Author: Evelyn Beresford

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “Which of these classic novels had a first draft that was eaten by the author’s dog in 1936?” …”The dog ate my homework” is an excuse many children have considered using at least once. For John Steinbeck, the first draft of his novel “Of Mice and Men” really was eaten by his dog Toby. “Two months worth of work, gone. My setter pup, left alone one night, made confetti of about half of my manuscript. I was pretty mad, but the poor little fellow may have been acting critically,” Steinbeck wrote his agent. Fortunately, John…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “Whose tombstone bears the inscription, “I may be gone, but Rock and Roll lives on?”” …As one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live, John Belushi parlayed his success onto the big screen with films such as National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) and The Blues Brothers (1980). But only two years later, following a growing dependence on alcohol and illegal substances, the actor was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel at the age of only 33. The cause of death was an accidental drug overdose from a combination of cocaine and heroin,…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “Which of these U.S. cities is the farthest west?” Surprisingly, if you look at a map, you fill find that Reno is west of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Spokane. This is due to the shape of the states and the respective positions of these cities. Reno is about as far west as you can get in Nevada. Even though Los Angeles is a coastal city, due to California curving towards the east the further south that you go, the city is still east of Reno. Reno is the third most populous city in the…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “Which car is mentioned by name in the theme song of TV’s “All in the Family”?” On this day in 1971, the sitcom “All in the Family” premiered on CBS. The opening theme song “Those Were the Days”, was presented in a unique way for a 1970s series: Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton seated at a piano and singing the tune on-camera at the start of every episode, concluding with live-audience applause. The LaSalle automobile is mentioned in the famous theme song with the lyrics…”Gee our old LaSalle ran great.” LaSalle was an American brand…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “What is the lowest value of paper money without the portrait of a U.S. president?” …The obverse of the United States ten-dollar bill ($10) bill features the portrait of Alexander Hamilton, who served as the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. The $10 bill is unique in that it is the only denomination in circulation in which the portrait faces to the left. It also features one of two non-presidents on currently issued U.S. bills, the other being Benjamin Franklin on the $100 bill. Hamilton is also the only person not born in the continental…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “Which of these animals has been elected to office in the United States?” On September 14th of 1938, the people of Milton, Washington elected Boston Curtis to be their Republican precinct committeeman during the primary election. He won by 51 votes. The problem was that Boston Curtis was a mule. It turns out that Kenneth Simmons, the Democratic mayor of Milton arranged the whole thing to both embarrass the Republican Party and to show that most people have no clue who they are voting for. A check of the election records proved that everything was…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “The son of what famous man invented Lincoln Logs?” Lincoln Logs were invented by John Lloyd Wright, second son of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The mold for the toy was based on the architecture of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, designed by the inventor’s father. The foundation of the hotel was designed with interlocking log beams, which made the structure “earthquake-proof”. A century after their creation, Lincoln Logs continue to be popular in a high-tech world. Over 100 million sets have been sold worldwide, and Lincoln Logs were inducted into the National Toy Hall…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “Which of these historical figures wrote a romance novel?” That’s right, Napoleon Bonaparte was a general, an emperor, and—a romance novelist. In 1795, Napoleon wrote “Clisson et Eugénie”, a fictionalized account of the doomed romance of a soldier and his lover, which paralleled Bonaparte’s own relationship with Eugénie Désirée Clary, whose sister Julie married Napoleon’s brother Joseph. The manuscript of his novella was discovered among his possessions after he died in exile in 1821. The novella was never published during his lifetime, however an English translation was published in 2009. Step 2 : Answer to the…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “Which model of Toyota shares its name with a city in Washington State?” …The Toyota Tacoma is a pickup truck manufactured in the U.S. by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota since 1995. Tacoma is also the third-largest city in Washington State. Affectionately nicknamed “T-Town,” Tacoma has stayed true to its working-class roots and is known for its unpretentious vibe and genuine community spirit. In 2006, Tacoma was listed as one of the “most walkable” cities in the country. That same year, the women’s magazine Self named Tacoma the “Most Sexually Healthy City” in the United…

Step 1 : Introduction to the question “Who was the early choice to play the role of the Terminator before Arnold Schwarzenegger?” …O.J. Simpson was originally cast for the role as the Terminator. Simpson was apparently so involved with the original script that James Cameron even drew concept art for the title character modelled after his appearance. Ultimately, James Cameron decided he was “too nice” to be taken seriously as a cold-blooded killer. Cameron laughed when considering the irony. “We might have reconsidered after he had killed his wife.” Cameron went onto to direct some of the biggest blockbusters ever made and…