On this day in 1939, one of the most famous scenes in movie history was filmed–Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara parting in Gone With The Wind. Director Victor Fleming also shot the scene using the alternate line, “Frankly, my dear, I just don’t care,” in case the film censors objected to the word “damn.” The censors approved the movie but fined producer David O. Selznick $5,000 for including the curse. And as we say here at ProofreadNOW.com, the rest was history. Gone With The Wind went on to become one of the greatest movies (if not THE greatest movie) of all time.
Also on this date, in Genoa, Italy, English scientist James Smithson died after a long illness, leaving behind a will with a peculiar footnote. In the event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson decreed that the whole of his estate would go to “the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Smithson’s curious bequest to a country that he had never visited aroused significant attention on both sides of the Atlantic.
Let's see if you give a.... er... if you care about the word quiz today.
1. docent
(a) one in charge of a museum, zoo, or other place of exhibit
(b) an original or official paper relied on as the basis, proof, or support of something
(c) a person who leads guided tours especially through a museum or art gallery
(d) a large imposing building (as a museum or a place of residence) especially in Italy
2. hush puppy
(a) a small quick bread made from dough that has been rolled out and cut or dropped from a spoon
(b) a small cake baked in a pan mold
(c) cornmeal dough shaped into small balls and fried in deep fat
(d) a saltless hard biscuit, bread, or cracker
3. legatee
(a) one that contests an award or decision in a will
(b) a contestant that does not win
(c) one who puts questions to contestants
(d) one to whom a legacy is bequeathed or a devise is given
4. blockade
(a) the isolation by a warring nation of an enemy area (as a harbor) by troops or warships to prevent passage of persons or supplies
(b) a usually temporary encampment under little or no shelter
(c) a military blockade of a city or fortified place to compel it to surrender
(d) a state of wild confusion or disorderly retreat
5. scarlet
(a) blonde
(b) red
(c) orange
(d) yellow
6. NOT a CSA
(a) Kentucky
(b) Texas
(c) Virginia
(d) Arkansas
7. colon
(a) the main dwelling of a hacienda
(b) a planting machine or implement
(c) a colonial farmer or plantation owner
(d) a public garden where tea and light refreshments are served
8. Confederate States of America capital
(a) Richmond
(b) Atlanta
(c) Charleston
(d) Charlotte
9. antebellum
(a) existing after a war
(b) existing before a war
(c) opposing or hostile to war in opinion, sympathy, or practice
(d) plain, unadulterated
10. pinetum
(a) a translucent amber-colored to almost black brittle friable resin that is obtained from the oleoresin or deadwood of pine trees or from tall oil and used especially in making varnish
(b) tar obtained by destructive distillation of pinewood and used especially in roofing and soaps and in the treatment of skin diseases
(c) a free peasant of a feudal class higher in rank than a cotter
(d) a plantation of pine trees
Correct answers:
1c; 2c; 3d; 4a; 5b; 6a; 7c; 8a; 9b; 10d
How many did you get?
| # Correct | Your Rating |
| All 10 | They’ll name a hall in the new Smithsonian for you. |
| 7-9 | You still think you're the cutest trick in shoe leather. |
| 4-6 | That’s your misfortune. |
| 2-3 | Oh, fiddle-dee-dee. |
| 0-1 | I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow. |
Intro text: history.com
Definitions: Merriam-Webster 11th Collegiate Dictionary
