Author: Evelyn Beresford

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “The Today Show was created by the father of which famous person?” The Today Show debuted on January 14, 1952, and was the brainchild of television executive Sylvester Weaver. His daughter is actress Sigourney Weaver, best known for her role as Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise. Weaver served as president of NBC between 1953 and 1955, during which time Today’s late-night companion The Tonight Show premiered. The Today Show was the first program of its genre when it premiered on televison, and after 69 years of broadcasting, it is the fifth longest-running television series…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “What Canadian province is home to the country’s only desert?” …1. Yukon 2. New Brunswick 3. British Columbia 4. Manitoba Step 2 : Answer to the question “What Canadian province is home to the country’s only desert?” British Columbia – Canada may be mostly known as a land of frosty winters, but the country is home to several unique ecosystems that may surprise you. Case in point: British Columbia’s Okanagan Desert, which is considered Canada’s only true desert. The town of Osoyoos, which the desert surrounds, is also the hottest place in the country. The Okanagan…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “Where is this temple housed in a cave?” …1. Spain 2. Italy 3. Poland 4. Russia Step 2 : Answer to the question “Where is this temple housed in a cave?” Italy – In Italy, you can visit grand cathedrals in Italian squares, alongside crowds of other worshippers and tourists, or you can seek out spiritual isolation in the Temple of Valadier. Located in the town of Genga, the stunning, Neoclassical-style church in the shape of an octagon sits beneath the overhanging rocks of a mountain gorge. The eight sides of the church are symbolic; they…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “An early draft of which book was reportedly carried ashore by the author during the D-Day invasion?” …J. D. Salinger wrote his most famous book during World War II. Salinger served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was involved in the 1944 invasion of Normandy. From the day he landed on Utah Beach on D-Day, Salinger carried six chapters of The Catcher in the Rye and worked on the novel during his war years, carrying pages of his book with him even in battle. Salinger served as a counter-intelligence officer responsible for…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “Where can you find this uniquely shaped building?” …1. St. Petersburg, Russia 2. Bucharest, Romania 3. Minsk, Belarus 4. Kiev, Ukraine Step 2 : Answer to the question “Where can you find this uniquely shaped building?” Minsk, Belarus – Do you know what a rhombicuboctahedron looks like? Visit the National Library of Belarus, and you’ll find out! The largest library and main cultural center in the country is situated in the capital of Minsk. Home to the third-largest collection of Russian books and the first Belarusian printed materials, the 22-story building was designed as a rhombicuboctahedron…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “What holiday was invented to rival the Fourth of July?” …The United States is a country of immigrants, and future Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis tried to honor that history when he gave a keynote speech at Faneuil Hall in Boston on July 4, 1915. Brandeis introduced a new holiday that would rival the Fourth: Americanization Day. He wanted it to honor and bring together both new and old United States citizens. The holiday never took hold, though. Step 2 : Answer to the question “What holiday was invented to rival the Fourth of July?” Americanization…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “The Pope is guarded by soldiers from which country?” …Swiss Guards are responsible for the safety of the Pope. Often called “the world’s smallest army,” they serve as personal escorts to the pontiff and as watchmen for Vatican City. The guards, who are independent of the Swiss armed forces, are employed by the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope. New recruits must be unmarried Roman Catholic males with Swiss citizenship, between 19 and 30 years of age, and at least 5 feet 8 inches tall; and must complete basic training with the…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “What was the name of Jack Nicholson’s character in the 1980 film “The Shining”?” …Stanly Kubrick’s 1980 classic film “The Shining” is widely regarded as one of the greatest horror films ever made. In the film, Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) rips his way through the Overlook Hotel in pursuit of his wife. In the movie’s most quoted moment, Nicholson chops a hole in a bathroom door, announcing to his terrified spouse — “Here’s Johnny!” The “Here’s Johnny!” line that followed the door’s destruction was improvised by Nicholson and lifted from the intro to…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “Buffalo wings are named after what?” Buffalo wings were first introduced on July 29, 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. The wings were the brainchild of Teressa Bellissimo who owned the bar with her husband Frank. Upon the unannounced, late-night arrival of their son Dominic and his friends from college, Teressa needed a quick snack. She came up with the idea of deep frying chicken wings (normally thrown away or reserved for stock) and tossing them in cayenne hot sauce. The guys liked them so much that she put the “Buffalo Wings”…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “In a pre-recorded appearance, who was the first sitting president to appear on “Saturday Night Live”?” …President Gerald Ford had the honor of being both the first President ever impersonated on Saturday Night Live and also the first sitting president to appear on the show. After Chevy Chase poked fun at him for months on SNL as a stumbling, bumbling, klutz, President Gerald Ford decided to make a cameo on the night his press secretary Ron Nessen was the host. On April 17, 1976, pre-recorded from the Oval Office, President Ford appeared on television screens…