Zeroes to Heroes
Recently divorced and flat broke, J. K. Rowling experienced a reversal of fortune by introducing teens and younger children to reading for pleasure through this book and film franchise.
What is Harry Potter? Rowling had spent five years outlining the first book and jumped into action when the necessity arose. The first book was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and the series is the highest-selling series of all time.
This common animal can kill up to 3.7 billion birds per year.
What are domestic cats? If you’ve ever had an outdoor cat, you know they love to bring their “trophies” to the door for you.
This Southern entrée staple is rarely eaten with a fork and knife.
What is fried chicken? To promote its status as “poultry capital of the world,” Gainesville, Georgia, passed a law that prohibits people from eating fried chicken with a fork.
Richard Dawson hosted a family game show and preceded the answers with this phrase.
What is “Survey says”? Richard Dawson was the original host of Family Feud.
When a diner asks for their steak to be cooked “blue,” they mean they want it cooked to this doneness.
What is rare? A rare steak really leans toward purple.
This young Black woman gained heroine status when she refused to give up her seat in the front of a bus and move to the back.
Who is Rosa Parks? She became a civil rights icon after this simple act of resistance.
This bird was once used as a carrier.
What is pigeon? They were used until 1840. The last known passenger pigeon died in 1914.
Mushrooms belong to this family.
What is fungi? They do not require sunlight to grow.
This American political family is associated with Camelot
Who are the Kennedys? President John F. Kennedy’s years are referred to as Camelot, but it was after his death that his widow Jackie first coined the term “American Camelot.” Today, people who were alive during Kennedy’s presidency sometimes use it to refer to the family as well as the era.
Blue belongs to this category of three colors.
What is primary? A primary color is one that is not made from mixing other colors.
When two primary colors are mixed, it creates a secondary color. For example, when you mix blue with yellow, you get green.
In the movie that bears her name, this real-life heroine was responsible for the lawsuit that compensated the victims of Pacific Gas & Electric’s poisoned water.
Who is Erin Brockovich? The fact that she was able to organize the class-action lawsuit was feat enough, but the generous settlement won by the defendants was a victory she helped them win, and it ran afoul of legal advice to take the lesser settlement.
This bird lays the tiniest egg.
What is hummingbird? The type of hummingbird is up for debate, but Guinness World Records currently states that the vervain hummingbird lays the smallest eggs.
SPAM is a combination of these two words.
What are spice and ham? Ham is the main ingredient, and because it’s a canned good, it can be easily shipped. Today, there are 15 varieties of SPAM on the market.
This band recorded “California Dreamin’,” “Monday, Monday,” “Dedicated to the One I Love,” and many more tunes.
What is the Mamas & the Papas? Band members John and Michelle Phillips were married from 1965–68.
When searching for a used car, people turn to this authoritative reference guide to compare the prices to those offered through private and dealer sales.
What is Kelley Blue Book? People also use it to track the resale value of their current auto. Those in the industry call it the “Blue Book,” and the information is now also available online.
Indiana teen Ryan White contracted this virus through a blood transfusion and spent the rest of his days advocating for those who contracted the resulting disease.
What is HIV? White fought hard during his short life to end discrimination toward those with HIV and spread the word.
This director used over 25,000 live birds in the filming of the 1963 movie The Birds.
Who is Alfred Hitchcock? When they didn’t want the birds to fly, they fed them wheat and whiskey.
In large doses, this spice is a hallucinogenic.
What is nutmeg? Nutmeg contains myristicin, a natural compound. Don’t worry; most recipes call for no more than one-half teaspoon of nutmeg. Notice that nutmeg is often used at half the amount of cinnamon in recipes.
This nighttime soap opera features the Ewing family.
What is Dallas? The Ewing family is Texas oil royalty.
Tony Bennett first recorded a tune about a woman who wore this blue fabric.
What is velvet? The tune Blue Velvet was written in 1950 and has been performed by other vocalists, including Bobby Vinton, Brenda Lee, and Sammy Davis Jr.
This ordinary computer scientist rose to prominence when he created the World Wide Web.
Who is (Sir) Tim Berners-Lee? In addition, without his contributions, there would be no hypertext—the links that give us the ability to jump from the current document to another document.
This bird eats algae and brine shrimp, giving it a pink hue.
What is flamingo? Flamingos eat with their head upside down in the water and their bill pointed at their feet. Then, they sweep their head side-to-side and pump water in and out of their bill to filter the food.
This blue-colored liqueur is used to make blue cocktails.
What is Blue Curaçao (KUR-uh-sau)? It’s used in drinks, including the Blue Lagoon, Blue Hawaiian, Blue Bird, and several others.
The characters Ray, Debra, Robert, mother Marie, and father Raymond belong to this TV family.
What is the Barone family? The show is Everybody Loves Raymond and stars Ray Romano. It won 56 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Blue foods are rare, but this food is a staple of Mexican cuisine.
What is corn? The Hopi developed blue corn, a variety with more protein than white corn. Blue tortilla chips are made with blue corn.