Baltimore: City of Firsts Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Maryland Jockey Club

The Maryland Jockey Club was the beginning of the state's passion for horse racing. Maryland used to host the Belmont Stakes before it was moved to New York, and still proudly hosts Preakness as part of the Triple Crown.

Answer: Hot air balloon ascent

In 1784, Edward Warren became the first U.S. "man" to ride in a hot air balloon--he was only 13 at the time!

Edward Warren was the first in the USA, but the first manned hot air balloon ride was in France a year earlier on November 21, 1783.

Answer: Hydrogen gas

This was replaced some considerable time ago by electricity.

Answer: George Washington

While the most famous Washington Monument is a short drive down I-95 to Washington, D.C., it wasn't completed until 1885. Baltimore's was started in 1815 and completed in 1829 and is just as phallic. Located in the historic neighborhood of Mount Vernon, it is open to the public on Saturdays and offers breathtaking views of the city for only a few bucks!
The monument in Boonsboro Maryland was built two years before Baltimore's, in 1827.

Answer: Steam locomotive

The Tom Thumb made its first run on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1830, and a few weeks later it became famous in a highly publicized race with a horse-drawn carriage. The horse-drawn carriage won. The first steam powered tanker was built in Baltimore, but not until 1890.

Answer: Washington, D.C.

The first telegraphic message, sent from the Capitol building in D.C. to the railroad depot in Baltimore read, "What hath God wrought."

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

Although all the above authors spent some time in Baltimore, Poe is our favorite. Since 1949, every year on the night of Poe's birthday a mysterious stranger in black leaves a bottle of cognac and three roses on his grave. Just as mysteriously, he or she stopped in 2009 (did not show up in 2010).

Answer: Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall, the grandson of a slave, was a champion for civil rights and fought discrimination his whole life. Before being appointed a judge, Marshall won the most cases before the Supreme Court than any other American. Currently there are plans to rename BWI airport in his honor.

Answer: Frank Robinson

Robinson was traded to the O's by the Reds in 1966 and won MVP honors in his first year with Baltimore. He hit 49 homers, batted .316 and drove in 122 runs. He joined an already potent line up and helped the Orioles win the World Series that year and again in 1970.

In 1975, he became the first African American to manage a major league team. Frank is also the last manager of the Montreal Expos and the first manager of the Washington Nationals.

Answer: The Clipper

One of Baltimore's nicknames is Clipper City, also the name of a locally brewed beer. The skipjack was also first built in Baltimore, but is a fishing boat and not used for war. The Trireme is an ancient Greek warship, and the bowline is a type of knot.

The USS Constellation was used after the War of 1812 to hunt and capture slave trading ships, which it did very successfully. It is now docked in Baltimore's Inner Harbor at Pier One, and can be toured by the public.