# 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:** 54
**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:** [January 20, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1061 "2008-01-20T19:49:48Z")
[QUOTE=movingfinger] 702: Transportation, Treasury and–I’m guessing here–Interior? [/QUOTE] The first two, yes. But the Coast Guard was never under Interior’s aegis. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2008, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1062 "2008-01-21T16:02:56Z")
1. This SecDef was so wily he was dubbed “the Richelieu of the Cheese Belt.” **Les Aspin? but it seems he would have got that name in the US House of Representatives** 2. Other than the Defense Department, of what three other Cabinet departments has the Coast Guard been a part since its creation? **War Department** 3. Which uniformed military service was the last to have its own intelligence branch? **Since it was the most recently created, the Air Force?** ---
**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:** [January 21, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1063 "2008-01-21T16:14:20Z")
[QUOTE=5 time champ] 700. This SecDef was so wily he was dubbed “the Richelieu of the Cheese Belt.” **Les Aspin? but it seems he would have got that name in the US House of Representatives** 1. Other than the Defense Department, of what three other Cabinet departments has the Coast Guard been a part since its creation? **War Department** 2. Which uniformed military service was the last to have its own intelligence branch? **Since it was the most recently created, the Air Force?** [/QUOTE] 3. No. 4. Actually not the one I was thinking of, but you’re right. Still, there’s one more. 5. Incorrect. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day… 1. The MLK holiday became Federal law during the administration of this President, despite his initial opposition. 2. This candidate sent a telegram urging King’s release from jail just before an election, probably bringing over many black voters to his side. 3. Before he gave his famous “I have a dream” speech, King delivered a “rough draft” of it at this Cleveland-area church. 4. King earned his doctorate from this university. 5. What do the acronyms CORE and SNCC, two organizations with which King worked, stand for? ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1064 "2008-01-22T01:29:07Z")
First off, two answers: 1. Clark Clifford 2. Melvin Laird In addition, I will now repeat the questions I asked earlier, and will post answers if none are given in the next 48 hours. [QUOTE=Governor Quinn] 1. In 1958, the Governor of California and the former Senate Majority Leader from that state engaged in an action that ended both their political careers. Who were they, and what was it? 2. In 1950 and 1952, back-to-back Senate Majority Leaders were defeated by Republicans who would become of note later. Who were they, and who were the Republicans? 3. He was the last Speaker of the House to leave his post to enter the US Senate. 4. Only one Senator has represented three states in the United States Senate. Name him and the states he represented. 5. Name the first US Senator to reach the age of 100. [/QUOTE] ---
**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:** [January 22, 2008, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1065 "2008-01-22T02:17:49Z")
1. The MLK holiday became Federal law during the administration of this President, despite his initial opposition. **Ronald Reagan** 2. This candidate sent a telegram urging King’s release from jail just before an election, probably bringing over many black voters to his side. **JFK** 3. King earned his doctorate from this university. **Emory** 4. What do the acronyms CORE and SNCC, two organizations with which King worked, stand for? **Congress for Racial Equality and Southern Nonviolent Coordinating Committee** ---
**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:** [January 22, 2008, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1066 "2008-01-22T05:22:48Z")
[QUOTE=Governor Quinn] … 689. [The Truman aide who later was LBJ’s last SecDef] Clark Clifford 700. [The SecDef dubbed “the Richelieu of the Cheese Belt”] Melvin Laird … [/QUOTE] Both correct. Laird was from Wisconsin, and was praised for his wiliness by no less a master of bureaucratic jujitsu than Henry Kissinger. **5 time champ** : 1. Correct. 2. Correct. 3. Nope. 4. Congress _of_ Racial Equality, but yes as to both. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1067 "2008-01-22T14:30:39Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] 707. King earned his doctorate from this university. [/QUOTE] Boston College or University of Boston… something Boston-y. He has honorary doctorates from all over, too. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1068 "2008-01-22T14:32:09Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] 702. Other than the Defense Department, of what three other Cabinet departments has the Coast Guard been a part since its creation? [/QUOTE] Department of the Navy? ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1069 "2008-01-22T16:59:29Z")
1. The CG is currently part of the Dept. of Homeland Security. ---
**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:** [January 22, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1070 "2008-01-22T17:05:52Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Boston College or University of Boston… something Boston-y… [/QUOTE] Boston University, yes. And **want2know** is correct about the USCG and its place within DHS today. **Really Not All That Bright** , I consider the Navy Department a component of the Defense (and, earlier, War) Department and thus wasn’t counting that, either. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1071 "2008-01-23T15:41:12Z")
Who said it, and why? 1. “We will never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.” 2. “Son, they’re _all_ my helicopters.” 3. “What did the President know, and when did he know it?” 4. “Whenever I hear someone defend slavery, I have a strong desire to see it tried by him personally.” 5. “The tree of Liberty must from time to time be refreshed with the blood of patriots.” ---
**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:** [January 23, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1072 "2008-01-23T16:35:37Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Who said it, and why? 1. “We will never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.” 2. “Son, they’re _all_ my helicopters.” 3. “What did the President know, and when did he know it?” 4. “Whenever I hear someone defend slavery, I have a strong desire to see it tried by him personally.” 5. “The tree of Liberty must from time to time be refreshed with the blood of patriots.” [/QUOTE] 6. JFK, Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 7. Sen Howard Baker during the Watergate hearing to John Dean [this is a repeat question , I believe] 8. Thomas Jefferson, said I think after the American Revolution. 9. Another one of those, sounds like something LBJ would say. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1073 "2008-01-23T18:43:50Z")
[QUOTE=5 time champ] 709. JFK, Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 711. Sen Howard Baker during the Watergate hearing to John Dean [this is a repeat question , I believe] [713.] Thomas Jefferson, said I think after the American Revolution. 1. Another one of those, sounds like something LBJ would say. [/QUOTE] 2. Partial credit. It was JFK, but in his Inaugural Address. 3. Yes, it was LBJ. The story goes that on the tarmac at an Air Force base somewhere, LBJ began going towards the wrong helicopter. When an officer gently said so, this was the President’s answer. 4. Correct. Sorry if it was duplicative. 5. Yes, Jefferson, in the 1790s during the French Revolution. His Federalist opponents seized on the remark to suggest that he was a bloodthirsty Jacobin. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2008, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1074 "2008-01-24T05:40:41Z")
Here are my questions which which still remain unanswered. I’m afraid I lost track of others’ unanswered questions - you’re welcome to repost them, too, and then give answers after, say, a 48-hour deadline. Here goes: 1. What is distinctive about the group portrait intended to mark the occasion [of the signing of the 1783 Treaty of Paris, ending the American Revolution]? 2. When Bill Clinton was on trial in the Senate in 1999 after being impeached by the House, commemorative pens were presented to every senator. What was wrong with the pens? 3. Before 9-11, what was the only ship entitled to regularly fly the First Navy Jack? What was the significance of [this date]?.. 556. March 1, 1803 1. President Reagan preferred to celebrate Christmas here. 2. The famous “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” column first appeared in what newspaper? 3. Who was the first President to leave the U.S. during his term in office, and where did he go? 4. President Truman conducted his famous 1948 “Whistlestop Campaign” aboard this plush, armored, distinctively-named railroad car. 5. What was noteworthy about President Nixon’s return from his historic 1972 state visit to China? 6. The first vice president sworn in outside of the U.S. was sworn in where, and why? 7. The Point of Beginning, from which all western U.S. cartography is drawn, is near this Ohio town. 8. Thomas Edison originally hailed from this Ohio town, and kept a lab there. 9. JFK’s Secret Service codename on the day of his assassination was \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. Identify these noteworthy Americans by what they said. Extra credit if you provide context. 618. “The administration of justice is the surest pillar of government.” 621. “They won’t think anything at all, my dear.” 1. As the Navy joke goes, what individual prevented two carriers from being named USS America? 2. He was Theodore Roosevelt’s only VP, of whom TR, unimpressed by his range of options, said, “Who else was I going to pick?” What was the significance of [this date] in American history?.. 634. July 4, 1960 1. This Secretary of State said archly that one of his President’s proudest achievements “should not be sullied by any taint of legality.” 2. He was Grant’s very talented and well-respected Secretary of State but, despite his name, wasn’t known for his swimming skills. 3. An entire room is set aside for the White House’s collection of this particular kind of antique utensils. 4. What used to occupy the ground now occupied by the West Wing? 5. JFK watched a military review on the South Lawn not long before he died, and Jackie asked an infantry unit from what foreign country to return for his funeral? 6. The Lincoln boys asked for the pardon of a doll, which the President granted in writing. What was the doll’s name? 7. What did FDR decide he needed in the White House, after learning of Churchill’s? 8. Lee Fisher, now lieutenant governor of Ohio, won his only election as Ohio attorney general by this easy-to-remember majority. 9. A McGovern campaign staffer wrote this popular folk song in 1972. 10. “Hail to the Chief” is the customary march of the President. What’s the Vice President’s? Who said it, and why? 683. “Now look - that damned cowboy is President!” 686. “If you can’t drink their booze, eat their food, screw their women and then vote against them, you shouldn’t even be here.” 687. “He serves his party best who serves his country best.” 1. William Clark, Reagan’s first national security advisor, kept this nickname/title from a previous gig. 2. This Bush 41 OMB director was criticized for his ego and arrogance. 3. Capricia Penavic Marshall held this title late in the Clinton Administration. 4. What four words appeared on the flags flown by the privateers commissioned by Gen. Washington? 5. This is the ring of the Pentagon in which the SecDef has his offices. 6. Which uniformed military service was the last to have its own intelligence branch? 7. Before he gave his famous “I have a dream” speech, [the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther] King delivered a “rough draft” of it at this Cleveland-area church. Who said it, and why? 712. “Whenever I hear someone defend slavery, I have a strong desire to see it tried [on] him personally.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1075 "2008-01-24T14:34:12Z")
1. Who was the first President to leave the U.S. during his term in office, and where did he go? **Thomas Jefferson - France** 2. An entire room is set aside for the White House’s collection of this particular kind of antique utensils. **china - does flatware count as utensils?** 3. “He serves his party best who serves his country best.” **Andrew Jackson** 4. Which uniformed military service was the last to have its own intelligence branch? **Coast Guard?** ---
**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:** [January 24, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1076 "2008-01-24T14:52:18Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] 572. Who was the first President to leave the U.S. during his term in office, and where did he go? **Thomas Jefferson - France** 642. An entire room is set aside for the White House’s collection of this particular kind of antique utensils. **china - does flatware count as utensils?** 687. “He serves his party best who serves his country best.” **Andrew Jackson** 703. Which uniformed military service was the last to have its own intelligence branch? **Coast Guard?** [/QUOTE] All incorrect. Sorry. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1077 "2008-01-24T15:31:56Z")
1. Capricia Penavic Marshall held this title late in the Clinton Administration. Treasurer of the United States? 2. “Whenever I hear someone defend slavery, I have a strong desire to see it tried [on] him personally.” Seems like I remember this from Ken Burns’ Civil War: Frederick Douglas ---
**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:** [January 24, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1078 "2008-01-24T16:45:49Z")
[QUOTE=5 time champ] 692. Capricia Penavic Marshall held this title late in the Clinton Administration. Treasurer of the United States? 1. “Whenever I hear someone defend slavery, I have a strong desire to see it tried [on] him personally.” Seems like I remember this from Ken Burns’ Civil War: Frederick Douglas [/QUOTE] Also, alas, both incorrect. But the person who said that _was_ of some Civil War notoriety/distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1079 "2008-01-25T02:44:01Z")
To answer these questions: [QUOTE=Governor Quinn] 1. In 1958, the Governor of California and the former Senate Majority Leader from that state engaged in an action that ended both their political careers. Who were they, and what was it? 2. In 1950 and 1952, back-to-back Senate Majority Leaders were defeated by Republicans who would become of note later. Who were they, and who were the Republicans? 3. He was the last Speaker of the House to leave his post to enter the US Senate. 4. Only one Senator has represented three states in the United States Senate. Name him and the states he represented. 5. Name the first US Senator to reach the age of 100. [/QUOTE] 6. The politicians were Goodwin Knight and William Knowland, and the action they did was an attempt to switch offices (Knight ran for the Senate, Knowland for Governor) 7. Scott Lucas was defeated by Everett Dirksen in 1950, and Barry Goldwater beat Ernest McFarland in 1952. 8. Frederick Gillett, elected to the Senate in 1924 after serving for six years as Speaker. 9. James Shields, who served Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri in the Senate. 10. Cornelius Cole, who served California in the Senate in the 1860s and 1870s, died in 1924 at the age of 102. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2008, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091/1080 "2008-01-25T03:46:39Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] All incorrect. Sorry. [/QUOTE] A perfect five out of five! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091.md?page=53) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-trivia-quiz/424091.md?page=55)