Advice for Avoiding Falling Pianos Quiz

Answer: Using one was seen as a sign of weakness of character

During the mid-1700s, in the minds of many London citizens, umbrella usage was the sign of a weakness of character, particularly among men. Few people ever dared to be seen with such a detestable, effeminate contraption.The British also regarded the umbrella as too French since it was inspired by the parasol.

Additionally, hansom cab drivers (horse-drawn taxi drivers of the time) were particularly hostile toward him; they viewed the umbrella as a threat to their business, as people who carried them wouldn't need to pay for a ride just to escape a sudden downpour. Hanway endured thirty years of verbal abuse and physical harassment before the practice finally became socially acceptable for men.

Answer: Insects and small animals

The roadrunner is an opportunistic predator with a diverse diet. While they are technically omnivores, the bulk of their diet consists of small animals, including insects like grasshoppers and beetles, as well as rodents, lizards, and small birds.

They are perhaps most famous for their ability to hunt venomous prey; a roadrunner will often snatch up a scorpion (carefully nipping off the stinger) or even a rattlesnake. When hunting a snake, the roadrunner uses its speed to dodge strikes before grabbing the snake by the head and slamming it repeatedly against a rock to kill it.

Answer: Pomegranate

Early grenades used in the 15th and 16th centuries were small, hollow iron spheres filled with gunpowder. Because these early devices were roughly the size and shape of a pomegranate, and the many grains of gunpowder inside resembled the fruit's numerous seeds, the French referred to them as grenades.

This linguistic connection is so strong that in many languages, including French and Spanish, the word for the fruit and the weapon remains exactly the same. The connection even extends to military rank; the Grenadiers were elite soldiers originally tasked specifically with throwing these "pomegranates" at the enemy.

Answer: They broke through and shook hands through a hole

On December 1, 1990, a British worker named Graham Fagg and a French worker named Philippe Cozette became the first people to cross the physical border between the two countries since the Ice Age. They broke through a small service tunnel hole and shook hands as the world watched.

The engineering was so precise that despite starting from opposite sides of the English Channel and digging through miles of rock the two tunnels met with an offset of only about 14 inches (36 cm). This moment proved that the massive project, which had been dreamed of for centuries, was finally a physical reality.

Answer: 75 to 100 years old

The Saguaro is an incredibly slow-growing cactus found exclusively in the Sonoran Desert which is located in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico . In its first ten years of life, a Saguaro might only grow to be one inch (2.5 cm) tall. It typically takes between 75 and 100 years for the plant to reach enough maturity and height (usually around 15 feet or 4.5 m) to begin to sprout its first iconic arm.

Because they grow so slowly and live for up to 200 years, a Saguaro with many arms is considered a true elder of the desert, having likely stood in the same spot for many, many decades.

Answer: Tectonic uplift

The Flatirons are located immediately west of Boulder, Colorado, forming a striking, slanted rock landmark on the eastern slope of Green Mountain. They are made of sedimentary rock that was originally laid down as flat layers of sand and gravel almost 300 million years ago.

About 70 million years ago, during a period called the Laramie Orogeny, the Earth's tectonic plates pushed upward to form the Rocky Mountains. This massive force didn't just lift the rocks; it forced the horizontal layers of the rock to tilt upward, leaving them standing at steep, iconic angles.

Answer: Placing gunpowder between two anvils and blasting the top one into the air

Before fireworks were widely available or affordable, blacksmiths and pioneers celebrated holidays by shooting anvils. They would place a small pile of black powder in the "mousehole" (the small hole in the base) of one anvil, place another anvil upside down on top of it, and light a long fuse.

The resulting explosion would send the top anvil - which could weigh 150 pounds (68 kg) - soaring high into the air with a massive "boom" that could be heard for miles. The dangerous practice continued in some areas well into the 20th century, particularly as a pioneer-style celebration.

Answer: A naturally magnetized piece of the mineral magnetite

Lodestones are pieces of the mineral magnetite that have become magnetized. While not all magnetite is magnetic, lodestones are special because they were likely struck by lightning while near the Earth's surface, which aligned their internal magnetic fields.

Ancient Greeks and Chinese explorers discovered that if you suspended a lodestone from a string or floated it on a piece of wood in water, it would always turn to point toward the North Star. This led to the invention of the very first compasses, changing navigation forever.

Answer: Molly Pitcher

"Molly Pitcher" is the nickname widely believed to refer to Mary Ludwig Hays. The Battle of Monmouth was fought in New Jersey in 1778. During the battle, Molly was carrying water to thirsty soldiers and to cool down the cannons (hence the "Pitcher" nickname).

When her husband, an artillerist, collapsed from heat exhaustion or a wound, Mary stepped in and manned the cannon for the remainder of the battle. Her bravery was so well regarded that it is said General George Washington issued her a warrant as a non-commissioned officer, and she was known thereafter as "Sergeant Molly".

Answer: Massive landslide slid it toward the ocean

The 1964 earthquake triggered a landslide caused by a process called soil liquefaction. Beneath the Turnagain Heights neighborhood was a layer of sensitive clay. When the intense shaking lasted for nearly five minutes, the water pressure inside the clay rose so high that the solid ground essentially turned into a liquid slurry.

This caused a huge section of the bluff to break apart and ride the liquid clay toward the sea, carrying houses, trees, and roads with it. The neighborhood lost 75 houses in the landslide, and the destroyed area has since been turned into park to commemorate the disaster.