USA By The Letters 1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alaska

"Seward's Folly" it was called, the purchase having been negotiated by Secretary of State William H. Seward for 7.2 million dollars from Russia. Neither Russia nor Spain had much to show for their efforts of development of this vast inhospitable expanse. Russia particularly wanted to divest itself of Alaska as it could not defend it with Canada, under English control, sharing its only land border.

Answer: Boston

On December 16, 1773, as political protest, the Sons of Liberty boarded a tea shipment disguised as Native Americans and threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. It was not so much the tax on tea but a protest against English rule in general and a symbiotic action toward independence.

Answer: Chattanooga

"Chattanooga Choo Choo" (1941) was composed by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren. It was originally recorded by Glenn Miller and was featured in the 1941 movie "Sun Valley Serenade". The catchy tune and lyrics helped put this Tennessee city in the consciousness of the nation. Briefly, it tells the story of a joyful man returning home by train.

Answer: Webster

Daniel Webster was a career politician serving many elective and appointive offices. Along with Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, he was part of the "Great Triumvirate" that dominated Congress by persuasion, oratory, and compromise and helped hold the union together in spite of vast sectional differences.

Stephen Vincent Benet's short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1936) raised Webster's image to epic proportions. The 1941 film starred Edward Arnold as Daniel Webster and Walter Huston as the Devil. It still retains a 100% rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

Answer: Eugene

Eugene V. Debs was imprisoned twice. The first was for leading the great Pullman strike of 1897; and the second for protesting World War One. He ran for president five times on the Socialist ticket, the last while he was in prison because Woodrow Wilson refused to pardon him after the war, but Warren Harding did.

His house is now a museum near the Indiana State University campus and the subject of the historical novel "Adversary in the House"(1947) by Irving Stone.

Answer: Flint, Mi

Flint's heavy reliance on GM to boost its economy is chronicled. Once with a high of 80,000 workers, it now has an estimated about 5,000. Moore strives to meet with Roger Smith, then CEO of GM, but is mostly unsuccessful. When he does meet him, Smith is dismissive of problems in Flint.

Much of the film is devoted to how some residents of Flint deal with unemployment such as raising rabbits for consumption or selling beauty products and these have a humorous twist.

Answer: New Jersey

New Jersey is the "Garden State"; Florida is the "Sunshine State"; South Carolina is the "Palmetto State"; and Oregon is the "Beaver State".

Answer: John Brown

John Brown raided Harper Ferry on October 16-18, 1859. The goal was to foster a slave revolt. However with only 22 men, Brown was not really prepared to face an armed company of US Marines. Most abolitionists who knew of the raid did not support it. Brown was apprehended and eventually hanged and as a result became an early martyr of the cause.

Answer: Irwin Corey

Corey was one of those old school comedians who developed his own style of comedy. After his introduction he would appear as a very disheveled professor and probably ad-libbed most of his routine with a garbled double talk. He might say "Set your terminal to 'research.' Punch parameters in succession 'North American culture,' 'English-speaking,' 'mid-twentieth century'". And leave you wondering just what he said.

Corey was a communist hence was blacklisted by some medias. He continued to work even after he passed his 100th birthday. His hobby was to dress shabby and go to the subway and beg for change that he would donate to charity.

Monte Irwin was a baseball player for the New York Giants; Steve Irwin was the Crocodile Hunter; Irwin Shaw was novelist (Rich Man, Poor Man).

Answer: Humphey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart was born on Christmas Day 1899, a fact referred to often in references.

Donald Trump 6/14/1946
Marilyn Monroe 6/1/1926
Frank Lloyd Wright 6/8/1867