# U.S. History trivia quiz **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 26, 2007, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091 "2007-10-26T12:09:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/381 "2007-11-02T19:28:16Z")
1. James A. Garfield defeated this fella in 1880. And, although this is more of a guess, Harrison ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/382 "2007-11-02T19:29:35Z")
1. James A. Garfield defeated this fella in 1880. **James G Blaine** ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/383 "2007-11-02T21:42:32Z")
1. Can you name all the U.S. presidents, in order? I can, thanks to my 12th grade U.S. History teacher (plus more recent events). Last names only will suffice. Uh, uh, no peeking! ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/384 "2007-11-03T01:14:06Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Correct as to the name. I’d never heard of any connection to Mary Todd Lincoln, though. [/QUOTE] Just speculation, based mostly on the fact that Mary Lincoln’s mother’s maiden name was Parker, and that at least twice Mary intervened to secure appointments for people with that surname. Add that to the fact that Mary, while her husband was in Virginia on April 3, 1865, issued a letter needed to exempt Parker from the draft. Parker also remained on duty at the White House for some time after the assassination. The most amazing thing, though, is that his name appears nowhere in any official record of Lincoln’s death, and he was not called to testify at the conspiracy trial. Unfortunately, we’ll probably never know the explanation for all of these mysteries. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/385 "2007-11-03T01:39:37Z")
[QUOTE=Random] 189. John Quincy Adams defeated this man for President in 1824. Jackson. 1. James Buchanan defeated this gentleman in 1856. Fremont. 2. Lincoln defeated this guy in 1864. McClellan. 3. FDR defeated this dude in 1940. Willkie [/QUOTE] All correct. Well done. **OtakuLoki** , your description of the 1824’s endgame is generally accurate, IIRC. **Don’t Call Me Shirley** , thanks for the info on Parker. I hadn’t known that. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/386 "2007-11-03T01:41:01Z")
[QUOTE=5 time champ] 192. James A. Garfield defeated this fella in 1880. **James G Blaine** [/QUOTE] Incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/387 "2007-11-03T01:42:11Z")
[QUOTE=Ignatz] 194. Can you name all the U.S. presidents, in order? I can, thanks to my 12th grade U.S. History teacher (plus more recent events). Last names only will suffice. Uh, uh, no peeking! [/QUOTE] Believe it or not, yes, I can, from Washington to Bush the Lesser. I can even list their years in office without peeking. Do you want me to go ahead and do it? That’s a hell of a “question 194.” ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/388 "2007-11-03T01:52:01Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Believe it or not, yes, I can, from Washington to Bush the Lesser. I can even list their years in office without peeking. Do you want me to go ahead and do it? That’s a hell of a “question 194.” [/QUOTE] How about their Vice-Presidents? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/389 "2007-11-03T01:58:36Z")
[QUOTE=5 time champ] How about their Vice-Presidents? 😉 [/QUOTE] Some, maybe even most, but not all. I’m only human. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/390 "2007-11-03T18:21:48Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Believe it or not, yes, I can, from Washington to Bush the Lesser. I can even list their years in office without peeking. Do you want me to go ahead and do it? That’s a hell of a “question 194.” [/QUOTE] I believe it. but, as Emily Latella would say, “Never mind!”. That’s impressive. BTW, since no one has answered my Q108 & 109 (in post 204), I shall give more really big hints - 108. General John Glover (and his Marblehead Mariners); 109 the schooner _Hannah_ (built in Marblehead, Mass. but fitted out in Beverly, Mass.) ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/391 "2007-11-03T19:26:32Z")
Answers: 1. Polish immigrant who worked on Mt. Rushmore and devoted life to building monument to the American Indian (Crazy Horse Monument near Mt. Rushmore) is Korczak Ziolkowski. 2. W. C. Handy was portrayed on screen by Nat King Cole with a young Billy Preston playing him as a youngster. 3. Whizzer White played his professional football with the Pittsburgh Steelers. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/392 "2007-11-03T19:56:16Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] 123. Which of the Great Lakes has the shortest period between between replacing the volume of water in it? 1. Whitehall, NY has a contested claim to somewhat obscure fame. Name what it is. 2. Why is Rochester, NY known as The Flower City? [/QUOTE] Supplying the answers to these questions I posted earlier. 1. Lake Erie. 2. Whitehall is a small village on the southern end of Lake Champlain. During the Ticonderoga campaigns Benedict Arnold (IIRC) directed the construction of a flotilla of boats to fight the British squadron on the lake. As such it makes the claim to being the “Home of the US Navy.” Unfortunately, for Whitehall, there are several other places that supplied vessels for the fight against the British, some earlier, some later. And none of them with Congressional oversight. So - it’s a very contested honor. There is no one home of the US Navy. And each of the places I’ve been that make that claim, do so exclusively - of course. 1. During the settlement of the Ohio valley the grain farmed there was sent through the Great Lakes to the more settled east. Rochester, with the falls of the Genesee river, and the connection to the Erie canal, was an obvious site for milling the grain into flour. For many years Rochester was known as the Flour City. When the mills started to close with the shift towards steel production for the area, the name lingered. Then the city council chose to change the spelling of the name, to reflect the city’s committment to the arts: The Flower City. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/393 "2007-11-03T20:16:35Z")
[QUOTE=Frosted Glass] 180. What was the station name and location of the oldest educational television network in the country? [/QUOTE] WNDT, channel 13, NYC? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2007, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/394 "2007-11-05T05:34:52Z")
Turning to the world of espionage… 1. This patriot-spy purportedly said when he was about to be hanged by the British, “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” 2. This private detective spied for the Union during the Civil War and was notorious for overstating Rebel troop strength. 3. This man, nicknamed “Wild Bill,” headed the principal American spy agency during WW2. 4. What was the name (not just the initials) of that agency? 5. For most of the history of the CIA, what was the _exact_ title of its top official? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2007, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/395 "2007-11-05T05:40:57Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Turning to the world of espionage… 1. This patriot-spy purportedly said when he was about to be hanged by the British, “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” 2. This private detective spied for the Union during the Civil War and was notorious for overstating Rebel troop strength. [/QUOTE] 3. Nathan Hale. AIUI that quote is a bit problematic - there’s only one contemporary account of it, and I’ve heard there is some reason to question its veracity. Alas. 4. Pinkerton. I thought he was hired by McClellan, and his reports were being used as McClellan’s major reason for sitting still, instead of pressing a more aggressive campaign. (Makes one wonder whether Pinkerton inflated the figures on his own, or whether he had orders to “find all the _hidden_ Confederate troops.”) ETA I just remembered the answer to 197: Office of Strategic Services, aka OSS. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2007, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/396 "2007-11-05T05:56:43Z")
Correct as to all three. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2007, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/397 "2007-11-05T06:52:51Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Correct as to all three. [/QUOTE] 1. Wild Bill Donovan ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2007, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/398 "2007-11-05T06:59:42Z")
1. What was the alias of the leader of the Symbionese Liberation Army and what is the source of the name? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/399 "2007-11-05T14:43:30Z")
[QUOTE=denquixote] 196. Wild Bill Donovan [/QUOTE] Correct. William “Wild Bill” Donovan, hand-picked by FDR to lead the OSS. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2007, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/400 "2007-11-05T15:43:22Z")
1. For most of the history of the CIA, what was the exact title of its top official? **Director, Central intelligence** 2. What was the alias of the leader of the Symbionese Liberation Army and what is the source of the name? **General Cinque** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091.md?page=21)