St. Louis trivia #010

Caregivers should engage their loved ones in a variety of activities, including conversation, fun, and brain exercise. Share these trivia questions with them!

QUESTION 1: Which dignified St. Louisan once demonstrated how to cook fish in a dishwasher on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson?

QUESTION 2: The architect who designed New York’s World Trade Center also designed which important St. Louis structure?

QUESTION 3: In 1991, what actress/comedienne with local ties broke the 74-year attendance record at the St. Louis Muny Opera?

QUESTION 4: This apt quote, “I have discovered in 20 years of moving around a ballpark, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats,” was made by which former owner of the St. Louis Browns?

QUESTION 5: Which famous twentieth-century playwright attended Washington University in St. Louis, debuted several plays here, and was ultimately buried in St. Louis?

Check “St. Louis trivia #011” for answers and new questions to ponder. (Don’t miss out – click “Subscribe to Email” near the top of this page.)

Following are answers to last week’s questions, which all involve ballooning in honor of the upcoming Great Forest Park Balloon Race, to be held September 18-20, 2009:

QUESTION 1: Who were the first passengers to fly in a hot air balloon, and which historical figures witnessed the event?
ANSWER 1: The first aeronauts were a duck, a rooster, and a sheep, before an audience that included Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the French court. The eight-minute flight in a Montgolfiere hot air balloon took place on September 19, 1783 in Versailles.

QUESTION 2: What are the three main parts of a hot air balloon?
ANSWER 2: The three parts of a hot air balloon are: the envelope - the fabric balloon which holds the air; the burner - the unit which propels the heat up inside the envelope; and the basket - where the passengers and pilot stand.

QUESTION 3: Which St. Louis-based company regularly enters their balloon, “Popcorn Bag,” in the Great Forest Park Balloon Race?
ANSWER 3: Wehrenberg Theatres, founded in 1906.

QUESTION 4: How does a hot air balloon move up and down?
ANSWER 4: To go up, the pilot adjusts the burner to heat the air inside the balloon, causing it to rise. To go down, the pilot pulls a cord to open a circular fabric valve at the top of the balloon, to allow hot air to escape.

QUESTION 5: How do the balloons actually race during the Great Forest Park Balloon Race, when they don’t take off at the same time?
ANSWER 5: The Great Forest Park Balloon Race features a Hare and Hound format. According to hotairballooning.com, "All the balloons launch from the same site, usually a festival. One balloon takes off first and is the hare balloon. The other balloons are called the hounds, and they will launch a predetermined time after the hare. The hare lands at a suitable site and lays out a large fabric X, usually about 50 feet in diameter. The hound balloons attempt to drop their markers as close to the center of the X as possible. The closest marker achieves the highest score."

BONUS QUESTION: What is “Up in the Air,” and what does it have to do with St. Louis?
BONUS ANSWER: “Up in the Air” is an upcoming George Clooney film, directed by Jason Reitman, which was filmed right here in St. Louis. The film will be shown in limited release in the U.S. beginning November 13, with wide release scheduled for November 25. A local musician, Kevin Renick, is even featured on the soundtrack.

If you have other St. Louis trivia to share -- or better yet, if older folks in your family have trivia to share, contact Carolyn Fleming.

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