What Country's Nickname is "Big Smoke"?

 

It might not seem very smoky now, but there’s a good reason London earned the nickname “The Big Smoke” (or “The Old Smoke”). In the 19th century, the British capital was home to “pea souper” fogs that choked the city in gray and black — a result of air pollution, principally caused by burning coal as fuel. The "Big Smoke" nickname first appears in an 1874 dictionary of slang. Smoky conditions persisted through the 1950s, until the introduction of the 1956 Clean Air Act finally cleaned up the city. After that, only “smokeless fuels” could be burned in towns and cities, leaving a far fresher London to go in search of new monikers.

Source: TimeOut | Date Updated: August 20, 2020

What is the Zodiac Symbol for Gemini Twins?

 

Gemini's zodiac symbol is a pair of twins. These twins — believed to be based on Castor and Pollux from Greek and Roman mythology, according to Astrology.com — represent Gemini's dual nature. People born under this sign, between May 22 and June 21, are versatile and clever, able to adapt to many different situations but also difficult to pin down. They're endlessly curious and social, sometimes to a fault, and they constantly seek out new connections with both people and the world in general. A mutable air sign, Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac, following Aries and Taurus, and preceding Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

Source: Astrology.com | Date Updated: August 28, 2020

What Jelly Belly Flavor was Created for Ronald Reagan's Ignauration?

 

Ronald Reagan famously quit smoking by replacing his pipes with his favorite candy: jelly beans from the Herman Goelitz Candy Company. According to Reader's Digest, Reagan received regular jelly bean shipments from Goelitz while he was serving as California's governor from 1967 to 1974. When Goelitz introduced the Jelly Belly brand of jelly beans in 1976, they became Reagan's signature candy. After Reagan was elected to the presidency, Goelitz wanted to send him a congratulatory treat of red, white, and blue Jelly Bellys for his 1981 inauguration. The problem was that there were no blue Jelly Bellys to go along with the company's cherry red and coconut white beans. So, the company created a blueberry Jelly Belly to complete the trifecta. The new flavor was a hit. According to reports, 40 million Jelly Bellys were consumed during the inauguration festivities. Reagan surely appreciated the gift, but his favorite Jelly Belly flavor remained licorice.

Source: Reader's Digest | Date Updated: August 28, 2020

Which Country is not on the Coast of the Black Sea?

 

Throughout history, the Black Sea has been a strategic asset to the Eastern European countries that border it — which include Bulgaria, Georgia, and Ukraine — allowing them crucial access to trade routes. Unfortunately, the tiny country of Moldova is landlocked, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Moldova became reliant on its neighbors for access to trade, but in 1999, Ukraine granted a small stretch of land along the Danube River to Moldova in exchange for another piece of land that had been long contested. The Danube flows into the Black Sea, and the farming village of Giurgiulești became Moldova’s first port. The Port of Giurgiulești has grown rapidly since it opened in 2006, now occupying almost all of Moldova’s sliver of riverfront, which is just under 1,500 feet long.

Source: New York Times | Date Updated: August 26, 2020

Which U.S. State Can You Find a Beach with Naturally Green Sand?

 

You’re probably familiar with white sand beaches, but have you ever seen an emerald beach? It’s not caused by real emeralds, but by a silicate called olivine, a relatively heavy mineral that tends to stick around instead of washing out to sea. There are four green beaches in the world, but the only one in the United States is found on Hawaii’s Big Island. Called Papakolea Beach, it sits on a tuff ring — the site of a volcano eruption that happened thousands of years ago. The olivine comes from ancient lava flows, and the color can range from a pea soup green-gold to deep jade. You’ll also find green sands at Talofofo Beach in the U.S. territory of Guam, Punta Cormorant in Ecuador, and Hornindalsvatnet in Norway.

Source: Travel & Leisure  | Date Updated: September 2, 2020

What State Is the Capitol Jefferson City In?

 

Jefferson City, officially the City of Jefferson and informally Jeff City or Jefferson, is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,079 at the 2010 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the principal city of the Jefferson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, the second-most-populous metropolitan area in Mid-Missouri and the fifth-largest in the state. Most of the city is in Cole County, with a small northern section extending into Callaway County. Jefferson City is named for Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.

Jefferson City is located on the northern edge of the Ozark Plateau on the southern side of the Missouri River in a region known as Mid-Missouri. It is 30 miles south of Columbia, Missouri, and sits at the western edge of the Missouri Rhineland, one of the major wine-producing regions of the Midwest. The city is dominated by the domed Capitol, which rises from a bluff overlooking the Missouri River to the north; Lewis and Clark passed the bluff on their historic expedition upriver before Europeans established any settlement there.

Many of Jefferson City's primary employers are in service and manufacturing industries. Jefferson City is also home to Lincoln University, a public historically black land-grant university founded in 1866 by the 62nd Regiment of U.S. Colored Troops with support from the 65th Regiment of U.S. Colored Troops.

What City Used to be Called Constantinople?

 Istanbul is quite a unique place for a number of reasons: It straddles two continents (Europe and Asia), it's the most populous city in Europe, and it can trace its history all the way back to the 7th century BC. The city that we now know as Istanbul was named Constantinople when it was "founded" in 324 CE by the Roman emperor Constantine I. Constantine named it after himself — because, why not? — and made it the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire came to be known as the Byzantine Empire (or just "Byzantium"), and Constantinople remained its capital through thick and thin. The city was raided by enemies, torn apart by rebellions, and even occupied by crusaders in the Middle Ages. But things in Constantinople more or less held up until May 1453. That's when the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II took over, marking the end of the Middle Ages. Locals began to call the inner part of the city "Istanbul," a mix of "Islambol" ("city of Islam" in Turkish) and "eis tin Polin" ("to the city" in Greek). However, the name wasn't officially changed until the Republic of Turkey was formed in 1930, following the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

Source: Ancient History Encyclopedia | Date Updated: September 11, 2020

What Is Uncle Sam's Female Equivalent?

 

D.C. residents might have a leg up for this question. Washington, District of Columbia, was named in honor of the older sister of Uncle Sam, Columbia. From the 18th century until the early 20th, the spirit of America was portrayed as a majestic and proud woman, clad in breast-plates and stars-and-stripes skirts. The tune “Hail, Columbia” was composed for President George Washington’s inauguration and served as the unofficial national anthem until "The Star-Spangled Banner" replaced it in 1931. Columbia was a popular costume for suffragettes, but after women were granted the right to vote in 1920, the female symbol began to fall out of favor, almost dropping out of patriotic consciousness 100 years later. Uncle Sam, proclaiming the need for Americans’ support, rose in popularity during World War II. One place you can still find the striking lady Columbia? The opening credits for films produced by Columbia Pictures.

Source: The Atlantic | Date Updated: September 17, 2020

What Is the Most Common Name Among First Ladies?

 

Elizabeth has been among the most popular girls' names in the United States for more than 100 years. The name and its variants around the world frequently rank in the top 50. So perhaps it's no surprise that of the 47 First Ladies who have graced the White House, three have been named Elizabeth. The first was Elizabeth Kortright Monroe, the wife of the fifth President, James Monroe, who served from 1817 to 1825. Next was Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Truman, the wife of Harry S. Truman, who lived in the White House from 1945 to 1953. Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Ford was the most recent, serving as First Lady from 1974 to 1977 as the wife of President Gerald Ford. Other repeat First Lady first names include Abigail, Martha, Julia, Ellen, Frances, Edith, and Anna.

Source: The White House | Date Updated: September 18, 2020

What Is Hiding Under the U.S. Capitol Building?

 

Think you know the country’s most famous landmarks inside and out? Many of the most famous buildings in the U.S. have a hidden set of features that most people never encounter. The U.S. Capitol Building is just one such example. Hiding beneath the Capitol is a private subway station for members of the government. It’s part of a special subway system that dates back to 1909, when it was created to transport politicians between the Capitol Building, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. The system is still in use today. While it’s usually restricted to only government officials, members of the public can ride the subway during special tours of the Capitol complex.

Source: Mental Floss | Date Updated: September 29, 2020