Answers to “Gates of Trivia” History questions in Puzzle Challenge 2

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Below are the correct answers to the History Questions in Gates of Trivia. The number (1 - 5) preceding each question indicates the stage of the game the question is in.

Name the patron saint of Russia, and, more notably, of children.

Nicholas

In 1964, two Oregonians each put up $300 to start their own athletic shoe business, Blue Ribbon Sports, and at first sold their shoes out of their cars at track meets. They've come a long way since then, and today their company is known as:

Nike

In what year did all these events take place: The first woman governor in U.S. history is inaugurated. The National Spelling Bee is held for the first time. The Pennsylvania Legislature passes a bill requiring daily Bible readings in all public schools.

1925

Its original name was quite a mouthful: the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company. Its eventual success was due perhaps in part by the shortening of its name, to just three letters. We know it today as:

IBM

He once said, "There are few wild beasts more to be dreaded than a talking man having nothing to say." He created a race of brutes called Yahoos for his novel, "Gulliver's Travels." Name this Irish-born author.

Jonathan Swift

In which state did the famous 1925 Scopes "Monkey" trial take place?

Tennessee

Who was the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound?

Jacqueline Cochran

"Never lend books; the only books I have in my library are books that other folk have lent me." These words were spoken by a novelist/essayist who took as a pseudonym the name of his native land. Who was he?

Anatole France

What Massachusetts city gained notoriety for its "witch trials" of 1692?

Salem

In June, 1942, the Japanese navy suffered its first defeat since the 16th century in what battle?

Midway

Which U.S. president was the most prolific author? He wrote some two dozen books, including "The Naval War of 1812," "Winning of the West," and "African Game Trails."

Theodore Roosevelt

This man might be considered the first Secretary General of the United Nations, since he held that title at the UN's founding conference in San Francisco in 1945. He became nationally famous a few years later, but under circumstances he'd have rather avoided. He is:

Alger Hiss

What war saw the first confrontation between jet aircraft?

Korean War

The multi-talented Englishman who discovered Lake Tanganyika and translated the Kama Sutra into English shared his name with a well-known modern-day British actor. He was:

Richard Burton

The Byzantine Empire was named for the city of Byzantium, which today is known as:

Istanbul

In what year did all these events take place: Chris Evert retires from professional tennis. A 6.9 Richter scale earthquake hits the San Francisco Bay area. Germans begin dismantling the Berlin Wall.

1989

The first left-handed U.S. president could actually write with either hand, though he didn't get much of a chance to do so as president, serving less than seven months in office in 1881. Name this second president to be assassinated.

James Garfield

Which of the following world leaders was actually born in Georgia?

Joseph Stalin

In what year did all these events take place: Guy Fawkes is arrested for trying to blow up the House of Lords. Santa Fe, New Mexico is founded. Cervantes publishes "Don Quixote."

1605

Which of the following was NOT the name of an early ruler of England?

Ethelmertz

This king of France most closely approached the medieval ideal of chivalric rule. Admired for his piety and justice, he was revered as a saint long before his canonization. The monarch that became the patron saint of France was:

Louis IX

It may surprise you to learn that Adolf Hitler was not a native of Germany. In what country was Hitler born?

Austria

In what year did all these events take place: Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall announces his retirement. Boris Yeltsin is elected president of Russia. Natalie Cole wins a Grammy Award for "Unforgettable."

1991

This U.S. president wrote only one book, a biography of Alfred E. Smith, who was his immediate predecessor, both as Governor of New York and Democratic candidate for president. Name the president.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

As one of history's first observation balloons hung over a Richmond battlefield in 1862, it was being observed with interest by someone who would later earn a page in aviation history. It was:

Count von Zeppelin

When Abraham Lincoln met Stephen Douglas in a well-remembered series of debates, what office were they running for?

U.S. senator

What small state receives somewhat more than its share of attention in presidential election years, because it holds the earliest presidential primary?

New Hampshire

The mother of the Virgin Mary isn't mentioned in the New Testament, but she is the patron saint of Brittany and the Canadian province of Quebec. Name her.

Anne

"You do not sew with a fork, and I see no reason why you should eat with knitting needles." The speaker, talking about Chinese food, is what frog-loving children's character?

Miss Piggy

Two of American history's most infamous men, Lee Harvey Oswald and John Dillinger, aren't often thought of together, but they do have something in common. They both were apprehended:

Upon leaving a movie theater

What was the previous profession of Lech Walesa, former president of Poland?

Electrician

What did the Wright Brothers call their first successful airplane?

Flyer

The Asian empire which flourished between the sixth and tenth centuries, occupying present-day Cambodia and parts of Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, was the:

Khmer Empire

Signed on December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812. Ghent is located in what country?

Belgium

What was the previous profession of Vaclav Havel, current president of the Czech Republic?

Playwright

The warden of New York's Sing Sing Prison from 1919 to 1941 had the apt last name of:

Lawes

What state's 1968 presidential primary did Robert Kennedy win on the night he was assassinated?

California

Which of the following continents has NOT been a birthplace of a Secretary General of the United Nations?

North America

Who was the only British monarch to have been succeeded by three of his or her children?

Henry VIII

"I can't say I was ever lost, but I was bewildered once for three days." This American pioneer's choice of verbs was ironic, since he marked the trail known as the Wilderness Road in the 1770s. Name him.

Daniel Boone

He was a fisherman whom Jesus called to be an apostle. That he is the patron saint of Scotland will come as no surprise to golf fans. Name him.

Andrew

His mediation of the Russo-Japanese War brought him the Nobel Peace Prize, the first American to win the award. He was:

Theodore Roosevelt

In what year did all these events take place: Congress passes the Taft-Hartley Act over President Truman's veto. Thor Heyerdahl sails on a raft from Peru to Polynesia. Mickey Spillane publishes "I, the Jury."

1947

One of the "no-brainer" questions asked for consolation prizes on the Groucho Marx game show "You Bet Your Life" was, "Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?" -- but the correct answer isn't the obvious one. Exactly who is buried in Grant's Tomb?

General Grant and his wife

What prize did Charles Lindbergh receive for making the first solo flight across the Atlantic?

$25,000 in cash

In which state did the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., occur, as well as the subsequent trial of Bruno Hauptmann for the crime?

New Jersey

What was the last year in which a major party's nominee for U.S. president sported facial hair?

1948

The Electro-Alkaline Company, founded by 5 California investors, made a household product using water from salt ponds around S.F. Bay. Still best known for that product, they also make Formula 409, Pine-Sol, and Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing. Name this conglomerate.

Clorox

This 17th-century American is considered to be the first American millionaire. He made his fortune in the black pepper trade, but he's best remembered today for the university named for him. Name him.

Yale

Each year, many Americans -- as well as non-Americans -- visit Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C., to see John F. Kennedy's burial site and to pay their respects. What other U.S. President is buried at Arlington?

William Howard Taft

General Ulysses S. Grant once said that he knew only two tunes. As he put it, one was "Yankee Doodle" and the other:

Wasn't

What future U.S. president was the losing vice presidential candidate in the election of 1920?

Franklin Roosevelt

Abraham Lincoln called it "the greatest invention of the world." Millions of Americans make use of it every day. What was Honest Abe talking about?

Writing

Charles Lindbergh was the first person to make a solo flight across the Atlantic. Who was the second?

Amelia Earhart

This U.S. president wrote more than a dozen books, including "The Problems of Lasting Peace" and "Principles of Mining." Trained as a mining engineer, he served as Secretary of Commerce for Calvin Coolidge, his immediate predecessor as president. Name him.

Herbert Hoover

In what year did all these events take place: New York City's Grand Central Terminal is officially opened. The novel "Pollyanna" is published. Henry Ford sets up his first automobile assembly line.

1913

In what year did all these events take place: The '50s musical "Grease" opens on Broadway. "Ms." magazine is launched. The U.S.'s first woman rabbi is ordained.

1972

In what year did all these events take place: Gutenberg prints his first Bible using movable type. The Turks capture Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire. The Hundred Years' War between England and France ends.

1453

In the famous Battle of Hastings of 1066, who did the Normans, led by William the Conqueror, defeat?

The Saxons

What famous battle took place two weeks after the War of 1812 was over?

New Orleans

He started a ferry service between New York City and Staten Island at the age of 16. At the time of his death in 1877, he was one of America's wealthiest men, with massive holdings in shipping and railroads. What was his last name?

Vanderbilt

The patron saint of Mediterranean sailors has a meteorological phenomenon named for him. He is Saint:

Vitus

In what year did all these events take place: "My Fair Lady" debuts on Broadway. Marilyn Monroe marries Arthur Miller. Rocky Marciano retires undefeated as heavyweight boxing champ.

1956

Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst was the only child of a former U.S. senator who made his fortune in:

Mining

Scottish-born Andrew Carnegie was one of America's wealthiest men at the turn of the century, thanks to his steel business. He spent the last 20 years of his life giving his money away, most notably endowing over 2,500:

Libraries

When Roman emperor Constantine I converted to Christianity in the fourth century A.D., it marked the beginning of a new phase of the Roman Empire which is known today as the:

Byzantine Empire

In 1886, former book salesman David McConnell created the California Perfume Company, which today is a global conglomerate with billions of dollars in annual sales. We know it today as:

Avon

Las Vegas as a center for legal gambling was the idea of gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, who built the first casino hotel there, the Flamingo. The Flamingo was named for:

Siegel's girlfriend

Which of these historical events marked the beginning of what is called today the British Empire?

Sea explorations sponsored by Queen Elizabeth I

What part of an automobile did not become standard equipment until 1909?

Windshield

The Lateran Treaty, signed February 11, 1929, provided for the official recognition of what independent nation?

Vatican City

What Mediterranean island was the birthplace of Napoleon?

Corsica

In 1882, P.T. Barnum brought to the U.S. a giant elephant whose name is synonymous today with "large." Name this memorable pachyderm.

Jumbo

What not-so-nice historical figure was nicknamed "The Scourge of God"?

Attila the Hun

George Bush won the 1992 North Dakota Republican presidential primary. Who finished second?

Pat Paulsen

Albert Einstein once called it, "The hardest thing in the world to understand." What was he talking about?

Income tax

What did Al Capone list as his profession on his business card?

Second-hand furniture dealer

In what year did all these events take place: Jules Verne publishes "Around the World in 80 Days." The painting, "Whistler's Mother," is completed. Susan B. Anthony is arrested for trying to vote.

1872

The Liberty Bell has two problems: It's cracked, but it also misspells the name of which of the original 13 colonies?

Pennsylvania

In what year did all these events take place: Gold is discovered on the Klondike River. The first gasoline-powered car race in the U.S. is held. Utah is admitted into the Union as the 45th state.

1896

The Kellogg-Briand Pact, signed in Paris by 15 nations on August 27, 1928, and by virtually every other world nation soon thereafter, outlawed:

War

During the Civil War, the South named its battles after the nearest town. How did the North name its battles?

After the nearest river

In what year did all these events take place: Edward Koch is elected to his first term as mayor of New York City. Passenger service on the Concorde begins. The TV miniseries "Roots" premieres.

1977

What Massachusetts city was the home of Lizzie Borden, who was acquitted of the 1892 ax-wielding murders she became famous for?

Fall River

Abraham Lincoln's first inauguration in 1861 was recorded by an illustrator for "Harper's Weekly" magazine, who eventually became one of America's most famous artists. Name him.

Winslow Homer

The Upton Machine Company was founded in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1911. They had one product back then, hand-operated washing machines. They still make washing machines today, as well as many other home appliances, under the name:

Whirlpool

Who was the longest reigning male British monarch?

George III

John D. Rockefeller, America's first billionaire, made his first million in the oil business before automobiles were invented. Back then, what was the most important product manufactured from crude oil?

Kerosene

What was the previous profession of Sun Yat-Sen, who in 1912 became the first president of China?

Physician

Which of the following wars was NOT concluded by a document called the Treaty of Paris?

Hundred Years' War

Ripley, of "Believe It or Not!" fame, once stated, correctly, that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. Throughout its existence, from 962 to 1806, what was the nationality of the Holy Roman Emperors?

German

When Henry M. Stanley found missionary/explorer David Livingstone in 1871, he greeted him with the now-famous line, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" Stanley found Livingstone in the town of Ujiji, located in what is today:

Tanzania

One of the casualties at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 was an 18-year-old boy who was the son of what historical figure?

David Livingstone

Between 1689 and 1901, all the kings of Great Britain were either named George or:

William

Where was Charles Lindbergh's famous plane, "The Spirit of St. Louis," built?

San Diego, California

In what year did all these events take place: Herman Melville publishes "Typee." The U.S. Naval Academy opens at Annapolis. Alexander Cartwright organizes the first professional baseball team.

1846

In what year did all these events take place: Napoleon and Josephine marry. Washington delivers his Farewell Address. Edward Jenner introduces his smallpox vaccine.

1796

The 1915 German sinking of the British passenger ship Lusitania hastened American entry into World War I. Lusitania was the ancient Roman name for what modern-day country?

Portugal

In what year did all these events take place: DDT is synthesized for the first time. The first baseball game is televised. Igor Sikorsky builds his first helicopter.

1938

Which of these U.S. presidents was NOT a Union general during the Civil War?

Grover Cleveland