Questions
1. In 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger boasted that if California were a separate country, it would have the sixth largest economy in the world. Turns out he was wrong. California is ranked ... what? And name countries ahead of it.
2. How did the Los
Angeles’ town Tarzana come by its name?
3. Palm Springs has a pedestrian
bridge over a major street near its downtown. The bridge was built not to
protect pedestrians so much as motorists. Why?
4. With more than 20,000
square miles of area, San Bernardino, California’s largest county, is larger
than how many states?
5. Los Angeles is on the
same latitude as what world capital: Lisbon, Portugal; Rabat, Morocco; or Rome,
Italy?
6. The first McDonald’s
hamburger was flipped in what town?
7. What major California
city was established by a settlement party composed mainly of Native Hawaiians?
8. The world’s tallest
tree is located in California. What is its name and how tall is it?
9. When and where in
California did the last volcano blow its lid?
10. What Los Angeles County
high school was used in the television show, “Beverly Hills 90210”?
Answers
1. Eighth largest. Behind, in this order, United States, Japan, Germany, China, the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, No. Ireland), France and Italy. Then California, Spain and Canada.
2. In 1919, Edgar Rice
Burroughs, author of the novels about the King of the Jungle, named his estate
Tarzana. The surrounding area needed a post office and a name. A contest was
held and Tarzana was chosen.
3. The covered bridge
connects two halves of the Desert Shadows nudist colony. Before it was built,
the nudists were crossing the street and distracting the motorists.
4. Nine states are smaller
than San Bernardino County: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont.
5. Rabat, Morocco.
6. Richard and Maurice
McDonald, brothers from New Hampshire, opened a hot-dog stand named Airdrome in
the 1930s in L.A. and later moved to San Bernardino, where they refined their
methods of serving 15-cent hamburgers and 10-cent fries hot and fast.
McDonald’s Barbeque became the hangout place for San Berdoo teens. Ray Kroc, a
salesman of milk-shake mixers, was impressed. He bought out the brothers and
gave us Ronald McDonald and the Big Mac.
7. Sacramento was
established by John Sutter who entered California after visiting the Sandwich
(Hawaiian) Islands where he recruited native workers.
8. The world’s tallest
tree is a 367.5-footer, unofficially known at the “Mendocino Tree.” It stands
in the Montgomery Woods State Reserve near Ukiah among a grove of about 24
redwoods, all of which tower over 350 feet.
9. On May 22nd,
1915, Mt. Lassen, located east of Redding, culminated a year of 107 eruptions
by exploding. The explosion flattened trees up to a mile away.
10. Torrance High School,
located in the City of Torrance, about 15 miles south of Beverly Hills.
