Wood
This common writing instrument used by children is covered in wood.
Answer: What is a pencil? Wood covers the graphite-and-clay composite used as a writing medium. It’s a myth that pencils are made with lead.
Louisa May Alcott’s Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy share this last name in Little Women.
Answer: What is March? The characters are based on Alcott’s own family. Jo is the most outspoken and determined of the sisters, aspiring to become an author.
Everywhere you look, you will find these sales in August.
Answer: What are back-to-school sales? School now starts in August, not the day after Labor Day, as it did during the mid-20th century.
This Mississippi‑born singer was known as “The King of Rock and Roll.”
Answer: Who is Elvis Presley? His energetic performances and signature style transformed American music in the 1950s.
This American landmark, completed in 1886, was a gift from France and became a symbol of hope for millions of immigrants arriving by ship.
Answer: What is the Statue of Liberty? It was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, with the internal structure engineered by Gustave Eiffel.
This large wooden boat in the Bible was built to withstand 40 days and nights of a rainstorm.
Answer: What is Noah’s ark? The ark is referenced in Genesis 6–9.
Laura Ingalls is a young tomboy who grows up on the American frontier in this TV series.
Answer: What is Little House on the Prairie? Her nickname is Half-Pint.
On August 6, 1762, this lunchtime favorite was created by an earl.
Answer: What is the sandwich? The Earl of Sandwich is credited with ordering some meat between two slices of bread.
This jazz trumpeter and vocalist charmed audiences with his gravelly voice and hit “What a Wonderful World.”
Answer: Who is Louis Armstrong? Nicknamed “Satchmo,” he became one of the most influential figures in jazz history.
In Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, this revolutionary woman knits a long list of names into a scarf.
Answer: Who is Madame (Thérèse) Defarge? She knits the names of those who would be charged or executed during the French Revolution.
This Swedish company that sells moderately priced home furnishings is one of the largest global consumers of wood.
Answer: What is IKEA? The company uses technology to maximize the yield and minimize waste from its wood, and also has a tree-planting initiative to help replace the wood it uses.
Agatha Christie gave us this masterful amateur female detective.
Answer: Who is Miss (Jane) Marple? Miss Marple first appears in a 1927 short story and has subsequent adventures in Christie’s books and plays. Before becoming Jessica Fletcher in the television show Murder, She Wrote, Angela Lansbury starred as Miss Marple in the 1980 film The Mirror Crack’d.
If you visit Coney Island in August, take a break to eat one of these.
Answer: What is a hot dog? Nathan’s Famous is the hot dog flagship stand in Coney Island. It’s also the home of the Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest. In early 2026, Smithfield finalized a deal to acquire the company, but it will continue to operate under the Nathan’s Famous banner.
This country legend, famous for songs like “I Walk the Line,” was known as “The Man in Black.”
Answer: Who is Johnny Cash? His deep voice and storytelling style made him a cornerstone of American country music.
In the Old English calendar, Weod Monath (WEE-ohd MOHN-ahth) was the name for August, and it translates into this.
Answer: What is “weed month”? August is the month when plants and weeds grow fastest.
Before modern paper was made from wood pulp, it was made from cotton, hemp, and this fabric.
Answer: What is linen? Paper wasn’t made from wood until around the mid-19th century. Money is still made from linen and cotton because it wears better (pun intended).
She is Charlotte Brontë’s eponymous heroine, whose life is full of trials and tribulations.
Answer: Who is Jane Eyre? The book chronicles her life from an orphan to an intelligent, resilient woman.
On August 22, AD 565, the first alleged sighting of this monster took place in Scotland.
Answer: What is the Loch Ness monster? The monster’s nickname is Nessie. The first alleged photo was snapped in 1933.
This Motown superstar recorded hits like “My Girl” and helped define the sound of the 1960s.
Answer: Who are The Temptations? Their harmonies and choreography set the standard for soul groups of the era.
This pianist and singer blended gospel, blues, and jazz to create hits like “Georgia on My Mind.”
Answer: Who is Ray Charles? Despite losing his sight at a young age, he became one of America’s most celebrated musicians.
This light wood is commonly used in rafts and boats.
Answer: What is balsa? Its lack of density allows it to float. It is often confused with balsam, which is a resin
Victoria Winters was hired as the governess for the Collins family on this 1960s afternoon soap opera.
Answer: What is Dark Shadows? This was the era of “dark” TV series. All three were introduced in the mid-1960s and were wildly popular on their first run. The other two series are The Addams Family and The Munsters.
This flower is one of August’s two official birth flowers, along with the poppy.
Answer: What is the gladiola? Gladiolas provide the last rush of summer blooms in a wide array of vivid, eye-popping colors.
This folk singer wrote protest anthems such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and became a voice of the 1960s.
Answer: Who is Bob Dylan? His poetic lyrics earned him a Nobel Prize in Literature decades later.
This dwarf willow tree is the smallest in the world.
Answer: What is Arctic willow? It’s found in the Arctic tundra and can survive the highest elevations. It looks more like ground cover, but it’s classified as a tree. It has a single main stem with branches shooting off from it.