💐May 4💐 - Copy

🌹Memorial Day🌹

100

What is the name of the National Cemetery where the Memorial Day honor wreath laying ceremony takes place?

Bonus: What is the name of the Tomb where the wreath is placed in this cemetery? 

Arlington National Cemetery

The Memorial Day Observation Ceremony at Arlington includes a prelude from the United States Marine Corp band, a full honor wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and an observance ceremony. Usually the President of the United States attends the event, which is free and opened to the public.

Bonus: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

200

True or False: Memorial Day was originally known as Ornament Day. 

False, it was known as Decoration Day! 

The event became an annual tradition, and the name shifted as decades passed and the United States fought in more wars. Congress made May 30 a national holiday in 1889. After World War I and World War II, Memorial Day became the more common name for the occasion than Decoration Day to honor the veterans of all U.S. armed conflicts. For example, in a May 22, 1950, proclamation, President Harry Truman described Memorial Day as an occasion that “has long been set aside for paying tribute to those who lost their lives in war.” 

300

What city is known as the birthplace of Memorial Day? 

a. Boston, Massachusetts

b. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

c. Waterloo, New York

d. Los Angeles, California

c. Waterloo, New York

The story of Memorial Day begins in the summer of 1865, when a prominent local druggist, Henry C. Welles, mentioned to some of his friends at a social gathering that while praising the living veterans of the Civil War it would be well to remember the patriotic dead by placing flowers on their graves. Nothing resulted from this suggestion until he advanced the idea again the following spring to General John B. Murray. Murray, a civil war hero and intensely patriotic, supported the idea wholeheartedly and marshalled veterans’ support. Plans were developed for a more complete celebration by a local citizens’ committee headed by Welles and Murray. 

400

Memorial Day is held in May so which specific flowers will be in bloom to decorate soldiers' graves? 

Poppies

National Poppy Day is observed each year the Friday before Memorial Day. The tradition of wearing a red poppy began following the deadly battles of World War I. It’s not just a symbolic flower in the United States, but around the world. It all started after red poppies bloomed on the battlefields in France and Belgium. Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D., wrote the poem “In Flanders Fields” while serving on the front lines.

500

Memorial Day was first observed in 1868 to honor the soldiers lost in which war? 

The Civil War 

Memorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. This changed after World War I, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars, including World War II, The Vietnam War, The Korean War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

🎓Graduation🎓

100

What do graduates do with their hats at the end of the ceremony?

Toss them up in the air!

Tossing the graduation cap in the air was started by the U.S. Naval Academy in 1912. The graduates would spend two years as midshipmen and had to always wear a designated hat. Once the graduation ended, the midshipman would become officers and would no longer need their old hats. 

200

True or False: The commencement cap is also called a pestleboard. 

False, it's a mortarboard! 

The name mortarboard actually comes from the flat board used by bricklayers to lay mortar. Thus, the name of the widely accepted graduation hat also represents the mortar board of a master workman.

300

What were diplomas originally made of?

a. Wood

b. Stone

c. Sheepskin

d. Cotton Fabric

c. Sheepskin

Over the years you may have heard the diploma being called a sheepskin. Originally diplomas were hand-written on paper-thin sheepskin before being rolled and tied with a ribbon. This practiced ended about 100 years ago when diplomas began to be printed on parchment paper instead, and the sizes were standardized. Diploma covers were developed to protect, store and display the diploma. But the idea of rolling a diploma persists because of this old tradition. Often when a ceremony is held before grades are finalized, a rolled, ribbon-tied paper is handed to the graduate to represent the diploma that will be mailed to them after the ceremony.

400

What is the phrase usually refers to graduation ceremonies, derived from the marching tune by Edward Elgar which is played while students walk to receive their diploma.

Pomp and Circumstance

This comes from Shakespeare's play Othello and refers to the impressive clothes, decorations, music, etc. that are part of an official ceremony. "For many people, the red carpet is synonymous with prestige, status, celebrity, ceremony, and a whole lot of pomp and circumstance." Sir Edward Elgar was given an honorary doctorate from Yale and the school played his “Pomp and Circumstance” as a recessional at the ceremony. After that, other colleges adopted the song and soon it just became tradition, but as a processional instead of a recessional. 

 

500

What are some of the different types of degrees you can graduate with? 

There are generally four categories of college degrees: associate degree, bachelor's degree, graduate degree, and doctorate or professional degree. 

Different degrees prepare you for different career paths. For example, you can't become a psychologist with just a bachelor's degree — you'd need a master's or doctorate in psychology. And you usually can't become an engineer without at least a bachelor's degree. Typically, as your university degree level rises, your earning potential increases, and the unemployment rate decreases. 

🍖Barbecues🔥

100

What are some common foods to have at a barbecue?

Hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, chicken wings, ribs, steaks, corn on the cob, sausages, coleslaw and fruits!

The history of grilling begins shortly after the domestication of fire, some 500,000 years ago. The backyard ritual of grilling as we know it, though, is much more recent. Until well into the 1940s, grilling mostly happened at campsites and picnics. After World War II, as the middle class began to move to the suburbs, backyard grilling caught on, becoming all the rage by the 1950s. 

200

True or False: The term barbecue originated in the Caribbean with cooks using wooden platforms to slow-cook meat. 

True!

The origin of the word "barbecue" is not definitively known, but the best guess is that Spaniards, upon arriving in the Caribbean in the 15th century, used the word "barbacoa" to describe the cooking method they observed. After the Spaniards & Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492, they found the people of Taino roasting meat on a wooden framework resting on sticks above a fire. The conquerors from Spain then embraced this style of cooking and spread it to more areas of America & beyond. 

300

According to standard etiquette, what should a guest NOT do at a barbecue?

a. Bring a side dish without asking.

b. Tend the grill if the host seems busy.

c. Offer to help clean up at the end.

d. Set up the plates and utensils.

b. Tend to the grill if the host seems busy.

Barbecue etiquette says that you don't touch the host's grill, unless a fire is about to go down. That also goes for offering advice to the host on his barbecue technique. 

400

What are America's most popular grilling holidays?

Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Father's Day!

80% of all homeowners and 70% of all households in the U.S. own at least a grill or smoker. The most popular grilling day of the year continues to be Fourth of July, when 54% of owners grilled out; other popular summer grilling occasions: Memorial Day (44%), Father’s Day (34%) and Labor Day (47%).

500

What is the difference between barbecuing and grilling?

Barbecue is on a low slow fire, while grilling is hot and quick.

Barbecuing and grilling are often mistakenly thought to be the same thing but they're not. Barbecue takes place on a low fire for a long period of time (a technique called "low and slow") while grilling refers to a quick cook on a hot fire.

📜Washington📜

100

Who did George Washington marry in 1759? 

Bonus: Who was Washington's vice president?

Martha Dandridge Custis

While George Washington was fond of children, he and Martha did not have any biological children together. When they married, Martha had two surviving children, John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis, from her previous marriage. There were always children at Mount Vernon. They raised Martha Washington’s two children from a previous marriage, as well as her four grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. 

Bonus: John Adams

200

True or False: Washington was the last to sign the United States Constitution. 

False, he was actually the first! 

George Washington signed the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. George Washington spent the spring and summer of that year presiding over intense and lengthy debate over the future of the United States. A crucial force in this process, Washington's careful mediation helped facilitate an atmosphere which allowed for the compromises necessary to create this bold, new government. 

300

Where was George Washington born? 

a. Braintree, Massachusetts

b. Pope's Creek, Virginia 

c. Kinderhook, New York

d. Pineville, North Carolina

b. Pope's Creek, Virginia 

Less the half of the states have been the birthplaces of presidents, even though there have been 47 presidencies. Virginia, also nicknamed the “mother of presidents,” can claim the most presidents at eight, and Ohio comes in next with seven—accounting for one-third of all presidents between them. Most presidents have been born on the East Coast with just eight from west of the Mississippi, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, including Richard Nixon (California) and Barack Obama (Hawaii). 

400

In one of the best-known legends about Washington, what kind of tree did he supposedly cut down, much to the chagrin of his father? 

Bonus: Were Washington's dentures made of wood? 

A cherry tree! 

This iconic story about the value of honesty was invented by one of Washington’s first biographers, a traveling minister and bookseller named Mason Locke Weems. Weems had several motives when he wrote The Life of Washington. Money was certainly one of them. He rightly guessed that if he wrote a popular history book about Washington it would sell. In the original story, when Washington was six years old, he received a hatchet as a gift and damaged his father’s cherry tree with it. When his father discovered what George had done, he became angry. Young George bravely said, “I cannot tell a lie…I did cut it with my hatchet.” Washington’s father embraced him and declared that his son’s honesty was worth more than a thousand trees. 

Bonus: Washington had at least four sets of dentures in his lifetime, made of brass, lead, gold, animal teeth and human teeth (but no wood!)

500

What war did George Washington help lead the United States to independence? 

Bonus: What river did Washington famously cross in the Battle of Trenton? 

The American Revolution

George Washington was appointed commander of the Continental Army in 1775. Despite having little experience in commanding large, conventional military forces, his leadership presence and fortitude held the American military together long enough to secure victory at Yorktown and independence for his new nation in 1781.

The Delaware River

🍔Hamburgers🍔

100

What toppings typically go with a hamburger? 

What are some good sides with a hamburger?

Cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise are some common toppings. Some common sides are french fries, onion rings, coleslaw, potato and macaroni salad, corn on the cob and baked potatoes. 

Different places have different types of burgers, like the reindeer burger for those in the Arctic circle, which bear a striking resemblance to all-beef patties and are topped with lingonberry jam. The bun kebab is a traditional Pakistani patty which utilizes a blend of ground beef, lentils and spices or a vegetarian one made from lentils and potatoes topped with a chutney. In China, the donkey burger (a slightly gamey and flavorful meat with tasting notes similar to beef) is served on a flatbread with cilantro and green bell pepper.

200

True or False: The hamburger bun was invented after the hamburger.

True! 

Hamburgers used to have flat bread instead of bun shaped bread. The first hamburger bun was made by a fry cook by the name Walter Anderson in 1916. He helped co-found White Castle five years later. The hamburger was a well-kept secret until the World’s Fair in 1904, held in St Louis Missouri. A certain “Uncle” Fletcher David from Allen, Texas, set up a hamburger stand and sold hamburgers. The true origin of the hamburger is a bit of a mystery, though. 

300

What name did the organization PETA offer the town of Hamburg $15,000 to change to? 

a. Flowerburg

b. Plantburg

c. Fruitburg

d. Veggieburg

d. Veggieburg

Although the true invention of the hamburger might always be a mystery, one of the more popular stories, regarding its birthplace, dates back to 1885, in Hamburg, NY. When you walk into Juicy Burger Bar in Hamburg, you’re greeted by a mural with photos of Charles and Frank Menches. Stories say the brothers, from Canton, OH, invented the hamburger at the Erie County Fair in 1885. “They were serving sausage patties and suddenly they had run out, and they ran to the butcher for more pork, and to their dismay they were sold out of pork, and only had ground beef,” Heather Williams said, the GM of Juicy Burger Bar. “And that’s where they say the burger was created and birthed as you will.”

400

What are some restaurants which are known for serving hamburgers? 

Bonus: Which fast food restaurant has a mascot named the "Hamburglar"? 

Some restaurants known for serving hamburgers are Five Guys (Burgers and Fries), Shake Shack, In-N-Out Burger, Burger King, McDonalds, Wendy's, Whataburger, Culvers, White Castle and Carl's Jr. 

There is much debate over who makes the best burger not just in America, but in the world. Some saying that Hundred Burgers in the Valencia region in Spain holds the title with 120-day aged beef and "super crispy" bacon. Some other contenders are Henry's Burger's wagyu beef burger in Tokyo, Japan; the Super Smash Brother burger at Goldies in Berlin, Germany; and the Cheeseburger à l’Américaine at Pastis in New York City. 

Bonus: McDonald's had a mascot character called the "Hamburglar"! 

500

About how much did a hamburger cost each year on average? 

1. 1921 

2. 1950 

3. 1980

4. 2000

5. 2025

1. 5 cents!

2. 15 cents

3. 34 cents

4. 80 cents

5. 2 dollars!