Take me home, country roads…to some West Virginia Trivia in this week’s episode of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. As always, we’ve got three rounds of ten questions each where I ask and you do your best to answer. Don’t worry if you don’t know, you’ve just learned a new fact.
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Episode Intro
Take me home, country roads.
Hey gang, this is episode 172 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. I’m your host, Brian Rollins and this week, we’re heading to West Virginia, which, depending on who you ask, is either the northernmost southern state or southernmost northern state.
Either way, it’s three rounds of ten questions each.
A few of you have reached out to me about how to share the show with their less-technically-savvy friends and family. Stick around after the show and I’ll have some tips.
With that said, let’s get this show on the road.
The Dorky Round
1. Who was the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound?
2. West Virginia split from Virginia during what conflict?
3. Despite being famous for this fuel, WV is actually #2 when it comes mining what?
4. Filmed in parts of WV, what 1978 film starred Rober De Niro and Christopher Walken?
5. How many international airports are located in West Virginia?
6. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson returned to their iconic roles in what 2008 film set in WV?
7. Stretching from Georgia to Maine, what mountain range's center is located in West Virginia?
8. What future US president surveyed parts of West Virginia starting in 1748?
9. What river, which runs through Washington, DC, begins in West Virginia?
10. What 2007 heist movie starred Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, and Daniel Craig?
The Geeky Round
1. What state borders West Virginia to the Northwest?
2. Born in Fairmont, WV, who was the first American woman gymnast to win the All-Around event in the Olympics?
3. What female mathematician and West Virginian worked for NASA from the Mercury Program through the Space Shuttle program?
4. What Hillsboro native published The Good Earth in 1931?
5. What 2006 horror video game adaptation starred Sean Bean and takes place in a fictional West Virginia town?
6. Morgantown, WV is home to what institute of higher learning?
7. Taking place in WV, what 2010 horror-comedy flipped the script on the hillbilly slasher genre?
8. What 2006 Matthew McConaughey movie told the story of a college football team rebuilding after a horrific plane crash?
9. What abolitionist led a raid on the armory in Harpers Ferry in 1859?
10. What West Virginia senator lives on a boat while in Washington?
The Nerdy Round
1. What is the capital of West Virginia?
2. What is the official nickname for West Virginia?
3. What percentage of West Virginia's population speaks more than one language?
4. What holiday, celebrated in May, was first started in Grafton, WV in 1908?
5. What NASA engineer published two memoirs, the first titled Rocket Boys and the second titled, Don't Blow Yourself Up?
6. West Virginia bordered by how many other states?
7. What musician and West Virginian was the first person to win a Grammy for Best Polka Album?
8. Governor Cecil Underwood holds what two distinctions in West Virginia's history?
9. In 1927, the first Federal prison for what group of people was opened in West Virginia?
10. The state motto, 'Montani semper liberi' translates to 'Mountaineers are always…' what?
Episode Conclusion
And that’s it for West Virginia. I’ve never been, but I’ve been nearby and I know the area is gorgeous. Maybe on my next trip to DC I’ll find an excuse to head into the Mountain State. Additionally, here are a few bonus facts about West Virginia:
Bonus Facts about West Virginia
- The Battle of Philippi was the first organized land battle of the US Civil War.
- West Virginia has more towns named after other places than any other state in the US. You’ll find towns with names like Athens, Berlin, Cairo, Calcutta, Geneva and Shanghai.
- Though it’s the Mountain State, the highest peak, Spruce Mountain, is only 4800 feet tall.
- The largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America is located in West Virginia. The Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is also the second-largest building of this type in the world, after The Kremlin. I’ll let you draw your own connections there.
So, I mentioned a little technical support in the intro. If you’re looking for ways to listen to the show outside of a podcast app, I have a few suggestions.
First, you can listen to the show via Audible. It’s still free. Just search for Dorky Geeky Nerdy and you’ll find us. Just subscribe there and you can listen just like you would an audiobook.
Second, if you have a smart speaker like an Amazon Alexa or Google Nest, just ask it to play the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Podcast. It’ll start it right up and should remember your place in the show. It’s also a fun way to play it with your partner, family, or friends.
Lastly, you can manually download episodes right from the show’s website, DorkyGeekyNerdy.com/download. From there you can drop them onto a thumb drive, burn them to a CD, or whatever. I don’t care.
I’ll see you back here next week for another bit of fun and games. Here’s a clue to tide you over:
What was the first state to elect a female governor?
It might surprise you. See you back here next Wednesday.
This has been episode 172 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. The music has been by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com. I’m your host, Brian Rollins. You can find me at TheVoicesInMyHead.com.
Thanks for listening.
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Hosted & Written by Brian Rollins
Music by Jason Shaw
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