Director’s Thoughts, JULY 2016
Fourth of July Trivia Questions can really be fun. Independence Day celebrations have been around a long time and there are probably a few things that you do not know about them and the time when this country was just getting started…. So read on, and learn some fun facts about the United States and answer some great trivia questions.
Question 1: What was the main reason the U.S. declared independence?
Answer: We declared independance because we were taxed without representation.
Question 2: How many people signed the Declaration of Independence?
Answer: 56 people signed the Declaration of Independence.
Question 3: In what city was the Declaration of Independence signed?
Answer: The Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Question 4: What are the first seven words of the Declaration of Independence?
Answer: The first seven words of the Declaration of Independence are “When in the course of human events.”
Question 5: Who approved the Declaration of Independence?
Answer: The Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence.
Question 6: Whose signature is the largest on the Declaration of Independence?
Answer: The largest signature on the Declaration of Independence is John Hancock’s.
Question 7: Who proposed “Lee’s Resolution” on June 1, 1776, declaring that we were independent of Great Britain?
Answer: This is one of the hardest Fourth of July Trivia Questions. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed Lee’s resolution.
Question 8: Who was the king of England when the colonies declared their independence?
Answer: George III was king of England when the colonies declared their independence.
Question 9: How many people were living in the U. S. in 1776?
Answer: There were 2.5 million people living in the U. S. in 1776.
Question 10: Where does the word “patriotism” come from?
Answer: The word “patriotism” comes from the Latin “patria” meaning “fatherland
Celebrations
Question 11: How many hotdogs are consumed on July 4th each year?
Answer: Americans consume 150 million hotdogs on July 4th each year.
Question 12: How much money is spent on fireworks every year?
Answer: Americans spend around 211 million dollars every year on fireworks.
Question 13: Who invented fireworks?
Answer: The Chinese invented fireworks.
Question 14: How many people have cook outs on July 4th?
Answer: Over 74 million people have cookouts on July 4th.
Question15: When did the Liberty Bell crack?
Answer: The first Liberty Bell cracked when it was being tested. It and the second bell were re-melted and forged again. The third Liberty Bell cracked in 1835.
Question 16: When did the Fourth of July become a national holiday?
Answer: This is the only three-part answer to the Fourth of July Trivia Questions. The Fourth of July became an unpaid holiday for federal workers in 1870. In 1938 it became a paid holiday, and in 1941, it was declared a federal holiday.
American Symbols
Question 17: What is our national bird?
Answer: Our national bird is the bald eagle.
Question 18: Where is the Liberty Bell located?
Answer: The Liberty Bell is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the tower of Independence Hall.
Question 19: Does the Liberty Bell still ring today?
Answer: The Liberty Bell no longer rings. It rang from 1778 to 1835, when it cracked.
Question 20: How did the name “Uncle Sam” originate?
Answer: The name: Uncle Sam” originated in 1812, when a meat packer by the name of SSSam Wilson provided meat to the U. S. Army. Someone saw the meat shipments that were stamped with U. S. and joked that the initials stood for “U”Uncle Sam” and the name stuck.
Question 21: What is the name of the National Anthem?
Answer: The name of the National Anthem is the “Star Spangled Banner.”
Question 22: Who wrote the words to the National Anthem?
Answer: Francis Scott Key wrote the words to the National Anthem.
Question 23: Who wrote the music for the National Anthem?
Answer: The music for the National Anthem comes from an old English drinking song nnamed, “Anacreon in Heaven.”
Question 24: Who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance?
Answer: Francis Bellamy wrote the Pledge of Allegiance.
Question 25: What were the colors of the first flag?
Answer: The colors of the first flag were red, white, and blue.
Question 26: Who sewed the first official American flag?
Answer: Betsy Ross sewed the first official American flag.
Question 27: Why were the stars in a circle on the first flag?
Answer:
Question 28: How tall is the Statue of Liberty?
Answer: The Statue of Liberty is 151 feet tall.
Question 29: What country gave us the Statue of Liberty?
Answer: France gave us the Statue of Liberty
So, how did you do? Thought you might enjoy some reading about the history of our wonderful nation! Happy 4th of July to all! Your elected Director, Sally
P. S. the answer to #27 =The stars were in a circle on the first flag to show that all the colonies were equal.
“Free Spirit” Chapter Meeting Minutes, June, 2016
No meeting held this month in lieu of the “Free Spirit” annual picnic!
QVC Studio Tour, May 27, 2016
On Friday, May 27th, 11 “Free Spiriters” met @ the Starlite Diner & Lounge to head their way to the QVC Studios, West Chester, Pa. Down Rt. 100 they went on a beautiful sunny Spring day! Once there @ QVC Studios, they met up w/ their tour guide. Spending nearly 1-1 ½ hours learning about the Studios, the gift shop was the highlight of their day! The Studios was born in 1986 by a gentleman who lived in the area. This Studio is the main headquarters of all QVC Studios around the world! They have “LIVE” broadcasts in France, Germany, Japan, China, etc. Their warehouses are located in North Carolina, Texas, and Lancaster, Pa. Currently there is one being planned to be built in Los Angeles, California. They broadcast 24/7, 364 days of the year, having Christmas off! Whew!! While this Studio in West Chester employs approximately 2000 persons, approximately 18,000 persons are employed worldwide! Who would have ever thought of that? Several studio sets w/ props are already in place for broadcasting their products. All products come w/ a 30 day money back guarantee! From there, the group enjoyed a lunch @ the Uno bar & Grill Restaurant. Thank you to Stacy/Don Sterner for an exciting & informative day!
“WELCOME” NEW MEMBERS!
Please add the following to your Buick Rosters:
Gary/Ann Dotterer of 10204 Walbert Ct., Kutztown, Pa. 610-285-2231
Loren/Jody Hulber of 7250 St. Peters Road., Macungie, Pa. 610-967-9540, lhulber@ptd.net, 1954 Buick Roadmaster, 76C
Brenda Littig of 1738 W. Main St., Apt B, Ephrata, Pa 17522. brendalittig@yahoo.com. 1970 GS
Joseph Higgins of 225 Faith Drive, Blandon, Pa 19510. 610-216-1584, joestang@ptd.net. 2002 Century Custom
“Free Spirit” Annual Chapter Picnic, June 12, 2016
The Annual “Free Spirit” chapter picnic was held under the Weeping Willow Pavilion, Macungie Park, Macungie, Pa on Sunday, June 12th. 28 “Free Spiriters”, 3 guests & 1 NEW MEMBER were in attendance during this annual event. Many stories, fact & fiction, were heard while members mingled. The food selections were, well what can I say but, “Superb, Wonderful, Tasteful, Scrumptious” to say the least!! New, this year, some fun BUICK trivia games were played & enjoyed by everyone. Sally made several announcements. The following are some of the major announcements:
50th Anniversary Celebration: As of 06/09/16, registered cars = 579
2017 National Meet = Brookfield, Wisconsin. 2018 = ?Colorado? (NOT California). 2019 = ?Atlanta, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland or Mt. Washington, New Hampshire?
Would the “Free Spirt” chapter have an interest in holding a 2018 Buick Regional? John Schieb to hopefully look at a proposed site located in Lehighton, PA.
DAF 2016, August 7, 2016 = Sally asked for volunteers to help park ONLY BUICKs during DAF on Sunday, August 7th. Need to be present @ 0700 on the Buick show field. No volunteers noted. IF YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER, PLEASE LET SALLY GETZ KNOW BY AUGUST 1ST. 484-464-3418 If NO VOLUNTEERS park BUICKS, we will lose our area & be displaced!
It was nice to see many members attend this year’s picnic (Dennis/Mary Ann Snell, & Leah/Wayne Kieffer). We “Welcomed” our newest member, Brenda Littig of Ephrata ,Pa. She is in the process of researching to restore a 1970 Buick Grand Sport! “WELCOME BRENDA & good luck on your adventure!!
Location, Location, Location: 10 Car names Inspired By Places
After animals, location names hold a special place in the hearts of automotive marketers. The more prestige or glamour that attaches to the place name, the better, even if the majority of buyers can’t find it on the map.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo: Chevy grabbed this chic Riviera tax haven for its new-for-1970 personal luxury car. They went on to use the name for more than 30 years.
Dodge Monaco: Since Chevy had already grabbed Monte Carlo (the name of the city) Dodge settled for the name of the tiny principality in which Monte Carlo is situated. It’s a reasonable certainty that few if any Dodge Monacos have ever been seen parked in front of the famous casino or dropping the rich and famous off at their yachts – if for no other reason than fact that Monaco’s narrow streets would have a tough time accommodating the full-size Monaco, the same car made famous as the Bluesmobile in the movie “The Blues Brothers.”
Chevrolet Malibu: Chevy’s ever-popular mid-size sedan was of course named after the seaside L.A.-area town loved by celebrities and hated by uber slacker “The Dude” in the Coen Brothers classic, “The Big Lebowski.”
Cadillac Eldorado: The Eldorado was indeed named after a place, albeit a mythical one. El Dorado was the legendary city of gold sought by countless Spanish conquistadors.
Kaiser Manhattan: The wartime ship-building company-turned-auto manufacturer built the distinctive Manhattan sedan. We’re reasonably sure that it was named after the NY borough, not the cocktail, but given the times, you never know.
Mercury Monterey: Mercury used the name of this historic California seaside town steadily from the early 1950s through the early 1970s, later slapping it on a lackluster minivan before killing off the Mercury brand entirely.
Buick Riviera: Buick certainly hoped to conjure up the glamour of the south of France with its new-for-1963 personal luxury coupe, but in truth it was the second time that Buick has appropriated the name of France’s Mediterranean playground, which is home to places like Cannes, Nice and Sainte Tropez.
Mercury Montego: For no apparent reason, Mercury swiped the name of a resort community in Jamaica.
Renault Floride: Perhaps as payback for Buick appropriating “Riviera,” Renault named its stylish little convertible the Florida, which is French for “Florida.”
Toyota Tacoma: Tacoma lives forever in the shadow of its larger neighbor to the north, Seattle. And while that town is known for grunge music and coffee, Tacoma will forever have the association with one fine small pickup.
Crash Test Dummy Inventor
Samuel W. Alderson (October 21, 1914 – February 11, 2005) was an inventor best known for his development of the crash test dummy, a device that, during the last half of the twentieth century, was widely used by automobile manufacturers to test the reliability of automobile seat belts and other safety protocols. Alderson was born in Cleveland, Ohio but was raised in southern California as a toddler where his Romanian-immigrant father ran a custom sheet-metal and sign shop. In 1952, he began his own company, Alderson Research Laboratories, and quickly won a contract to create an anthropometric dummy for use in testing aircraft ejection seats. At about the same time, automobile manufacturers were being challenged to produce safer vehicles, and to do so without relying on live volunteers or human cadavers.
In 1966, the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was passed, which together with Ralph Nader’s book, “Unsafe at Any Speed” put the search for an anatomically faithful test dummy into high gear. With this as a goal, Alderson produced the V.I.P., a dummy designed to mimic an average male’s acceleration and weight properties, and to reproduce the effects of impact like a real person. His work went on to see the creation of the Hybrid family of test dummies, which as of the beginning of the 21st century are the de facto standards for testing.
Alderson also worked for the U.S. military. During World War II, he helped develop an optical coating to improve the vision of submarine periscopes, and worked on depth charge and missile guidance technology. He also helped create dummies, known as “medical phantoms”, which reacted to radiation, and synthetic wounds, used in emergency training simulations, which behaved like real wounds. Based on that experience, he formed another company that he managed until shortly before his death, Radiology Support Devices, to supply the healthcare industry. Later on, he built dummies to test the Apollo nose cone’s water landing capability
BCA 50th Anniversary Celebration, July 27-30, 2016, Allentown, PA
Now it’s only 1 month away for this SPECIAL CELEBRATION to take place! If you haven’t registered yet, please do so for only 1000 cars will be allowed for display! REMEMBER, YOU MUST BE A NATIONAL BCA MEMBER TO DISPLAY YOUR BUICK!! It has been printed in the local newspaper that this
event will definitely surpass the 100th Buick Anniversary Celebration held in Flint, Michigan in 2003! Aren’t you curious to know whether or not this statement will be fact or fiction?
If you would like to volunteer some of your time to this event, in any way, please contact: Jack Welch, 781-662-4423, cartoys@comcast.net
Car Seat Belt Inventor/History
Nils Ivar Bohlin (July 17, 1920 – September 26, 2002) was a Swedish inventor who invented the three-point safety belt while working at Volvo. Born in Härnösand, Sweden, he received a diploma in mechanical engineering from Härnösand Läroverk in 1939. In 1942 he started working for the aircraft maker Saab as an aircraft designer and helped develop ejection seats. In 1958 he joined Volvo as a safety engineer. He is credited with the invention of the modern 3-point safety belt, now a standard safety feature in all cars. Bohlin worked on the seat belt for about a year, using skills in developing ejection seats for SAAB; he concentrated on keeping the driver safe in a car accident. After testing the 3-point safety belt, he introduced his invention to the Volvo Company in 1959 and received his first patent (number 3,043,625). Ten years later, he led the Central Research and Development Department for Volvo in 1969. In 1974, he was awarded The Ralph Isbrandt Automotive Safety Engineering Award, and in 1989 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Safety and Health. He received a gold medal from Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in 1995 and in 1999, was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. He retired from Volvo in 1985 and was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
The three-point seat belt changed the world by preventing injuries during a car crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that the seat belt saves about 11,000 lives each year in the USA alone. There are also seat belts in airplanes, buses, and is heavily used in sporting races. In addition to designing an effective three-point belt, Bohlin demonstrated its effectiveness in a study of 28,000 accidents in Sweden, and presented a paper at the 11th Stapp Car Crash Convention. Unbelted occupants sustained fatal injuries throughout the whole speed scale, whereas none of the belted occupants was fatally injured at accident speeds below 60 mph. No belted occupant was fatally injured if the passenger compartment remained intact. This study resulted in the U.S. Department of Transportation requiring three-point seat belts in American cars. In 1968, the new seat belt design was made free for the public to use. In most industrial countries, occupants are required by law to use seat belts.
Does anyone remember this Buick, maybe as a child growing up?
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
JULY 2016 HAPPY 4th of JULY!
3 – Anthracite Region AACA 31st Annual Car Show, McAdoo, Pa
4 – Fleetwood Car Show, Fleetwood, Pa
9 – 10th Annual Wings & Wheels Show, Bethel, Pa. robtlaep@comcast.net
10 – Antique & Classic Auto Show, Newtown, Pa. richnapoli@gmail.com
27-30 – BCA 50th Anniversary Celebration, Allentown, Pa
30 – 3rd Annual Upshift Summer Bash, Hershey, Pa. 717-991-5921
AUGUST HAPPY SUMMER!
5-7 – Carlisle Truck Nationals, Carlisle, Pa
5-7 – DAF, Macungie, Pa
7 – 7th Annual 4UDREW Car Show, Doylestown, Pa. 267-218-2866
13 – Car & bike Show, Warminster, Pa
14 – 4th Annual BOP Show, AACA Museum, Hershey, Pa. radioman@ptd.net
28 – 3rd Annual child Charity Car Show, Scranton, Pa. joecarra35@gmail.com
SEPTEMBER 2016 HAPPY LABOR DAY!
3 – 51st Duryea Days, Boyertown, PA
4 – Hanover Township Car Show, Bethlehem, Pa
6 – Monthly chapter meeting, Starlite Diner & Lounge, Rd. 100/78, Allentown, Pa. Dinner @ 6:00 pm, meeting @ 7:30 pm. Guest speaker is Mr. Ed Tremba from AAA on “Older & Wiser Drivers”.
11 – Strausstown Car show, Strausstown, Pa
18 – BOP show, Star Buick/GMC, Easton, PA
23-25 – Swap Meet, Englishtown, NJ
24 – “Bill’s Barn & Old Bike Tour”, Bloomsburg, Pa. Tourmasters Kathleen/Thomas Duckett.
CARS/PARTS “FOR SALE”
1939 Buick Special (41) 4-DR Trunk back Sedan, unrestored original car, Straight 8, manual transmission. Runs well! Rebuilt engine & components, brake system, drive train, transmission. Upgraded carb, electronic ignition, oil filter, NEW exhaust system. WW tires. Pics available. $16,500/negotiable. Ken Davis, 610-489-1649. kwmcdavis@verizon.net
1951 Buick Super (51) 4 dr. Excellent condition. Everything works, drive anywhere. Original paint interior. All mechanical things have been replaced or improved. 59,000 original miles. $11,500. William@ 610-970-7183, 484-948-6213.
1962 Buick Skylark Conv. Overall GOOD condition. Various NOS chrome installed. Runs/drives nice! Transmission, rear, top & rear window good. Dave’s Int. restorations, 525 Chestnut St., Emmaus, Pa 18049
1975 “Free Spirit” Buick Super Rare. Has the whole package minus the pace car script. T- tops bucket seats & console floor shift. Tilt wheel w/ original brushed aluminum three spoke wheel. 1800 made. This car is 100% complete minus trim rings & center caps. Comes w/ four original wheels & 4 appliance spoke wire wheels. 350 Buick 4 barrel & t-350 automatic. Needs complete restoration. CLEAN TITLE! $3500.00 obo Paul 605-9960.
1981 Buick Regal 4 DR dark green, garage kept. 75K mi. 717-576-7588
1987 Buick GN, T-Top blk w/ grey/blk int., orig parts, EXCELLENT condition, 3200 ORIGINAL miles. Stored in heat controlled garage. $28,500 (OBO), gbrentano@verizon.net
1996 Buick Riviera Diamond White w/ excellent burgundy leather interior. 106K miles. Supercharged, chrome wheels, astroroof. Garaged kept. New tires 9,000 miles ago. Super clean; not driven in winters; used for BDE Tours. Cold AC. Well maintained Buick. $7000. If not sold before, will be at BCA Celebration in July. Ed Lenny BCA # 7534 Allentown, PA. lugnuts36@icloud.com , 610-751-7700
In Search Of
1948 Buick Special 2 door back chrome. Doug @ 570-573-0948.
1951-52 Buick Mustache Bar to be rechromed, very hard to find! $400.00. William, 610-970-7183, 484-948-6213.
1951-52 Buick Roadmaster RH grille bar extension. C. Wenger, 433-710-6624, crewzn@broadstripe.net
1967 Buick Electra Conv. 610-730-4599, dwebster80@gmail.com