Did You Know.... Bible Trivia

by Naomi Craig

I love random trivia . In many forms like behind the scenes info about movies (Did you know in the musical Singin' In The Rain where Kathy Seldon does voice overs for the star, Lina Lamont, only the actual movie people thought Debbie Reynolds' (Kathy) voice wasn't mature enough so Jean Hagen (Lina) sang the movie song "Would you?" ----Ending up being Lina covering for Kathy who was covering for Lina)

Singin' in the Rain trailer 5.jpg, wikimedia

Historical tidbits---why I love this blog

And Random Bible Trivia.

I don't know why.

There is a sense of pride when I know the most answers in the American Trivia board game.

So let's get into some interesting Bible trivia.

Did you know the Bible is not only the best-selling book in the world (100 million per year ) but also the most shoplifted.

Wicked Bible - wicked passage.jpg, Wikimedia

Did you know in 1631, a publishing company accidentally omitted the word "not" from the 7th commandment? Around 1,000 copies were distributed before "thou shall commit adultery" was noticed. This version is known as the Sinner's Bible or the Wicked Bible.

How's your trivia inside the Bible?

Did you know about the left-handed assassin and the obese king?

The dead man comes to life at Elisha's sepulchre.jpg, Wikimedia

Did you know a man came back to life after his dead body touched the (very dead) bones of a prophet?

What about an Iron ax head floating in water?

Did you know there is a woman credited with building three cities?

Donkeys talking? Sounds like a cartoon or fantasy movie, but it's actually in the Bible first

Og's Bed (crop).jpg, Wikimedia

Did you know a man had a bed 13 1/2 feet long and 6 feet wide. (I'll give you a hint, it wasn't Goliath)

Or how about the man whose hair weighed 6 1/4 lbs. when it was cut annually.?


Did you know all these? What other random tidbits should be included?

Author of Biblical fiction, avid reader, and pastor's wife, Naomi loves reading the Bible and imagining how things were at the time. When she’s not serving in various areas at church or trying to stay on top of mountains of dishes, you'll most likely find her enjoying a good book and a cup of coffee. Naomi is the founder of Biblical Fiction Aficionados Community on Facebook and co-hosts #BehindTheStory on YouTube. When not writing or trying to wrangle social media, Naomi attempts to get her rescue dogs to be cute on command for the many pics she takes throughout the day.

What was your favorite Biblical Fiction you read that released in 2023?

Come on over to Biblical Fiction Aficionados and vote for the 2023 Readers' Choice Award

Quirky Montana Historical Facts

I came across my share of quirky historical trivia while researching the Montana Gold series, set during Montana’s goldrush, a wild and wooly time in the Old Wild West. Many colorful stories attach to place names in particular. Here, for your entertainment are some of the gems I mined in my historical research. 

Quirky Montana Historical Facts 

Montana was Idaho

You read that right. Idaho Territory formed March 4 1863 and covered some of the, er, territory that would become part of southwestern Montana in the present day. Prior to that date, the land was part of Washington Territory.

Image: Idaho Territory Coat of Arms

 The borders shifted again on March 26 1864, at the birth of Montana Territory. One family living in Hell Gate (south of what is now Missoula) held an unusual claim to fame. Their three children had been born in a single house but three different territories.

Image: Montana Territory Coat of Arms

The Ruby River contained no rubies

The Upper Ruby River; image by Mike Cline [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons

Early settlers mistook the pretty red gemstones they found in the riverbed and along its banks for rubies. These were in fact garnets. The name stuck, regardless.

Hell Gate Canyon earned its name.

Hell Gate Canyon from Heaven's Gate overlook, Idaho. Image by Dsdugan [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

French trappers named Hell Gate Canyon for the piles of human bones they found within it. The Flathead tribe had to pass through the canyon to reach hunting grounds on the other side. Unfortunately, the narrow canyon entrances made ideal locations for members of the Blackfoot tribe to ambush the hunting parties.

Deer Lodge wasn’t a building.

Hot spring mound in the "Deer Lodge" prairie of the Rocky Mountains.
Color lithograph after G. Sohon. [CC BY 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Well, okay. There are buildings in the town of Deer Lodge, and Deer Lodge Valley has its share of buildings. However, both the town and the valley were named after a mound. A remarkable landmark in its day, Deer Lodge Mound has less status in modern times. A warm spring (now capped) steamed at the top of the 40-foot-high geologic formation and deposited minerals down its side. This made the mound into a salt lick for multitudes of local deer. The spring steamed in the cold winter air, reminding the local tribe of a lodge with smoke curling above it.

Tell it to the judge.

Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis in a portrait miniature by John Wood Dodge (1807-1893)
 (www.civilwar.si.edu) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Virginia City, Montana was almost named after Jefferson Davis’s beautiful wife, Varina. However, Judge Bissell, a devout Unionist, refused to approve the town charter until the name was changed. The framers of the town opted for the judge’s suggestion of Virginia City, and the charter went through.

The fort that wasn’t.

Fort Owen in Montana's Bitterroot Valley; image by Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA
[CC BY 2.0 or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Major John Owen, a retired army sutler (supply manager), settled in 1850 with his beloved Native American wife in the Bitterroot Valley and there established a ‘fort.’ Really just a trading post, Fort Owen never housed soldiers or heard a shot fired. Major Owen was trusted by the local tribe and settlers alike. He served as Indian Agent to the Flathead tribe between 1856 and 1862.

Uncovering very human stories while researching my books makes history come alive for me. I hope I have given you a small window into the past.

About Janalyn Voigt

Janalyn Voigt's unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and whimsy creates breathtaking fictional worlds for readers. Known for her vivid writing, this multi-faceted author writes in the western historical romance, medieval epic fantasy, and romantic suspense genres. 

Janalyn is represented by Wordserve Literary Agency. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA. When she's not writing, she loves to garden and explore the great outdoors with her family.

Cheyenne Sunrise (Montana Gold 2)

Can a woman with no faith in men learn to trust the half-Cheyenne trail guide determined to protect her?

Young Irish widow Bry Brennan doesn’t want another husband to break her spirit. When she and her brother Con join a wagon train headed to Montana Territory, Bry ignores her fascination with Nick Laramie, the handsome trail guide.

Nick lives in an uneasy truce between the settlers and his mother’s tribe without fully fitting in among either. With no intention of dragging a woman into his troubles, he stifles his yearning for Bry.
The perilous journey throws the two together, leaving Bry no choice but to trust Nick with her life. Can she also trust him with her heart? Answering that riddle forces Bry to confront her unresolved questions about God’s love.

Based on actual historical events during a time of unrest in America, Cheyenne Sunrise explores faith, love, and courage in the wild west. Learn more.

Thanksgiving History and Trivia

Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here.  November has always been a time to celebrate family to me.  My parents got married in November.  My husband and I got married in November.  Two f my four children were born in November.  And quite a number of members of my extended family also have anniversaries and birthdays this month.

And of course the month is always capped off with Thanksgiving, a holiday that is always celebrated, at least among my clan, with a large gathering of family and friends.  And since we're just a few short days away from Thanksgiving, I thought it might be fun to list some of the history and trivia surrounding the holiday.

• The first Thanksgiving celebration took place in 1621 and lasted three days.  It was a true festival that included games as well as food.  The menu is thought to have included  lobster, rabbit, chicken, fish, squash, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried fruits, maple syrup and honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and goat cheese.
   
• In 1789 George Washington declared November 26^th to be a national day of Thanksgiving
   
• In 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation that officially set aside the last Thursday in November as the national day of Thanksgiving.  Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of The Godey’s Lady’s Book magazine and the author of the nursery rhyme Mary Had A Little Lamb, was instrumental in persuading Lincoln to do this.
   
• In 1920, Gimbel’s of Philadelphia held the first department store sponsored Thanksgiving Day parade.  Four years later Macys launched its own version and that one soon overshadowed Gimbel’s and became a Thanksgiving tradition.

   

• In 1941 Congress passed a law declaring that Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November rather than the last.
  
•  Beginning in 1947 the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey to the U.S. President.   The president then ‘pardons the bird and it normally lives out its remaining days on a public farm in Herndon VA called Frying Pan Park.

Other fun facts:      

• Approximately 280 million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving holiday in the US every year.
• The average American eats around 16-18 pounds of turkey each year
• It is believed that the tradition of having a ‘kiddy table for youngsters to sit at separate from the adults originated as a Thanksgiving tradition
• To determine if a cranberry is ripe enough to harvest and sell commercially, it must be able to bounce 4 inches.
• The busiest travel day of the year in the U.S. is the day after Thanksgiving
• North Carolina produces more turkeys than any other state
  

And now I'd love to hear about any Thanksgiving traditions you and your family celebrate, or any bits of holiday trivia not mentioned here.

And to all of you, I wish for you on this upcoming Thanksgiving a wonderful day filled with remembrances of all the many blessings we have in our lives, both past and present.