Wednesday, October 28, 2020

October RHS Trivia

1. Jane [or Deborah] "Mother" Leeds is connected with what South Jersey "myth"? 

 answer: The Jersey Devil. According to popular folklore, the Jersey Devil originated with a Pine Barrens resident named Jane Leeds, known as Mother Leeds. The legend states that Mother Leeds had 12 children and, after finding she was pregnant for the 13th time, cursed the child in frustration, crying that the child would be the devil. In 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night while her friends gathered around her. Born as a normal child, the thirteenth child changed to a creature with hooves, a goat's head, bat wings, and a forked tail. Growling and screaming, it beat everyone with its tail before flying up the chimney and heading into the pines. In some versions of the tale, Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child's father was the devil himself. Some versions of the legend also state that there was subsequently an attempt by local clergymen to exorcise the creature from the Pine Barrens. 

 2. Where is the oldest, still operating, light house in the United States? 

 answer: Sandy Hook, New Jersey [over 250 years old] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Light

 3. Where was the first dinosaur skeleton found in the United States? 

 answer: Haddonfield, NJ The Hadrosaur skeleton discovered in Haddonfield in 1858 was not only the first dinosaur fossil recorded found in the United States, it is also one of the most complete dinosaur fossils ever found. The Hadrosaur was also the first dinosaur ever to be put on public exhibit. https://www.thoughtco.com/hadrosaurus-1092727 

 4. Where was the world's first film studio? 

 answer: West Orange, NJ Edison's Black Maria Film Studio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison%27s_Black_Maria