• The 981 Project Podcast

  • 著者: Tamela Rich
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The 981 Project Podcast

著者: Tamela Rich
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  • Join Tamela Rich for dispatches from all 981 miles of the Ohio River: people, places, history, culture, and more.

    the981project.com
    Tamela Rich
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Join Tamela Rich for dispatches from all 981 miles of the Ohio River: people, places, history, culture, and more.

the981project.com
Tamela Rich
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  • December 2024 Trivia Time
    2024/12/19
    December 16 marked the anniversary of the 1967 collapse of the bridge that crossed the Ohio River between Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio. The Point Pleasant Bridge is usually called the Silver Bridge, and its collapse is often associated with the Mothman, a creature reportedly sighted in the area leading up to the disaster. The devastating event took place at rush hour, on a bridge built in 1928 when Model Ts were in use, not the heavier cars that followed. Two cars avoided plunging into the river, but 46 people died, and 9 bodies were never recovered. My great-grandmother lived on the Ohio side of the bridge and we crossed it several times visiting family before its collapse—yes, I’m “that” old. This month, we’ll explore bridge construction techniques, the disaster itself, the folklore and history of the Mothman, and a good bit more within ten questions. Note to my fantastic new subscribers:Monthly trivia is for sport. It’s not a test of intelligence or character. I couldn’t answer these questions without a significant amount of research, either! Do your best and enjoy learning something new. Answers in the footnotes.QUESTIONS* The Silver Bridge was named for:* Beloved local architect John H. Silver, who was born in Point Pleasant, but died one month before the bridge opened in 1928.* It was the first bridge in the United States to use eyebar chain suspension, a design that relied on a series of metal links (eyebars) to support the structure. Its shiny aluminum paint was innovative for the time, so the locals disregarded its official name.* Both.* We often tell our children that the weakest link in a chain determines its fate. This is also true of the Silver bridge collapse because…* A tiny crack developed in the lower part of eyebar 330 due to stress corrosion cracking. When the crack grew, it caused a sudden brittle fracture of the eyebar, leading to the rapid failure of the suspension chain and the subsequent collapse of the entire bridge. * In 1968, a junior-level bridge inspector noticed the stress on eyebar 330 and reported it to his supervisor. Instead of placing the issue on a list of items to re-inspect, the boss hid the report. Only after the bridge collapsed did the junior inspector come forward, but since he didn’t keep his own copy of the report, and the official copy of the file had been “temporarily misplaced,” the federal inspectors with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wrote him off as a glory seeker until he was vindicated in 1997 when the file was found. * Both.* The eyebar chain system was considered innovative because it used fewer materials compared to traditional suspension cables. Which of the following is true about bridge design? More than one may apply.* The eyebar design's failure mode is non-redundant, meaning that if one key component fails, the entire structure can collapse.* Today, bridges typically use cable-stayed or suspension systems with wire cables, which are more robust and offer multiple lines of support.* Most existing bridges with similar designs to the Silver Bridge have either been retrofitted or replaced to meet modern safety standards. * A cryptid is an animal or creature that is said to exist but has never been proven to do so. Cryptids are often featured in folklore and other accounts, and the list includes Mothman. What other creatures are considered to be cryptids? More than one may apply.* Bigfoot/Sasquatch* The Loch Ness Monster* The Jackalope* The Flatwoods Monster aka “Braxie”* For a year prior to the collapse of the Silver Bridge, the Mothman was sighted in the area, leading to the hypothesis that Mothman either caused or prophesied the accident. Which of the following characteristics were described by people who claimed to see the Mothman? More than one may apply. * Height between 6 to 7 feet with a humanoid form.* Wingspan 10 to 15 feet, resembling those of a bat or bird.* Large, glowing red eyes said to shine or glow in the dark.* The creature’s head seemed small or nonexistent, with the eyes appearing to be set directly into its shoulders or chest area.* What do skeptics of Mothman believe the sightings misidentified? More than one may apply.* Barn owls, barred owls and snowy owls. * Herons, or sandhill cranes.* An extra-dimensional spirit monster heralding the Age of Aquarius.* Richard Gere and Laura Linney starred in a 2002 movie about the Silver Bridge collapse. The Mothman Prophesies is a supernatural thriller about a journalist (Gere) whose wife sees the Mothman before she dies in a car accident. Two years later, he finds himself in Point Pleasant. Were any TV shows/episodes based on the Mothman? If so, name the show(s).* The 2002 movie kicked up interest in the Silver Bridge collapse and all things Mothman. Unveiled a year later, in 2003, Point Pleasant West Virginia, has its own Mothman statue made of stainless steel. How did artist Bob Roach land on the final design? * ...
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    27 分
  • November '24 Trivia
    2024/11/27

    Hello, Readers. In an effort to give you something neutral to discuss at Thanksgiving gatherings, I give you River Trivia. You’ll find questions on hydrology, dams, locks, dredging, flood management, plus specific questions about the Ohio River in the aftermath of the Great Flood of 1937. Try them out at “the kids’ table” too.

    Thanks to everyone who reached out about October ‘24 Trivia. I love knowing that something I’ve written has made you ponder. In case you missed it or would like to share it (please do!) click the link below.

    Note to my fabulous new subscribers:

    Monthly trivia is for sport. It’s not a test of intelligence or character. I couldn’t answer these questions without a significant amount of research, either! Do your best and enjoy learning something new. Answers in the footnotes.

    QUESTIONS

    * What is the term for the total amount of water flowing past a given point in a river over a specified period?a) Water Tableb) Dischargec) Runoff

    * What is one primary purpose of constructing a dam on a river?a) To increase sediment transportb) To increase biodiversityc) To generate hydroelectric powerd) To prevent aquatic life migration

    * What is the function of a lock in river navigation?a) To stop water from flowing downstreamb) To raise or lower ships between sections of a river with different water levelsc) To prevent fish from migrating upstream

    * What is a common purpose of dredging in river management?a) To decrease sedimentation in reservoirsb) To remove sediment and maintain navigation channels

    c) To build damsd) To create artificial lakes

    * What is a common method used to reduce the impact of river flooding in urban areas?a) Channelizationb) Dredgingc) Levees and floodwallsd) Water diversion tunnels

    * In the Ohio River region, certain species have experienced conservation success and are no longer listed as endangered. One notable example was removed from Ohio's endangered species list in 2012 after substantial population recovery efforts. Its resurgence is attributed to habitat protection, environmental regulations like the banning of DDT, and ongoing conservation programs. What species is this?

    * Bald eagle

    * Longheaded darter fish

    * Red-tailed hawk

    * Scioto madtom

    * The Great Flood of 1937, also known as the Ohio River flood, was a catastrophic flood that occurred in late January and February of 1937. How many people were known to be killed in that cataclysmic event?

    * 189

    * 248

    * 385

    * Which of the following cities was 95% submerged during that flood?

    * Louisville, Kentucky

    * Jeffersonville, Indiana

    * Paducah, Kentucky

    * Yes or no to each option: did Franklin Delano Roosevelt visit this city in the wake of the flood?

    * Cincinnati, Ohio

    * Louisville, Kentucky

    * Evansville, Indiana

    * Paducah, Kentucky

    * The Flood Control Act of 1938 authorized extensive federal investments in dams, levees, and other flood control structures. Which of the following is/are true about the Act and its outcomes?

    * By constricting rivers with levees, areas on either side of the levees can see higher water levels and more destructive flooding.

    * The focus on structural solutions often neglected the natural functions of floodplains, leading to habitat loss and disruption of ecosystems.

    * The Act primarily targeted major river basins, leaving smaller communities and tributaries vulnerable to flooding.



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    21 分
  • October '24 Trivia
    2024/10/17
    Last summer, after touring the floodwall murals in Covington, Kentucky, I ate at a pizza joint called The Gruff, situated close to the Roebling Bridge. While the bar filled up with Cincinnati Reds fans, I had my first encounter with bacon-apple pizza at the recommendation of my winsome waitress. As we chatted, I learned she’d just finished high school and was figuring out her next move in life. In time, she asked about my research project, which led me to test a theory about how much Kentuckians remember about their history as a border state. I asked, “Was Kentucky a Union or Confederate state?” I could tell by the way her eyebrows shot up that the question surprised her. “Let me think while I run your credit card,” she said. As I would have done at her age, she got it wrong. Kentucky never seceded from the Union. I just checked the Kentucky Academic Standards and it looks like my waitress would have studied the Civil War in eighth grade, which might explain her leaky memory, but it seems like the kind of thing that would have stuck in the way that you don’t need fingers to remember that 2+2=4. I’m not putting my waitress down or dismissing the quality of her education. In many ways, Kentucky presents itself to the world as a former Confederate state. As an aside, is eighth grade a bit early to study the complexities of the Civil War? Does it do any good to give eighth graders a survey course on something that still divides our country today? I’d love your thoughts.This brings me to the subject of this month’s trivia: Kentucky and the Civil War. The quiz will lean heavily on research and analysis by the scholar Ann E. Marshall in her book, Creating a Confederate Kentucky: The Lost Cause and Civil War Memory in a Border State. That’s where I found this 1926 quote from E. Merton Coulter, who observed that Kentuckians “…waited until after the war was over to secede from the Union.” Dr. Marshall reminds us that Kentucky’s white population identified as both Union and Confederate before and after the war, and that African-Americans, who identified with and fought for the Union, were eager to draw upon the Union victory to claim what had been promised to “all men” in the Constitution. That “emancipation narrative” never resonated with the majority of white Kentuckians, no matter their partisan affiliation. In the words of historian Patrick Lewis, Ph.D., “Kentuckians imagined themselves as the last remaining spokespeople with political power for a defeated South.” With that, it’s time for the quiz.Note to my fabulous new subscribers:Monthly trivia is for sport. It’s not a test of intelligence or character. I couldn’t answer these questions without a significant amount of research, either! Do your best and enjoy learning something new. Answers in the footnotes.QUESTIONSThe first four questions will help ground us in Kentucky’s economics and culture before the Civil War. Then we’ll move to the war years, and finally, the aftermath.* The African slave trade was outlawed by Congress in 1808, consequently raising the price of enslaved workers born into what’s known as the domestic slave trade. With proximity to the Ohio River, Lexington and Louisville became major slave markets. When the cotton gin created a cotton boom in the deep South, the average value of an enslaved worker sold in New Orleans rose from $500-1800 between 1800-1860. At the peak of the cotton boom (1850-60) how many enslaved people did Kentucky sell into the cotton belt?* Over 37,000, making it the fourth highest state in the domestic slave trade.* At least 54,000, making it second only to Virginia.* The Commonwealth of Kentucky taxed enslaved workers as property, eventually assessing owners 22 cents per $100 of value. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, with 250,000 enslaved workers in residence, what percentage of Kentucky’s tax revenue was based in human bondage/trafficking? * 10%* 20%* 35%* During Kentucky’s constitutional convention of 1849-1850, delegates debated the possibility of gradual, compensated emancipation. Proslavery forces in the state quashed all hopes of that. What did they accomplish instead?* Section three in the 1850 constitution bill of rights strengthened owners rights, saying, “The right of property is before and higher than any constitutional sanction; and the right of the owner of a slave to such slave, and its increase, is the same, and as inviolable as the right of the owner of any property whatever.”* They chartered The Kentucky Colonization Society and allocated money to purchase land for freed slaves to settle in Liberia. The colony was called “Kentucky in Africa.” * They repealed Kentucky's Nonimportation Act of 1833 to remove a significant barrier to a profitable domestic slave trade. The goal was increased tax revenue for the state.* In the 1860 national election, Abraham Lincoln took 40 percent of the country’s vote. What percentage of ...
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    39 分

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