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571: Salad Dressing Names
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 […]
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570: Winter Olympics
Today is the 14th day of competition at the 23rd Winter Olympics 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 […]
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569: We’re Back and We’re Going to Disneyland!
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Trivia Minute Update: April 25, 2017
We’ll start off with a trivia question: What is the name of the canal and lock system that connects the North American Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean? We’ll have the answer in the show. Today is World Malaria Day, Flag Day in Swaziland, and Liberation Day in Italy. It’s unofficially National Plumber’s Day, National […]
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Big Ben: The Story Behind the Bell
On this date in 1858, the bell known as Big Ben was cast in London. Here are some things you may not have known about Big Ben. The nickname Big Ben refers to the bell only. The clock is called the Great Clock, while the tower is named Elizabeth Tower. The namesake of the bell […]
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Presidential Vetoes: Because I Said So
On this date in 1792, George Washington used his presidential veto power for the first time. Here are a few things you may not have known about the veto. The history of the veto, which means “I forbid” in Latin, can be traced to the Roman Empire. Roman consuls had to act unanimously, so one […]
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Trivia Minute Update: April 4, 2017
We’ll start off with a random trivia question: Which actors played the character of Jay Gatsby in the 1949, 1974, and 2013 film versions of “The Great Gatsby”? We’ll have the answer later in the show. Today is International Landmine Awareness Day, Children’s Day in Hong Kong and Taiwan; Independence Day in Senegal. It’s unofficially […]
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1860: Pony Express Begins Operations
On this date in 1860, the Pony Express began operations. Here are some things you may not have known about the Old West mail service. After the discovery of gold in 1849 and the admission of California as a state in 1850, a faster way to deliver transcontinental mail was needed. At the time, mail […]
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1806: America’s First Highway
On this date in in 1806, the first major improved highway in the United States was authorized. Here are some things you might not know about The National Road. The National Road began in 1751 as the Braddock Road, which ran from Fort Cumberland, Maryland, which is navigable limit of the Potomac River, to Fort […]
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March 28, 2017: Trivia Minute Update
On this date in 1979, the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania suffered a partial core meltdown. What is the name of the river in which Three Mile Island is located? We’ll have the answer later in the show. Today is Teachers’ Day in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and Serfs Emancipation Day […]