Incas mined emeralds in 1500s

Colombia is the world’s largest producer of emeralds, the traditional birthstone for people born in May. Its Muzo mine has operated continuously since the 16th century, but the indigenous population worked with emeralds before Spanish conquistadors arrived to plunder it all. One example: the golden Crown of the Andes, made around 1660 and encrusted with 443 emeralds. One of those is the 24-carat Atahualpa Emerald, reputedly stolen from Incan emperor Atahualpa when he was captured by Francisco Pizarro in 1532.

Which unfortunate fictional character is in love with a girl called Esmeralda? A) Don Quixote

B) Dracula

C) The Hunchback of Notre Dame D) The Phantom of the Opera

Answer: Quasimodo, the “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” is in love with Esmeralda.

Dairy was planned for Central Park

The original 1858 plan for New York City’s Central Park included a dairy to provide fresh milk for children. At the time, the city was enduring what became known as the “Swill Milk” scandal, in which hundreds of children died after consuming tainted milk from cows fed on the solid byproducts of the city’s beer breweries. To alleviate the crisis and cultivate the family atmosphere they wanted for the park, designers Calvert Vaux and

Frederick Law Olmstead created a charming Victorian milk bar serving milk from dairy farms outside the city. In the 1870s, the building was converted to a restaurant. Today it’s a visitor center.

Central Perk is a coffee shop featured in what TV series?

A) “Frasier”

B) “Friends”

C) “Grey’s Anatomy”

D) “Seinfeld”

Answer: Central Perk is a coffee shop in the series “Friends.”

In 1877, woman first to get Ph.D

Helen Magill White was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in the United States, receiving a doctorate in Greek from Boston University in 1877, the year she turned 24. By that time, she was already a full-fledged academic pioneer. She had been the only female student in her class at Boston Public Latin School and a member of the first graduating class at Swarthmore College.

According to Greek mythology, Athens was named for Athena after she gave the city what gift?

A) Fire

B) Gold

C) An olive tree

D) Written language

Answer: Athena became patron deity of Athens when she gave the city an olive tree.