Hashtag Trivia
Plushies, Chocolate and Lady Liberty Walk Into a Pop Quiz
It’s a packed Wednesday on the holiday calendar, and NBC Palm Springs weatherman Jerry Steffen had Thalia trading her news hat for a game show hat for this week’s Hashtag Holiday Calendar and Pop Quiz, brought to you by One Coachella Valley.
Wednesday, October 28, is National Plush Animal Lovers Day, a celebration of the soft and cuddly stuffed animals most of us grew up hugging, and that plenty of adults still keep around. If you’re wondering what’s most popular, the top five are bears, dogs, cats, bunnies and elephants.
If cuddly isn’t your thing, how about chocolate? Wednesday is also National Chocolate Day. Don’t confuse it with International Chocolate Day on September 13 or World Chocolate Day on July 7, and there are plenty of other days honoring chocolate covered peanuts, dark chocolate and even chocolate covered insects. Today, though, any chocolate counts.
The day’s biggest history lesson comes courtesy of Statue of Liberty Dedication Day, marking the ceremony that took place on this date in 1886. Thalia, who grew up in the area and took her share of field trips to Ellis Island, faced two questions about Lady Liberty, while the control room played along from behind the scenes.
Think you know your Statue of Liberty trivia? Give these a try.
1) The famous promise welcoming the world’s tired and poor to America comes from a sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus. While the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France, it was the United States that attached the poem to Lady Liberty’s pedestal in 1903. What is the name of the poem?
A. The Hill I Climb
B. The New Colossus
C. Pioneers, Oh Pioneers
2) Of course, Jerry had to sneak in a pop music question. During the Nixon era of the 1970s, Paul Simon wrote and recorded a ballad about America losing its moral compass and the struggle to hold on to hope amid widespread disillusionment. Which Paul Simon single uses the image of the Statue of Liberty sailing away to sea?
A. American Tune
B. Kids in America
C. Living in America
Did Thalia ace it, and did the control room outsmart her? Watch the video above to test your knowledge and find out the answers.
By: NBC Palm Springs
October 28, 2026
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