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Answer for

What was the first independent nation formed in the 21st century?

Kosovo

17%

In 2002, the Democratic Republic of East Timor (officially known as Timor-Leste) was recognized by the United Nations as the first new sovereign state of the 21st century. Located in the Malay Archipelago above Australia, the nation covers half the island of Timor. The area has had a tumultuous history, having been colonized by the Portuguese in the 1700s and occupied by the Japanese during World War II. A revolutionary group claimed independence from Portugal in 1975, but Indonesia invaded shortly afterward. Indonesia gave up control in 1999 after intense fighting. Today, East Timor has a population of about 1.4 million. The capital is Dili and the official languages are Portuguese and Tetum. Interestingly, it is the only Asian country located completely in the Southern Hemisphere

Horse

Every Porsche vehicle in the world has the same logo, the shape of which was inspired by the crest of the Free People's State of Württemberg. Porsche's headquarters are located in the German town of Stuttgart, which was once the capital of Württemberg. Stuttgart was also built on an old horse-breeding farm, and the city used horses in its seal. Porsche, proud of its heritage, incorporated a black horse into its logo as a tribute. Of course, it helps that horses — and horsepower — are strongly associated with a high-performing vehicles to this day.

Electrical insulation

Made popular in the 1950s as a household laminate, Formica was originally invented in 1913 as a synthetic substitute for electrical insulation. Before electrical engineers Daniel J. O’Conor and Herbert A. Faber discovered that certain plastic resins could be used that way, the mineral mica had often been used in electrical applications. The name “Formica” is a literal combination of the words “for” and “mica,” the material literally being designed as a replacement for mica. As the Formica Insulation Company expanded, so did the use of this synthetic material. By 1930 Formica had become a popular laminate material known for its durability and color varieties. Following the Second World War, Formica went on to become the household surface of choice, with popular designs of the era like Skylark by Brook Stevens and VirrVarr by Sweden’s Prince Sigaard Bernadotte covering many indoor counters, tables, and bar tops.

Metallica


On December 8, 2013, the popular metal band from California played an hourlong set at the Carlini Base, an Argentine research outpost located in the South Shetland islands of Antarctica. The show — aptly titled "Freeze 'Em All," a pun on the group's debut album title, “Kill ‘Em All” — took place inside a small dome with about 120 people in attendance, including scientists from around the world. Though Metallica concerts are usually associated with booming drums, loud amplifiers, and pyrotechnics, their normal stage theatrics had to be greatly pared down to preserve the fragile, icy environment of Antarctica. The band played with zero amplification, instead piping instrument sounds directly to headphones worn by audience members. Metallica called it "the most unique show" they'd ever played.

To touch the heart

Dim Sum is a type of Chinese cuisine. It entails small plates — similar to the idea behind Spanish tapas — and is typically a lunch or brunch food in China. It's also immensely popular in the United States, thanks to immigrants and restaurants that have brought the cuisine to new audiences. The Chinese characters used to write "Dim Sum" translate literally to "(to) touch the heart," a figure of speech that would certainly describe a satisfying meal with friends or family. The tradition is believed to have originated in southern China’s Guangdong region, and it includes more than 2000 possible dishes!

The inventor of the lie detector also created what iconic superhero?

Wonder Woman

William Moulton Marston, known to 1940s comic book readers as Charles Moulton, had a colorful career: Harvard psychologist, inventor of the earliest known version of the lie detector, and creator of Wonder Woman. (His wife, Elizabeth Marston, likely deserves a lot of credit for the character’s creation as well, and it was allegedly she who suggested that he make his character a woman in the first place.) The connection between Wonder Woman and the Marston lie detector — which relied on measuring systolic blood pressure — is less surprising if you’re familiar with the DC comic. Rather than using violence, Wonder Woman often defeats opponents with her “lasso of truth,” which forces them to confess their innermost feelings.

Antarctica

Picture a desert and you probably imagine a hot, barren stretch of sand. That could be accurate, but the true definition of a desert is quite simply an area with low precipitation. It could be hot or cold, populated or empty, sandy or snowy. The point is, there's not a lot of rain. In fact, the largest desert doesn’t fit the stereotypical image — it’s in Antarctica. Located around the South Pole, the Antarctic Desert is 5.5 million square miles of the driest, windiest, and coldest land on Earth. Due to these conditions, there are no permanent residents there. A population of 1,000-5,000 temporary residents, mostly scientific researchers and other support staff, fluctuates throughout the year.

Glenn Close

Close has been a legend on the big screen for over four decades, appearing in some of the most memorable movies in history, from "Fatal Attraction" to "101 Dalmatians." She's been nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress four times each, most recently in the latter category for 2020's "Hillbilly Elegy." After losing to Youn Yuh-jung at the 2021 Academy Awards, Close became the only living actor to be nominated for an Oscar eight times without a single win. The only other person with that many nominations and zero awards is the late Peter O'Toole, who played the title role in "Lawrence of Arabia." Still, with a long string of hit movies to her name as well as three Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe Awards (each), it's hard to argue that Close hasn't been recognized for her outstanding work on screens and stages.

Which term never appears in the U.S. Declaration of Independence?


United States of America

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence, setting in motion a chain of events that would eventually lead to the creation of the United States of America as its own nation. Curiously, the document itself mentions the term “separation” several times, but never the word “independence.” (Though "independent" makes a couple of appearances.) Though some historians have argued that several specific claims in the “Declaration of Independence” regarding the legality of English rule over the colonies don’t always hold up to scrutiny, no one has contested the document’s effectiveness. And it was soon directly quoted by members of another momentous uprising — the French Revolution, which began in 1789.

The leaves of what popular vegetable are poisonous if eaten raw?

Rhubarb

Take a look at a recipe for a strawberry-rhubarb pie, and you might be shocked at the amount of sugar it calls for. Rhubarb is notoriously bitter, and it can also be poisonous. The red and green stalks are edible, although they do require a good deal of added sugar to be palatable. The leaves, however, contain oxalic acid, which is toxic in large doses. Rhubarb leaves contain about 0.5 grams of oxalic acid per 100 grams of leaves. The lethal level of oxalic acid is around 15-30 grams, so you’d be chewing on the bitter greens for quite a while before you suffered ill effects. While they don’t contain as high of a dosage as rhubarb (and the bitterness and chance of poisoning is reduced), more of your favorite foods contain oxalic acid. You’ll recognize the bitterness in beets, peanuts, chocolate, tea, and some other leafy greens.

What was the first product Heinz ever sold?


Horseradish

Heinz’s first product, grated horseradish, was a strong seller. But an even better seller was “evaporated horseradish,” which had a much longer shelf life. By 1895, Heinz was the undisputed king of evaporated horseradish, giving them the boost they needed to become a major American business and processed foods pioneer. In addition to horseradish, Heinz produced several other condiments and toppings, including vinegar and pickles. Ketchup began to take off in the US in the 1800s, but home preparation was time-consuming. Heinz ketchup — introduced in 1876 — was one of many new products that saved considerable time (and often expense) for home cooks. During that era, Webster’s Dictionary listed the most prominent spelling of ketchup as “catchup.”

What is the only state with an official jelly?

Louisiana

Louisiana actually has not one, but two, state jellies. Apparently, there was a pretty robust debate in the state legislature when the choice of official condiments came up. In 2003, the state named both mayhaw jelly and Louisiana sugar cane jelly as the official state jellies. Mayhaws are the fruit of the mayhaw tree, which grows wild throughout the southern United States (they grow on a variety of hawthorn trees, and the berries are harvested in May — hence the name). They look a bit like cranberries and are tart to tasteless when raw. But once transformed into a jelly, they’re considered a classic Southern treat.

What Beatles song had the original title “Scrambled Eggs”?

Yesterday

When Paul McCartney woke up in the middle of the night, the melody of the song that would become “Yesterday” came to him. For months, McCartney kept it in his back pocket, convinced he must have unconsciously plagiarized it. Once he was assured nobody had heard it before, he went to work on the lyrics. He had difficulty getting past his original placeholder lyrics: “Scrambled eggs / Oh, my baby, how I love your legs.” Eventually, McCartney figured out the lyrics while on vacation, and one of the Beatles’ greatest songs was complete.

What adjective describes the back of the knee?

Popliteal

Yes, there’s a specific word for just about every part of your body. Popliteal means "of or relating to the back part of the leg behind the knee joint.” It comes from the Latin “poplit-“ or “poples,” meaning knee joint or back of the knee. The groove behind the knee is also known as the popliteal fossa; "fossa" means an anatomical pit, groove, or depression. The first known usage of popliteal was in 1754, in a treatise accompanying drawings by the German anatomist Bernhard Siegfried Albinus.

Lead

Superman's most famous weakness is, of course, Kryptonite, a rare alien mineral that deprives him of his powers. But the superhero has one other Achilles' heel: His X-ray vision doesn't extend to lead. Notably, Superman's heat vision power can blast through lead with no problem — but he can't actually see through it. The reason is surprisingly simple. If you go for an actual X-ray of, say, your chest, you've probably been asked to put on a lead vest to protect your organs. This is because X-rays are designed to detect the density of something. Lead is so dense, X-rays can't actually see through it, so it stands to reason that neither can Superman's vision.

Wow. I am the only person that knew that one . ( online )

The people's car  0%


If you know German, then you had an easy time with this question. "Volks" means people, which you might have guessed since it sounds a bit like "folks"; the "wagen" part refers to cars. Put it together, and you have "the people's car." Volkswagen's name was part of a patriotic project in Germany that aimed to make cars available to everyday Germans at a time when car ownership was rare — especially during the interwar period when Germany was financially struggling.

The Eagles

One of the best-selling bands of all-time might never have formed if not for the efforts of Linda Ronstadt, who brought Don Henley and Glenn Frey together to play in her band shortly before they formed the Eagles. Ronstadt met Henley when he sent her some songs he’d written; instead of recording his material, she opted to hire him as a drummer in her band. She knew Frey through a mutual friend, and when she and her band went on the road, Henley and Frey became roommates. They quickly connected through their singing and songwriting abilities, and were soon rehearsing original compositions in Ronstadt’s living room. The first song that Henley and Frey co-wrote was “Desperado,” the title track to their 1973 sophomore album. That same year, Ronstadt famously covered the song on her record “Don’t Cry Now,” which became her first commercially successful album. And although “Desperado” is now one of the best-known Eagles tracks, it wasn’t released as a single — and no one paid it much mind until it was covered by Ronstadt.

What does an oologist collect?


Eggs

Oologists are collectors and students of birds' eggs. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word first came into use in the 1830s. The Victorians were passionate collectors and birds' eggs became a popular choice, with many beautifully illustrated books of birds' eggs produced. In more recent years, many countries have outlawed egg collecting because it was causing a threat to rare bird species. Some of the world's largest historic oology collections can be seen at London's Natural History Museum in the UK and the Delaware Museum of Natural History in the U.S.

Ford Model T

Ford released its Model T in 1908 and forever changed the automobile as we know it. Using his famous assembly-line technique and various publicity stunts, Henry Ford was able to make his Model T the most popular car in the world of its time. It was the first car to reach 1 million, 5 million, 10 million, and 15 million units sold. When it was introduced, the Model T sold for $850, which, when adjusted for inflation, is about $25,000 in today’s dollars.

Eye of Providence




The Eye of Providence floats on top of the pyramid on the back of the $1 bill. The pyramid and the eye are a part of the Great Seal of the United States, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt added them to the dollar currency in 1935. The phrases surrounding the pyramid are in Latin and translate to “Providence Has Favored Our Undertakings” and “A New Order of the Ages,” referring to the Founding Fathers establishing a new government. According to researchers, the eye is supposed to represent the eye of God watching over the new nation.

New York Public Library




Since 1987 the real Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, and Kanga have lived at New York Public Library. The small bear and his friends used to belong to the actual Christopher Robin, son of A. A. Milne. These beloved toys inspired Milne and his friend, the illustrator E. H. Shepard, to create a series of bedtime stories for children based around the animal inhabitants of Hundred Acre Wood. The bear, originally known as Edward Bear, was purchased from the world-famous department store Harrods in London and gifted to Christopher Robin on his first birthday.

Organ music


There are certain traditions associated with the great American pastime of baseball. You can expect to eat a hot dog or two, to sing the odd verse of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", and to hear organ music. The latter originated at Chicago's Wrigley Field in 1941. Owner of the Cubs and field namesake Philip Wrigley installed a pipe organ just behind the grandstand. That first performance by Ray Nelson was reportedly so popular with the crowd of fans that it kicked off a new tradition and soon baseball fields around the country were installing organs.

Pickleball was invented in which state?

Washington




A relatively new arrival to the sporting scene, pickleball was invented in 1965 on Washington State's Bainbridge Island by Congressman Joel Pritchard. He and some friends wanted a game that the whole family could play. As for the name, that came from the family dog Pickles, who would chase the ball. Pickleball is played with a wooden paddle and a whiffle ball on a court that resembles a tennis court.

Mushroom

The chicken of the woods is one of the first mushrooms introduced to amateur foragers as safe to eat since its distinct growth pattern and vibrant orange coloring make it easy to spot. The Laetiporus mushroom got its unusual nickname from its flavor, which some people believe tastes like chicken. You can find them in summer and fall in most areas, but be cautious about where you find them if you want to take any home and add them to your evening meal. If these mushrooms grow on conifers and cedar trees, they create toxins that can make you sick.

Which university has the largest campus by area in the U.S.?

Berry College, Georgia

Although Georgia's Berry College has a mere 2,100 or so students, the liberal arts college sits on an impressively large campus. It covers 27,000 acres (110 sq km). The campus has 47 main buildings, including 10 dorms and 15 classroom buildings. Berry College was founded in 1902 by Martha Berry, a local Sunday school teacher who wanted to provide an educational facility for the local community. Her home and the original 83 acres of land are at the heart of the modern campus.

Chuck E. Cheese

Nolan Bushnell has built two incredible American companies. First, there's Atari: Bushnell and his electronics industry colleague Ted Dabney founded the video game company in 1972 and soon found success with the iconic arcade classic "Pong." In 1974, Atari helped pioneer the home video gaming market with its "Home Pong" console. Meanwhile, Bushnell also came up with a concept for a pizzeria and arcade called Pizza Time Theatre. He sold it to Warner Communications, but he bought the business back in 1977 and reinvented it with a new mascot: Charles Entertainment Cheese, star of what would become the famous Chuck E. Cheese chain.

Andrew Johnson

Before he became President, Andrew Johnson worked as a tailor in Greeneville, Tennessee. Andrew Johnson’s Tailor Shop thrived in the 1830s before he began his career as a politician, beginning as mayor of Greeneville before becoming the governor of Tennessee as well as serving in both the federal House and Senate. But Johnson didn’t let his trade skills go to waste. He continued to sew his own suits, even after he became President of the United States. His talent for crafting clothing earned him the nickname the “Tennessee Tailor.”

A word that becomes another word when reversed

The eagle-eyed reader may have noticed that "semordnilap" is "palindromes" spelled backward. A palindrome is a word or phrase that is the same in either direction. For example, "taco cat." However, a semordnilap is a word that becomes another word with a different meaning when reversed. For example, "desserts" becomes "stressed." The term seems to have first appeared in the early 2000s.

Gnomon


Sundials tell the time of day by the position of the sun. The gnomon is the rod on a sundial that casts a shadow on the dial. For a sundial to be accurate, the gnomon must be parallel to the axis of the Earth's rotation. Sundials are the oldest form of timekeeping device and have been used since at least the 4th century BCE. The octagonal Tower of the Winds in Athens, built around 100-50 BCE, reveals the ancient Greeks' horological skills as it has eight different sundials, each facing a different point of the compass.