General Trivia thread (the more obscure the better)

This North American town was briefly renamed "Winston" in the 1940s. Name it.

 

Salem, Mass.?
Total stupid guess based on W-S NC.

 

Berlin, CT? Berlin, NH?

 

Keep guessing...

 

Berlin, NJ?

 

Nein.

 

Missed that the clue was your phrasing of the question. Thought you meant US city but you said North America.

Poor Canada had a Swastika city. Forget which province, but it got changed during the war.

 

Swastika, Ont. Canada. Bingo (named after a nearby mine - town fathers renamed it winston during WWII, locals tore down the Winston sign because they were Swastika before Swastika wasn't cool).

What U.S. city was formerly known as Hot Springs? And why did they change their name?

 

Truth or Consequences, N.M.? Because the producers of the TV game show offered some amount of money ($25,000?) if a town would name itself after the show.

 

Ontario

 

Ding ding on TorC. About the only notable thing about the town is the name.

 

Not a riddle, but IMO an interesting piece of trivia. In 1944, numerous residents of Mattoon, Ill., were reportedly incapacitated by gas attacks in their home, administered by a prowler who was seen lurking in the community. The prowler, who was never caught, became known as the "Anesthetic Prowler, " the "Phantom Anesthetist" and the "Mad Gasser of Mattoon." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Gasser_of_Mattoon