The Big Book of American Trivia by J. Stephen Lang

 What is the only U.S, city to have its coliseum and arts complex named for a German rocket scientist?

What sitcom (a spinoff from another sitcom) holds the record number of Emmys for a comedy series?

Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last queen, wrote what popular song or who was the boy in Bobby Gentry’s 1967 song who jumped the Tallahatchee bridge?

Then there’s my personal favorite: what TV series has the most clubs (hint: I’ve got a photo of two of the stars in my side bar)?

If you’re a sucker for trivia or just need a book to flip through while waiting for your rice to suck up water or maybe even while away the time during a bathroom break, The Big book of American Trivia by J. Stephan Lang is the book for you.

I mention rice cooking because that is how I whiled away the time while getting dinner ready. I kept the book on my kitchen counter and read through it while waiting on this or that dish to get done.

Basically, American Trivia is a fun, light read. It was fun to see how much I knew about TV (what children’s show had Mr. Moose, Miss Worm ad Mr. Green Jeans?), history (In 1956 what president signed a bill authorizing the construction of the interstate highway system?), parks (what state has Space and Rocket Center, Gulf Shores, and Bellinsgrath Gardens?) as well as facts about wars, leaders, famous landmarks, artists, authors, theme parks (do you know what Epcot stands for?), holidays, natural phenomena and ten questions about each state plus much more. Just remember, this book deals exclusively with American trivia so while there may be a taller building somewhere else what is the tallest skyscraper in the US (hint it’s named after a department store)? Or what musician has a parkway named for him in Henderson Tennessee (he fell into a ‘burning ring of fire’)?

There was quite a bit I didn’t know that I found quite interesting. I was surprised to find out what president spoke about no tolerance to the spread of Communism but let the Soviet Union take Hungary without a peep. I was both surprised and glad to discover that a nearby town here in East Texas is the source of more than half of the US supply of roses (I did know it had a Rose festival.)

In short if you’re a trivia nerd, want to practice for Jeopardy or, as I said, need a time filler for making dinner or make that bathroom trip a little more enjoyable, I would suggest increasing your brain’s storehouse of information with The Big Book of American Trivia by Lang.

Answers in order: Huntsville, Alabama after NASA scientist, Von Braun; The Carol Burnett Show; Aloha Oe; Billy Joe; Star Trek; Captain Kangaroo; Eisenhower; Alabama; Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow; the Sears Tower; Johnny Cash; Eisenhower; Tyler, TX.

I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishers