Loaned Language
Derived from the Hindi word champo, meaning to massage or knead, you'll find this English word in your shower.
What is shampoo?
Ada Lovelace probably wrote the first one of these for a computer in 1840, even though a computer that could run it wouldn't be invented for nearly 100 years.
What is a computer program?
Prior to European contact, California had over 500 of these.
What are Indian tribes/nations?
While popular history makes this service seem like a huge success, it only lasted 18 months before being replaced by the telegraph.
What is the pony express?
Pommy is only 10% Pomeranian and is actually 44% this.
What is murder?
While associated with Appalachia, this musical instrument has its origins in Africa, where its name may derive from banjul, bangoe, or banza.
What is the banjo?
Patsy Mink was a lot of firsts, first Asian-American woman to be elected to Congress, first Japanese-American woman to practice law in Hawaii, and author of this key law to ensure gender equality.
What is Title IX?
John Sutter was a horrible person, but interestingly, when he came to settle in Sacramento in 1839 he brought workers from this Pacific island kingdom.
What is the Kingdom of Hawaii?
As much as 30% of cowboys were Latino, while 25% were this.
What is black?
Alma's husband's Alma Mater.
What is UC Davis?
The bane of my high school transcript, the English word for a Persian treatise on advanced mathematics: al-Kitāb al-Mukhtaṣar fī Ḥisāb al-Jabr wal-Muqābalah.
What is algebra?
Wilma Mankiller, the first female Chief of the Cherokee nation who tripled the membership of the nation and improved Cherokee employment, public health, water, education, and housing conditions, was inspired by the American Indian Movement occupation of this Bay Area landmark.
What is Alcatraz?
Before the Mexican-American War, what we call California was called this.
What is Alta California?
Tombstone, Arizona is famous for the shootout at the OK Corral, but this occurred because the Tombstone sheriff was trying to enforce this kind of ordinance, like many other Wild West towns.
What is gun control?
I grew up near Giant Rock, which is famous for 90s raves and sightings of these.
What are UFOs?
The English version of the Chinese phrase hao jiu bu jian, something you might say when seeing an old friend.
What is: long time, no see?
Sirimavo Banderanaike became the world's first female head of state in 1960 for this island nation in the Indian ocean.
What is Sri Lanka?
You might know her from the almond milk bottle, but this fictional warrior queen ruling over a nation of griffin-riding women on the island of California is the origin of our state's name.
Who is Calafia?
The Wild West myth has you believing everyone wore a cowboy/stetson hat, but this nerdy hat was actually the most common.
What is the bowler/derby hat?
If I was a girl, my parents were going to name me after the answer of this "Early California" question.
What is Califia/Calafia?
The Tagalog word for mountain bundok is the base for this English word for a rural area.
What is the boondocks?
In 1921, Bessie Coleman was the first African-American woman and Native American woman to earn this, which she used in in barnstorming stunts.
What is a pilot's license?
Two years after the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, these sailors on a Spanish galleon were the first non-Native Americans to set foot in Morro Bay.
Who are Filipinos?
These were more likely to be chaotic, indoors, and dangerous to bystanders than the movies would have you believe.
What are duels/shootouts?
In December 2024, I concluded a 5 year one of these.
What is an RPG campaign?