Mid-Century Hit Tunes
What famous musician sang, "What a Wonderful World"
Louis Armstrong
Many have covered his tunes, including this one, but his inimitable voice exudes feeling and soul like no other.
A customer way back in 1853 complained that his potatoes were too thick, so the cook sliced them extra thin, crispy, and crunchy! What popular snack did he create?
Potato Chips
George Crum, a cook at a Saratoga Springs restaurant, was angry about the customer’s complaint, so he sliced the potatoes as thin as he could and fried them in oil. The customer was thrilled with the potato chips, which was not at all what Crum expected
In the 1950s, teenagers would take off their shoes and dance in their socks at the school gym. What was this dance called?
A Sock Hop
Sock hops got their name because students had to take off their shoes to protect the gym floor—so everyone danced in their socks!
This famous actress played Mary Poppins and Maria in The Sound of Music. Who is she?
Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews was only 29 years old when Mary Poppins was released in 1964, and she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role!”
You put a vinyl record on this machine to listen to music. What is it called?
A record player!
Records came in different speeds. Albums were usually 33s, while many hit singles were 45s.
Which variety TV host’s signature tune is “Everybody Loves Somebody.”
Dean Martin!
In 1967, he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Male TV Star. Later, he was the host of The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast. Don Rickles hosted when it came time for Martin’s own roast.
Germany, Belgium, Poland, Italy and the Netherlands are famous for their chocolate! What continent are they in?
Europe
Belgium is famous for chocolate and has over 2,000 chocolate shops! That’s a LOT of chocolate!
This five-letter word that starts with T is one of the five senses, and it’s not taste.
touch
The five basic senses are touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy follows a famous brick road. What color is the road?
The Yellow Brick Road leads Dorothy and her friends to the Emerald City, where they hope to meet the Wizard.
Before electric refrigerators became common, people used this box with a large block of ice to keep their food cold. What was it called?”
An icebox!
The iceman used to deliver large blocks of ice right to people’s homes to put inside their iceboxes!
No one sings “Folsom Prison Blues” like this Tennessee performer who wrote this song?
Johnny Cash
Folsom was one of the country’s first maximum-security prisons and among its toughest. Cash saw the film Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison while stationed in Germany. He couldn’t forget what he saw and wrote the song about it. Then he performed at Folsom Prison for the prisoners
What is the most widely eaten meat in the world
Pork
According to foodrepublic.com, 36 percent of all meat consumption is pork, with chicken accounting for 33 percent and beef at 24 percent. Goat and sheep together represent only five percent of meat consumption.
In this popular 1960s TV show, a man secretly has a Martian from outer space living with him. What was the show called?
My Favorite Martian!
Uncle Martin the Martian had retractable antennas that popped out of his head, and he could do things like read minds!
In the classic movie King Kong, what famous New York City skyscraper does King Kong climb?
the Empire State Building
When King Kong came out in 1933, the Empire State Building had only been open for about two years—and it was the tallest building in the world!
Before electric mixers, people turned a handle on this kitchen tool to beat eggs and mix cake batter. What was it called?
An eggbeater
Hand-crank eggbeaters became popular in the 1800s, and versions of them are still sold today!
'I Left My Heart in…’ this famous California city. What city is it?”
San Francisco
Tony Bennett is the artist, and many have covered this tune.
Chicken cordon bleu is chicken stuffed with ham and what kind of cheese?
Swiss cheese!
Cordon bleu means ‘blue ribbon’ in French! The name came to be associated with excellent cooking.
Before cell phones, people often used these public phones by putting in coins. What were they called?
Pay phones!
At one time, you could make a local pay-phone call for just a dime in many places!
In Gone with the Wind, what is the name of the character played by Clark Gable?
Rhett Butler!
Gone with the Wind was released in 1939 and won 8 competitive Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Before electric vacuums became common, people pushed this mechanical cleaning gadget across carpets to pick up crumbs, lint, and dirt. What was it called?
A carpet sweeper
Carpet sweepers are actually still made today! They use spinning brushes instead of a motor and suction, so they don't need electricity
“Mr. Tambourine Man” is performed by which artist with a distinctive, gravelly voice.
Bob Dylan
The tune first appeared on his March 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. One month later, the Byrds released their cover of the tune and brought it to the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100.
Long ago, people in Europe were afraid to eat this red food because they thought it was poisonous. What was it?
Tomato
In the 1700s, some Europeans even called tomatoes ‘poison apples’ because they believed eating them could kill you!
Which of these numbers is NOT a prime number: 2, 3, 5, 7, or 10?
10!
2 is the only even prime number! Every other even number can be divided by 2.
In Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, can you name FOUR of the Seven Dwarfs?”
Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey.
Before Disney chose the names we know, a 1912 Snow White stage play called them Blick, Flick, Glick, Plick, Snick, Whick, and Quee!”
Before modern washing machines, wet clothes were fed between two rollers to squeeze out the water. What was this device called?”
A wringer!
People had to feed clothes through a wringer one piece at a time, and the rollers squeezed the extra water back into the wash tub.