Dewey changed library sorting
At the library, geology books are shelved in the 550s, sports in the 790s, French lit in the 840s. That’s the work of Melvil Dewey (1851-1931), who devised the Dewey Decimal System of library classification — the world’s most widely used library classification system. Dedicated to order and simplification, he also was an advocate for spelling reform. He shortened the original spelling of his first name from Melville to Melvil and, for a time, took to spelling his last name Dui.
Thomas E. Dewey, Republican presidential candidate in 1944 and 1948, was the governor of what state?
A) Arkansas
B) New York
C) Ohio
D) Wisconsin
Answer: Thomas E. Dewey, Republican presidential candidate in 1944 and 1948, was the governor of New York.
Pepper, capital both named Cayenne
Cayenne pepper is named for Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana. The pepper itself originated someplace in South America, possibly French Guiana, possibly not. Never the most hospitable place to live, French Guiana is a French overseas department notorious as a penal colony for much of its history. Trivia buffs know it as the largest European
Union territory outside Europe.
“Papillon” is a French word meaning what?
A) Bell
B) Butterfly
C) Pepper
D) Prisoner
Answer: “Papillon” is the French word for butterfly.
Mole can smell underwater
Star-nosed moles can detect scents underwater — an ability that makes them unique among mammals. They do this by exhaling bubbles into the water and then re-inhaling them to sniff for insects, fish and other prey. Like most moles, starnosed moles have poor eyesight. They compensate for this with a cluster of super-sensitive tentacles around their noses that allow them to detect even the slightest movement. That star-shaped cluster of tentacles also gave the star-nosed mole its name.
White-nose syndrome is a deadly disease that affects what creatures in North America?
A) Bats
B) Bees
C) Cows
D) Pigs
Answer: White-nose syndrome is a deadly disease that affects bats in North America.