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Trivia Bits by Paul Paquet

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Paul Paquet

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  • Trivia Bits, December 1
    Word of the week: "snow," specifically the Eskimo words for "snow." The idea that Eskimos have dozens of words for snow reflects the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that language is shaped by our experience of the world. Actually, Eskimo …

  • Trivia Bits, November 29
    STAN'S WEEKLY TRIVIA CHALLENGE CONTEST NO. 113 What legendary figure from American history was once known as "Duck Bill" because of the shape of his nose and mouth? HOW TO WIN: Send your answer, with your full name and address, either by e-…

  • Trivia Bits, November 28
    The related words "denim" and "jeans" both have a geographical ancestry. "Denim" is derived from the French fabric "serge de Nimes," Nimes being the city where it was first made. "Jeans" comes from …

  • Trivia Bits, November 27
    Eponym of the week: Japanese engineer Tadao Kashio, who, with his father and three brothers, founded in 1946 what would become the Casio Computer Company. In 1954, Casio debuted its first calculator — the first with a 10-key number pad and a …

Trivia Bits, July 24

Eponym of the week: Clyde Vernon Cessna. Previously an automobile dealer, he built his first airplane in 1911, eight years after the Wright brothers' first flight. In the 1920s and 1930s, his companies became leading manufacturers of personal aircraft. Cessna was elected to the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1978.

Can you dig it? Your humble trivia author, born and raised in New York City, always thought that the Holland Tunnel, which connects Manhattan and New Jersey, was named to honor the Dutch settlers that were the first Europeans to colonize the island. But in truth, the tunnel was named for Clifford Holland, who was the chief engineer for its construction.


Where are you most likely to encounter a mechanical device known as a rotary parlor?
A) At a dairy farm
B) In a post office
C) At a circus
D) In a chemistry lab

Previous answer: The state flower of Massachusetts is the mayflower, the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to Plymouth in 1620.

TRIVIA FANS: Send the trivia questions you've always wanted answered, or original TriviaBits ideas of your own, with your full name and hometown, to Stan Newman at StanTrivia@aol.com or on a postcard to P.O. Box 69, Massapequa Park, NY 11762.


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Originally Published on Thursday July 24, 2008

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