World Famous Wisconsin Trivia Quiz

Answer: Allen-Bradley

The Allen-Bradley clock has been a Milwaukee landmark since 1962. Each face has a diameter of 40 feet, 3-1/2 inches - which is twice the size of London's Big Ben - and independently geared. The hour hands are 15.8 feet long, and the minute hands are 20 feet long.

The tower rises 283 feet from the street. The clock can be seen from as far as forty-four miles out on Lake Michigan. Allen-Bradley manufactures factory automation equipment.

Answer: Woodruff

The proclaimed world's largest penny is 15 feet tall, and was made in 1959. It was created out of concrete to commemorate the Million Penny Parade. In the early 1950s, Woodruff was a small town in the isolated Lakeland area in far northern Wisconsin. Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb was the only physician for 70 miles, and the closest hospital was 100 miles away. Long story short, put a community's efforts to build a hospital for their beloved doctor together with a high school math lesson on what a million looks like, and the result was a unique fundraising effort.

The collection of the million pennies was helped with Dr. Kate's appearance in 1954 as a surprise guest on the TV show "This Is Your Life". Because of the publicity, pennies were received from all over the world.

The students reached their goal of a million pennies by Memorial Day 1953; it took only 104 school days. The pennies were put on display in the school gym and the whole community celebrated. And the pennies kept coming. In all, 1.7 million pennies, or $107,000, were collected. Dr. Kate received the keys to her hospital on July 21, 1954.

Answer: La Crosse

While all four of these cities are home to popular breweries, La Crosse is where you will find the world's largest six-pack. They were built originally in 1969 as storage tanks for G. Heilman Brewery and painted to resemble cans of their Old Style lager.

The company closed in 1996, and the cans were emptied. But this being Wisconsin, a new company opened and the world's largest six-pack was reborn as La Crosse Lager. Beer is not all that is made at the plant; soda pop, tea and energy drinks might fill a "can" instead of beer.

The tanks hold 688,200 barrels of beer and would fill seven million twelve-ounce cans. Hopefully, there is a bathroom nearby.

Answer: M

"M" stands for mining, as in the Wisconsin Mining School. The world's largest "M" is 241-feet tall and 214-feet wide, and was built in 1937. It is composed of rocks laid on Platte Mound. The old Mining School later became known as the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and you can study much more than mining these days.

The "M" is whitewashed by UWP students each year, and it is lit for the university homecoming.

Answer: Waunakee

Signs on the edge of the village limits welcome visitors to the "Only Waunakee in the World!" In 1870, the railroad was being extended and a stop was planned for the Village of Leichester, where Waunakee is now located. The nearest Post Office was located several miles away, in Lester, and would be moved.

When it came time to incorporate, the founders, not wanting to be credited with naming the village, sought out a list of names, and Waunakee was chosen. According to the village website, Waunakee is Native American for "the fair and pleasant valley".

The Wisconsin Historical Society cites that the village was named "after a friendly Indian that camped near the mill". (There was once a flour mill in the area.) It is also a Chippwea Indian name for a boy, meaning "he lives in peace".

It is pronounced "WA(u)N-na-KEY" (the "a" as in "want"). Black Earth, just 18 miles from Wauknakee, claims to be the only community in the world to be named Black Earth. Yes, there are other Oconomowocs in the world. I checked!

Answer: Badger and squirrel

The badger and squirrel were located on top of a gas station on the outskirts of Birnamwood, until the gas station was sold. The badger was relocated to the ground next to the remodeled building. The World's Largest Badger and the World's Largest Squirrel are now attractions at the Northern Exposure Gentleman's Club, along with... um... other things. Yup, a strip joint!

Answer: Belleville

Belleville and the surrounding area are hot spots of UFO activity, with a very high number of sightings reported over the decades. They celebrate annually with a UFO Day, complete with a pancake breakfast, fun run, parade and monster costume ball at the local bowling alley. The Wisconsin communities of Dundee and Elmwood also claim to be the World's UFO Capital.

The alien in the movie "Star Man" crashed into Chequamegon Bay near Ashland. The TV alien Mork made his first appearance on earth on the show "Happy Days," which was set in Milwaukee. A large chunk of Sputnik crashed into Manitowoc's 8th Street on September 6, 1962.

Answer: Madison

The World's Largest BratFest started in 1983 in Madison, the state capital, as a grocery store's simple promotion and customer thank-you. The Metcalfs setup shop in their parking lot at Hilldale Mall. The event was such a success that it was decided to make it an annual Memorial Day event and all proceeds donated to charities that volunteer at the event. Johnsonville Brats came on board as a sponsor in 2001 and began donating all the brats cooked and served. BratFest outgrew the mall parking lot and moved to a larger location in 2005. The Brat Fest is normally held for four days over Memorial Day Weekend and features brats (duh!), live music, local celebrity cashiers, 5K walk/run, rock climbing, kayaking, and fireworks on Sunday night. Friday is designated "Take Your Brat To Work Day". A record number of brats sold was set in 2010: 209,376. The total brats sold since 1983 to 2011 was 3,003,435; total funds raised during that time period was $1,092,698 for 100 charities.

Sheboygan, home to numerous sausage companies, claims to be the Bratwurst Capital of the World. Monroe is home to the Cheese Days festival, and Minocqua is home to Beef-a-Rama, a festival celebrating grill-roasted beef. In Wisconsin, we have festivals to celebrate farm breakfasts butter, hamburgers, fish, coffee, mustard, chocolate, cranberries, apples, morel mushrooms, pumpkins and rutabagas... and don't forget beer. There is always beer.

Answer: Delavan

Delavan was home to 26 circus companies between 1847 and 1894. The original P.T. Barnum Circus was organized here in 1871. It is home of the Clown Hall of Fame.

Baraboo is the Circus CITY of the World. It is where the five Ringling Brothers got their start in the circus business in 1882. They bought Barnum and Bailey in 1907, combining the two circus companies during World War I. Baraboo is home to Circus World, a Wisconsin Historic Site and Museum located on the original site of the Ringling headquarters and winter home (1884-1927). It has the largest library on circus information and largest collection of circus wagons in the world. The Great Circus Parade was held in Milwaukee from 1985 to 2005 using horse-drawn circus wagons from the Circus World collection. Appleton was the childhood home of Harry Houdini.

Answer: Sunfish

Sunny the Sunfish, 12 feet high and 20 feet long, greets visitors to Onalaska. Bluegill and pumpkinseed sunnies are a frequent and popular catch on Lake Onalaska. The sunfish is celebrated with an annual Sunfish Days festival. Stockbridge is the Sturgeon Center of the World. Taycheedah is the Sheepshead Fishing Capital of the World. And Wisconsin is probably the world's Friday Night Fish Fry capital.

It is a rare Wisconsin restaurant that does not serve Fish Fry every Friday night, and most Wisconsinites dine on fried fish every Friday.

It's our tradition, a Wisconsin icon.