Morse painted before creating code

Before he developed the telegraph and the code that bears his name, Samuel F.B. Morse (F.B. stands for Finley Breese) was an accomplished painter who trained at the Royal Academy of Art in London. His “Gallery of the Louvre” depicts all of that museum’s great works — including the “Mona Lisa” — hung in a single room. His portrait of John Adams — for which he was paid $25 in 1816 — is in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum. His portrait of James Monroe hangs in the Blue Room of the White House.

In Morse code, one dot signifies the letter E. What does one dash signify? A) A

B) O

C) S

D) T

Answer: One dash in Morse code signifies the letter T.

Sometimes humans infect animals

Rabies, swine flu and avian flu are diseases transmitted from animals to humans, often with fatal consequences. But sometimes the transmission goes the other way. Animals in zoos — especially primates — have died from influenza and other viruses they picked up from humans. There’s even some evidence that humans with H1N1 “swine flu” passed that virus back to healthy pig population and made them sick, too.

What type of animal is Ranger Rick, the National Wildlife Federation mascot?

A) Bear

B) Dog

C) Raccoon

D) Skunk

Answer: Ranger Rick is a raccoon.

Princess hats were called ‘hennin’

The tall, pointed headdress we associate with fairytale princesses is called a “hennin.” They were all the rage in the mid-15th century, especially in France, where fashionable ladies wore hennins 3 feet tall with a veil attached to the tip. A woman could fold the veil under one arm or let it float behind her like angel wings when she walked. To accentuate the look, she’d tuck as much of her hair as she could inside the hennin and then shave off stray strands from her forehead and temples.

Cary Elwes, John Cleese, Sean Connery and Russell Crowe all have played what role on screen?

A) King Henry VIII

B) Moses

C) Robin Hood

D) Sherlock Holmes

Answer: Cary Elwes, John Cleese, Sean Connery and Russell Crowe all have played Robin Hood on screen.