Geography and Culture
This term is often used as a derogatory term for poor, White residents of Appalachia.
What is "hillbilly"?
These are the two primary categories of coal.
What are "hard" and "soft"?
This is the state named in the song.
What is "West Virginia"?
This is the number of syllables in the word "Appalachian."
What is four?
This is the number of siblings I have.
What is "two"?
This home-brewed alcoholic beverage is often associated with the Appalachian region.
What is moonshine?
After mining declined, many coal companies in the region did this.
What is "leave"?
This is the mountain range named in the song.
What is "Blue Ridge Mountains"?
This is the year of the "Scopes Monkey Trial", brought by Appalachian state Tennessee against John T. Scopes, who self-incriminated himself in order to attract public attention to the floundering town of Dayton, Tennessee.
What is "1925"?
This is the name of the cat Neela and I fostered in 2023, who was extricated from the railings of his namesake bridge because he was too fat to remove himself.
Who is "Hamilton"?
This is the largest city, by population, in Appalachia.
This phrase, often used in relation to mining, means "Something whose sensitivity to adverse conditions makes it a useful early indicator of such conditions".
What is a "Canary in a coal mine"?
This is the parent John Denver identified in the song.
Who is "Mountain Mama"?
Between 1896 and 2006, this was the number of states which were always included under the designation of "Inner Appalachia", or the "true" Appalachia.
What is eight?
Neela and I met on this date in 2022.
What is July 1?
This U.S. Vice President famously claims to be from Appalachia, but he is more famous for his carnal interest in sofas.
Who is J.D. Vance?
Coal companies often paid miners using this form of currency redeemable only at company stores.
What is "scrip"?
This is the river named in the song.
What is "Shenendoah"?
This percentage of Appalachian adults are "functionally illiterate", according to a 2005 study.
What is "thirty"?
My great-great-great uncle was, in the mid-20th century, President of this Appalachian college.
What is "Marshall"?
These two families, who feuded from 1863 to 1891 along the West Virginia and Kentucky border, entered American lore with allusions in "Huckleberry Finn" and "The Flinstones", among others.
Who are the "Hatfields" and the "McCoys"?
“I owe my soul to the company store” comes from this song by Merle Travis.
What is "Sixteen Tons"?
This is the number of times John Denver says "country" in the song.
What is "ten"?
This is the number of strings on a typical banjo.
What is "five"?
These are my parents' names.
What are "Nancy" and "Randy"?