The first ticker-tape parade was an impromptu event which developed spontaneously during the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886. They became quite prevalent during the 20th century, but have grown less popular since then.
Third parties have played an important, though often overlooked, role in U.S. politics. Here are some of the highlights down through the years, starting with the formation of the first third party in 1831 and continuing through the 2000 election.
The office of secretary of state has always been an important one in the U.S., and in the early days of the republic it was often a steppingstone to the presidency. Here are questions about ten of the people who have served as secretary of state.
In this pivotal decade the American people showed that the Constitution could work as intended. There was a peaceful transition of Presidential power, a Constitutional glitch was corrected, and the judiciary successfully asserted its independence.
The last half of the 20th century saw changes in the governments in many countries of the world, achieved through mass demonstrations of the people as opposed to using military force. Here are questions about ten such nonviolent revolutions.
The period of 2011-2012 saw the Supreme Court render decisions on two high-profile cases: the legitimacy of the Affordable Care Act and the legitimacy of Arizona's anti-immigration law. These and eight other noteworthy cases are discussed in this quiz.
Meryl Streep just received her 12th Oscar nomination for her work in 'Music of the Heart', making her tied her with Katharine Hepburn for the most acting nominations. So it seems a fitting time to reflect back on her wonderful career to date.
This quiz covers events of late May to late June, an eventful period which included the NBA and NHL playoffs, the U.S. Open golf tournament, and the soccer World Cup.
I will give you the lyrics of a song from the '60's, and you tell me who sang them. Hint: the answers consist of five groups or singers, each of which appears as a correct answer exactly twice.
I will avoid the oft-asked questions about the first Prime Minister (Walpole), the only one assassinated (Perceval), and the one who gave his name to the police (Peel). Everything else, though, is fair game!
The right of free speech is an important right, but so is the right of a citizen to not have his reputation ruined by false allegations. See how these conflicting rights compete with each other in some famous libel cases.
Match the concept or phrase with the appropriate 17th or 18th century philosopher. The ten philosophers will be presented in the order of their dates of death.
The Winter Olympics came to Canada for the second time when Vancouver hosted the games in February of 2010. The games got started on a sad note with the death of one of the athletes, but ended on a high note with an exciting gold medal hockey game.
Vermont is the sixth-smallest state in the United States in area, and the second-smallest in population. And yet in many ways it is the most intriguing state. Take this quiz and find out why.
This quiz is about the four presidents from Ohio who served between the Civil War and the end of the 19th century, these being Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877), Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881), James A. Garfield (1881-1881) and William McKinley (1897-1901).
The U.S. Supreme Court considered many interesting cases during 2013. Here are questions on ten of them, including three search and seizure cases, two voting rights cases, and two same-gender marriage cases.
How much do you know about the origins of the names of U.S. states? I learned a lot while writing this quiz, and I hope you will learn something interesting when you take it.
During the 1973 Senate Watergate Hearings, it was revealed that President Nixon maintained an "Enemies List", consisting of 20 Americans who opposed his policies. This quiz deals with this 20-member list, and not the larger "Master List".
The unofficial country of Kurdistan is still working towards gaining official status. Here is an overview of the history of this proud group of people known as the Kurds.
Philidor said the pawn is "the soul of chess", while Nimzowich talked about the passed pawn's "lust to expand". All of these questions involve one side's attempt to queen a pawn, and the other side's attempts to prevent that.
The winner of the Olympic 100m sprint is often called "the world's fastest man" (or woman). Here are some questions about this high-profile Olympic event.
Join me for a trip through the 20th century, as heard through the words of various American speakers. You will be given excerpts from 15 speeches, and asked to identify the speaker.