Trivia Quiz?

[phkrause]

22 hours ago, phkrause said:

What is the Official Name of the Presidents' Day Holiday?

Believe it or not, "Presidents' Day" is not the real name of the holiday you celebrate on the third Monday of February. Technically, that day is known as Washington's Birthday because it originally fell on February 22, which is George Washington's birthday. However, it became known as Presidents' Day thanks to marketing departments who, after the day of the holiday was changed to the third Monday of the month, saw a sales opportunity in the resulting three-day weekend. Interestingly enough, the idea to call the holiday Presidents' Day was first suggested by a politician in the 1950s, but the idea didn't stick because of opposition from the state of Virginia, where Washington was from. That shows you how powerful marketing can be.

 

22 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Do Older Calendars Sometimes Mention Washington and Lincoln's Birthdays as Separate Holidays?

You may find old calendars referencing two separate holidays for each president instead of one day, and you may hear stories from older people about how they'd get two days off in February instead of one. You're not hearing anything incorrectly. States often have holidays that aren't celebrated nationwide, and for decades, many states recognized both Lincoln's birthday and Washington's birthday as two distinct holidays. As Presidents' Day has become more established, more states have eliminated the two birthday holidays in favor of just the one federal holiday.

 

22 hours ago, phkrause said:

How Did the Creation of the Presidents' Day Holiday Cheat Lincoln?

Eliminating those separate days did Lincoln a disservice. Now, his February birthday isn't really officially marked anywhere except in four states (Missouri, Illinois, New York, and Connecticut). A few other states have legal language in the description of Presidents Day that states the day also celebrates Lincoln's birthday, but these states no longer have a separate holiday for him. A couple of states, Indiana and New Mexico, do have a day set aside to honor Lincoln, but it's in November on the day after Thanksgiving. The reason given varies between wanting to have a day to honor him without giving workers another paid day off to honoring Lincoln's declaration of the November Thanksgiving holiday.

 

22 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Was Presidents' Day Changed From a Specific Date to a Fixed Day?

If Washington's birthday is on February 22, and Presidents' Day is officially called Washington's Birthday, then why is Presidents Day celebrated on the third Monday of February instead of on February 22? You have Illinois Senator Robert McClory to thank for that. In the 1960s, Senator McClory created the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which took all those pesky single-day holidays that could appear in the middle of the week and moved them to a particular Monday in that month. The idea was well-intentioned; it was meant to create extra three-day weekends and give people holidays without disrupting the work week. However, this detachment of the holiday from its original date contributed to the perception that the day honors all presidents, and not just Washington and Lincoln.

[phkrause]

23 hours ago, phkrause said:

What is the name of George Washington's estate?

Mar-A-Lago Camp David Monticello Mount Vernon

Answer: Mount Vernon was the plantation house of George Washington, first President of the United States and his wife, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington. The estate is situated on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia, near Alexandria, across from Prince George's County, Maryland. The Washington family had owned land in the area since the time of Washington's great-grandfather in 1674. Mount Vernon was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and is today listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[phkrause]

How many people died as a result of the Hindenburg explosion in 1937?

A. 97
B. 57
C. 41
D. 36

[phkrause]

What was Malcolm X's last name?

Xavier Jackson Little Xander

[phkrause]

Which U.S. state has the most national monuments declared?

Texas California New Mexico Arizona

[phkrause]

4 Trivia Questions About the Assassination of Malcolm X

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X, a black civil rights leader who was feared by some and respected by others, was killed at age 39. Find out how much you know about this historic event by answering these trivia questions...

What Reason Was Cited for the Assassination?

What Event Preceded the Assassination?

What Controversy Surrounds the Assassination?

Why Did Malcolm X Leave the Nation of Islam?

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

How many people died as a result of the Hindenburg explosion in 1937?

A. 97
B. 57
C. 41
D. 36

D. 36

Of the 97 people onboard the Hindenburg, 35 perished, and one person on the ground was killed, bringing the total to 36.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

What was Malcolm X's last name?

Xavier Jackson Little Xander

Answer: Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm X was an African American leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam. Articulate, passionate and an inspirational orator, Malcolm X exhorted African Americans to cast off the shackles of racism "by any means necessary," including violence. The fiery civil rights leader broke with the group shortly before his assassination 52 years ago today, at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, where he had been preparing to deliver a speech.

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which U.S. state has the most national monuments declared?

Texas California New Mexico Arizona

Answer: There are 129 protected areas in the United States known as national monuments. National monuments are located in 31 states as well as in the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Minor Outlying Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Arizona, with 18, has the largest number of national monuments, followed by California and New Mexico. The Antiquities Act of 1906 grants the President authority to designate national monuments in order to protect “objects of historic or scientific interest.”

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Reason Was Cited for the Assassination?

The founder of the Organization of African-American Unity and Muslim Mosque, Inc. was shot to death on the stage of the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, New York. The reason cited for the murder was a public statement made by Malcolm X about Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam.

 

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Event Preceded the Assassination?

A week before Malcolm X's murder, his home in New York was firebombed by unknown persons. The Nation of Islam said they owned the house where Malcolm X and his family were living. They had filed a lawsuit to reclaim the property. The day before a hearing was scheduled in an attempt to have the eviction postponed, it burned to the ground. No one was charged with the arson, although Malcolm X blamed black Muslims for the attack.

 

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Controversy Surrounds the Assassination?

Three black Muslims who were members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of the crime. Sentenced to life imprisonment, one was paroled in 1985 and another in 1987. The third man, Thomas Hagan, entered a work release program in the early 90s, returning to prison only for the weekends. His final release was in 2010, after serving 44 years in prison.

Hagan was the only one of the convicted men who admitted that he was guilty of the crime. The other two men maintained their innocence throughout the years of imprisonment, and Hagan was quoted as saying that they were not involved in the shooting.

Another controversy stems from actions by the New York police. Normally, there were a number of police assigned to be present at rallies held by Malcolm X. On the day of the rally, there were only two police officers present, and they were nowhere near the meeting place. Louis Farrakhan was suspected of being one reason behind the assassination due to his negative public statements about Malcolm X, and this view was supported by Malcolm X's immediate family.

 

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Did Malcolm X Leave the Nation of Islam?

When Malcolm X went to prison for seven years on a burglary conviction, he became acquainted with Elijah Muhammad, who was a holy man associated with the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X became the spokesperson for the group, preaching that white men were evil and advocating for separation of the races. As Muslims, members of the group swore off eating pork, drinking, smoking and having sex outside of marriage. Farrakhan was a student of Malcolm X's teachings.

In 1963, Malcolm X discovered that Elijah Muhammad had children by various young women who worked for him, which was against the teachings. In 1964, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam and formed his own group, which upheld Muslim traditions but also taught respect for all other religions and races.

[phkrause]

Which True Blood stars are married?

A. Carrie Preston and Sam Trammell
B. Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer
C. Rutina Wesley and Nelsan Ellis
D. Chris Bauer and Kristen Bauer van Straten

[phkrause]

According to TV Guide, February 22, 10,000 B.C. is the birthday of which cartoon character?

George Jetson Mr. Magoo Pebbles Flintstone Casper the Friendly Ghost

[phkrause]

Trivia: Do You Believe In Miracles?

On February 22, 1980, the US Men's Olympic Hockey Team did what many thought was completely impossible and dethroned Russia's Olympic hockey squad. Try your luck with these trivia questions about one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history...

How Dominant Was Russia's Olympic Hockey Team?

How Did the US Hockey Team Train?

How Close Was the Miracle On Ice?

Why Did Al Michaels Get the Gig as the Play-by-Play Announcer for US Olympic Hockey That Year?

[phkrause]

George Washington introduced which animal to the United States?

Goat Mule Ox Camel

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which True Blood stars are married?

A. Carrie Preston and Sam Trammell
B. Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer
C. Rutina Wesley and Nelsan Ellis
D. Chris Bauer and Kristen Bauer van Straten

B. Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer

Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton are married - that would be Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer IRL.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

According to TV Guide, February 22, 10,000 B.C. is the birthday of which cartoon character?

George Jetson Mr. Magoo Pebbles Flintstone Casper the Friendly Ghost

Answer: According to the February 22, 1963, edition of TV Guide, Pebbles Flintstone was born at the Bedrock Rockapedic Hospital on February 22, 10,000 B.C. Pebbles Flintstone is a fictional character in the Flintstones franchise, and the daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone. In 1963, when Hanna-Barbera decided to add a baby to the show, their first choice was a boy. The Ideal Toy Company approached Hanna-Barbera with a proposal to change the baby character to a girl for which the toymaker could create a doll, and Hanna-Barbera agreed.

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

How Dominant Was Russia's Olympic Hockey Team?

Going into the game, it was reasonable to assume Russia would continue its dominance of men's hockey at the Olympics. Despite losing to the USA team in 1960 at Squaw Valley, Russia's hockey squad had run an impressive run since, at 27-1-1 over the preceding twenty years. Yes, they'd had literally one loss. Head to head against the US across those games, Russia had four times as many goals, 28-7, in games where the team competed.

Herb Brooks, the US coach, began picking his team in 1979 accordingly. Of the twenty players, only one, Buzz Schneider, had been on the 1976 squad. The rest were drawn largely from the University of Minnesota and Boston University, bitter rivals on the American college hockey circuit, and Brooks made every applicant take a psychological exam to see how they'd react to pressure. He wound up with a squad that was, on average, 21 years old, not just the youngest hockey team in US history to play the Olympics, but the youngest team in the tournament.

 

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

How Did the US Hockey Team Train?

Brooks was notorious for how hard he worked his team: Everyone had to do "Herbies," skating wind sprints, constantly to improve stamina and endurance, even after games. Over the course of 1979 and early 1980, they played 61 exhibition games, including a final one against the Russia squad on February 9, 1980, at Madison Square Garden. They lost, 10-3. Later on, the Soviet coach would confess that game was a mistake: He and his team underestimated the Americans.

Olympic group play at Lake Placid, NY, started out surprising but not perfect, with a 2-2 draw against Sweden. This, in the end, was what decided the medal: If the US hadn't tied, Russia would have won the gold by goal differential. But then the victories started coming: A 7-3 victory over Czechoslovakia, the silver medal favorite, and then victories over Norway 5-1, Romania 7-2, and West Germany 4-2. The Soviets, meanwhile, beat Japan 16-0, the Netherlands 17-4, Poland 8-1, Finland 4-2, and Canada 6-4, with that last win really standing out, since most NHL players at the time were Canadian.

 

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

How Close Was the Miracle On Ice?

The Miracle came down, largely, to Jim Craig, the goaltender. The Soviets took 39 shots on goal against Craig, and he only let three past. Two of those three came early in the first period, but US player Mark Johnson scored the tying goal with one second to go in the first period.

The Soviets scored a third goal in the second period, but it would be their last. Johnson scored another goal and team caption Mike Eruzione scored the fourth seconds after stepping onto the ice. The American team stunned the Soviets by playing aggressively with ten minutes to go, and the Soviets panicked, losing the game 4-3.

The Miracle wasn't fully complete until the US beat Finland 4-2 to win the gold medal. The Soviets beat Sweden 9-2 for the silver, but they didn't even turn in their medals to have their names engraved, and the memory has lingered for them ever since.

 

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Did Al Michaels Get the Gig as the Play-by-Play Announcer for US Olympic Hockey That Year?

Announcer Al Michaels is almost as much a part of that iconic 1980 team as any player. He called the team's games throughout their run in Lake Placid and punctuated that game against Russia with his famous line "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" It's why we now call the game the Miracle on Ice. So how did Al Michaels get the loftiest of gigs? Because he was the only person at ABC who had ever called a hockey game before.

And how many hockey games had Al Michaels called before that Olympics? One. When he was back at NBC, they had him call a 1972 match between the USSR and Czechoslovakia when they couldn't get anyone else to do it. Michaels says people still come up to him all the time to talk about the game, and he insists he never gets tired of it.

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

George Washington introduced which animal to the United States?

Goat Mule Ox Camel

Answer: George Washington is frequently called “The Father of the American Mule." Besides his role as founding father, George Washington was an avid mule breeder and receives credit for introducing mules to American agriculture. Washington began breeding mules at Mount Vernon after he received a stud jack from the King of Spain in 1785. A mule is a hybrid cross between a male donkey and a female horse. Washington was very fond of horses, but Washington quickly became convinced that mules would transform American agriculture.

[phkrause]

You can visit four of the 10 largest lakes in the world by visiting just one country. Which is it?

A. United States
B. Russia
C. Canada
D. Tanzania

[phkrause]

Who invented the vaccine for polio?

Dr. Jonas Salk Dr. Louis Pasteur Dr. Alexander Fleming Dr. Phil

Dr. Louis Pasteur, would be my guess!

[phkrause]

How Much Do You Know About 'Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima?"

On February 23, 1945, Joe Rosenthal took what would become one of the most famous photographs not just of World War II, but of the entire medium: Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. See how much you know about this seminal photograph with these questions...

When Did the US Invade Iwo Jima?

When Was the First Flag Raised on Iwo Jima?

Why Did the Photo Become So Popular?

[phkrause]

Which songwriter wrote the song, "This Land is Your Land” on this day in 1940?

Hank Williams Sr. Irving Berlin George Gershwin Woody Guthrie

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

You can visit four of the 10 largest lakes in the world by visiting just one country. Which is it?

A. United States
B. Russia
C. Canada
D. Tanzania

C. Canada

Superior, Huron, Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes all can be reached in Canada.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

Who invented the vaccine for polio?

Dr. Jonas Salk Dr. Louis Pasteur Dr. Alexander Fleming Dr. Phil

Dr. Louis Pasteur, would be my guess!

Answer: On this day in 1954, a group of children from Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received the first injections of the new polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk. Jonas Salk was an American physician and medical researcher who developed the first safe and effective vaccine for polio. There is still no cure for polio once it has been contracted, but the use of vaccines has virtually eliminated polio in the United States. Globally, there are now around 250,000 cases each year, mostly in developing countries.

[phkrause]

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

When Did the US Invade Iwo Jima?

US troops landed on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, as part of the "island hopping" strategy the US was pursuing to force Japan out of the Pacific Theater. Originally, Iwo Jima wasn't one of the islands, but the recapturing of the Philippines went much faster than expected, and the island lay halfway between Okinawa, where the next island invasion was planned, and the Mariana Islands, where the US long-range bomber squad was based.

The "long gray pork chop" was heavily fortified, with Mount Suribachi, a 546-foot dormant volcano, as its most prominent feature and the location of several artillery emplacements. That was bad enough, but technically it was part of Tokyo Prefecture, meaning if the US seized Iwo Jima, it would be the first Japanese soil captured by American troops. That, as far as the Japanese Army was concerned, could not be allowed to happen. Suribachi was the first target, and after four days of heavy fighting, it was captured.

 

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

When Was the First Flag Raised on Iwo Jima?

The most famous photo is not a depiction of the first flag raised on the island. That happened on the morning of February 23, under heavy fire. Ironically, raising the flag was what drew fire: When it went up, the cheers of Marines and blare of ship horns alerted the Japanese that Marines were on Suribachi, and fighting broke out.

"Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima" depicts the second flag raising. Sergeant Michael Strank of Easy Company was ordered to take some members of the company, including Corporal Harlon H. Block, Private First Class Franklin R. Sousley, and Private First Class Ira H. Hayes, and lay down telephone wire up the mountain as well as put up a larger flag. Joe Rosenthal, an Associated Press photographer, heard they were headed up and asked to join them. On their way up, they met Staff Sgt. Louis Lowery, who'd photographed the first flag raising, who told them it was a spectacular view. Rene Gagnon and Harold Schultz helped raise the flag, which Rosenthal quickly snapped off, realizing he was missing the action.

 

20 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why Did the Photo Become So Popular?

The Associated Press knew what it had right away, and Rosenthal's photo was plastered across hundreds of newspapers across America for the February 25 Sunday editions. After fighting on the island ended on March 26, the three survivors, Bradley, Gagnon, and Hayes were sent on a war bond tour, ultimately raising $26.3 billion for the war effort, twice what the tour was supposed to collect. Rosenthal, meanwhile, earned the rare honor of being the only photographer to receive a Pulitzer Prize for a photograph taken the same year the prize was awarded.

In 1951, Navy Petty Officer Felix de Weldon was ordered to design a monument based on the photograph, and three years later, that monument became the US Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, VA, giving Rosenthal's snapshot the honor of memorializing the spirit and patriotism of the Marines.