571: Salad Dressing Names
Trivia People
Let’s start with salad, specifically salad dressing, even more specifically salad dressing names. We’ll start with the king of salad dressings in the United States: ranch. Ranch dressing was first created in 1954 by Steve Henson, who owned a dude ranch called Hidden Valley Ranch, near Santa Barbara, California. His customers liked the dressing so much that Henson started selling packets of dried mix so they could have it at home. Bottled, prepared ranch dressing was introduced in 1983. Thousand Island dressing’s origin story is not as clear, although it’s name refers to the Thousand...
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570: WInter Olympics
Trivia People
Today is the 14th day of competition at the 23rd Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Here are a few things you might not have known about these Olympics and the Olympic Winter Games in general. Ninety-two nations are competing in 102 events in 15 sports during the 19-day competition. The host South Koreans marched with their counterparts from North Korea under a unified Korean flag during the opening ceremony. The two countries combined to field a unified women’s ice hockey team, but otherwise participated separately. This is the third time the Winter Olympics have been held...
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569: Disneyland
Trivia People
I hope you’re asking yourself, where has this guy been for the past eight months? Well, my wife and I moved from Yakima, Washington, to Los Angeles in a so-far successful attempt to avoid winter. Also, I’ve recently started a new job, because unlike other podcasters, we’re not rolling in Blue Apron or SquareSpace money yet. So, inspired by my new-ish surroundings, here are five things you may not have known about Disneyland: Walt Disney originally wanted to build an amusement park next to his studios in Burbank, California, north of downtown Los Angeles. However, the proposed site...
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Taking a Break -- We Shall Return!
Trivia People
To my listeners: I hope you've noticed there has been a lack of "Trivia Minute" podcasts lately. I have quite a few exciting and positive things going on in my life right now, so I've had to put the podcast on the back burner until things settle down (likely sometime this autumn). My promise: The show will return, so please stay subscribed using whichever podcast service you use. Keep an eye on this space for updates. Thank you for listening! -- Marcus P.S.: All 550-plus episodes will also remain available on
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567: Trivia Minute Update: May 5, 2017
Trivia People
We’ll start off with a question: What nation did Mexican forces defeat in the Battle of Puebla, which is marked by Cinco de Mayo celebrations? We’ll have the answer later in the show. Today is Cinco de Mayo, which is celebrated more in the United States than it is in Mexico. It’s also Children’s Day in Japan and South Korea and Constitution Day in Kyrgyzstan. It’s unofficially International Midwives’ Day, Cartoonists Day, and International Tuba Day. It’s the birthday of chef James Beard, who was born in 1903; actor Michael Palin, who is 74, and singer Adele, who is 29. Now,...
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Trivia Minute Update: May 4, 2017
Trivia People
We’ll start off with a question: What was the only crime gangster Al Capone was ever convicted of? We’ll have the answer later in the show. Today is International Firefighters Day, Youth Day in Fiji, and Restoration of Independence Day in Latvia. It’s unofficially Star Wars Day, National Day of Prayer and National Orange Juice Day. It’s the birthday of actress Audrey Hepburn, who was born in 1929; actor Will Arnett, who is 47; and golfer Rory McIlroy, who is 28. Now, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1961, the top song in the U.S. was “Runaway” by Del...
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Trivia Minute Update: May 3, 2017
Trivia People
We’ll start off with a question: Who was the owner of the Dodgers when they moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles? We’ll have the answer later in the show. Today is World Press Freedom Day, Constitution Day in Poland, and Constitution Memorial Day in Japan. It’s Public Radio Day, Wordsmith Day, and National Raspberry Popover Day. It’s the birthday of singer and actor Bing Crosby, who was born in 1903; musician James Brown, who was born in 1933; and magician Doug Henning, who was born in 1947. Now, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1981, the top song in the U.S....
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Trivia Minute Update: May 2, 2017
Trivia People
We’ll start off with a question: The maiden flight of the De Havilland Comet, the first jet airliner, traveled between which two cities? We’ll have the answer later in the show. Today is Flag Day in Poland, National Education Day in Indonesia, and Teachers’ Day in Iran. It’s unofficially National Play Your Ukulele Day, International Scurvy Awareness Day and World Asthma Day. It’s the birthday of Catherine the Great, who was born in 1729; singer Engelbert Humperdinck, who is 81; and soccer star David Beckham, who is 42. Now, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week...
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Trivia Minute Update: May 1, 2017
Trivia People
Our T-shirt giveaway came to an end on Sunday. We only had one entry from Doug Barbeau, who wins a Trivia Minute T-Shirt. Thanks, Doug. We’ll start off with a question: Which two of the contiguous 48 states are not served by Amtrak rail service? Today is Constitution Day in Argentina, Latvia and the Marshall Islands. It’s International Workers’ Day, and it’s May Day. It’s unofficially Frequent Flyer Day, National Chocolate Parfait Day, and School Principals’ Day. It’s the birthday of author Joseph Heller, who was born in 1923; musician Judy Collins, who is 78; and film director...
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Trivia Minute Update: April 28, 2017
Trivia People
Today's trivia question: Who was the captain of the HMS Bounty? Today is International Workplace Safety Day, National Heroes Day in Barbados, and National Day of Mourning in Canada. It’s unofficially National Cubicle Day, National Superhero Day, and National Blueberry Pie Day. It’s the birthday of author Harper Lee, who was born in 1926; Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, who is 57; and actress Penelope Cruz, who is 43. Now, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1986, the top song in the U.S. was “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer. The No. 1 movie was...
info_outlineOn this date in 1860, the Pony Express began operations.
Here are some things you may not have known about the Old West mail service.
After the discovery of gold in 1849 and the admission of California as a state in 1850, a faster way to deliver transcontinental mail was needed. At the time, mail could take up to a month to travel from coast to coast.
The Pony Express was founded with the goal of cutting that time to 10 days between St. Joseph, Missouri and San Francisco, California. The goal was thought impossible by many.
The Pony Express system involved a series of horseback riders traveling relatively short distances at high speeds.
When the system started it employed 120 riders on 400 horses going between 184 stations manned by more than 400 support personnel.
The identity of the first rider is in dispute. Depending on the source it was either Billy Richardson or Johnny Fry who departed St. Joseph, Missouri.
The first run took 11 days to reach San Francisco. The cost to send a letter via the Pony Express was originally five dollars per half ounce. The equivalent of about $120 per half ounce today.
Gradually, as telegraph service expanded across the country, The Pony Express route was shortened. News of Abraham Lincoln’s election as president of the United States in 1860 was able to be transmitted to the West Coast in just seven days, thanks to the Pony Express and the expansion of telegraph service to Fort Kearny, Nebraska.
Less than a year after service started, the route ran from Salt Lake City to Sacramento, spanning the final gap in telegraph service.
The service ceased on October 26, 1861, two days after the first transcontinental telegraph line was completed at Salt Lake City.
The operation never made money, losing $110,000 over the course of the 19-month run.
Our question, what’s the fastest speed recorded by a horse?
Today is unofficially National Chocolate Mousse Day, National Sweet Potato Day, and Armenian Appreciation Day.
It’s the birthday of actress Doris Day, who is 95; astronaut Gus Grissom, who was born in 1926; and singer Wayne Newton, who is 75.
Because our topic happened before 1960, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.
This week in 1973, the top song in the U.S. was “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” by Vicki Lawrence.
The No. 1 movie was “Charlotte’s Web,” while the novel “The Odessa File” by Frederick Forsyth topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.
Weekly question: What is the second fastest land mammal?
Submit your answer at triviapeople.com/test and we’ll add the name of the person with the first correct answer to our winner’s wall … at triviapeople.com. We'll have the correct answer on Friday’s episode.
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