🥧Humble Pies🥧
🔴The Red Planet🌌
🏛️Architecture Around the Globe🏰
🌊Deep Blue Sea🐋
🍰Conceited Cakes🎂
100
This old-fashioned pie is usually made with a batter of butter, sugar, eggs and the signature nut which bakes into a delicious caramel, nutty pie filling.
Pecan Pie
Pecan pie was made before the invention of corn syrup, and older recipes used darker sugar-based syrup or molasses. The makers of Karo syrup significantly contributed to popularizing the dish and many of the recipes for variants (caramel, cinnamon, Irish cream, peanut butter, etc.) of the classic pie. The company has claimed that the dish was a 1930s "discovery" of a "new use for corn syrup" by a corporate sales executive's wife.
100
Why is Mars known as "The Red Planet"?
Because the planet is red!
Or at least it looks red. Mars was named by the Romans for their god of war because its reddish color was reminiscent of blood. The Egyptians called it "Her Desher," meaning "the red one." Even today, it is frequently called the "Red Planet" because iron minerals in the Martian dirt oxidize, or rust, causing the surface to look red.
100
This wrought-iron lattice tower in Paris, France was built for the 1889 World's Fair to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, named after the designer.
Eiffel Tower in Paris
Do you know the Eiffel Tower shrinks during the winter season? Also known as the Iron Lady, the Eiffel Tower grows during the summer season and shrinks in the cold winter months. Thermal expansion causes the iron structure or metal to grow. Metal absorbs the heat, causing the Eiffel Tower to grow by 6.75 inches. On the other hand, it shrinks during the winter due to thermal contraction caused by freezing weather. So, the Tower shrinks between six and seven inches, depending on the weather conditions.
100
What is the largest ocean in the world?
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean's mean depth is 13,000 feet. Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, located in the northwestern Pacific, is the deepest known point in the world, reaching a depth of 35,853 feet. The Pacific also contains the deepest point in the Southern Hemisphere, the Horizon Deep in the Tonga Trench, at 35,509 feet. The third deepest point on Earth, the Sirena Deep, is also located in the Mariana Trench.
100
This cake is made up of various spices with a cream cheese frosting and one specific root vegetable.
Carrot Cake
The origins of carrot cake are disputed. Published in 1591, there is an English recipe for "pudding in a Carret root" that is essentially a stuffed carrot with meat, but it includes many elements common to the modern dessert: shortening, cream, eggs, raisins, sweetener (dates and sugar), spices (clove and mace), scraped carrot, and breadcrumbs (in place of flour).
200
Maybe a bit of a misnomer, while this Massachusetts cream filled dessert is technically a cake, it is listed in nearly every recipe book as a pie!
Boston Cream Pie
It is said to have been created in 1856 by Armenian-French chef Mossburg Sanzian at the Parker House Hotel in Boston. A direct descendant of earlier cakes known as American pudding-cake pie and Washington pie, the dessert was referred to as chocolate cream pie, Parker House chocolate cream pie, and finally Boston cream pie on Parker House's menus.
200
Does Mars have rings? What planets in our solar system have rings?
Mars does not have rings, though it may someday!
One moon, Deimos is spiraling outward and one day will leave the red planet’s orbit altogether. Meanwhile, Phobos is getting ever closer. Eventually, it will crash into Mars, which may create a ring of dust around the planet from the debris. This is similar to the only ringed planet in our solar system, Saturn. This may sound dramatic, but Phobos is actually moving toward the planet at a glacial pace. To be precise, 1.8 meters every 100 years. At that rate, it will collide with Mars in 50 million years.
200
This well-preserved Roman building was originally a temple to the gods, now used by the Catholic church for religious practices and features a large dome and oculus.
The Pantheon in Rome
The Pantheon in Rome is a true architectural wonder. Described as the “sphinx of the Campus Martius”—referring to enigmas presented by its appearance and history, and to the location in Rome where it was built—to visit it today is to be almost transported back to the Roman Empire itself. The Roman Pantheon probably doesn’t make popular shortlists of the world’s architectural icons, but it should: it is one of the most imitated buildings in history. For a good example, the library Thomas Jefferson designed for the University of Virginia.
200
True or False: There are lakes located underwater.
True!
You can find bodies of brine (highly dense salt water) trapped in deep ocean crevices. These underwater lakes of brine can be highly toxic to marine life.
200
This dessert can either be baked or unbaked and refrigerated to set, with various dairy based options for the filling.
Cheesecake
Modern cheesecake is not usually classified as an actual "cake", despite the name (compare with Boston cream "pie"). Some people classify it as a torte due to the usage of many eggs, which are the sole source of leavening, as a key factor. Others find compelling evidence that it is a custard pie, based on the overall structure, with the separate crust, the soft filling, and the absence of flour. Other sources identify it as a flan, or tart.
300
This American dessert is made with egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and a fruit specifically found in a certain part of Florida.
Key Lime Pie
Key lime pie is probably derived from the "Magic Lemon Cream Pie" published in a promotional brochure by Borden, a producer of condensed milk, in 1931. The recipe is attributed to Borden's fictional spokesperson, Jane Ellison, and includes condensed milk, lemon juice and rind, and egg yolks. It is covered with meringue, baked, and served cold. According to the pastry chef Stella Parks, users of the recipe altered it with local ingredients; she describes it as "a stunning reminder of how deeply America's traditions are shaped by advertising".
300
True or false: A day on Mars is twice as long as one on Earth.
False!
As Mars orbits the Sun, it completes one rotation every 24.6 hours, which is very similar to one day on Earth (23.9 hours). Like Earth, Mars has distinct seasons, but they last longer than seasons here on Earth since Mars takes longer to orbit the Sun (because it's farther away). And while here on Earth the seasons are evenly spread over the year, lasting 3 months (or one quarter of a year), on Mars the seasons vary in length because of Mars' elliptical, egg-shaped orbit around the Sun.
300
This 12-acre performing arts complex in Manhattan, New York City, that serves as the home to 11 resident arts organizations, including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, and the New York Philharmonic.
Lincoln Center in New York City
Spanning more than 16 acres on the Upper West side of Manhattan, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (more commonly known as Lincoln Center) is home to 11 resident arts organizations covering music, dance, film, opera, theater, and more. Built as part of the Lincoln Square Renewal Project in the 1960s, Lincoln Center originally was made up of three buildings: David Geffen Hall, 1962 (previously Avery Fisher Hall and Philharmonic Hall); the David H. Koch Theater (1964), formerly the New York State Theater; and the Metropolitan Opera House (1966).
300
What is the largest living mammal?
a. Elephant
b. Blue Whale
c. Giant Ground Sloth
d. Heffalump
b. Blue Whale
300
This cake is baked in a rather surprising way: while most are baked right side up, this one is quite the opposite!
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
An upside-down cake is a cake that is baked "upside-down" in a single pan, usually a skillet, with its toppings at the bottom of the pan. When removed from the oven, the finished upside-down preparation is flipped over and de-panned onto a serving plate, thus "righting" it, and serving it right-side up.
400
This French tart consists of a pastry crust filled with egg and cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables.
Quiche
American food writer James Peterson records first encountering quiche in the late 1960s and being "convinced it was the most sophisticated and delicious thing I'd ever tasted". He writes that by the 1980s American quiches began to include ingredients that he found "bizarre and unpleasant", such as broccoli, and that he regards Bruce Feirstein's 1982 comedy book Real Men Don't Eat Quiche as the "final humiliation" of the dish, that "[a] rugged and honest country dish had become a symbol of effete snobbery."
400
How many moons does Mars have?
a. One
b. Two
d. Ten
e. Zero
b. Two
Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, that may be captured asteroids. They're potato-shaped because they have too little mass for gravity to make them spherical. The moons get their names from the horses that pulled the chariot of the Greek god of war, Ares.
400
This house of worship in Delhi, India is famous for its modern architectural design which resembles a certain flower.
The Lotus Temple in New Delhi
The Lotus Temple is most famous for its distinct flowerlike shape, deliberately built to reflect the beauty and symmetry of the lotus flower important to many Eastern and Indian faiths, including the Bahá'í Faith, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
400
Why do we find more shark tooth fossils than shark bone fossils?
Sharks have no bones!
You cannot find shark-bone fossils because sharks have no bones. Instead their skeleton is made of cartilage, like your ears or the end of your nose. Shark teeth also never run out: when they lose a tooth they always get a new one to replace it.
400
This traditional Christmas cake is often served in French speaking countries, made with chocolate and raspberry jam.
A Yule Log or Bûche de Noël
Yule logs are often served with one end cut off and set atop the cake, or protruding from its side to resemble a chopped off branch. A bark-like texture is often produced by dragging a fork through the icing, and powdered sugar sprinkled to resemble snow. Other cake decorations may include actual tree branches, fresh berries, and mushrooms made of meringue or marzipan.
500
Pies aren't always sweet! What are some popular pies made mainly with meat?
Chicken Pot Pie, Shepherd's Pie, but not Mince Meat Pie (surprisingly)!
It’s hard to know exactly when meat stopped being included in the mince pie. In the Medieval and Tudor period the meat of choice for a mince pie was lamb or veal. By the 18th century it was more likely to be tongue or even tripe, and in the 19th century it was minced beef. It was not until the late Victorian period and early 20th Century that mince pies dropped the meat and had all fruit fillings (albeit with suet).
500
What have we sent to Mars to take pictures of the surface looking for signs of life past and present?
Bonus: What is the most recent one's name?
The Mars Rover
The Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, is based on the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover configuration. It is car-sized, about 10 feet long (not including the arm), 9 feet wide, and 7 feet tall. But at 2,260 pounds, it weighs less than a compact car. In some sense, the rover parts are similar to what any living creature would need to keep it "alive" and able to explore.
Bonus: Perseverance
500
This iconic skyscraper in London's financial district is famous for it's bullet-like shape, often compared to a certain pickled vegetable.
The Gherkin in London
30 St Mary Axe, or The Gherkin as it is popularly known, is one of London’s most well known skyscrapers. Cool as a cucumber and uniquely shaped, it has earned itself a coveted place in the hearts of Londoners and amongst the enduring icons of Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, St Paul’s and Big Ben as one of London’s great buildings.
500
How much of the earth is covered by the ocean?
70%
500
This English staple is a simple cake similar to Angel Food Cake with a fruit and frosting filling.
Victoria Sponge (or Sandwich) Cake
Sponge cakes became the cake recognised today when bakers started using beaten eggs as a rising agent in the mid-18th century. The Victorian creation of baking powder by English food manufacturer Alfred Bird in 1843 allowed the addition of butter to the traditional sponge recipe, resulting in the creation of the Victoria sponge. Cakes are available in many flavours and have many recipes as well. Sponge cakes have become snack cakes via the Twinkie.