World Geography
The driest place on the planet is located in what is technically a desert: the McMurdo dry valleys, averaging no more than 2" of rainfall per year
What is Antarctica?
(McMurdo is ice-free, and has been for over 2 MILLION YEARS; the air is too cold to hold moisture)
As a merchant from Venice, he spent many years in service of Kublai Khan during his China trade adventures -- none of which were in a swimming pool
Who was Marco Polo?
The U.S. acknowledges Women's History Month during the same month Julius Caesar was assassinated
What is March?
Thomas Jefferson wrote that "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence; in 1963, this man famously stated "all men should be created equal"
Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?
This ship famously sank on her maiden voyage in the wee hours of April 15, 1912
What is the RMS Titanic?
(There is no evidence that Jack Dawson - of the Chippewa Falls, WI Dawsons) - was ever on board
This country is known for its boot-like shape
What is Italy?
(Looks like it's hitting a soccer ball too)
This future king became a legend by defeating the Philistine warrior Goliath with a slingshot
Who was David?
Who was Pearl S. Buck?
This French military leader rose to power during the French Revolution and became Emperor of France
Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?
This ancient city was buried under volcanic ash in 79 AD following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius
What is Pompeii?
After helping the United States defeat the British in the Revolutionary War, this general returned home to become a key figure in the French Revolution in 1789
Who was the Marquis de Lafayette?
She was the first female U.S. astronaut, and - at the time - the youngest astronaut to venture into space
Who was Dr. (Ride) Sally Ride?
He formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation - and may have inspired Steve Jobs when he started Apple
Who was Sir Isaac Newton?
Almost 100 years before COVID-19, this two year pandemic swept through North America and Europe near the end of World War I, with the first documented case reported in Haskell County, Kansas around March 1918
What was the Spanish Flu pandemic?
(USA is #3, with 347 million people)
Elizabeth I ordered the execution of her first cousin, this Scottish monarch, who she saw as a threat
Who was Mary, Queen of Scots?
***DAILY DOUBLE***
She was the first black female to run for U.S. president as a Democrat in 1972
Who was Shirley Chisolm?
Before he became the nation's 16th president, he was a railsplitter, a flatboatman, a store clerk, a postmaster, a surveyor, a lawyer, a congressman, and a captain in the Black Hawk War
Who was Abraham Lincoln?
(There is no evidence that he was a vampire hunter)
Who was Malcolm X (el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz)?
This desert region is considered the hottest place on Earth, reaching a record temperature of 134 degrees
What is Death Valley, CA?
***DAILY DOUBLE***
The Bolsheviks seized power from Tsar Nicholas II during the 1917 Russian Revolution; as the leader of the Bolsheviks, he became the first Premier of the now-Soviet Union
Who was Vladimir Lenin?
She was the 1st African-American pro tennis player - male or female - winning Wimbledon (2x), the French (1x) and U.S. Open (2x) championships; after retiring, she became the 1st Black woman to join the LPGA in 1964
Who was Althea Gibson?
Before he starred as the title character in the John Ford Western film "Sergeant Rutledge" as the leader of a "Buffalo" (Black) soldier regiment, he was one of four Black players to integrate the modern NFL; his UCLA football teammate: Jackie Robinson (yeah, THAT one)
Who was Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Strode?
(The other three NFL pioneers were Kenny Washington, Bill Willis, and Marion Motley)
What is 1959?