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Kansas Trivia

Reconstructed entry archway at the Kansas Memorial Union on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence. (Photo by J. Schafer)

Remembering Our Veterans - November 15, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 11/15/2019 - 09:05

Q: On Monday, the nation honored its veterans. Parades and special ceremonies were held all across the country. Also on Veterans Day, the University of Kansas installed a newly-reconstructed entry archway at the Kansas Memorial Union. Inside the archway, a series of stars are etched into the stone, paying tribute to Jayhawks who died while serving their country during World War I. How many stars are etched into the archway?

This welcome sign along the border greets motorists from southwest Missouri as they enter Crawford County, in southeast Kansas. (Photo by J. Schafer)

Ad Astra per Mathematica (To the Stars Through Math?) - November 1, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 11/01/2019 - 09:05

Q: Today's question involves a simple matter of math and geography. If you know your Kansas counties and you can add... you can win! (Though, having a map will be helpful.) Here we go. Kansas has 105 counties. How many of them share a border with another state or river?

Southeast Kansas sky on a winter's day, taken near Hamilton, Kansas. (Photo by J. Schafer)

Kansas Place Name Puzzler - October 25, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 10/25/2019 - 09:06

Q: We're looking for the name of a small southeast Kansas town. Here are your clues:

It's located inside the Kansas county with the shortest name.
The name of the town is a portmanteau (port-MAN-too) of the names of two former rival towns.
The town's name sounds so cute, crunchy and wholesome, you can almost eat it!

Name this town!

A bugler from the U.S. Navy Band plays taps during a graveside service in Arlington National Cemetery. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser)

Military Traditions - October 4, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 10/04/2019 - 09:20

Q: The best-known U.S. National Cemetery is in Arlington, Virginia. But it wasn't the first - or even among the first dozen. Of the 14 original National Cemeteries designated by Abraham Lincoln, two are located in Kansas. One is at Fort Leavenworth. Where is the other one?

United States 15-cent Air Mail stamp

Kansas Philately (Stamp Collecting!) - September 27, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 09/27/2019 - 09:12

Q: In July of 1963, the U.S. Postal Service issued a new, 8-cent stamp honoring a Kansan. Do you know who?

The Big Well in Greensburg, Kansas, has a giftshop / museum and, of course, the world's largest hand-dug well. (Photo by J. Schafer)

Very LARGE Things - September 6, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 09/06/2019 - 09:05

Q: In 1949, a man from Hutchinson named H.O. Stockwell visited the Ellis Peck farm, a few miles east of Greensburg, in Kiowa County, Kansas. It was there that Stockwell discovered something big and heavy. He sold it to the people of Greensburg, where it remains on display today. What is it? (And be specific!)

Grave of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Mount Auburn Cemetery, west of Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo from Wikipedia.)

I'm a Poet & I Know It Because My Feet Are Longfellows - August 30, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 08/30/2019 - 09:08

Q: When it was founded in 1884, this western Kansas community was called Gopher (as in the burrowing rodent). A few years later, the townsfolk changed their minds. They renamed the place after the mother of Hiawatha in Longfellow's epic poem "The Song of Hiawatha." What's the name of this small town in Logan County?

A dog stares at a fire hydrant, near the intersection of 4th and Lincoln, in a small northeast Kansas town. (Photo by J. Schafer)

Art that Barks! (Name that Town!) - August 23, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 08/23/2019 - 09:11

Q: Near the intersection of 4th and Lincoln, you'll find the statue of a small dog, standing near a fire hydrant. Part of a public art installation, it's just one of 15 similar dog statues scattered about this northeast Kansas town. What's the name of this wonderful town... and what's the name of the famous terrier depicted by all the statues?

Smokey Bear, U.S. Forest Service *

He Ran Calling Wildfire - August 16, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 08/16/2019 - 09:57

Only YOU can prevent forest fires... and cheesy headlines! But anyone can play today's Kansas Trivia Challenge: Q: Smokey Bear -- sometimes called Smokey the Bear -- is celebrating his 75th birthday! The iconic bear was created by the U.S. Forest Service in 1944 as part of an advertising campaign to prevent wildfires. The version of Smokey Bear we know today was created by an artist from Herndon, Kansas. What's the name of this artist who became Smokey's manager and caretaker for 25 years?

Number 27, Jordy Nelson, was a standout player and YouTube celebrity at Kansas State University. (AP photo / Kelly Glasscock)

Wide World of Sports - August 9, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 08/09/2019 - 09:10

Q: Native Kansan and pro football player Jordy Nelson just retired from the NFL. The former K-State football star was born in Manhattan and grew up in the nearby town of Riley. Name both NFL teams Jordy Nelson played for -- AND -- tell us which Super Bowl he helped win! (As in, Super Bowl number... what?)

Donner Memorial State Park, including Donner Lake, near Truckee, California. (Photo from Wikipedia)

Pioneer Days - August 2, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 08/02/2019 - 09:35

Q: The infamous Donner-Reed Party traveled along the Oregon Trial on its way to California. Long before the pioneers ran into a blizzard near Truckee, California, they lost one of their members in what is now, northeast Kansas. In which Kansas county is this victim, Sarah Keyes, buried?

Statue of a Union soldier from the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers, commemorating the Battle of Island Mound, which is believed to be the first time black Union soldiers fought against Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. (Photo by Peggy Buhr)

War Between the States - July 26, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 07/26/2019 - 05:00

Q: In 2008, Missouri residents erected a statue and plaque honoring the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers who fought in the Civil War. In which western Missouri county will you find this tribute to the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers who fought at the Battle of Island Mound? (Incidentally, this Union victory is noteworthy in that it is believed to be the first Civil War battle in which an African-American regiment, under the command of black officers, engaged in combat against Confederate forces.)

Monkeying Around with the Space Race - July 19, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 07/19/2019 - 10:41

Q: This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, when America landed two astronauts on the moon. Before sending men into space, NASA sent animals. The first NASA monkeys to survive the flight into space were named Able and Baker, or... Miss Able and Miss Baker. Where did the rhesus monkey named Able live before blasting off into space?

Grinter Farms near Lawrence (Photo by Micah Naeger, taken in 2018)

Helianthus annuus - July 12, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 07/12/2019 - 09:15

Q: The state of Kansas has been known by a number of nicknames, including the Wheat State, the Jayhawker State and the Breadbasket of the World. Arguably, the most popular nickname for Kansas is the Sunflower State. Out of all the counties in Kansas (there are 105!), which one produces the most sunflowers?

Rags to Riches! - July 5, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 07/05/2019 - 09:05

Q: He went from living at Lone Star Trailer Court in Pittsburg, Kansas, to leading one of the world's largest retail companies. What's the name of the man who was born in Baxter Springs, graduated from Pittsburg State University and later became president and CEO of Wal-Mart?

Big Brutus, the second largest electric coal shovel in the world, on display in West Mineral, Kansas. While it's not the biggest one ever built, it's the biggest one still in existence. (Photo from Wikipedia)

Unusual Attractions - June 28, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 06/28/2019 - 09:08

Q: Many Kansans already know about Big Brutus. That's the enormous, electric, coal-mining shovel on display in southeast Kansas. The big shovel has been back in the news this month because something else has been added to the display at the Big Brutus Visitor's Center in West Mineral, Kansas. What's been added?

Hyer Brothers Shoe and Boot Shop, Olathe, Kansas, circa 1880s (Photo from Johnson County Museum)

Tall Tales from the Old West - June 21, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 06/21/2019 - 05:00

Q: According to some western lore and tradition, Charles Hyer, a shoemaker in Olathe, invented the very first one of these in the mid 1870s. But others claim it was invented in Abilene or Coffeyville. What was it?

Dymaxion House at its 1948-1991 site, near Andover, Kansas. (Photo from The Henry Ford Museum, where you can now tour the house.)

Kansas Manufacturing and the Space Race - June 14, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 06/14/2019 - 09:25

Q: Vending machines, pie plates, a corn harvester and the futuristic Dymaxion House, which looks like a flying saucer. All of these things were made by the same Kansas company that also supplied products for NASA's Gemini, Apollo, and space shuttle programs. What's the name of this innovative Kansas company?

Old tractor parked near a field full of sunflowers, Stafford County, Kansas (Photo by J. Schafer)

Place Names and Named Places - June 7, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 06/07/2019 - 09:14

Q: There are lots of towns in other states named after Kansas, Kansas City or the Kansas Territory. For instance, there's a place called "Little Kansas" in Pennsylvania and a "Kansas Settlement" in Arizona. There's a "Kansasville, Wisconsin," a "Kansas City, Oregon" and, of course, the city in Missouri named "Kansas City." Beyond these examples, can you name ANY OTHER state that has a city or town specifically named "Kansas?" Do Not count Kansas City, Kansas, in your answer.

An album cover from 1955 with Latin music honoring matadors and bullfighting. (Photo by J. Schafer)

Eso No Es Toro... and That's No Bull - May 31, 2019

KPR Staff – Fri, 05/31/2019 - 09:07

Q: The nation's first bullfight was held in 1884. The two-day event was held on July 4 and 5 in which Kansas town?

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Upcoming Events

Fri, February 7th - 11:00am

Anderson-Roe duo live
Anderson-Roe duo live
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The two pianists preview their Carlsen Center recital the same night.

Fri, February 7th - 11:00am
Tue, November 19th - 7:30pm

42FT- A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels- Cirque Mechanics
42FT- A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels- Cirque Mechanics
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Description: At the center of every circus rests a 42-foot ring full of thrills, laughs and excitement. 42FT – A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels, is the latest invention from the creative minds of Cirque Mechanics. The company dares us to leap into the circus ring and experience the timelessness of this evolving art form. The show’s unique mechanical interpretation of the traditional, and its story full of the lore of the historic one-ring circus, create a welcoming place, like a big top, where we can be amazed. The action in 42FT is full of theatricality and a modern sensibility, showcasing a galloping mechanical metal horse and a rotating tent frame for strongmen, acrobats and aerialists. Cirque Mechanics, inspired by modern circus, finds its roots in the mechanical and its heart in the stories of American industrial ingenuity. The shows, imbedded in realism, display a raw quality rarely found in modern circus. Cirque Mechanics signature style is wrapped in acrobatics, mechanical marvels and a bit of clowning around. 42FT follows the great successes of Birdhouse Factory, Boomtown and Pedal Punk. Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, to the Cirque Mechanics world of gears and canvas, pulleys and sawdust — within 42FT. Submitted by: Todd Holmberg McCain Performance Series

Tue, November 19th - 7:30pm
Tue, November 19th - 7:30pm

Indigo Girls
Indigo Girls
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Description: Tuesday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. Muriel Kauffman Theatre | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Since bursting into the spotlight with their 1988 self-titled breakout album, the Indigo Girls have made themselves a household name as one the music’s all-time top duos. With a loyal fan base spanning generations and countries, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers are the only duo with top 40 titles on Billboard 200 in the '80s, '90s, '00s and '10s. After signing with Epic Records in the late 80s, Indigo Girls released their acclaimed eponymous album, which included the spellbinding hit “Closer to Fine.” The album reached double platinum status and earned Ray and Saliers a GRAMMY nomination for “Best New Artist” and a GRAMMY award for “Best Contemporary Folk Recording.” Since that breakthrough record, the duo has released 14 albums, received six GRAMMY nominations and earned a GRAMMY award for “Best Contemporary Folk Recording.” Most recently, they released their 14th studio album, titled One Last Day, in 2015. In addition to their music, the Indigo Girls are dedicated to activism and social causes including human rights, women’s health, environmental issues, LGBTQIA rights and more. Proceeds of their “Take Action Tees” go to causes they support. “Along with Simon & Garfunkel and The Everly Brothers, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers rank at the very top of all-time great duos. The sublime music-making-machine-skewering “Making Promises” is one of their finest rockers.” – The Boston Herald Tickets for Indigo Girls range from $39 to $69, plus applicable fees and will go on sale to the public on Friday, August 2 at 10 a.m. Submitted by: Sydney Poteet Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Tue, November 19th - 7:30pm

Tower Frequencies

91.5 FM	KANU	Lawrence, Topeka, Kansas City
96.1 FM	K241AR	Lawrence (KPR2)
89.7 FM	KANH	Emporia
99.5 FM	K258BT	Manhattan
97.9 FM	K250AY	Manhattan (KPR2)
91.3 FM	KANV	Junction City, Olsburg
89.9 FM	K210CR	Atchison
90.3 FM	KANQ	Chanute

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