1. What is Times Square New York?
   What is Downtown Los Angeles?
2. What is Champs-Élysées, Paris?
   What is Piccadilly Circus, London?

The Times Square Ball Drop is how many Americans watch the final hours of New Year's Eve and the beginning of the New Year. The ball drop was meant to be a bigger New Year's Eve event which sprung from an annual fireworks show which had started four years earlier. That initial fireworks show was a promotional event to celebrate the new headquarters of the New York Times.

1. Who is Sir Walter Scott?
   Who is Robert Burns?
2. Who is Robert Louis Stevenson?
   Who is Edwin Muir?

Known as the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns wrote "Auld Lang Syne" to the tune of an older Scottish tune. It's been a Scottish tradition to sing this song at New Year's Eve and has been a popular tradition around the world for many years.

1. What are crepes?
   What are black-eyed peas?
2. What are pancakes?
   What are gummy bears?

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day goes as far back as the American Civil War. Usually black-eyed peas is paired with some pork product for flavoring, greens and cornbread.

1. Who is Hercules?
   Who is Zeus?
2. Who is Dionysus?
   Who is Bartles & James?

In ancient Greece, the tradition was put a baby in a basket and lift it high to the skies to commemorate Dionysus' rebirth. Usually Baby New Year is paired with old man Father Time, with his hourglass and scythe, as a symbol of the time passing (a baby in January and an old man by the end of the year). Father Time is associated with Cronus, who is the father of Zeus.

1. Who are the Romans?
   Who are the Greeks?
2. Who are the Egyptians?
   Who are the Babylonians?

Around 2000 B.C., or 4000 years ago, the Babylonians would celebrate the first new moon after the vernal equinox. The 11-day celebration was called Akitu, which heralded the victory of Marduk, god of the sky, over the evil sea goddess, Tiamat. This period was also when a new king would be crowned or the current king would be affirmed to rule another year.

1. What is weight loss?
   What is improved relationships?
2. What is quit smoking?
   What is be kinder?

This is probably unsurprising, but after the holidays, with all the yummy eats and treats, weight loss is the number one resolution for Americans. And this is why gyms are always packed during the first month of the year.

1. What are plums?
   What are grapes?
2. What are shrimp?
   What are potato chips?

Spaniards try to eat as quickly as possible 12 grapes, representing the hope for 12 lucky months. Whether you shove them in your mouth all at once or eat them quickly one by one, it's a fun and unique way to start off the New Year.

1. Who is Helena Bonham Carter?
   Who is Helen Mirren?
2. Who is Judi Dench?
   Who is Emma Thompson?

Dame Emma Thompson is the only person to have won Oscars in both screenwriting and acting. She's played numerous roles before and since Sense and Sensibility, including in Love Actually, Howards End and in the Harry Potter film series.

1. Who is Judi Dench?
   Who is Helen Mirren?
2. Who is Emma Watson?
   Who is Maggie Smith?

Dame Helen Mirren is one of the few actors to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Emmy, Tony and Oscar. Even though she's had many TV roles, she's been on the silver screen since the 1960s.

1. Who is Thandie Newton?
   Who is Keira Knightley?
2. Who is Sophie Okonedo?
   Who is Naomie Harris?

Thandie Newton's full name is Melanie Thandiwe Newton. "Thandiwe" means "beloved" in many southeast African languages. Newton has played numerous TV and film roles including an android on HBO's Westworld.

1. Who is Idris Elba?
   Who is Delroy Lindo?
2. Who is Daniel Kaluuya?
   Who is Chiwetel Ejiofor?

DJ Big Driis, also known as Idris Elba, has had that moniker since he was 19. He was already interested in acting at this point, but started auditioning for TV roles in his 20s. Elba has been the lead actor in the BBC drama, Luther since 2010.

1. Who is Patrick Stewart?
   Who is Ian McKellen?
2. Who is Alec Guinness?
   Who is Peter Cushing?

Sir Alec Guinness had a long and storied career in film and theater. It was only much later in his career that he starred in the Star Wars film series as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

1. Who is Ben Kingsley?
   Who is Laurence Olivier?
2. Who is Michael Caine?
   Who is Anthony Hopkins?

Sir Ben Kingsley's paternal grandfather was a successful spice trader who moved from India what is now known as Tanzania. Kingsley's birth name Krishna Pandit Bhanji and he took his first name from his father's nickname, Benji.

1. Who is Gary Oldman?
   Who is Jeremy Irons?
2. Who is Ian McKellen?
   Who is Kenneth Branagh?

Sir Ian McKellen has been acting since he was 20 years old, so nearly six decades. It's of no surprise that this Shakespearean actor from the X-Men film series and the Lord of the Rings series has also lent his voice to audiobooks as well as voice work in film and television.

1. What is Nevada?
   What is Colorado?
2. What is Arizona?
   What is California?

In 2017, due to record rainfall in California, the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) put on an unexpected dazzling show of color, causing many people to drive out and take selfies with the abundance of wildflowers. The California poppy was adopted in 1903 and can be seen on scenic route markers across the state.

1. What is the kumquat blossom?
   What is the plum blossom?
2. What is the apple blossom?
   What is the peach blossom?

You may be surprised to learn of Delaware's heritage with peaches, but in the 19th century, Delaware had over 800,000 peach trees. It used to be known as "The Peach State" but now it's typically known as "The First State" since it was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

1. What is the rose?
   What is the camellia?
2. What is red clover?
   What is mountain laurel?

For the state of Vermont, the state flower and the state insect are common companions. Red clover became the state flower in 1895, and the honey bee became the state insect in 1978.

1. What is Minnesota?
   What is North Dakota?
2. What is South Dakota?
   What is Montana?

The state of Minnesota made the pink-and-white lady's slipper (Cypripedium reginae) the state flower in 1967. You can find this flower in damp woods, in the swamps, and in boggy areas. Due to its rare nature (e.g. it can take up to 16 years for the first flower to appear), it is illegal to pick this flower.

1. What is the saguaro cactus blossom?
   What is the bluebonnet?
2. What is the great bougainvillea?
   What is the yellow rose?

At the turn of the 20th century, male Texas lawmakers had wanted the cactus or the cotton boll to be the state flower. But the National Society of Colonial Dames of America had other ideas, specifically that Lupinus subcarnosus (Sandyland bonnet) should become the state flower, which happened in March 1901. But then, it was found that Lupinus texensis was also native to the state, so after much debate, in 1971 the state included this species as well.

1. What is Oregon?
   What is Georgia?
2. What is Massachusetts?
   What is Oklahoma?

Oklahoma's floral emblem is mistletoe, adopted in 1893. Then the state wildflower, known as the firewheel or Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella), was adopted in 1986. The state flower is a more recent addition, the Oklahoma rose (Rosa Oklahoma), in 2004.

1. What is New York?
   What is Pennsylvania?
2. What is Maine?
   What is New Hampshire?

Maine's state flower is unique in that it's the white pine (Pinus strobus) cone and tassel. A cone is not a flower but is a gymnosperm, meaning it produces seeds without flowers. It may seem to be an unusual choice, but the white pine is on the state flag, state seal and the Maine quarter--so it's an important part of Maine's identity.

1. What is the Bahamas?
   What is Hispaniola?
2. What are the Lesser Antilles?
   What is Guyana?

Hispaniola was formerly called Santo Domingo in colonial times. The Dominican Republic holds two-thirds of the island to the east, making it the second-largest nation in the Caribbean (with Cuba the largest). Haiti holds the other third to the west.

1. What is Turks and Caicos?
   What is Antigua and Barbuda?
2. What is Curaçao?
   What is Grenada?

Grenada is a major exporter of the spices nutmeg (which is on the country's flag) and mace. Thanks to the rich, volcanic soil found on the island, Grenada also can export many fruits and cocoa.

1. What are the US Virgin Islands?
   What is Puerto Rico?
2. What is Anguilla?
   What is Trinidad and Tobago?

When the US Virgin Islands were under Danish rule (known as the Danish West Indies back then), people drove on the left-hand side. This didn't change after the US took over after WWI.

1. What is Cuba?
   What is Jamaica?
2. What is Montserrat?
   What is Saint Lucia?

The Irish came to the island of Montserrat back in the 17th century and claimed the country, but the British came and claimed it afterward. Then the Irish came as indentured servants, especially during the time when Oliver Cromwell had conquered Ireland. Due to the slave trade, Africans were also brought to the island, so the island's demographics are predominantly of an African-Irish mix.

1. What is Guadeloupe?
   What is Martinique?
2. What is Saint Barts?
   What is Saint Martin?

Guadeloupe has had many settlers since 300 AD. After the Arawak people came, the Caribs came in the 8th century. Then in 1493, explorer Christopher Columbus came, and it was a contested place until 1815, when France came into final control of the island.

1. What is the Dominican Republic?
   What is Dominica?
2. What is Belize?
   What is Aruba?

Dominica has a few different unique attributes, including the purple-plumed imperial amazon (also known as the Dominican amazon or the sisserou). This is Dominica's national bird and it's on their flag--the only national flag with purple. Dominica is also the only Eastern Caribbean nation to have the Kalinago people (also known as Island Caribs) living there, since they were slaughtered or driven away from other islands.

1. What is Sint Eustatius?
   What is Klein Bonaire?
2. What is Saba?
   What is Sint Maarten?

A part of the Caribbean Netherlands, Saba is only five square miles in land area and under 2,000 residents. Known for its ecotourism, Saba heralds itself as the "Unspoiled Queen" of the Caribbean.

1. What is Capricorn?
   What is Aries?
2. What is Pisces?
   What is Taurus?

The beginning of spring as the beginning of a new year harkens back to the Babylonians who would celebrate the New Year at the first new moon after the vernal equinox. Aries, represented as the ram, is the first sign in the zodiac.

1. What is Aquarius
   What is Cancer?
2. What is Virgo?
   What is Gemini?

Known as the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux are the sons of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, and Zeus, respectively. The third zodiac sign, Gemini in Latin means "twins", and as a constellation, Pollux is the brightest star, and Castor is the second brightest. From around May 22nd to June 21st, the sun is in Gemini.

1. Fire
   Earth
2. Air
   Water

The triplicities are called that because three zodiac signs belong in each element, and the elements are based on the classical elements. The eleventh zodiac sign, Aquarius is considered to be an air sign, with air being concerned thinking and intellect. The sun is in Aquarius from around January 21st to February 19th.

1. What is Libra?
   What is Virgo?
2. What is Sagittarius?
   What is Scorpio?

Libra is the seventh zodiac sign and represented by the scales. All the other signs are represented by people, animals or mythical creatures. The dates for when the sun is in Libra are September 24th through October 23rd, with the beginning of this period as the autumnal equinox.

1. What is Pisces?
   What is Leo?
2. What is Capricorn?
   What is Sagittarius?

The ninth zodiac sign, Sagittarius is a centaur holding a bow and arrow. In Greek mythology, this centaur is Chiron, an archery mentor for Achilles. The sun is in Sagittarius from November 23rd to December 21st.

1. What is Pisces?
   What is Capricorn?
2. What is Cancer?
   What is Aries?

The tenth zodiac sign, Capricorn is known as the sea-goat. Enki seems to translate to "Lord of the Earth" and was responsible for creation, fertility, water, knowledge and a lot more. The sun is in Capricorn at the beginning of the Winter Solstice (around December 22nd) to January 20th.

1. What is Scorpio?
   What is Ophiuchus?
2. What is Taurus?
   What is Cancer?

Ophiuchus as a sign tends to cause a bit of alarm every few years, but it is not a part of either the tropical zodiac (the more common zodiac used in astrology) or the sidereal zodiac. Its dates are in between Scorpio and Sagittarius, approximately November 29th to December 17th. This is based on the constellation boundaries instead of dividing the ecliptic (the sun's annual path) into 12 equal parts as is done in astrology.