Alan Rock's Trivia

Q: The real St. Nicholas was born in what modern-day country?  

A:Turkey. It is believed that the real St. Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. According to legend, his extraordinary kindness led him to give away all of his inherited wealth as he traveled the countryside helping the sick and poverty-stricken. Admiration for his philanthropy eventually grew into the legend of Santa Claus.

Q: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created as a promotion for what department store?  

A: Montgomary Ward. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was originally created for Montgomery Ward department stores as part of a promotional gimmick. They hired a writer named Robert L. May in 1939 to write a Christmas story which could be given away to holiday shoppers. May's brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, liked the story and decided to write a song to go with it. The resulting "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", eventually recorded in 1949 by Gene Autry, has become a Christmas classic.

Q: In the 1965 TV special "A Charlie Brown Christmas", who builds a gray snowman?  

A: Pigpen. In the 1965 TV special "A Charlie Brown Christmas", the ever-filthy Pigpen can't keep his snow clean and builds a gray snowman.

Q: Eggnog was first consumed in what U.S. city?  

A: Jamestown, VA. According to the historical accounts of Captain John Smith, the first eggnog made in the United States was consumed in his 1607 Jamestown settlement. "Nog" was, apparently, a variation of the word "grog", which refers to any drink made with rum.