to the volcanic activity and a lack of a harbor for ships to land.

In May of 1883 steam began to escape from the northernmost cone of the island. Earthquakes could be felt as far away as Australia and explosions could be heard in what is now Jakarta, about 100 miles away.

The volcano continued to rumble through the summer.

By the middle of August all vegetation had been killed and the island was covered with a foot and a half of ash.

The eruption started in earnest on August 26 with explosions of ash roughly every 10 minutes. Ships in the area reported ash and hot pumice landing on their decks.

On the morning of August 27, four massive explosions triggered equally massive tsunamis which were responsible for the vast majority of the more than 36,000 deaths caused by the eruption.

The final and largest explosion could be heard nearly 3,000 miles away on an island near Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The eruption ruptured the ear drums of sailors 40 miles away and caused a spike in barometric pressure the traveled around the globe an estimated three-and-a-half times.

Two-thirds of the island of Krakatoa was destroyed by the eruption. It produced a volcanic winter where worldwide temperatures were reduced by more than two degrees on average. Temperatures did not return to normal for five years. The ash caused colorful sunsets around the world for several months afterward. It’s believed that the red sky in the background of Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” is an accurate representation of the sky above Norway following the eruption.

Our question, the 1969 disaster film “Krakatoa, East of Java” is loosely based on the 1883 eruption. What is the problem with the title of the movie?

Today is also: Heroes’ Day in Namibia, Repentance Day in Papua New Guinea and Women’s Equality Day in the United States. Unofficially, it’s also National Dog Day and National Cherry Popsicle Day in the United States. It’s the birthday of Britain’s Prince Albert, Mother Teresa and late Washington Post editor Benjamin Bradlee.

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Sources

1883 eruption of Krakatoa

“How- Krakatoa Made the Biggest Bang”

“Krakatoa provided backdrop to Munch’s scream”...

Sean Connery as James Bond in “Dr. No.”

Today is the 85th birthday of actor Sean Connery.

Here are some things you may not have known about him:

Connery was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father was a truck driver and his mother was a cleaning woman. He began bodybuilding at the age of 18 and according to his official website he finished third in the 1950 Mister Universe contest. After beginning his acting career and working in a production of “South Pacific,” Connery was offered a contract to play soccer for Manchester United for 25 pounds a week. While working in “South Pacific” he worked his way up from the chorus to the featured role of Lieutenant Buzz Adams. His first starring role in a movie came in the Walt Disney film “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” in 1959.

In 1962, Connery became a superstar after reluctantly agreeing to star as James Bond in “Dr. No.” He would go on to play 007 in the next four films, “From Russia with Love,” “Goldfinger,” “Thunderball” and “You Only Live Twice.” He returned to the role for 1971’s “Diamonds are Forever” and 1983’s “Never Say Never Again,” a remake of “Thunderball.” Originally author Ian Fleming was not a fan of the casting of Connery, saying he resembled an unrefined, overgrown stuntman. Despite his initial doubts, Fleming was so impressed he made Bond half Scottish in later novels.

Connery eventually grew tired of being known as James Bond and went on to appear in such well-received films as “Time Bandits,” “The Name of the Rose,” and “Highlander” before winning an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in 1987’s “The Untouchables.” Other notable Connery films include: “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “The Rock,” and “Finding Forrester.” He retired from acting after 2003’s “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.” His most recent appearance was as a voice actor in the computer-animated film “Sir Billi,” which has a 0 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Our question: What type of gun is James Bond most associated with?

Today is also Independence Day in Uruguay and Liberation Day in Paris. In the United States it is unofficially National Whiskey Sour Day and National Banana Split Day. It’s the birthday of American television host Regis Philbin, musicians Elvis Costello and Gene Simmons and director Tim Burton.

LINKS

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Sources

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/sjfa/scottish_football.cfm?page=1711

http://www.seanconnery.com

 

Amelia Earhart stands near a Caltech Aerospace Model 9 biplane designed by Albert Adams Merrill. (Los Angeles Daily News via Wikimedia Commons, non-copyrighted image)August 24 is the anniversary of two historic crossings. In 1875, Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel, while in 1932 Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly non-stop across the United States.

Here are a few facts about both that you might not have known.

At the age of 27, Webb set off from Dover, England after smearing himself in porpoise oil. His crossing was slowed by jellyfish stings and a strong current off the French coast. He eventually landed near Calais, France after 21 hours, 45 minutes. Because of the currents, he ended up swimming nearly twice the width of the channel. He died in 1883 trying to swim through the Whirlpool Rapids below Niagara Falls.

In 1932, Earhart flew from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey in 19 hours and five minutes, which also set a women’s distance record of 2,447 miles. Earlier that year, she had become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from Newfoundland, Canada to Northern Ireland. She and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific on July 2, 1937 while attempting a round-the-world flight.

Our question, what was the name of the island Earhart was trying to land on when she disappeared?

Today is also: Independence Day in Ukraine, Flag Day in Liberia and Nostalgia Night in Uruguay. In the United States it is unofficially National Peach Pie Day and National Waffle Day. It’s the birthday of the father of surfing, Duke Kahanamoku; baseball hall of famer Cal Ripken Jr., and actor Stephen Fry.

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