The Questions…
1. English has been the primary language of every U.S. president except one. Which president spoke English as a second language?
2. Great Britain is the home of seven rivers named River Avon. In addition, eight Avon Rivers are scattered around the globe. What does avon mean?
3. What deceased rock musician has an international airport named after him?
4. What was the name of the heroine in the novel Gone With the Wind before author Margaret Mitchell changed it to Scarlett at her editor’s insistence?
5. The grumpy and miserable Squidward Q. Tentacles in the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon series is an octopus, in spite of having the word squid in his name. In what way did the creators decide to portray Squidward’s anatomy incorrectly?
The Answers…
1. Martin Van Buren, who was president from 1837 until 1841. Although born in New York (the first president born a U.S. citizen), he grew up speaking Dutch.
2. Avon is derived from the Celtic word abona, which means river.
3. John Lennon. In 2002, the airport in Lennon’s hometown was officially renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Imagine that.
4. Pansy.
5. Squidward has six tentacles instead of the usual eight. The animators tried eight, but the character looked too… leggy.
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