n Eponym of the week: Clyde Vernon Cessna. Previously an automobile dealer, he built his first airplane in 1911, eight years after the Wright brothers’ first flight. In the 1920s and 1930s, his companies became leading manufacturers of personal aircraft. Cessna was elected to the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1978.
n Can you dig it? Your humble trivia author, born and raised in New York City, always thought that the Holland Tunnel, which connects Manhattan and New Jersey, was named to honor the Dutch settlers that were the first Europeans to colonize the island. But in truth, the tunnel was named for Clifford Holland, who was the chief engineer for its construction.
Where are you most likely to encounter a mechanical device known as a rotary parlor?
A) At a dairy farm
B) In a post office
C) At a circus
D) In a chemistry lab
Wednesday’s answer: The state flower of Massachusetts is the mayflower, the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to Plymouth in 1620.
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