July 23- Sports

Since it is 11:55, and this is the Daily Question, I'm just going to cut to the chase. The only state that still has a confederate flag waving at its capital is Georgia. I'm not 100% sure why, but I imagine it is because Georgia was one of the hardest hit states in the Civil War.



Now for today's question. This question has less to do with playing sports, but more to do with watching sports. With the invention of the television, sports were able to be seen in front row, even from miles away. Sports television has evolved significantly, and leading the coverage of a billion dollar industry is the broadcasting station ESPN. But, my question for today is: What does ESPN stand for?

July 22- Geography

Ancient Greece had four main elements: earth, wind, water, fire. Actually, all of these could be proven by burning a tree. First, you can feel the tree is wet. Once you light it on fire, you can see the elements escape, the water through steam, the wind through smoke, the earth as ashes, and the fire as, well, the fire. However, there is a curve ball; the fifth element. The fifth element was aether, a kind of void element. It represented the vacuum of space, and made up all celestial bodies. Actually, we get the word quintessential from it. Quint, which meant 5, and essential, meaning it was an element. So, a word for the void element that is everywhere now comes to mean something that is typical.



Now, to compliment some classical Greek philosophy, how about some Civil War geography? During the Civil War, the Confederate States of America made their own flag reminiscent of the U.S.A. one, red with a blue x and white stars. Today, all southern states have officially given up this flag, except for one. So my question is: Which state still has a Confederate flag perched atop their capital building?

May 31- Presidents

One of the main reasons I find presidential history so interesting, besides the word history being in it, is that I believe that whomever America elects as their leader shows where the nation is at that time. Just one example is the election of Thomas Jefferson after John Adams, two completely different presidents, but coming one after the other. That shows where America was in finding itself. I could go on all day, but alas, there is only 1 hour and 20 minutes left in that day, so I better speed it up. When electricity was brought into use for things like light bulbs, people didn't really understand it. Frankly, even people today don't really understand electricity that much. I'd sure have a hard time telling you how flipping the switch makes the light bulb turn on (perhaps that will be a Tuesday question...) The difference is, when electricity was first introduced, people were afraid of it. Actually, the president who had electricity put in the White House was so afraid of it, he wouldn't touch any of the switches (and he was a Civil War vet!) So for my daily question, I ask: Which president had electricity put into the White House?







The president who put electricity in the White House was Benjamin Harrison.

May 25- History

Since it is Memorial Day, I'm going to ask a question about said holiday. And also by happenstance, it is history day here at the Daily Question, so today's question will be about the history of Memorial Day. Originally called "Decoration Day", no one is really sure exactly where the holiday originated. Some say Waterloo, N.Y. Others, in the deep South. Anyway, New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday. By World War 1, all the states in the Union celebrated Memorial Day. Now, we celebrate Memorial Day on the last Monday in May (Passed by Congress with National Holiday Act.) But for my daily question, I ask: Which war is responsible for spurring the idea of a Memorial Day?






On May 5, 1868, General John Logan declared Memorial Day, and it was celebrated on May 30th. General Logan the national commander for the Grand Army of the Republic. He originally started it for the fallen veterans of the Civil War.
For more info visit: http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

May 17- Presidents

July 4th, 1776. A date known by most proud Americans as the beginning of the best country in the world. More specifically, 56 political radicals signed a piece of paper stating that America was its own country. 200 years after that, Americans rallied after Watergate to celebrate its 200 birthday. At that time, Gerald Ford was President. But this was only the 2nd party of the sort. 100 years earlier, however, was America's 100th birthday was at hand. Still recovering from the Civil War, the nation was in need of a big rally. Anyway, this brings me to my daily question: Who was president during 1876 (Bonus what was the name they were born with)?






The presidents name was Ulysses S. Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant.
For more info visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant

May 8- Music

ONNNN BROOOAAADWAAAY, ONNN BROOAAAD WAAAY. Sorry about that, but it was the only worthy way to open a daily question about Broadway. George Benson famously sang those words in his hit song "On Broadway" in 1978 (Though he wasn't the first.) to try to describe the sights, sounds and smells of the beloved Broadway Theater, (or Theatre if your fancy/British). Since the 1800's, companies that have morphed into the Broadway Theater in N.Y. City have been putting on plays, but it wasn't until The Gilded Age (Post-Civil War) that Broadway as we know it became popular. And some parts of Broadway are more popular than others. Which brings me to my daily question: Which MUSICAL has been preformed the most times on Broadway?





The most run musical is Phantom of the Opera with a whopping 8,771 showings since its debut in 1988. It also won that same year's Tony Award.