Spring is in Full Swing
Weird but True Weather
Space
1940s Trivia
Fruits de Mer
Rain Showers
100

This is a term for a young person in poultry lingo.

What is spring chicken? When you’re healthy and fit, you feel like a spring chicken regardless of your age.

100

This funnel-shaped phenomenon blows through its path with fury.

What is a tornado? Tornadic winds can howl and blow at up to 300 miles per hour. While they are usually short-lived, sometimes they last for hours. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds for a tornado to leave a path of utter destruction.

100

Debris floating around in space is called this.

What is space junk? It includes debris from decommissioned satellites, rockets, and missiles.

100

He was the British prime minister during World War II.

Who is Winston Churchill? When he became prime minister, he wrote, “I felt... that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.” He led Britain to victory during the war.

100

Fruits de mer means this.

What is “fruits of the sea”? It’s French for “seafood.”

100

When an advertised special isn’t available, ask for one of these so you can buy it at the advertised discount when it’s back in stock.

What is a rain check? Some stores have retired rain checks, but asking doesn’t hurt.

200

We switch to this time in meteorological spring.

What is daylight saving time (DST)? Daylight saving time begins each year on the second Sunday in March.

200

This is the meteorological term for precipitation in the form of solid balls of ice.

What is hail? When an upward draft carries raindrops into the cold part of the atmosphere, they freeze into spheres the size of golf balls. Sometimes they grow to the size of a baseball.

200

Of the moon and Pluto, it’s the larger of the two.

What is the moon? The moon’s radius is 1,110 miles (1737.5 kilometers), while Pluto’s is 1,079 miles (1,185 kilometers).

200

This country’s attack on Pearl Harbor drew the United States into World War II.

What is Japan? According to the USO, “[Japanese Adm. Isoroku] Yamamoto— the key architect of Pearl Harbor—had served as a military attaché in Washington and had traveled across the United States.”

200

You can defrost fish in this liquid to make it more flavorful.

What is milk? Milk contains enzymes that break down protein, making the fish tender and giving it a fresh-caught flavor.

200

This word is used to describe rain coming down in buckets or when it’s raining cats and dogs.

What is pouring? You might hear “I was caught in the pouring rain.”

300

Spring was originally called this.

What is Lent? By the 15th century, it was called springtime; in the 16th century, it was shortened to spring.

300

This specific kind of landslide is defined as “a mass of material, such as snow, rock, or other debris, moving rapidly down a slope.”

What is avalanche? It’s caused by a part of the slope, hill, or mountain becoming unstable, often after a heavy rain or snowfall.

300

The discovery of this liquid on Mars gives hope for future colonization.

What is water? It exists on Mars in both liquid and frozen form.

300

This type of women’s swimsuit was launched in the mid-1940s.

What is bikini? Allegedly, part of the reason for the abbreviated swimsuits was fabric rationing during the war.

300

Fear not, Flipper! Mahi mahi comes from this fish, not the marine mammal.

What is the dolphinfish? Coryphaena hippurus, also known as the dolphinfish, can swim at speeds of up to 57.5 mph (92.6 kph)!

300

B. J. Thomas sang this song about raindrops.

What is “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”? Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

400

The sun is directly above this on the first day of spring.

What is the equator? On the first day of spring, we get approximately 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness.

400

Clouds get their color from these.

What are water droplets? Raindrops scatter the light that hits the water.

400

This planet in our solar system has the deepest canyons and the highest mountains.

What is Mars? Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain on Mars, is three times taller than Mount Everest and is also a volcano.

400

“Here’s looking at you, kid,” comes from this classic 1940s-era film.

What is Casablanca? The movie is set in Casablanca, Morocco, where American expats and others who were stranded in Europe during World War II fled to escape the war.

400

Of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, it’s the one more often found in oily fish.

What are omega-3s? Omega-3s are good fatty acids and are more abundant in fatty fish, such as salmon. We still need omega-6 fatty acids in our diet, however. The perfect ratio is 2:1 omega-3 to omega-6.

400

“Rainy Days and Mondays” was a tune by this brother-sister duo.

Who are the Carpenters? In 1971, the song about dreariness and malaise hit the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

500

She is the Greek goddess of spring.

Who is Persephone? Zeus is her father. According to mythology, Persephone was picking flowers when she was snatched and sent to Hades.

500

Rainbows require this in addition to rain to exist.

What is light? The water acts as a prism to refract (or bend) light and produce a rainbow.

500

This is the name of the longest-running satellite.

What is Vanguard 1? It’s been in orbit since 1958.

500

These brothers topped the charts in 1944 with their hit “You Always Hurt the One You Love.”

Who are The Mills Brothers? The song was written by Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher.

500

This is the best way to tell if a fish is fresh and ready to be prepared to eat.

What is the float test? Place the fish in a pot of water. If it floats, it’s fresh; if it sinks, it’s not fresh.

500

In the nursery rhyme “Rain, Rain, Go Away,” this little person wants to play.

Who is (Little) Johnny? It starts: 

“Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day. Rain, rain go away; Little Johnny wants to play.”