September & October Trivia

1. Observed on the first Friday in October, "World Smile Day" was invented in 1999 by the creator of the ubiquitous yellow smiley face. What was his name?

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in October!

Answer: Harvey Ball

Harvey Ball created Smiley in 1963 in Worcester, MA for an insurance company's friendship campaign. Smiley appeared on buttons, posters, desk cards, etc. Neither he nor State Mutual Life copyrighted the image, which permeated popular culture, often tagged with "Have a Nice Day" (which was not part of Ball's conception). Ball founded the World Smile Corporation in 1999 to license official smileys and to organize "World Smile Day" to promote kindness. After Ball's death in 2001, his family created the World Smile Foundation, a non-profit entity which now manages "World Smile Day" and sponsors local events such as building a giant human smiley face. The slogan is "Perform an act of kindness. Make someone smile". (Good advice for any day of the year).

From Quiz Oktoberfest!

Answer: Bavaria

The first Oktoberfest was held in Munich in 1810. Other cities around the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations. The United States has quite a few, as many Americans are descended from German immigrants. Bavaria is in Southern Germany. Since it was mostly not affected by the Reformation, most people there today are Roman Catholic. Pope Benedict XVI, was born in Bavaria.

From Quiz The Month of October

Answer: eight

Octo means eight. Before Julius Caesar reformed the calendar October was the eighth month, not the tenth.

From Quiz The Month of September

Answer: Demeter

Demeter was the goddess of the harvest in Greek mythology. Ceres was her counterpart in Roman mythology.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in October!

Answer: Blessing of the animals

St. Francis of Assisi, canonized in 1228, is one of the most beloved religious figures in history. Strongly associated with peace and with animals, St. Francis founded several religious orders. He embraced poverty, valued the natural world around him, and was said even to preach to birds. In his "Canticle of the Creatures" (also called "Canticle of the Sun") he referred to Brother Sun and Sister Moon, and the wind and water on intimate terms as well. Legend has it he persuaded a wolf to stop attacking a village if the villagers agreed to feed it. He is usually depicted with animals at his feet. Pope John Paul II declared St. Francis the patron saint of ecology in 1979. Long before that, however, many churches, especially Catholic and Anglican, used his feast day (or the Sunday closest) as a day for the blessing of the animals, especially pets. The practice has actually grown throughout the world (but especially in Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia) since the end of the 20th century. Assisi is a little town amid the rolling hills of Umbria, Province of Perugia, Italy.

From Quiz October - A Season of Celebration

Answer: National Poetry Day

National Poetry Day was first established in 1994. Most of the more publicized activities, such as public readings, revolve around the London area, but people can also participate online, as well as on their own privately, or within classrooms. Since 1999, every year has had its own suggested (but not mandatory) theme. For instance, in 2013, although the focus was on "Water," Prince Charles chose to recite "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas. While not the official organizers of the event itself, the National Poetry Society is heavily involved, and there are many competitions and prize drawings that folks of all ages can sign up for.

From Quiz Oktoberfest!

Answer: Wedding

It was for the commemoration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The first celebration included a horse race. Bavaria became a kingdom in 1806, when Napoleon abolished the Holy Roman Empire.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in October!

Answer: Because his hat was labeled "10/6" in the original illustrations

The character in question was just called the Hatter in Lewis Carroll's books, not the Mad Hatter (as in the 1951 Disney movie adaptation, among others). But madness among hatters was quite a problem in the Victorian era due their exposure to mercury in the manufacture of head-wear. The Hatter as drawn by Sir John Tenniel wore a large top hat with a slip of paper on which "In this style 10/6" was written. This indicated an order to make the hat at a cost of ten shillings and sixpence (pre-decimal British money, of course). Hence the date, 10/6 as written in the United States, became "Mad Hatter Day". Grab yourself a silly hat and embrace the absurdity!

From Quiz October - A Season of Celebration

Answer: Hunter's Moon

The Hunter's Moon is sometimes also called the Blood Moon. October was a time when the crops had been gathered and people were hunting game to see them through the long winter ahead. It is amusing to note that the Hunter's Moon should occur during Vegetarian Awareness Month. There are many communities in North America that have a festival or feast day on or around the date of the Hunter's Moon's appearance. One of the larger events is held at an historical site near West Lafayette, Indiana, along the banks of the Wabash River. It lasts for an entire weekend, and visitors can enjoy a reenactment of the annual festivities that were shared during the mid-1700s by trading post workers, settlers, fur traders, hunters, French militia and Native Americans. In 2004, an estimated 60,000 spectators attended.

From Quiz Oktoberfest!

Answer: A young girl

The parade is lead by the "Munchner Kindl", the symbol of Munich. This symbol developed over time from a monk figure. Munich in German means "place of monks". The figure can be seen all over Munich, even on manhole covers, but especially on beer mugs during Oktoberfest. Munchner Kindl Weissbier is one of a series of beers brought out by the Hofbrau brewery in celebration of the Oktoberfest Festival. Weissbier is made from wheat and malt and according to German Law must be top-fermented.

From Quiz The Month of October

Answer: Calendula

The calendula is also known as the marigold. Some sources also consider cosmos as October's flower.

From Quiz The Month of September

Answer: sapphire

The sapphire, although most commonly thought of as blue, can be a variety of colors.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in October!

Answer: The marriage of King Ludwig of Bavaria in 1810

On October 12, 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. A few days later, on the 17th, a great horse race was held to celebrate the marriage. Their wedding anniversary eventually became the annual Oktoberfest. Over the years, the festival grew, and featured carnival booths and local food such as spätzle and Weisswurst. Eventually came carnival rides. Horse racing remained a part of it until 1960. And of course, there's beer. Oktoberfest has been cancelled only a few times due to wars, and once in 1854 due to an outbreak of cholera. It used to be held entirely in October, but it was moved to the end of September for better weather, although it still ends in October. Can't make it to Munich? Oktoberfest celebrations of German culture are also held around the world.

From Quiz Oktoberfest!

Answer: Pilsner Urquel

Pilsner Urquel a Czech brewer, not German. "Pilsner" has become a generic name for the style of beer that originated in Plzeň (Pilsen), Bohemia. Pilsner Urquel was the first to brew this style of beer, which has gained worldwide popularity. German beer has achieved a worldwide reputation in part due to the "Purity Law". The "Purity Law" is the oldest food regulation in the world and is still in force today. It was ordered by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria in the year 1516. The Germans take the making of beer very seriously.

From Quiz The Month of October

Answer: opal and tourmaline

Opals are known for their beautiful mixed colors. Tourmaline comes in various colors, blue and green are most often used as gemstones.

From Quiz The Month of September

Answer: morning-glory

The morning-glory is so called because its flowers open in the morning, but close in later day sunshine. Some sources also consider the aster as the flower for September.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in October!

Answer: October 12

October 12, 1492, is the day that Christopher Columbus and his Castilian crew first landed in the Americas and began the permanent European colonization of the "New World". Columbus Day was first celebrated in the USA when in 1792 the Tammany Society in New York City and the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston celebrated the 300th anniversary of Columbus's initial expedition. Then in 1892, President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed a celebration of the 400th anniversary. Earlier, in 1866, it had started to become an observance of Italian-American heritage as Columbus was born in the Republic of Genoa, now a part of Italy (even though he was sailing under the Castilian, i.e. Spanish, flag). In fact, it was Angelo Noce, an Italian immigrant, who successfully lobbied the Colorado state government to make Columbus Day a legal holiday in 1904. The Knights of Columbus and entrepreneur Generoso Pope successfully lobbied Congress to make October 12 a federal holiday in 1934. After the passage of the uniform Monday Holiday Act, signed by President Johnson in 1968 and made effective 1971, Columbus Day was moved to the second Monday of October as part of the plan to increase three-day weekends for federal employees. It is a *federal* holiday, and not all municipalities, counties, and states in the Union officially recognize Columbus Day (though all the banks are closed nationwide). In Italy, "la Giornata Nazionale di Cristoforo Colombo" has been recognized officially only since 2004.

From Quiz October - A Season of Celebration

Answer: Most of it takes place in September

The first Oktoberfest was held in 1810, to celebrate the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Many foreigners come to Germany to experience Oktoberfest; it draws up to six and a half million people each year. Breweries serve a special "Oktoberfest beer," which is stronger and sweeter than normal beer. Oktoberfest actually begins in September, and can last from 16 to 18 days. Most of the festival takes place during September; it ends on the first Sunday in October. For example, in 2013 Oktoberfest ran from September 21 through October 6.

From Quiz The Month of October

Answer: World Habitat Day

In 1985 this day was picked for World Habitat Day. This is a day to consider ways to provide shelter for the homeless. The theme for 2002 is "City to City Cooperation".

From Quiz The Month of September

Answer: harvest moon & harvest

The harvest moon rises soon after sunset for a few days around September 23. For several nights in a row the time that it rises changes very little. This means that farmers in the northern hemisphere can harvest their crops by the light of the moon after daylight has gone.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in October!

Answer: Day of the meeting of cultures

Columbus, who enslaved the inhabitants he encountered, is not exactly an admired figure in Latin America, so Columbus Day is known by a variety of other names. In Guatemala and Venezuela, it is "el Día de la Resistencia Indígenas" (the day of indigenous resistance). Nicaragua goes even further with "el Día de la Resistencia Indígena, Negra y Popular" (the day of indigenous, black, and popular resistance). On a more positive note, Costa Rica chose its name in 1994 to reflect the mixture of European, indigenous, African, and Asian cultures that comprise modern Costa Rica (and the rest of Latin America). In the Bahamas, it is "Día del Descubrimiento" (Discovery Day). In many other countries, it is "Día de la Raza", or Day of the Race (of Hispanic people). Argentina changed it from that to "Día de Respecto de la Diversidad Cultural" in the early 21st century (that's "Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity"). In Spain, from where Columbus set sail, it was once called "Día de la Hispanidad" (Day of the Hispanic World) but then its focus was narrowed: "Día de la Fiesta Nacional" (National Festival Day). Within the USA, various localities observe Indigenous Peoples' Day as an alternative to Columbus Day, including Cincinnati, San Francisco, Denver, Seattle, Boise, and Santa Fe. (Berkeley, CA was the first in 1992). Many tribal governments within Oklahoma call it Native American Day, which is also the official state holiday of South Dakota.

From Quiz Oktoberfest!

Answer: Bierleichen

Bierleichen means "beer corpses" in German. Leitenweiten and Van Winklin I made up. Balabatish means "respectable" in Yiddish. German beer has gained a worldwide reputation in part due to the "Purity Law". The "Purity Law" is the oldest food regulation in the world and is still in force today. It was ordered by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria in the year 1516.

From Quiz The Month of October

Answer: Libra

Libra, the balance, is the sign for September 23 to October 23.

From Quiz The Month of September

Answer: Jewish New Year

Rosh Hashanah is the first day of the Jewish month of Tishri. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the tenth day of Tishri. The Feast of the Harvest (Shavuot) is in May and Independence day is April 17.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in October!

Answer: Leif Erikson

Leif Erikson (c. 970 - c. 1020), was a Norse explorer from Iceland (where they call him Leifur Eiríksson). He is the first known European to set foot on Continental North America, in "Vinland" -- perhaps on the northern tip of present-day Newfoundland or perhaps around Gulf of St. Lawrence. (His father, Erik the Red, had been exiled from Iceland and had reached Greenland earlier.) Although it was once believed that Columbus was the first European to visit the New World, Norwegian-American Rasmus B. Anderson asserted in his book "America Not Discovered by Columbus" (1874) that the Vikings made it first. (At first, this created tension between the Italian-American and Norwegian-American communities, but now there is no doubt). In 1964 President Johnson proclaimed Leif Erikson Day a national observance, and every succeeding U.S. President has done so since. The day was chosen not because it is when Erikson founded Vinland; rather, a wave of Norwegian immigration began on 9 October 1825 when the ship 'Restauration' landed in New York Harbor. Leif Erikson Day is an important holiday in many communities in the USA and Canada with a large Nordic population. And of course, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden celebrate the day!

From Quiz The Month of October

Answer: Scorpio

Scorpio, the scorpion, is the sign for October 24 to November 21.

From Quiz It's a Jolly Holiday in October!

Answer: Thanksgiving

Since first declared a national holiday in 1879, the date of Thanksgiving Day or "Jour de l'Action de grâce" had varied greatly. On January 31, 1957, Governor General of Canada Vincent Massey fixed it by proclamation to the second Monday in October (coincidentally Columbus Day in its southern neighbor since 1971). The first Thanksgiving in North America may have occurred in 1578 when Englishman Martin Frobisher and his crew survived a treacherous, icy expedition to seek the Northwest Passage (although this is disputed). French settlers after Samuel Champlain also formed Orders of Good Cheer with their indigenous neighbors and held feasts of thanks in the early 1600s. Some families have their Thanksgiving dinners over the weekend and use the Monday to recover. Although the food served is similar, Thanksgiving is a much lower-key celebration than in the USA, especially in Quebec. The holiday is optional in PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. But Canadians have no qualms about putting up Christmas decorations starting on Thanksgiving (a good three weeks before Halloween).

From Quiz October - A Season of Celebration

Answer: Opal

An old poem goes like this: "October's child is born for woe, / And life's vicissitudes must know, / But lay an opal on her breast, / And hope will lull those woes to rest". The best gem-grade opals come from Australia. The "modern" birthstone for October is tourmaline.

From Quiz Oktoberfest!

Answer: Six Million

The Oktoberfest is known as the Largest Volksfest (People's Fair) in the World. It recently was featured in the 2006 American lowbrow comedy movie "Beerfest". There are 14 main tents at Oktoberfest, each sponsored by one of the "Big Six" breweries. Paulander has three tents.

From Quiz The Month of September

Answer: Grover Cleveland

President Grover Cleveland declared it a legal holiday in 1894. Labor Day, is the first Monday in September. Canada also celebrates Labour Day on the first Monday.

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