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Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - Printable Version

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RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - L Verge - 10-28-2013 12:38 PM

"Let me go! Let me go!"

These were the last words of what famous Civil War person, who went on to do even greater things off the battlefield?


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - RJNorton - 10-28-2013 04:20 PM

Clara Barton?


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - L Verge - 10-28-2013 04:26 PM

Wow - I thought I would stump everyone with that. Yes, Miss Barton died on April 12, 1912, in her Maryland home after a long battle with pneumonia. She is buried in her family's plot in Oxford, MA.


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - RJNorton - 10-28-2013 04:32 PM

Her name entered my brain because you mentioned her in a post in another thread.


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - L Verge - 10-28-2013 04:44 PM

That's where I got the idea. I had mentioned that one of our bus tours at the March conference will be to her restored D.C. office for missing soldiers. That made me find out more about her than what is generally known about her efforts with the American Red Cross.

This is frightening, Roger. I once said I thought we were twins separated at birth because we think so much alike. This is one more example... Good thing I know that you are a month older than I.


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - L Verge - 10-30-2013 02:59 PM

WITHOUT CHEATING -- who can tell me one word that is a synonym for Brobdingnagian?


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - Gene C - 10-30-2013 03:42 PM

I don't know, but that's the type of word I would expect to see in Gulliver's Travels.
The writing style of that book was a huge challenge for me.


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - L Verge - 10-30-2013 03:45 PM

You are definitely on the right track, Gene. What was Brobdingnag?


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - Gene C - 10-30-2013 03:50 PM

I'd tell you, but I had to look it up.


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - Eva Elisabeth - 10-30-2013 03:57 PM

It's the country where everything is XXL-size. (No cheating.)


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - L Verge - 10-30-2013 08:08 PM

Correct, so the first word I gave you is an adjective form referring to that quality -- substitute a simple, one-word adjective for Brobdingnagian. Huge, enormous, gigantic would work; and welcome to the world of Victorian language.

If you are wondering where I came up with this word, I found it while preparing a Christmas article for the Surratt Courier on Varina Davis's description of her family's last Christmas in the Confederate White House. In her writings, she describes a thimble as being Brobdingnagian. If I am interpreting her correctly, she is referring to a gift that had been sent her by a Mr. P. after returning home to claim his proper title. She appears to be talking about the Prince of Wales. Did he visit the Davises when he toured the U.S.?


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - RJNorton - 11-01-2013 05:37 AM

[Image: jwms.jpg]
John Williams


On February 16, 1854, Mary Lincoln strolled into Springfield's John Williams & Co. store and made one purchase for $1.50? What did Mary buy for $1.50?


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - J. Beckert - 11-01-2013 07:36 AM

Was it strawberries or some type of cloth?


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - Joe Di Cola - 11-01-2013 07:52 AM

A pair of boy's boots.


RE: Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels - RJNorton - 11-01-2013 08:46 AM

Joe B. - Good try, but not correct.

Joe D. and Eva - you are both correct. Good job! Indeed Mary bought one pair of boys boots on that date. I am temporarily out of boots to send you both, so you simply receive my very best wishes for a wonderful day.