How many gallons does a ten-gallon hat hold?

trivia/misnomers New

New entry, edited from material collected for the archive and not yet in a released version.

Problem

How many gallons does a ten-gallon hat hold?  (And ten more questions
about misleading names.)

1)  How many gallons does a ten-gallon hat hold?
2)  In what country were Panama hats first made?
3)  Where did the game of Chinese checkers originate?
4)  Where was the Battle of Bunker Hill fought?
5)  The Canary Islands are named for what animal?
6a) What kind of musical instrument is the English horn?
6b) Where was it invented?
7)  Where was the Woodstock Festival held?
8)  From what animal do we get catgut?
9)  What are camel's hair brushes made of?
10) Where were Venetian blinds invented?
BONUS) Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?

-- Brett Hughes <hughes@studsys.mscs.mu.edu>, October 1993

[ Editor: the questions are taken from the poster's answer list; the
  parenthetical in the first line is the editor's. ]

Show solution

Okay, I can answer a couple of these.

>5)  The Canary Islands are named for what animal?

Dog, of course.

>8)  From what animal do we get catgut?

Sheep.

>BONUS) Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?

No one.  Gen. Grant and his wife are entombed there.

-- Mark Isaak <isaak@aurora.com>

As I promised, here they are:

1)  How many gallons does a ten-gallon hat hold?
        Only about 3/4 gallon.  The "gallon" is derived from a Spanish
        word for a braid used to decorate hats.

2)  In what country were Panama hats first made?
        Ecuador.  Panama was the distribution center for the hats.

3)  Where did the game of Chinese checkers originate?
        The game was invented in Sweden, derived from an English game
        called "Halma", and marketed under the name "Chinese checkers"
        in the U.S.

4)  Where was the Battle of Bunker Hill fought?
        At neighboring Breed's Hill.

5)  The Canary Islands are named for what animal?
        Wild dogs.  The dogs were discovered by the Romans.  The
        original Latin name for the islands is Insulas Canarias,
        meaning "Island of the Dogs".

6a) What kind of musical instrument is the English horn?
        An oboe.
6b) Where was it invented?
        Developed by the Viennese and refined by the French.

7)  Where was the Woodstock Festival held?
        Bethel, NY (about 45 miles from Woodstock)

8)  From what animal do we get catgut?
        From the intestines of sheep.  (I remember reading somewhere
        that it could also be pigs.)

9)  What are camel's hair brushes made of?
        The tails of squirrels.

10) Where were Venetian blinds invented?
        Japan.

BONUS) Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?
        If you want to get technical, nobody is BURIED in Grant's
        Tomb, but Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia, are entombed
        there.

Just some more useless information if you happen to make it on
Jeopardy . . .

Someone pointed out to me that there are camel's hair brushes which
ARE made of camel's hair, but the majority come from squirrels.

-- Brett Hughes <hughes@studsys.mscs.mu.edu>