Whose News Clues Trivia Quiz

Answer: Poutine

The poutine as a food was completely unknown prior to the mid-20th century. Although there are many varieties now in fast food joints and popular restaurants, the first poutine was simply a combination of french fries and cheese curds smothered in gravy.

There are varying tales on who invented the first poutine. Fernand Lachance of Warwick, Quebec claimed that a customer wanted fries with cheese curds. He added the gravy and the rest is history. A second account suggests that Jean-Paul Roy, a drive-in restaurant owner from Drummondville, Quebec had been selling fries with a special sauce called "patate-sauce" since 1958. Noticing customers were adding cheese curds, he began offering this as an entire dish.

The term "poutine" is believed to have been originated from the English word "pudding" which is used to describe a mixture or mess.

Answer: Halifax

The "Halifax Explosion" of 1917 is believed to have been the largest man-made explosion in history at the time it had occurred. During the early hours of December 6, 1917, two ships, the SS Imo (a Norwegian vessel) and the SS Mont-Blanc (a French vessel) collided near the Halifax Harbour.

The SS Mont-Blanc was transporting explosives to New York City at the time (specifically 2.9 kilotons of TNT). The urban neighbourhood of Richmond was completely destroyed at the time of the explosion. Years later, a new neighbourhood was built for displaced families and was renamed The Hydrostone. An estimated 2000 people were killed as a result of the explosion and over 9000 were injured.

Answer: Newfoundland becomes the tenth official Canadian province

On March 31st, 1949, Newfoundland became the 10th Canadian province (and 12th province/territory) to join Confederation. After many years of hardship suffered during the Great Depression and a high debt load suffered as a result of the First World War, there was a strong push to have the Dominion of Newfoundland to join Canada.

There were two referendums that took place in 1948 with differing results. After the first referendum on June 3, 1948, the population voted 44.6% in favor of responsible government, 41.4% to join Canada and 14.3 for a Commission of Government. Due to the fact that none of the results turned in at least 50% of the votes, a second election was held on July 22, 1948. During this campaign 52.3% voted to join Canada and 47.7% for responsible government. Joey Smallwood, a Newfoundland politician who pushed for the joining of Canada, became the first premier of Newfoundland (a position he held for nearly 23 years).

He is often considered the "last Father of Confederation". On December 6, 2001 the province officially became known as "Newfoundland and Labrador".

Answer: Toronto wins the NHL championship

When the National Hockey League (NHL) formed as an official organization in 1917, the Toronto Arenas (which would eventually become the Toronto Maple Leafs) would become the first NHL winners of the Stanley Cup. Between 1917 and 1967, the Toronto organization would go on to win a total of 13 Stanley Cup titles (five of them during the 1940s).

They would not win another Stanley Cup during the remainder of the 20th Century (sadly and much to my dismay).

Answer: Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is a collective name given to three separate waterfalls that can be found between Ontario, Canada and New York State, USA. These three falls are known as the Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. With a height of over 160 feet, they have become popular with stunt jumping and barrel falling. Most stunts and barrel drops have been deemed illegal due to the extreme danger associated. Various stuntman including Karel Soucek, Steve Trotter, Jean François "Blondin" Gravelet and Nik Wallenda have made attempts at defeating the falls (all these were successful except for Soucek who would succumb to injuries).

Answer: Insulin

Frederick Banting and his colleague Dr. Charles Best are recognized historically are being the co-discovers of insulin in 1921. By completing surgery on living dogs as well as pancreases from fetal calves, they were able to extract insulin. In December of 1921, they had successfully extracted insulin from an adult pancreas.

Their research became used to assist in treating patients with diabetes. In 1923, Banting would receive a Nobel Prize in medicine; he went on to share the cash earnings with his colleague.

He became the youngest person to win the prize.

Answer: The Beachcombers

At the time "The Beachcombers" aired its final episode in December, 1990, it became the longest running Canadian drama series in history. In 2012, it would be dethroned by the popular "Degrassi" series. Starring Bruno Gerussi and Pat John as log salvagers and Robert Clothier as their business competitor, the series was popular among Canadians due to its humor and overall storyline.

The series was known for its multicultural heritage within the series as it portrayed various cultures including Greek, Welsh and Native Canadian.

When it aired for the last time, the series had run a total of 387 episodes.

Answer: Trivial Pursuit

In December of 1979, "Trivial Pursuit" was created by photo editor Chris Haney and sports editor Scott Abbott, coming up with the idea after their "Scrabble" pieces had gone missing. By 1984, the game has sold over 20 million copies. They would eventually sell the rights to the game to Parker Brothers (Hasbro) in 1988. To play the game, players attempt to answer trivia questions correctly while moving around a board and collecting pie pieces.

The first player to collect all six and then answer some final questions wins the game. Various editions of the game have been produced over the years including Sports editions, Music editions, Family editions and more.

Answer: Alanis Morissette

Canadian singer Alanis Morissette released her album "Jagged Little Pill" in 1995 producing various hit songs including "Ironic", "You Oughta Know" and "Head Over Feet" which all peaked in the top ten on the Billboard charts. The album itself was nominated for nine Grammy Awards of which it won five. It is one of the highest selling albums of all time going double diamond status.

Answer: The Toronto Trilogy

On December 2, 1995, renowned Canadian novelist and playwright Robertson Davies would succumb to a stroke. At the time of his death, it is believed that he had been working on a fourth trilogy series that has been dubbed the The "Toronto" Trilogy. During the 1950s, he wrote a trilogy of books known as "The Salterton Trilogy"; it included the novels "Tempest-Tost", "Leaven of Malice" and "A Mixture of Frailties".

His second trilogy, called "The Deptford Trilogy", was written and completed during the 1970s and consisted of "Fifth Business", "The Manticore" and "World of Wonders".

His final completed trilogy was "The Cornish Trilogy" completed in the 1980s and including "The Rebel Angels", "What's Bred In The Bone" and "The Lyre of Orpheus". During his lifetime, Davies won various awards including the Dominion Drama Festival Award in 1948, a Stephen Leacock Award in 1955, the Governor-General's Literary Award in 1972 and an Honorary Doctor of Letters by Oxford University in 1991.

A park was also designated with his name in Toronto, Canada in 2007.