Pharmacy Blog

The original Badger Trivial Pursuit has just been updated. It's the 2005-06 Wisconsin Blue Book, the state's official biennial compendium of facts and figures.

Or maybe it's not so trivial. Every fact in the Blue Book is important to someone. The state's official biennial almanac is designed by the Legislative Reference Bureau to be a handy resource.

"It's the legislature's way of informing citizens about state government, really," says editor Lawrence Barish. "It's used by students. It's certainly used by legislators. It's really ubiquitous."

1) "Be Prepared" - Which high state official lists scouting in his or her official biography?

2) How many states - have publications like the Blue Book?

3) Land of (nameless) lakes - There are 15,057 lakes in Wisconsin. How many are named? a) Almost all of them; b) Around half; c) Fewer than half.

4) Slurp! Mix and match - In 2003, what percentage of petroleum use in Wisconsin was accounted for by industry? Residential? Transportation? Match the following numbers to the usage category. a) four; b) eight; c) 83.

5) Other than it's color - Why is it called a Blue Book?

6) Extra credit (two points) - How long does it take to put the Blue Book together? How many Blue Books are published?

7) Yee-ha! - Who is the only state senator to wear a cowboy hat in his official portrait?

9) And a cow is on the Wisconsin quarter - About how much money did the average Wisconsinite earn in 2003? a) $35,000; b) $30,000; c) $25,000; d) $20,000.

10) More money - About how much money did the average Dane County resident earn in 2003? a) $35,000; b) $30,000; c) $25,000; d) $20,000.

12) Speaking of income - How much money does a state legislator get paid? a) less than $10,000; b) between $10,000 and $30,000; c) more than $30,000.

13) Peri-odd-icals - Which of the following is a fictitious Wisconsin periodical, not listed in the Blue Book? a) American Bowler; b) Arctic Anthropology; c) Cheese Reporter; d) Doll Costuming; e) Old Cars Weekly; f)Pharmacy in History; g) Sheep!

14) Growth spurt - Which county had the greatest population increase between 2000 and 2004? a) Dane; b) Kenosha; c) Milwaukee; d) St. Croix.

15) Rising sons - In 1940, how many Japanese-Americans lived in Wisconsin? a) 23; b) 1,425; c) 2,868.

16) Love and marriage - True or false: From 2000 to 2003, the last year for which figures are listed in the Blue Book, the number of marriages declined every year.

17) "Let my people go!" - True or false: The Republican Party of Wisconsin Platform, approved in 2004, states that "We call for an end to governmental discrimination against religion and interference with the free practice of religion."

18) Housing boom - In 1970, including prisoners on probation or parole, the state correctional population was 12,391. In 2004 there were: a) 12,473; b) 25,939; c) 91,314.

19) "Do unto others" - True or false: The Democratic Party of Wisconsin Platform, approved in 2004, states that, "A Department of Peace should be established to support national policies for a safe and peaceful world."

20) Do these clothes make me look big? - How is the state much larger than you might think?

21) Hail to the ... ? - Who is "Commander in Chief" over the Wisconsin Army and Air National Guards?

22) Two's a legislature, three's a ... ? - In 1937 which party had a plurality in both houses of the state legislature?

23) Extra credit - From 1911 to 1937, which "third" party had at least one representative in the legislature?

24) Park Place and one other monopoly - Wisconsin produces 100 percent of what well-known U.S. cheese?

25) America's Furryland - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals may not like it, but Wisconsin leads the nation in production of what?

26) Pass the ... - Wisconsin ranks fourth in production of this popular condiment.

27) Head of the class? Or not - Wisconsin teachers are paid much more than the national average, much less, or about in the middle?

28) You give me fever - What was the average daily temperature in 2003? a) 60.3 degrees Fahrenheit; b) 52.6 degrees; c) 43.2 degrees.

29) Viva la deep-fried cheese curds - We've been a U.S. state for 157 years. How long were we a part of French territory? a) More than a hundred years; b) Between 50 and 100 years; c) Less than 50 years.

30) Bubbler and cheerio, old chap - For how many years was Wisconsin part of Great Britain? a) More than a hundred years; b) Between 50 and 100 years; c) Less than 50 years.

31) Why government is so busy (four points) - Every fifth grader knows that the official state tree is the sugar maple, the official song is "On, Wisconsin!," and the official wild animal is the white-tailed deer. But what is the official state fossil? The official dog? The official dance, and ballad?

32) I want mine - How can you get your own Blue Book?

1) Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager was on the Wauburn Girl Scout Council and is a "former Girl Scout Troop Leader."

2) "Only a handful do it," says Blue Book editor Lawrence Barish, of the Legislative Reference Bureau. Other states publish legislative directories or statistical abstracts, and some are called Blue Books, but these are not as all-encompassing or widely distributed.

3) c) Fewer than half. Only 6,040 of Wisconsin's 15,057 lakes have names.

4) Four percent of petroleum used in the state went to industry, eight percent to residential and 83 percent to transportation.

5) British governmental reports were named for their binding color as early as the 1100s, when Henry II's ledgers were nicknamed Black Books. Blue Books in England are reports submitted by the crown to parliament. In Germany and France they're called Yellow Books.

6) It takes 11 staffers at the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau about six months to update each new edition. About 67,000 of the current edition were printed; 62,000 went to legislators to give free to constituents.

9) d) The average Wisconsinite earned $21,020 in 2003.

10) c) The average Dane County resident earned $25,233.

11) Residents of Adams County earned, on average, $12,532 in all of 2003. Residents of Ozaukee earned an average of $36,196.

14) d) St. Croix County, opposite the Twin Cities, increased in population by 14.83 percent. Dane County grew by 5.67 percent. Milwaukee County decreased by .09 percent.

15) a) In 1940, only 23 Japanese Americans lived in Wisconsin. The other figures are from 1960 and 2000, respectively.

16) True. It actually declined every year from 1980 on, except for 1999 and 2000.

20) The state's boundaries officially extend into the centers of Lakes Superior and Michigan, and the Mississippi River.

25) Wisconsin produces 27.7 percent of the nation's mink pelts.

27) Wisconsin teachers rank 23rd in average annual salary, at $42,775.

28) c) Only 43.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Which may explain why commercials for Christmas albums have already started.

29) a) From our "discovery" by Jean Nicolet in 1634, we were part of France for 129 years.

30) c) The territory that became Wisconsin was part of Great Britain for 20 years.

31) The trilobite, the American water spaniel and the polka. Since 2001, we've had an official ballad, too. It's "Oh Wisconsin, Land of My Dreams." It begins, "Oh Wisconsin, land of beauty, with your hillsides and your plains, with your jackpine and your birch tree, and your oak of mighty frame."

32) You can get a Blue Book free from your legislator, unless his or her allotment has already been distributed. In that case, the 2005-2006 Wisconsin Blue Book is $7.25 plus tax and shipping. For ordering or other information, call the Wisconsin Department of Administration document sales unit at 1-800-362-7253 or 264-9419. The book's text also is available free on the internet, at www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/bb.

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