Hopefully my American friends have recovered form their beer and rib induced coma (made more challenging by the heat of a never ending election). Yesterday, in honour of the fourth, I posted 30 trivia questions to see how well you knew the US. Let's see how y'all did . . .
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE U.S.?
1. Where is the only royal palace in the U.S.?
The Iolani Palace, situated on 11 acres of ground, is located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The palace was built in 1882, and from its throne room King Kalakaua and then Queen Liliuokalani reigned. The palace came under U.S. jurisdiction when Hawaii was annexed in 1898, and became an official American palace when Hawaii became a state. The building is now controlled by the U.S. Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, and in the last eight years $6 million has been spent to restore it.
2. What state in the U.S. has the smallest population?
Alaska
3. What current state of the U.S. was once owned by another state?
The Gorges family owned the state of Maine, but in 1677 Massachusetts paid the Gorges heirs pound 1,250 for it. The heirs are kicking themselves to this day.
4. What is the first place in the continental U.S. on which each morning's sun shines?
The first U.S. site to see the sun is Mt. Katahdin, Me.
5. What is the only city in the U.S. which is named after a radio or TV show?
Truth or Consequences, N.M. Ralph Edwards's radio and TV program offered to hold its 10th anniversary show in any city that would change its name to Truth or Consequences. The people of Hot Springs, N.M., picked up on the offer. On Mar. 31, 1950, they voted 4 to 1 for the new name. Each year on Apr. 1, Truth or Consequences, N.M., holds a fiesta with Ralph Edwards and Bob Barker as guest stars.
6. Where was the first American "skid row"--New York, Seattle, Chicago, or St. Louis?
In Seattle. Lumberjacks there called the town's run-down section "skid road" after the greased log paths, or skid roads, on which logs were slid down to the river. Later the term became "skid row." Once a man hit skid row, he was sliding fast and it was hard to stop.
7. What part of the U.S. was originally known as the state of Frankland, or Franklin?
From 1784 to 1788, the eastern portion of what is now Tennessee was so called in honor of Benjamin Franklin.
8. Were any signers of the Declaration of Independence foreign-born?
Yes, seven of the signers were born in the British Isles and came to America as immigrants. These were: Francis Lewis, from Wales; Robert Morris, from England; James Smith, from Ireland; George Taylor, from Ireland; Matthew Thornton, from Ireland, James Wilson, from Scotland; and John Witherspoon, from Scotland.
9. What is the oldest city in the U.S.?
Saint Augustine, Fla.
10. What is the tallest mountain in the U.S.?
Mt. McKinley, Alaska, 20,320 ft.
11. What's the windiest site in the U.S.?
The highest surface wind-speed ever recorded in the U.S. was measured atop Mt. Washington, N.H. It reached 231 mph there on Apr. 12, 1934.
12. Which U.S. city has the longest subway system--San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, or New York?
New York, with 137.05 mi. of routes. San Francisco is second with 19.3 mi. ahead of Philadelphia, which has 19.2 mi., and Chicago, which has 10.6 mi.
13. Which three states are named after famous women?
Maryland, for Henrietta Maria, wife of England's Charles I; Virginia, named after England's Queen Elizabeth, "the Virgin Queen"; and West Virginia, also honoring Queen Elizabeth.
14. What two states are surrounded and touched by the most other states?
Missouri is bounded by eight other states--Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. And Tennessee is also bounded by eight other states--Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky.
15. Parts of what two states were included in the Gadsden Purchase?
The $10 million Gadsden Purchase, negotiated in 1853 by railroad promoter and diplomat James Gadsden, was a tract of 29,640 sq. mi., which contained parts of New Mexico and Arizona. The area formerly was owned by Mexico.
16. What is the only state in the U.S. without houseflies?
The ordinary housefly does not live in the state of Alaska. The fly cannot breed in Alaska's cold climate, and even the few imported by ships and airplanes survive only briefly without reproducing.
17. Why was 1 Cherry Street, New York City, important in American history?
1 Cherry Street in New York City was the location of the first presidential mansion, later supplanted by the White House in Washington, D.C.
18. Of which state has it been said, "It's a good state for the shape it's in"?
West Virginia, a "panhandle" state, because of its odd shape on the map.
19. What is the most popular place-name in America?
The place-name Washington, which honors the first president of the U.S., graces a state (the only state named after an American); the nation's capital--Washington, D.C.; 29 counties; and 33 towns.
20. Was there ever a state or territory named after Thomas Jefferson?
Definitely. In 1859 a constitution was adopted for a state of Jefferson, later changed in convention to the territory of Jefferson. It eventually became Colorado.
21. What American city was called "the Paris of the Colonies"?
Annapolis, Md. From a small town in 1664, it grew and grew to become the capital of Maryland. By 1750, it was a center of wealth and pleasure and was known as "the Paris of the Colonies."
22. Which were the first six foreign countries to officially recognize the existence of the U.S.?
France recognized the U.S. in 1778, England and Sweden in 1783, the Netherlands in 1785, Prussia in 1786, Morocco in 1787. (Russia recognized the U.S. in 1809.)
23. What official U.S. coin has never been minted?
The mill, equal to one tenth of a cent. In 1786 Congress designated certain official American coins and included the following: "Mills: the lowest money of account, of which 1,000 shall be equal to the federal dollar, or money unit." Despite this, the U.S. Mint never issued a single mill.
24. Who were the first two women ever elected to Congress, and which political party did each represent?
The first woman elected to Congress was Jeannette Rankin of Montana. She was a Republican and she served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1917 to 1919 and 1941 to 1943. The second woman elected to Congress was Alice M. Robertson of Oklahoma. She was also a Republican and she served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1921 to 1923.
25. What great American lake was formed by accident in 1905-1907?
The Salton Sea in southeastern California. Originally in the desert, it was a huge salt marsh known as the Salton Sink. In 1905-1907, the Colorado River poured through some weak levees, flooded the salt basin, and formed a lake that covered 445 sq. mi. It took two years of building levees and $2 million to contain it to that size. Since then, due to evaporation and seepage, it has shrunk to 250 sq. mi. It is known as "the roughest body of inland water in the U.S."
26. Not counting Alaska, what state in the U.S. is the farthest north?
The northernmost state in the contiguous U.S. is Minnesota--specifically, 125 sq. mi. of the northern part of Lake of the Woods County.
27. What state in the nation is adjoined or touched by only one other state?
The state of Maine is touched by only one other state, namely, New Hampshire.
28. Has any one of the Great Lakes ever been completely frozen over?
In recorded history, not one of the Great Lakes has ever been frozen over completely, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Sometimes, in coldest winter, the water is covered by ice for many miles, but none of the lake surfaces has ever been entirely frozen over.
29. What area in Colorado is not part of the U.S. for three days a year?
There is a 1,500-sq.-mi. section of northern Colorado, west of Denver, not owned by the U.S. three days a year. According to the records of the General Land Office, this territory "was acquired neither through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the Texas annexation of 1845, nor by treaties with the Utes who apparently never claimed it." This un-American region--its residents possibly not U.S. citizens--included the town of Breckenridge. To check this further, in 1977 the Almanac editors called the Colorado Bureau of Land Management, who admitted the questionable area "was blank" on their maps, showing no admission date to the U.S. According to the Colorado Historical Society, a strip of land 90 mi. long and 30 mi. wide in the Breckenridge area had been a no-man's-land due to an early surveyor's error, but was offically made part of the U.S. on Aug. 8, 1936, with a special proviso that the area retain "the right to be a free and independent kingdom three days each year." Since then, a "No Man's Land" festival has been held annually in August. However, part of the region may still not be U.S. territory.
30. What is the only state in the Union to have lived under six different flags?
Texas has lived under six different flags: the Fleur-de-lis of France; the Lions and Castles of Spain; the Eagle and Snake of Mexico; the Lone Star of the Republic of Texas; the Stars and Bars of the Confederacy; and the Stars and Stripes of the U.S.
I'll admit that this was bloody challenging. I missed numbers 6, 7, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 29! I scored a depressing 18/30!!
