Astronomy

During what season (in the Northern Hemisphere) is the Earth closest to the Sun?

Winter
http://www.space.com/3304-earth-closest-sun-dead-winter.html

Sports

What sports film was the first to win an Oscar for Best Picture?

Rocky
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky

Languages

From what country does the Flemish language originate?

Belgium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flemish

U.S. History

What 2 mountains are the only volcanoes in the contiguous United States to erupt in the 20th century?

Lassen Peak and Mount St. Helens
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassen_Peak

Geography

What 2 Utah counties are named after elements from the periodic table?

Carbon and Iron
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Utah

World History

From 1783-1784 a volcano erupted that has been estimated to have cause the death of 6 million people. On what island did the volcano erupt?

Iceland (the Laki volcano)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laki

Geography

The Grand Canal stretches from Beijing to Hangzhou and is the longest canal in the world and was built during the 5th and 6th centuries. Which major Chinese river flooded in 1855, destroying large portions of the canal?

The Yellow River
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canal_(China)