1923 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Joseph G. Cannon, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

Joseph G. Cannon, Republican from Illinois, was one of the most powerful politicians in America in the early twentieth century. He served as Speaker of the House from 1903 to 1911. Charles Lindburgh's famous flight and "The Jazz Singer" occurred in 1927. Calvin Coolidge did become President in 1923, but not until August (see question 6).

Answer: Harold Lloyd

Harold Lloyd, whose movie roles often found him in precarious situations, did many of his own stunts.

Answer: Yankee Stadium

The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 and Babe Ruth blasted a home run against his former team as Yankee Stadium had its grand opening. The Lincoln Tunnel opened in 1937, while the Empire State Building and the George Washington Bridge were opened in 1931.

Answer: Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married Prince Albert, Duke of York. He would later reign as King George VI and she would become Queen Elizabeth. After his death, Elizabeth lived on another fifty years as the Queen Mother. Princess Mary of Teck married Prince George, Duke of York, at St. James Palace in 1893. He later became King George V and she was Queen Mary (and eventually mother-in-law to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon). Wallis Simpson married the Duke of Windsor (the abdicated Edward VIII) in France in 1937. Clementine Hozier married Sir Winston Churchill at St. Margaret's, Westminster in 1908.

Answer: Pancho Villa

All of these leaders died violently between 1919 and 1928, a tumultuous period in Mexican history. Pancho Villa ended his revolutionary activity in 1920, but had made enough enemies during his violent career that the ambush that took his life while he was driving his car was almost foreordained. His assassins were never identified.

Answer: San Francisco, California

Warren Harding was returning from a trip to Alaska when he became ill and died, probably of a heart attack. Vice-President Calvin Coolidge succeeded him in office. Harding spent much of his early career in Marion, Ohio. Buffalo was the site of the previous death of a president in office when William McKinley was assassinated in 1901.

Answer: Tokyo, Japan

The Great Kanto Earthquake, estimated to have had a magnitude between 7.9 and 8.3 on the Richter scale, destroyed much of Tokyo and Yokohama.

Answer: Turkey

Under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, that part of the Ottoman Empire that had not been carved up by the Allies after World War I re-emerged as the Republic of Turkey. Republics arose from defunct empires in China in 1912 and Austria and Germany in 1918.

Answer: Charleston

"Charleston" was written by James P. Johnson, an African-American pianist and composer, who was an important transitional figure between ragtime and jazz styles. The Black Bottom originated in New Orleans in 1924. The Tango originated in Argentina and Uruguay in the late 19th century. The Lambeth Walk was introduced in London in 1937.

Answer: Munich

Adolf Hitler and his fellow Nazis were attempting to overthrow the state government of Bavaria as the first step in a campaign against the Weimar Republic. Quashed by local authorities, the putsch earned Hitler a five year prison sentence, but he only served eight months, during which he wrote "Mein Kampf".