U.S. History trivia quiz

The Game Room
901

  1. Author’s Row, in Concord, MA, refers to what?

  2. What eighteenth century charismatic spiritual revival movement leader shares a name with a recent Presidential candidate?

  3. Who was the first US Naval officer in non-line service to make flag rank?

  4. The US Naval officers Bainbridge and Hull share a distinction. What is it?

  5. Why do some people find it amusing/ironic that a certain Mr. Smoot was the President of the International Organization of Standards?
    Merry Christmas, everyone!

ETA:

  1. Trenton.
902

The body length of a certain undergraduate Smoot was once used to measure a bridge in Massachusetts.

903

Random, correct. IIRC the bridge was one of those crossing the Charles connecting Boston to Cambridge.

904

Both captained the Constitution.

905

Correct again. During the War of 1812. And each, I believe, captured several RN vessels.

ETA: And here I thought that it was 567 that was the gimme question.

906

Grace Hopper is the name that came to mind, but I figured some doctor or chaplain had to have made flag rank in WWII, so I dont think Im correct.

907

Nope, it’s not Amazing Grace. I’m a big fan of hers, but she wasn’t whom I was thinking of. And the officer I’m thinking of was already flag rank when she was raised to it herself. And he’s not medical or chaplain corps, either.

908

That inauguration was also notable for being the last one in March. FDR’s second inauguration was the first one to be held on January 20, in 1937. The 3-1/2 month lag time before was largely a result of it taking so long to get one’s afffairs in order and then journeying to Washington to take up the post. But modern transportation had cut travel time way down by the 1930s.

A more important consideration that I’ve read, though, was that in the 1932 election, people badly wanted Hoover out and FDR in and felt 3 1/2 months had been WAY too long to wait, considering the desperate situation of the times. So it was decided to move the inauguration date up.

909

  1. What eighteenth century charismatic spiritual revival movement leader shares a name with a recent Presidential candidate?
    Jonathan Edwards

  2. March 1, 1803 - The date Lewis and Clark pushed off from St Louis?
    Lewis & Clark left much later than 3/1/1803. How about the aforementioned “Interview at Weehawken,” the Burr-Hamilton Duel?

  3. President Reagan preferred to celebrate Christmas here.
    California White House: Santa Barbara??

910

5 Time Champ is right with his answer for 566.

And now, I’m off to bed. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday!

911

  1. Hyman Rickover?

  2. Couldn’t be Trenton; Washington’s army rowed over the Delaware on Christmas evening, then fought the battle the following morning (Dec 26)

912

You’re right about Rickover.

As for Trenton, I’m not going to insist that I was right, I’d just remembered reading something about it, and Monroe’s actions in the battle that made me think it might have happened on Christmas.

913

Incorrect.

For 560, I was thinking of the Battle of Trenton, which I’d (mis?)remembered was fought on Dec. 25. My bad.

Siam Sam, I’ve read the same thing elsewhere was to why Inauguration Day was moved forward from March 4 to Jan. 20.

914

Incorrect as to both.

OtakuLoki, I remember reading in Time magazine that then-Navy Secretary John Lehman hurriedly named a nuclear submarine after Rickover because he feared that Congress would otherwise name a supercarrier after him.

Presidential travels.

  1. George Washington traveled outside of what is now the U.S. only once in his lifetime. Where did he go?
  2. Abraham Lincoln also maybe traveled outside of what is now the U.S. only once in his lifetime (his biographers aren’t quite sure). If he went anywhere else, where was it?
  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?
915

LOL I’d not heard that. I can believe it, though. He was not popular with the brass nor the civilian chain-of-command from all I’d heard. And his popularity in Congress was hard to believe. ISTR that all his promotions above the rank of Captain were forced on an unwilling Navy by Congress.

ETA: Honestly, though, I’d rather have a birdfarm named for Rickover, than trying to explain to people who John C. Stennis was. (Though I’ll admit the sub was probably more appropriate.)

916

  1. Canada?

  2. Canada?

  3. Definitely Canada, Warren G. Harding.

917
  1. Barbados, where I believe he caught smallpox
918

Well, Elendil you may have stumped me on a group of questions.

  1. Abraham Lincoln also maybe traveled outside of what is now the U.S. only once in his lifetime (his biographers aren’t quite sure). If he went anywhere else, where was it?
    I was unaware that Lincoln ever left the US So if it isn’t Canada, how about that he secretly strategized with his generals on one occasion in Bermuda??
  2. President Truman conducted his famous 1948 “Whistlestop Campaign” aboard this plush, armored, distinctively-named railroad car.
    I oughta know this one–How about the Missouri Mule??
919

Correct. Washington went in his teens with his half-brother Lawrence, who was having health problems (tuberculosis, IIRC). The house in which they stayed was recently restored by a joint U.S.-Barbados nonprofit group. GW’s smallpox immunity led him to have his own troops vaccinated during the Revolution, much to their advantage.

920

Incorrect. Think earlier, and it wasn’t Lincoln (see next answer).