THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
70 Falmouth Street      Portland, Maine 04103
(207) 780-4249      usm.maine.edu/planet
43.6667° N    70.2667° W  Altitude:  10 feet below sea level Founded
January 1970
2021-2022: CII
"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a
fool."
-William Shakespeare THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, April 1, 2022
Quiz # 24: The April Fool's Quiz: Fact or Fool?

________________________________________________
We don't know what show we'll show for the April Fool's show. Show up
tonight and you'll know what show we'll show for the April Fool's show. We
don't yet know what show we'll show because a 20-sided die named Horwindil
will decide just before show time tonight!

*The April Fool's Show*
Friday, April 1st at 7:00 p.m.
$3 per person
$9 if you wear a costume.
One can't have an April Fool's show without at least one foolish provision.
___________________________________________________________________

What, you might wonder, is the April Fool's Quiz: Fool or Fact? Well,
honestly, it is something like a true or false quiz, but with a lot of
strange twists, turns, and contortions. This quiz contains a series of
outlandish statements, some of which are actually true, others patently
false. Next to each statement, write either FOOL, meaning you think that a
given statement is 13.4 gallons of horse water or FACT, indicating that you
are certain that the corresponding statement must be a metric ton of
metaphysical certitude

*Example* A dashing, debonair super star actor literally slapped a comedian
on national television less than hour before accepting the Best Performance
by a Leading Actor Oscar.
Balderdash! FOOL


Good luck!


*1. WALK ACROSS LEGO BRIDGE*
In the quaint German town of Wuppethal, one can walk across a LEGO bridge.
Exuding the vibrant colors we associate with these blocks, this bridge adds
some real flair to the community, but no real danger.

*2. A TITANIC NOVELLA*
American author Morgan Robertson wrote a novella about a ship called
"Titan" that struck an iceberg and sank during its maiden voyage across the
Atlantic. In this novel, the accident, which occurred in April, claimed
many lives owing to the insufficient number of lifeboats on deck. Now, one
could be forgiven for thinking that this work wasn't particularly
imaginative, until one realizes that he published this work in 1898....14
years before the actual sinking of the Titanic.

*3. RING AROUND A CARROT*
In 1995, a Swedish woman was preparing food for a Christmas dinner when she
lost her wedding ring. Despite her desperate attempts, she was unable to
locate the coveted annulus. Miraculously, the ring finally reappeared....16
years later. It was wrapped around a carrot that she picked out of her
garden!

*4. NATIONAL MYTHICAL ANIMALS*
What's America's national animal? Yes, of course, the bald eagle or the
American bison.
What's New Zealand's national animal? Yes, of course, the kiwi.
What's Scotland's national animal? Yes, of cour....wait?! The unicorn?!
What's Wales' national animal? Um....a red dragon?!

*5. RAINING EARS?*
Margot Cuthbert, an avid gardener living in Shropshire, England, ventured
outside to pick some vegetables just as a rainstorm began. To her horror,
she watched four human ears fall into her garden. She rushed into her house
and rang up the local constable. Subsequent investigation determined that a
consignment of severed human body parts was being flown to a Norwegian
medical school. Some of the ears were somehow dumped out of the plane.

*6. WE ARE ALL WRAITHS*
We are all wraiths, my friends!
After all, we consist of atoms which, themselves, are primarily empty space.
If we could remove all the empty atomic space from every person who has
ever lived and those alive today, the resultant material would be the size
of a sugar cube!

*7. BUT, WE HAVE A LOT INSIDE US*
Excuse me? Could I unravel all the DNA in your body? If I unraveled all
your DNA and tied them all end to the end, the resultant DNA bridge would
extend 34 billion miles! Much farther than the separation distance between
the Sun and Pluto!

*8. LAW OF CONES.* Did you know that if you're eating ice cream in a dish
instead of a cone in Maine you're breaking the law?! In 1936, the economic
wizards in the Maine House and Senate passed a law requiring people to
consume ice cream in a cone, not a dish, in order to increase sales of
cones. One of those provisions intended to address the economic anemia of
the Great Depression. It was rarely enforced and is now largely forgotten.



ANSWERS
*1. WALK ACROSS LEGO BRIDGE*
In the quaint German town of Wuppethal, one can walk across a LEGO bridge.
Exuding the vibrant colors we associate with these blocks, this bridge adds
some real flair to the community, but no real danger.
FACT!
Granted, the bridge is made out of concrete, but is painted to look like
LEGOS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego-Br%C3%BCcke

*2. A TITANIC NOVELLA*
American author Morgan Robertson wrote a novella about a ship called
"Titan" that struck an iceberg and sank during its maiden voyage across the
Atlantic. In this novel, the accident, which occurred in April, claimed
many lives owing to the insufficient number of lifeboats on deck. Now, one
could be forgiven for thinking that this work wasn't particularly
imaginative, until one realizes that he published this work in 1898....14
years before the actual sinking of the Titanic.
FACT!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wreck_of_the_Titan:_Or,_Futility

*3. RING AROUND A CARROT*
In 1995, a Swedish woman was preparing food for a Christmas dinner when she
lost her wedding ring. Despite her desperate attempts, she was unable to
locate the coveted annulus. Miraculously, the ring finally reappeared....16
years later. It was wrapped around a carrot that she picked out of her
garden!
FACT!
Presumably, the ring became mixed up in vegetable peelings that were put
out to compost. The ring became incorporated into the compost and then was
laid down on the garden, where it sunk into the soil and ultimately wound
up around a carrot.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-16374283


*4. NATIONAL MYTHICAL ANIMALS*
What's America's national animal? Yes, of course, the bald eagle or the
American bison.
What's New Zealand's national animal? Yes, of course, the kiwi.
What's Scotland's national animal? Yes, of cour....wait?! The unicorn?!
What's Wales' national animal? Um....a red dragon?!
FACT!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_animals

*5. RAINING EARS?*
Margot Cuthbert, an avid gardener living in Shropshire, England, ventured
outside to pick some vegetables just as a rainstorm began. To her horror,
she watched four human ears fall into her garden. She rushed into her house
and rang up the local constable. Subsequent investigation determined that a
consignment of severed human body parts was being flown to a Norwegian
medical school. Some of the ears were somehow dumped out of the plane.
FOOL!

*6. WE ARE ALL WRAITHS*
We are all wraiths, my friends!
After all, we consist of atoms which, themselves, are primarily empty space.
If we could remove all the empty atomic space from every person who is
alive today, the resultant material would be the size of a sugar cube!
FACT!
https://www.businessinsider.in/science/you-could-fit-the-entire-human-race-into-a-sugar-cube-and-13-other-facts-to-put-the-universe-into-perspective/slidelist/53831581.cms#slideid=53831583


*7. BUT, WE HAVE A LOT INSIDE US*
Excuse me? Could I unravel all the DNA in your body? If I unraveled all
your DNA and tied them all end to the end, the resultant DNA bridge would
extend 34 billion miles! Much farther than the separation distance between
the Sun and Pluto! FACT!
https://www.businessinsider.in/science/you-could-fit-the-entire-human-race-into-a-sugar-cube-and-13-other-facts-to-put-the-universe-into-perspective/slidelist/53831581.cms#slideid=53831583

*8. LAW OF CONES* Did you know that if you're eating ice cream in a dish
instead of a cone in Maine you're breaking the law?! In 1936, the economic
wizards in the Maine House and Senate passed a law requiring people to
consume ice cream in a cone, not a dish, in order to increase sales of
cones. One of those provisions intended to address the economic anemia of
the Great Depression. It was rarely enforced and is now largely forgotten.
FOOL!
Please don't forward this quiz to any state politician....better safe than
sorry.



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