What Vermont politician brought an actual dog and pony to his final press conference?
The answer: Former governor Jim Douglas, who used the animals as a self-deprecating joke in reference to his critics' contention that he hosted overly promotional "dog and pony show" media events.
"I will never get over this fact," Amanda Kay Gustin, host of the Vermont Historical Society's virtual trivia night, told an audience of about 50 people on Zoom. "It delights me."
The amusing question was one of 30 on a recent Wednesday when the contest's theme was "People of Vermont." The annual winter trivia series culminates in a championship on Wednesday, January 31.
With the help of a few volunteers, Gustin writes original questions meant to vary in difficulty — occasionally stumping her audience of history buffs.
"This isn't necessarily the average bar trivia," Gustin said. "This is for people who have a professed interest in and some level of dedication to Vermont."
The Vermont Historical Society launched virtual trivia night in 2020 as a pandemic-appropriate activity after several years of hosting trivia in pubs. The multiple-choice questions and answers appear on a shared Zoom screen, and competitors have one minute to answer on a phone or tablet via Kahoot!, a live quiz platform. Participants get more points for quick responses and a bonus for correctly answering multiple questions in a row.
On January 10, the people-themed contest was split into three rounds: Vermont's writers and artists, politicians, and a miscellaneous category. Questions covered a variety of influential historical figures with little-known connections to Vermont: For instance, Stephen A. Douglas, famous for debating Abraham Lincoln during the Illinois Senate race of 1858, was born in Brandon. Known as the "First Lady of American Journalism," radio broadcaster Dorothy Thompson lived on a 300-acre farm in Barnard with her second husband, the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Sinclair Lewis. The influential philosopher and educator John Dewey was born in Burlington in 1859.
Other trivia night themes have included Vermont places and weather and seasons, while the championship round will quiz participants on "every topic under the sun," according to the website. This year's prize is still in the works; previous prizes have included free history books from the Vermont Historical Society's store.
Gustin, the Vermont Historical Society's director of collections and access, often scours biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias focused on Vermont history for ideas. Another inspiration is The Vermont Quiz Book by Frank and Melissa Lee Bryan, published in 1986.
As a history lover, Gustin naturally picks up fun facts from her everyday life. She said she tries to "look for the nugget of what says something beyond just a simple fact. What does it make you think about when you know that thing about a town or a river?"
For example, a question about which Vermont politician was nicknamed the "wise old owl" of the Senate and spent only $17.09 on his last reelection campaign shows how well liked senator George Aiken was, Gustin commented during the event. She added that Aiken supposedly spent the money on postage.
Barre resident Fred Pond, 69, has been participating in virtual trivia night since it began in 2020. His volunteer work with the Vermont Historical Society helps him pick up on some obscure historical facts, he said. Pond won the trivia championship a few years ago and has been chasing a second victory ever since; his Kahoot! username is "OnceAChamp."
For Duxbury resident Kim Greenwood, 52, trivia night is a social event. She often logs on with her husband and parents, she said, and they compete to see who can score the highest.
While she doesn't formally sit down to study for the quiz, Greenwood has picked up historical facts as a member of the 251 Club of Vermont, a group of people who commit to visiting every one of Vermont's towns and cities.
Local history "feels more tangible" than general interest trivia, Greenwood said: "You could hear a trivia question [about a place], think it's really interesting, and next weekend, you could go to that place. It makes it really come alive."
Montpelier resident Joy Worland, 61, who works in the Vermont Department of Libraries, said learning about the state's rich history makes her proud to live here. While she knew Vermont had an abundance of authors, trivia has made her more aware of the state's many successful politicians. She said she's particularly inspired by Madeleine Kunin, Vermont's only female governor to date.
That kind of incidental learning is part of what Gustin sets out to accomplish with the event.
"If you're getting the question wrong, when the right answer appears on the screen, that's going to stick in your brain and move forward with you," Gustin said. "It's meant for you to laugh and enjoy yourself and go, Oh, that's so cool! I'm glad I know that now."