Wherefore Art Thou, Juliet?

I am a bookie and a foodie, and I love sharing random musings on my social media sites. Nearly every day I post a quote (most are inspirational, but every once in a while I throw in a zinger), a Wacky Word of the Day, and an  Itty Bitty Question. The questions are my favorites, because they are open-ended and generate some interesting responses. The other day I posted a question on Facebook (www.facebook.com/amy.hagberg) about William Shakespeare’s tragic love story, Romeo and Juliet: What is Juliet’s last name? It was an easy question since many of my friends and followers are book nuts and almost everybody got the correct answer: Capulet. […]

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The Sloth of the Sea

  Yesterday’s daily trivia question was in the “animals” category: QUESTION: What is the slowest-moving fish? ANSWER: Why, the seahorse, or course! These equine little characters have always been among my favorite creatures. After doing a little research on them, I love them even more!   Factoids: There are approximately thirty-five different species of sea horses. They are monogamous and mate for life. They range in size from 0.6 to 14 inches. Males bear the young (I wish we could say that). The female deposits her eggs in the brood pouch of the male. He then fertilizes them internally and carries them until they are ready to hatch. Although sea […]

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The Origins of Catch-22

On Tuesday I posted a rather difficult trivia question on my Facebook author page and other social media. The category was literature: QUESTION: Why did Joseph Heller change the title of his famous novel from Catch-18 to Catch-22? ANSWER: Because Leon Uris had recently released a book called Mila 18. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller has become such a foundational book in contemporary American literature that the title is actually in the dictionary! The term refers to an absurd no-win situation. For example, you can’t get a job without experience, but you can’t get experience without a job. That, my friends, is a Catch-22… a kind of a damned if you […]

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Slandering God

Why do the powers that be in Hollywood think it is acceptable to use God’s name as a curse in so many films? “GD” this and “JC” that. Sadly, I believe the fault lies with consumers. We may be disgusted with onscreen sex and violence and offended by the language, but we still look the other way flock to theaters. The Trivia Question of the Day I posted on my social media sites today read as follows: WHAT IS THE THIRD COMMANDMENT? It was actually a random question chosen in the wee hours of the morning, but it really got me thinking. “Thou shalt not take the name of the […]

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Stars and Stripes Forever

What do “Stars and Stripes Forever,” Mr. Peabody, and ghosts have in common? Clifton Webb, of course!  You’ll be glad to know I have found some very fun minutiae regarding yesterday’s Trivia Question of the Day: QUESTION: (TV & Film): Who did actor Clifton Webb portray in the film “Stars and Stripes Forever?” ANSWER: John Philip Sousa What would a Fourth of July parade be without a rousing rendition of “The Stars and Stripes Forever?” Well, simply un-American! This famous march was written by John Philip Sousa, the beloved American composer and conductor best known for his military and patriotic marches. Sousa’s career seems to have been written in the […]

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God Bless Us Every One

Here’s today’s Trivia Question of the Day: QUESTION: Literature: What is the name of the sickly character in Charles Dickens’ book, “A Christmas Carol?” ANSWER: Tiny Tim Evidently, this question was far too easy for my social media followers. I expect, however, that you will find some of the details I uncovered while researching this blog to be fascinating. First a little background. A Christmas Carol is a novella by prolific English author Charles Dickens (Great Expectations Pickwick Papers, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist). The little book was first published on December 19, 1943 and has become one of the best-loved books of all time. Charles John Huffman Dickens was born on February […]

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What Caused the Bubonic Plague?

Today I started a new feature on my Facebook Author Page  www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-Hammond-Hagberg/107548285944928 called “Trivia Question of the Day.” There will be five categories: Nature, TV and Film, Literature, Food and Drink, and Bible. Here’s the first question: QUESTION: Nature: Which two creatures are responsible for spreading the Bubonic Plague? ANSWER: Sorry, this was a trick question. Technically speaking, there were actually three creatures responsible for the spread of bubonic plague: rats, the fleas that lived on the rats, and the bacteria the fleas transferred to humans when bitten. The bubonic plague, also known as the black death, reached Europe in the late 1340s, killing an estimated 75 million people.  Once infected, […]

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