🦁March Week 1🦁

🎵International Anthems🎶

100

This is the national anthem of the United States, being originally written as a poem by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key.

Star Spangled Banner

On September 14, 1814, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore's Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The sight of those broad stripes and bright stars inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song on the back of a letter he had kept in his pocket while he was aboard a ship close to the battle that eventually became the United States national anthem.  

200

This is the United Kingdom's national anthem, with the melody providing the basis for various other patriotic songs in other countries.

God Save the Queen (King now!)

The earliest copy of the words appeared in Gentleman’s Magazine in 1745; the tune appeared about the same time in an anthology, Thesaurus Musicus—in both instances without attribution. In the same year, “God Save the King” was performed in two London theatres, one the Drury Lane; and in the following year George Frideric Handel used it in his Occasional Oratorio, which dealt with the tribulations of the Jacobite Rebellion of ’45. Thereafter, the tune was used frequently by composers making British references, notably by Ludwig van Beethoven, who used it in seven variations. 

300

This national anthem was chosen for it's country after World War II, when it became a republic, known as "Il Canto degli ______."

Italiani! 

"The Song of the Italians" was very popular during Italian unification and the following decades. However, after the Kingdom of Italy's 1861 proclamation, the republican and Jacobin connotations of "Fratelli d'Italia" were difficult to reconcile with the new state's monarchic constitution. The kingdom chose instead "Marcia Reale" (Royal March), the House of Savoy's official anthem, composed by order of King Charles Albert of Sardinia in 1831 and remained until Italy became a republic.

400

The national anthem of this country begins with the lines "Allons enfant de la patrie, le jour de gloire est arrivé!"

France

La Marseillaise, French national anthem, composed in one night during the French Revolution on April 24th in 1792 by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, a captain of the engineers and amateur musician. After France declared war on Austria on April 20, 1792, P.F. Dietrich, the mayor of Strasbourg (where Rouget de Lisle was then quartered), expressed the need for a marching song for the French troops. “La Marseillaise” was Rouget de Lisle’s response to this call. Originally entitled “Chant de guerre de l’armée du Rhin” (“War Song of the Army of the Rhine”), the anthem came to be called “La Marseillaise” because of its popularity with volunteer army units from Marseille.

500

The national anthem of this country has been rewritten several times, originally being known as "God Save the Tsar".

Russia

The long history of Soviet national anthems reflects the Communist Party struggle for a Soviet identity acceptable to most of the population, originally adopted in 1917 to replace the official tsarist anthem, “God Save the Tsar." Although the theme remained the official Soviet anthem until the country broke apart in 1991, the unfortunate references to Stalin in the original lyrics made them unacceptable after Khrushchev’s denunciation of the Cult of Personality. The song was played without lyrics until new words were approved in 1977.

🐵World Wildlife🐒

100

This group of warm-blooded vertebrates are characterized by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. 

Birds

Birds live worldwide and range in size from the 2.2 in bee hummingbird to the 9 ft 2 in common ostrich. There are over 11,000 living species, more than half of which are passerine, or "perching" birds. Birds have wings whose development varies according to species; the only known groups without wings are the extinct moa and elephant birds. Wings, which are modified forelimbs, gave birds the ability to fly, although further evolution has led to the loss of flight in some birds, including ratites, penguins, and diverse endemic island species. The digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have further evolved for swimming.

 

200

These aquatic, gill-bearing vertebrate animals with swimming fins have hard skulls, but lack limbs with digits. 

Fish

Most fish are cold-blooded, their body temperature varying with the surrounding water, though some large active swimmers like white shark and tuna can hold a higher core temperature. Fish can communicate acoustically with each other, such as during courtship displays. The earliest fishes appeared during the Cambrian as small filter feeders; they continued to evolve through the Paleozoic, diversifying into many forms. The earliest fish with dedicated respiratory gills and paired fins, the ostracoderms, had heavy bony plates that served as protective exoskeletons against invertebrate predators. The first fish with jaws appeared in the Silurian and greatly diversified during the Devonian, the "Age of Fishes".

300

This vertebrate animal is characterized by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones.

Mammals

The world’s oldest mammal was identified in 2022 using fossil dental records – predating the previously confirmed earliest mammal by about 20 million years – in a new discovery hailed as “very significant” by researchers. Brasilodon quadrangularis was a small shrew-like creature, around 8 inches long, that walked the earth 225 million years ago at the same time as some of the oldest dinosaurs and sheds light on the evolution of modern mammals, according to a team of Brazilian and British scientists.

400

This group of tetrapods with an ectothermic ('cold-blooded') metabolism and amniotic development are often comprised in four orders: turtles, crocodilians, lizards and snakes, as well as the tuatara.

Reptiles

Tuatara are reptiles specifically endemic to New Zealand. Despite their close resemblance to lizards, they are part of a distinct lineage. The name tuatara is derived from the Māori language and means "peaks on the back". They are able to hear, although no external ear is present, and have unique features in their skeleton, sometimes referred to as "living fossils".

500

These animals are ectothermic, anamniotic, four-limbed vertebrates which are able to survive both in and out of water with relative ease.

Amphibians

Evolved to be mostly semiaquatic, amphibians have adapted to inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living in freshwater, wetland or terrestrial ecosystems. Their life cycle typically starts out as aquatic larvae with gills known as tadpoles, but some species have developed behavioral adaptations to bypass this. The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing form with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin. They are superficially similar to reptiles like lizards, but unlike reptiles and other amniotes, require water bodies in which to breed. 

🦷At the Dentist😬

100

Many children put their tooth under their pillow when it falls out so who will pick it up?

Bonus: What is left in it's place?

The Tooth Fairy 

The first published mention of the “Tooth Fairy” was found in an article in the Chicago Tribune, dating back to 1908. In this article, the author, Lillian Brown, gave new parents a suggestion that would help them persuade children to have their loose baby teeth pulled. That suggestion was a “tooth fairy” who would leave them a small gift of 5 cents under their pillow for each tooth that they lost. 

Bonus: Money!

200

True or False: Tooth Decay is the 2nd most common disease in the U.S. after the common cold.

True! 

You can prevent tooth decay by eating a healthy diet, avoiding sugar sweetened drinks, drinking plenty of tap water, brushing your teeth twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste, and flossing once a day. Regular professional care can help to identify and prevent decay and may avoid the need for a filling.

300

How many teeth do adults have?

a. 12

b. 32

c. 42

d. 50

b. 32

Most adults have 32 teeth, which is 12 teeth more than children! Among these 32 teeth are 8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars, and 12 molars, including 4 wisdom teeth. It is very common for adults to have their wisdom teeth removed because there is not always enough room for them to grow in comfortably or without causing misalignment of other teeth. Most people have a complete set of adult teeth by the time they reach their teenage years.

400

These are a hole in the tooth which develops from decay and can either be fixed with fillings or a root canal.

Cavities 

Some of the worst foods that can lead to cavitities are sour candies, soda, potato chips, dried and citrus fruits, alcohol as well as bread and ice! While the more unhealthy foods may make sense, things like bread and dried fruit can become sticky when chewed and stay on your teeth, while ice is so hard that it can put too much strain on them. 

500

Long ago, this oral appliance was given as a common wedding gift in the British Isles because many people expected to eventually lose all their teeth! 

Dentures! 

Did you know that dentures used to be made from the ivory extracted from elephants, walruses and hippopotamuses? Even more recently in the early 1900s in Wales, people were getting their teeth removed very young as it was considered fashionable. Women would often have their teeth removed and replaced with dentures before getting married so that their future husband would not have to worry about dental bills. 

👗Dazzling Dresses💃

100

The "Ascot" Dress from My Fair Lady was worn by which famous actress when she went to the horse races as the lead character Eliza Doolittle?

Audrey Hepburn!

All Eliza Doolittle may have wanted was a room somewhere, but her musical makeover in My Fair Lady made movie magic. The beautiful Cecil Beaton–designed ensemble that Audrey Hepburn wore, when her character Ms. Doolittle debuted at the Ascot Derby, raced to $4.5 million at a Profiles in History auction in 2011—an online record. My Fair Lady elevated its status with eight Academy Awards in 1965, including Best Picture and, naturally, Best Costume Design.

200

This iconic white dress was worn by Marilyn Monroe when she walked above a windy subway grating in what 1955 movie?

The Seven Year Itch

The image of Marilyn Monroe's dress flying up around her is widely regarded as one of the most iconic images of the 20th century. The scene was scheduled to shoot on the street outside the Trans-Lux at 1:00 am on September 15, 1954. Monroe and the movie cameras caught the curiosity of hundreds of fans, so director Billy Wilder reshot the moment on a set at 20th Century Fox. 

300

What was the name of Judy Garland's character in The Wizard of Oz, the young girl in the checkered blue and white gingham dress and braids?

Dorothy Gale

The dress was sewn on a treadle sewing machine to help it appear authentically homemade. Considerably modest in comparison to most of the film's costumes, the garment's simple, youthful design is meant to represent Dorothy's innocence, while its bright color symbolizes the character's journey from mundane Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, which were filmed in sepia tone and Technicolor, respectively. The "Dorothy dress" is often credited with helping popularize the use of gingham fabric in women's fashion during the 20th century, following the film's release in 1939.

400

This simple dress was famously worn by Maria in the beginning of the movie The Sound of Music, which was set in which country? 

Austria 

Dorothy Jeakins did the costuming for many movies including period pieces for The Ten Commandments, The Music Man, Little Big Man, The Way We Were, Young Frankenstein and The Dead. Some of her more modern costumes were made for films such as Niagara, Three Coins in the Fountain, South Pacific and On Golden Pond. 

500

Elizabeth Taylor wore this emblematic gold dress for which epic historical drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz?

Cleopatra

Arriving on a monumental chariot adorned with a sphinx statue, Cleopatra seduces the Roman public, as well as Mark Antony, with her golden dress, extraordinary cape, sculptural headdress decorated with snakes surrounding the sun, tribute to the god Ra. A spectacular headdress is reminiscent of a phoenix, a legendary bird with the power to come back to life and a symbol of Cleopatra's ambition. The phoenix is also depicted on the cape made of 24-karat gold,  sheared into thin strips of golden leather decorated with thousands of beads sketching the wings of the bird, and in the dress adorned with feathers. This stunning costume matches the one worn by Caesarion, the child king presented to the people as future Pharaoh of Egypt.

🥘State Foods🍲

100

Potatoes are this state's signature food, being one its highest produced crops annually and great in a variety of styles (mashed, fried and baked to name a few!)

Idaho

Though Idaho might be most famous for its potatoes, the state serves plenty of other culinary gems, including ruby red trout, plump purple huckleberries and honeycomb-topped morel mushrooms. No matter the bounty, Idaho’s edible options are as diverse as its rugged Rocky Mountain terrain. Outsiders may think Idaho's best-known dish is the potato, but ask most Idahoans to name the state's signature dish and you'll hear “finger steaks.” These battered, deep-fried beef strips were invented in the mid-1950s by Milo Bybee at the Torch Lounge in Boise. 

200

Peaches are this state's signature food, being used in a variety of dishes and growing with ease in the state's loamy, fertile soil. 

Georgia

Peach production exploded after the Civil War, when Georgia farmers were looking for alternatives to cotton. They were so successful that in the following decades Georgia earned the nickname “the Peach State.” increased railroad lines and the refrigerated boxcar meant faster shipment to markets and pushed peach production to 8 million bushels a year by 1928. Other states have since gotten in on the peach action so Georgia’s share decreased, now producing about 2.8 million bushels annually. But in popular culture, Georgia will always be the Peach State, and the peach became Georgia’s official state fruit on April 7, 1995, Today in Georgia History.

300

Salmon is one of this state's main exports, coming from fisheries in the Bering Sea and the North Pacific, when it isn't being caught by brown and grizzly bears!

Alaska

In Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, the brown bears return to Brooks Falls every year, where they gorge themselves on salmon from July to September in preparation for the coming winter. The fishing bears have become famous, viewed by millions on live “bear cams,” and celebrated each September during Fat Bear Week with a tournament organized by the National Park Service.

 

400

Chili has been the official state dish of this state since 1977 when it was claimed that it originated there, though it is hotly contested by New Mexicans as they have used chili peppers in a variety of dishes for decades.

Texas

Chili was recognized as the official state dish of Texas in 1977 when Texas Legislature proclaimed chili the state dish "in recognition of the fact that the only real 'bowl of red' is that prepared by Texans." During the proceedings, it was mentioned that President Lyndon B. Johnson once commented that "chili concocted outside of Texas is a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing," and Will Rogers described Texas chili as "the bowl of blessedness."

500

Since the 17th century when settlers learned the Native peoples' art of smoking meats, this state's country hams began to earn an international reputation, the most famous being Smithfield hams, which, by law, must be cured within Smithfield's town limits. 

Virginia

As an integral part of the Commonwealth’s culture, Virginia-style ham is influenced by the rolling landscapes, natural terrain, and local flavors of the state. The very origins of ham in the area are rooted back to colonial times in Jamestown, over 400 years ago. Indigenous peoples first taught the settlers in Jamestown how to preserve meat by using salt, smoke, and aging. Natural changes in outdoor temperatures would allow the meat to transform into ham slowly.