Trivia

Did you know:

  • The Spanish founded the State of South Carolina in 1526.
  • The burglar alarm was patented by Albert Silva in 1875.
  • Hispanics introduced the cowboy and his hat, boots, lassoes, chaps, spurs, saddle, cattle, rodeos, ranches, and even the horse to the North American continent.
  • The $ symbol was taken from the pillars of the Spanish Imperial Coat of Arms and that in 1775 the United States adopted the "Spanish Dollar" as the basic monetary system
  • The first Thanksgiving happened 23 years before the Pilgrims arrived, when the Don Juan de Onate exploration arrived in El Paso after a treacherous trip from Mexico.
  • When George Washington ran out of money during the Revolutionary War, Cuban Society ladies contributed $12 million to the war effort.
  • Alfonso Alvarez Blade invented the Safety Razor in 1911.
  • San Augustin, founded by Pedro Mendez de Avilles, was the first city in the U.S in 1565.
  • The Spanish founded the first free integrated public school in San Augustine, Florida, in September 1787.
  • Rita Moreno is the only entertainer to have won the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy Awards.

Hispanic Q & A

Q: Why should you think of Hispanic Heritage when you see the yellow veil of mustard blossoms on the roadside?
A: Spanish soldiers and friars scattered the seeds to mark a trail.
   
Q: What event do Mexicans and Mexican-Americans celebrate on September 16th?
A: September 16 is Mexican Independence Day.
   
Q: What are sikus, quenas, wankaras and charangos?
A: Andean musical instruments
   
Q: What three U.S. states are home to most Hispanic-owned businesses?
A: California, Texas and Florida
   
Q: Who is the city of Galveston, Texas named after?
A: Marshall Bernardo de Galvez
   
Q: What historic event is remembered in Puerto Rico on September 23rd?
A: El Grito de Lares
   
Q: What historic event is celebrated on May 5th (or Cinco de Mayo)?
A: On May 5, 1862, Mexican forces defeated the invading soldiers of Napoleon in the town of Puebla.
   
Q: According to the census of 1990, which U.S. city is home to 49 percent of the Guatemalans living in the U.S.?
A: Los Angeles
   
Q: What is one of the accepted roots of the word Mariachi?
A: It is a variation of the French word mariage, meaning wedding or marriage; or that it comes from the name of the wood used to make the platform on which the performers danced to the music of the village musicians.