P.T. & Gloria’s “Fact or Fiction Quiz: Florida Edition” Answers

1. FICTION! If you answered FACT, then you’re 57 years behind! Florida was the southernmost state until Hawaii became a state on August 21, 1959. In Hawaii, surf may be up, but the state is waaaay down south!

2. FACT! The crypt is for B. P. “Pearl” Roberts, and she told it like it is till the very end.

3. FACT! Everglades National Park has a river so slow it makes a sloth swimming through syrup look fast. I’m talking Usain Bolt fast.

4. FICTION! New York used to be the third most populous state in the United States, but in 2014 Florida overtook it. So when it comes to population, Florida’s got a bronze medal, while New York gets zero, zip, zilch!

5. FACT! And here’s another fact: Florida has some weird traditions.

6. FACT! Florida is home to the Shrimping Museum in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. And they don’t skimp when it comes to facts about shrimp!

7. FACT! Florida has two rivers named Withlacoochee. And there’s nothing funny-sounding about that name. Nope! Not at all.

8. FICTION! Gatorade was created to help keep the players of the University of Florida’s football team, the Gators, hydrated during games. Think of it this way: the drink aided the Gators by keeping them hydrated. Gator + aid = Gatorade. See, your teachers were right! Math is useful in real life! (Don’t tell them I told you that.)

9. FACT! Miami was the site of the first ATM machine designed for in-line skaters. It was built with a ramp so that Rollerbladers could roll up to get their money and then roll out.

10. FICTION! Venice, Florida, is known as the Shark Tooth Capital of the World, not the Shark Fin Capital. Millions of years ago (right around the time your parents were born), Venice was covered by water. It was the habitat of many ocean predators, like the megalodon—an ancient shark as big as a school bus! Near Venice Beach is a place people call the Bone Yard. The Bone Yard is an ancient river bottom where shark teeth and other fossils collected over time. These fossils wash up on Venice Beach, making it the Shark Tooth Capital of the World!