© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
An update has been released for the Android version of the WAMC App that addresses performance issues. Please check the Google Play Store to download and update to the latest version.

Any Questions #409: Hyphenated Companies

WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel consider a merger.Last week's challenge
Start with the phrase SUMMER SOLSTICE. Rearrange the letters and you can spell a certain nine-letter group of people, and a five-letter word that often welcomes those people. What are the words?
Answer: CUSTOMERS and SMILE.

THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: HYPHENATED COMPANY NAMES
On-air questions: On June 28, 1926, the company now known as Mercedes-Benz was formed when the two companies founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merged to form Daimler-Benz, which later that year produced the first vehicles under the Mercedes-Benz name. Mercedes-Benz is now a subsidiary of Daimler AG, which was known as DaimlerChrysler from 1998 to 2007, when it also owned the Chrysler brand. In 2018, Mercedes-Benz was the biggest-selling premium vehicle brand worldwide, with over 2.3 million cars sold. To commemorate the formation of Mercedes-Benz, this week our questions are about other companies with hyphenated names.

1. Named for its two founders, what company updated its logo in 2005 to highlight the number 31 in its initials (with the 3 forming part of the first initial and the 1 forming part of the other), referencing the 31 varieties of the product it sells?
2. What high-end kitchenware retailer is named for its founder and the California city where he opened his first store, a space which he converted from a hardware store after a trip to France that inspired him to import French cookware and accessories to America, making him one of the first people to sell restaurant-quality kitchenware to home cooks?
3. Founded in Cleveland in 1866, what company currently uses a logo consisting of a bucket labeled "SWP" hovering over a globe, pouring onto it red paint on which are written the words "Cover the Earth"?
4. In 2006, what company changed its New York Stock Exchange Symbol from HDI to HOG, reflecting the use of that word as a generic term for their product, which itself is a reference to a group of racers who used to take a victory lap with an actual hog on their vehicle?
5. What company added "InBev" to the end of its name after a 2008 acquisition, was until 2009 one of the largest operator of theme parks in the U.S., including its namesake properties in Williamsburg, Virginia and Tampa, Florida, and lent part of its name to the home stadium of the St. Louis Cardinals?

Extra credit
1. Electrical engineer David Packard co-founded technology company Hewlett-Packard in 1939. From 1969 to 1971, Packard served as the 13th Deputy Secretary of Defense in the administration of what U.S. president?
2. While most of their early toys were made of wood and steel, Fisher-Price began using what material in the 1950s, beginning with its "Buzzy Bee", recognizing its potential for brighter colors and durability?

This week's challenge
Start with the name FISHER-PRICE. Change one letter to an E and you can rearrange the result to spell an eight-letter word for small fruits and a three letter word for something those fruits are often used to make. What are the words?

ANSWERS
On-air questions

1. Baskin-Robbins
2. Williams-Sonoma
3. Sherwin-Williams
4. Harley-Davidson
5. Anheuser-Busch

Extra credit
1. Richard Nixon
2. Plastic

 

A lifelong resident of the Capital Region, Ian joined WAMC in late 2008 and became news director in 2013. He began working on Morning Edition and has produced The Capitol Connection, Congressional Corner, and several other WAMC programs. Ian can also be heard as the host of the WAMC News Podcast and on The Roundtable and various newscasts. Ian holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in English, both from the University at Albany, where he has taught journalism since 2013.
Related Content