NAP- Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket

Trivia on.....

Valentines Day

VALENTINE'S TRIVIA QUIZ


1. The lovers' holiday, known as "Valentine's Day," has its origins in the Pagan rite of...
A) Romance
B) Joviality
C) Wine making
D) Fertility

2. Why is the name "Asterius" important to the Valentine's Day story?
A) He was Valentine's florist
B) He was Valentine's jailer
C) He was Valentine's chocolatier
D) He was Valentine's judge

3. Why does an "X" represent the kiss? This goes back to the Middle Ages when a person...
A) Was forced to kiss all documents over his signature.
B) Signed his name and then a priest had to kiss the signature to verify it.
C) Who was illiterate made an "x" and then kissed it in front of 2 or more witnesses to show their sincerity.
D) Had to kiss his signature before the king.

4. Who declared February 14th to be "Saint Valentine's Day" in 496 AD?
A) King Henry I
B) Charlemagne
C) Pope Gelasius
D) Pope Gregory XVI

5. The son of Venus, goddess of love and beauty, is associated with Valentine's Day. What is his name?
A) Eros
B) Valentino
C) Cupid
D) Amouros

6. Which Shakespearean character said, "Good morrow! 'Tis St. Valentine's Day"?
A) Romeo
B) Juliet
C) Oedipus
D) Ophelia


7. Sending anonymous Valentine's Day cards in 18th Century England became fashionable after this happened...
A) An increase of card shops
B) A reduction in Postage Rates
C) A paper mill strike ended
D) A reduction of printing costs

8. In the late 19th century, people sent valentines known as "penny dreadfuls". They were called "dreadful" because they contained...
A) Pictures of the devil
B) Insulting verses
C) Squashed insects
D) Bits of poison ivy

9. Why did the Allied governments outlaw troops from the writing "XXX" in letters home during World War Two?
A) To encourage creative writing
B) To prevent spies from using it as a code
C) To confuse the enemy
D) To discourage romance

10. Who sent the earliest surviving Valentine's Day card?
A) Duke of Orleans
B) Sir Walter Raleigh
C) Duke of Normandy
D) William Shakespeare

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE QUIZ ANSWERS ...


1. "Valentine's Day," has its origins in the Pagan rite of... D) The annual Roman fertility rite dates back to the 4th century BC Young men drew from a box the names of young women, who became their companions.
2. Why is the name "Asterius" important to the Valentine's Day story? B) Asterius was Valentine's jailer, and legend has it that his daughter's blindness was cured by Valentine. In a farewell note to her, Valentine wrote the message "From Your Valentine."
3. Why does an "X" represent the kiss? C) In days of old, when many did not know how to write, and X or the sign of the cross was accepted as a sworn oath. Sincerity of the oath was often finalized with a kiss of the X, hence the connection.
4. Who declared February 14th to be "Saint Valentine's Day" in 496 AD? C) Pope Gelasius named February 14 in honor of St. Valentine as the patron saint of lovers in 496 AD. to distance the church from pagan rituals.
5. Who is the son of Venus, goddess of love and beauty, and is associated with Valentine's Day? C) Cupid, the cherub who totes love potion-dipped arrows, is the son of Venus.
6. Which Shakespearean character said, "Good morrow! 'Tis St. Valentine's Day"? D) In Britain and Italy, some unmarried women got up before sunrise on Valentine's Day to stand by the window, believing that the first man they see, or someone who looks like him, will marry them within a year. In "Hamlet" the love within Ophelia's madness is shown when she speaks about Valentines Day, referring to the events of romance that she was denied. "Good morrow! 'Tis St. Valentine's Day, All in the morning be time, And I a maid at your window, To be your valentine!"
7. Sending anonymous Valentine's Day cards in 18th Century England became fashionable after this happened... B) There was a great increase in anonymous Valentine's Day cards — particularly risqu?© ones — in 18th-century England, when a reduction in postal rates made it affordable and fashionable.
8. Valentines known as "penny dreadfuls" were called "dreadful" because they contained... B) From the mid-1800's to the early 1900's, many people sent comic valentines called penny dreadfuls. These cards sold for a penny and featured insulting verses.
9. Why did the Allied governments outlaw troops from the writing XXX in letters home during WWII? B) So concerned were the Allies that "XXX" could be used to transmit messages by spies, the practice of sending a kiss through the mail was banned during the war.
10. Who sent the earliest surviving Valentine's Day card? A) Charles, the Duke of Orleans wrote a Valentine's Day card to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Pawtucket and the Wright Connection

Slater Cotton Mill on Pine Street in Pawtucket, RI will become 125 rental units, was once the mill site where Orville and Wilbur Wright purchased the wings of the first airplane in 1903. This is according to the Pawtucket Foundation. Fascinating story.

Trivial Counts

Number of flowers on an oreo cookie? 12 on each side..
First famous structure to be electrified in the USA? Statue of Liberty..
What Czech place has a beer named after it? Budweiser for Budweis.