Impress Your Friends with Random Trivia, Vol. 4: Washington State Edition

It seems like these days it’s hard to find native Washingtonians living in Washington. For non-native Washingtonians residing in this state, you may find it easy to fit in to the culture of Washington with your casual attire, eco-friendly lifestyle and love of the outdoors.  But what happens when you’re at a party and the conversation turns to the natural and cultural history of our fair state? (I know.  It happens all the time.) Fear not.  You can impress your fellow party-goers with these interesting tidbits about the 42^nd state in the Union. To help you become a know-it-all, the Burke Blog brings you the next installment of:

Prior to 1916 Lake Washington was 10 feet higher than present.  That was the year the Lake Washington Ship Canal (listed on the National Register of Historic Places along with the Ballard Locks), was completed, which dramatically changed the hydrology of many Seattle area wetlands resulting in the Black River to dry up. 

The Valley of the Rainforest Giants, located in the Quinault Valley, is home to some of the world’s largest trees.  Measuring over 170 feet tall and nearly 20 feet in diameter, the largest western red cedar tree (Thuja plicata) in the world calls this valley home.

At 1,486 feet deep, Lake Chelan is the third deepest lake in the United States behind Crater Lake in Oregon and Lake Tahoe in California.

The Puget Sound region experiences huge variations in rainfall thanks to our multiple rain shadow effects (the blocking of rain producing weather patterns by mountains).  Sequim lies in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains resulting in 10 – 15 inches of rain each year while Seattle receives 38 inches of rain annually. 

The Olympic National Park, home to Olympic marmots (Washington States’ official endemic mammal), mountain goats, and Roosevelt Elk, is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve.

Did you already know all that?  Then you may have what it takes to win Burke Trivia Night at the College Inn Pub, which are held on the first Thursday of every month.  Can’t wait until then?  You’re in luck because the museum is hosting a special edition this Thursday, August 25 with Washington Wilderness Coalition. Test your knowledge of public lands including parks, national forests, roadless areas, wilderness, wild rivers and much more!

Posted by: Karin Moughamer, Communications 

Your local museum: coming to a pub near you?

It’s been six months since the first “Burke Museum Trivia Night” at the College Inn Pub and so far it has proven to be a great way to connect the museum to new audiences and inspire a sense of excitement about the natural and cultural world amongst the people who come to the bar to play trivia. Tonight at 8 pm we go at it again, with a fresh batch of questions based on subjects related to the museum’s collections, exhibits, or programs.

Not sure if a natural history-themed trivia night is for you? Here’s a sampling of some of my favorite questions from past Burke Trivia Night events:

* What is the official Washington State flower?
* In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, a book that prompted the United States government to ban the use of which pesticide?
* What is the name of the branch of biology that studies fish?
* Which former Seattleite hosted a show on PBS in the 90s teaching kids about science?
* In which country was the coffee plant first discovered?
* One tradition of the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead is to decorate skulls in honor of a deceased loved one. What is the edible substance used to make these skulls?

Still not convinced? Here’s a slide show of pictures from last month’s event – everyone had a great time!

Photos by Andrew Waits.

NOTE: The Burke Museum isn’t the only museum in town heading to the local pub to experiment with new forms of museum outreach: The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) has been contributing to quiz nights all over town for the past several months. Other local museums are catering to the twenty and thirty-something crowd by holding late-night events in the museum, such as Seattle Art Museum’s SAM Remix and Pacific Science Center’s Science With A Twist. These programs are all great ways to experience local museums in a new light!

Posted by: Julia Swan, Communications

Q: What will you find at a natural history-themed pub quiz?

A: Over 70 intrepid quiz-takers, ready to prove their knowledge of the natural and cultural world!

Burke Museum Trivia Night is a brand new outreach program that started last Thursday at the College Inn Pub in the University District. We were treated to a hugely successful turnout of UW graduate students and others who came to test their knowledge of the natural and cultural world. Fifteen teams competed for prizes (drink vouchers from the Pub and museum passes from the Burke) and everyone seemed to have a really great time.

I’ve been excited to start this program for a while now, so it was really gratifying to see it come together so seamlessly. The idea came to me this summer as I was brainstorming creative ways to share the collective knowledge of the Burke Museum with people beyond the walls of the exhibit galleries. A regular pub quiz seemed like a good way to expose new audiences to the many, many subjects covered by our museum. I mean, who doesn’t love drinking beer with friends and showing off how much you know about random subjects?

I was lucky to receive instant support for the idea from the Burke’s director, along with generous financial support from the UW Graduate School . Then, I found the perfect venue for Burke Museum Trivia Night—the College Inn Pub. I liked the College Inn Pub because it’s close to campus, has a nice, laid-back atmosphere, and already attracts a lot of grad students who I thought might be interested in coming to a natural history-themed pub quiz.

The quiz consisted of 6 different rounds (the topics for each round will change each month) of 5 questions each plus a bonus round at half-time. All of the questions had to do with subjects that relate directly or indirectly to Burke collections, exhibits, or research. We also featured a picture ID round and a rock ID round, using images and objects from the Burke’s collections. Here are some sample questions from the first Burke Museum Trivia Night:

From the “Mount Saint Helens” round: In what year did Mt. St. Helens erupt?
From the “Antarctica” round: The United States operates three Antarctic bases devoted to research. Name 1 of those stations.
From the “Where in Washington” round: Where in Washington will you find a Washington city whose name means “place of many waters” in the Nez Perce language for its proximity to both the Columbia and Snake Rivers?
From the “Dinosaur Movies” round: Which dinosaur does NOT make an appearance in the first Jurassic Park movie? A: Stegosaurus B: Tyrannosaurus Rex C: Brachiosaurus D: Triceratops
From the “Holidays” round: Which Mexican holiday honors and remembers friends and family members who have passed away?

Think you know the answers to these questions and others like them? Then come to the next Burke Museum Trivia Night on November 5. If you miss that, we’ll be back on the first Thursday of every month.

Oh, and that's me, hosting the first Trivia Night, wearing a moose hat that one of the teams let me wear for the second half of the game. It never hurts to be cheesy!

Posted by: Julia Swan, Communications