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50 Ohio History Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about Ohio History? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to Ohio History (History). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
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1 What is the capital of Ohio?
Answer: Columbus

Columbus was made the state capital in 1816. It was moved there from the previous sites due to its location, since it is almost in the exact center of the state.
  From Quiz: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati
2 What nickname was given to Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes because of her refusal to serve alcoholic drinks at the White House?
Answer: Lemonade Lucy

Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19th President of the United States of America. He was born in Ohio in 1822. Lucy Webb Hayes carried out her husband's wishes and banished wines and liquors from the White House.
  From Quiz: More Ohio History
3 What was the nation's first interracial, coeducational college?
Answer: Oberlin College

Oberlin College was founded in Oberlin, Ohio in 1833.
  From Quiz: Ohio First
4 A large, moving mass of ice on land is called a:
Answer: Glacier

During the Ice Age two-thirds of Ohio was covered by glaciers.
    Your options: [ Iceberg ] [ Glacier ] [ Mountain ] [ Mound ]
  From Quiz: Ohio History
5 Which famous movie director was born in Ohio?
Answer: Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 18th, 1946.
    Your options: [ Rob Reiner ] [ Ron Howard ] [ George Lucas ] [ Steven Spielberg ]
  From Quiz: Ohio History
6 Ohio has not always had the same capital city. The second capital was Zanesville. The first and third state capital was this "C" city.
Answer: Chillicothe

Chillicothe was named after one of the major divisions of the Shawnee Indians, the Chalakatha. There were several previous sites called Chillicothe also, since the name was given to the largest settlement of the Chalakatha at any given time.
    Your options: [ Columbus ] [ Chillicothe ] [ Cleveland ] [ Cincinnati ]
  From Quiz: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati
7 In 1947, which U.S. Senator from Ohio co-sponsored major legislation regarding labor relations?
Answer: Taft

Robert A. Taft co-sponsored the Taft-Hartley Act.
    Your options: [ Taft ] [ Glenn ] [ Morgan ] [ Mann ]
  From Quiz: More Ohio History
8 This Native American Tribe who made beautiful pottery and many mounds.
Answer: Hopewell

From about 200 BC to AD 500, the Ohio River Valley was a focal point of the prehistoric Hopewell culture.
    Your options: [ Mohicans ] [ Hopewell ] [ Iroquois ] [ Cherokee ]
  From Quiz: Ohio History
9 Which Ohio city was the "cash register" invented in?
Answer: Dayton

In 1884, James Ritty invented the first working, mechanical cash register in Dayton, Ohio.
  From Quiz: Ohio History
10 The original name of this city was Losantiville. It was renamed in 1790 by Arthur St Clair, then-governor of the Northwest Territory. The name he chose was based on that of an ancient Roman general.
Answer: Cincinnati

St Clair was a member of the Society of Cincinnati, an organization founded to honor George Washington. Like the Roman general Cincinnatus, Washington was originally a farmer who accepted broad powers from the people during his military service, then resigned those powers after the military crisis was over, so that the state could return to its legally-constituted government.
    Your options: [ Cleveland ] [ Cincinnati ] [ Columbus ] [ Cambridge ]
  From Quiz: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati
11 A man named Harry Stevens from Niles, Ohio created the name for a frankfurter that he served wrapped in a roll. What did he call it?
Answer: hot dog

It was said that he created the name "hot dog" after seeing a caricature of a frankfurter made to look like a Dachshund in the New York Daily Times in the year 1904.
  From Quiz: More Ohio History
12 Who was the first African-American to earn an individual Olympic gold medal?
Answer: DeHart Hubbard

Dehart Hubbard was a long jumper. He set an Olympic record in the 1924 Olympic Games held in Paris.
John Baxter Taylor Jr. had won a gold medal at the 1908 Olympics in the 1600m medley relay (athletics).
  From Quiz: Ohio First
13 The land from the Ohio River to the Great Lakes was known as this:
Answer: The Northwest Territory

In 1788, Marietta, Ohio became the first town settled in the Northwest Territory.
    Your options: [ The Ohio River Valley ] [ The Northwest Territory ] [ The Midwest ] [ The Northeast Territory ]
  From Quiz: Ohio History
14 In which Ohio city, is the first concrete street in America located?
Answer: Bellefontaine

The first concrete street in America was built in Bellefontaine, Ohio and is still in use.
    Your options: [ Columbus ] [ Enon ] [ Massillon ] [ Bellefontaine ]
  From Quiz: Ohio History
15 The 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, graduated from which Ohio college?
Answer: Miami University at Oxford

Benjamin Harrison's grandfather was also a president of the United States.
    Your options: [ Miami University at Oxford ] [ Ohio University in Athens ] [ Ohio State University in Columbus ] [ The University of Cincinnati ]
  From Quiz: More Ohio History
16 What was the first major league professional baseball team in Ohio?
Answer: The Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Red Stockings was organized in 1866.
  From Quiz: Ohio First
17 What is the highest mound in Ohio?
Answer: Miamisburg

The Miamisburg Mound is the largest conical burial mound in the state of Ohio and possibly in the eastern U.S.
  From Quiz: Ohio History
18 What was the Wright brothers' profession?
Answer: bicycle makers

They built their airplane in their bicycle shop.
  From Quiz: Ohio History
19 This "C" city is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Answer: Canton

The forerunner of the NFL began in Canton in 1920. The Hall of Fame opened in 1963.
    Your options: [ Columbus ] [ Canton ] [ Cleveland ] [ Cincinnati ]
  From Quiz: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati
20 During the United States Civil War, what Ohio company supplied all of the soap for the Union army?
Answer: Procter and Gamble

Procter and Gamble was created in 1837 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
  From Quiz: More Ohio History
21 An Ohioan named William Semple was issued a patent for this fun treat in 1869.
Answer: Chewing Gum

The first chewing gum patent was issued to William Semple of Mount Vernon, Ohio in 1869.
    Your options: [ Ice Cream ] [ Chewing Gum ] [ Hot Dogs ] [ Cotton Candy ]
  From Quiz: Ohio First
22 This town was founded in 1772 as a mission to the Delaware Indians.
Answer: Schoenbrunn

The name Schoenbrunn means "beautiful spring." The settlement grew to include sixty dwellings and more than 300 inhabitants who drew up Ohio's first civil code and built its first Christian church and schoolhouse. (Schoenbrunn is also the name of one of the finest former royal palaces in Austria).
    Your options: [ Cincinnati ] [ Schoenbrunn ] [ Dayton ] [ Toledo ]
  From Quiz: Ohio History
23 Who invented the first electrical ignition system for GM?
Answer: Charles Kettering

The first electrical ignition system for cars was invented by GM engineers Clyde Coleman and Charles Kettering. The self-starting ignition (no more hand cranking) was first installed in a Cadillac on February 17, 1911.
  From Quiz: Ohio History
24 This city is also known as "The Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World"; the iconic building designed by I.M. Pei became the home the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when it was dedicated in 1995.
Answer: Cleveland

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was actually created in 1983, but did not have a home for 12 years. Jann Wenner, the co-founder of the magazine "Rolling Stone," had originally hoped it would be located in New York City.
    Your options: [ Columbus ] [ Cleveland ] [ Cinicinnati ] [ Canton ]
  From Quiz: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati
25 Which Ohioan established himself as the first billionaire in the United States of America?
Answer: John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller was the guiding force behind the creation and development of the Standard Oil Company.
  From Quiz: More Ohio History
26 Where is the first museum in the world dedicated to rock and roll located?
Answer: Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio is home to the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum." A Cleveland disc jockey, Alan Freed, was the first to popularize the phrase "Rock 'n' Roll" in 1951.
  From Quiz: Ohio First
27 Ohio's first capital was:
Answer: Chillicothe

The newly founded town of Columbus became Ohio's permanent capital in 1816.
    Your options: [ Cincinnati ] [ Chillicothe ] [ Cleveland ] [ Cleves ]
  From Quiz: Ohio History
28 What famous Civil War general was born in Lancaster,Ohio?
Answer: William T. Sherman

Sherman was born in Lancaster, Ohio.
  From Quiz: Ohio History
29 This city boasts the Major League Baseball team that is the oldest to play continually in one city.
Answer: Cincinnati

The consensus of baseball authorities seems to agree that the current Cincinnati Reds were founded in 1881. There are people associated with the team, however, that maintain the Reds are a continuation of the 1867 Red Stockings, the first fully professional baseball team. The shifting business entities in the early days of baseball lead most to conclude that the Reds are merely named in tribute to the historic Red Stockings.
    Your options: [ Columbus ] [ Cincinnati ] [ Cleveland ] [ Cambridge ]
  From Quiz: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati
30 The Shawnee Indians captured which noted frontiersman in 1778?
Answer: Daniel Boone

He was held captive in Et-Nah Woods near the Seven Caves area in Ohio.
    Your options: [ Daniel Boone ] [ Simon Kenton ] [ Davy Crockett ] [ John Winthrop ]
  From Quiz: More Ohio History
31 A mound in the shape of an animal is called this:
Answer: Effigy Mound

Serpent Mound is the largest serpent effigy in the United States. Nearly a quarter of a mile long, Serpent Mound represents an uncoiling serpent.
    Your options: [ Animal Mound ] [ Effigy Mound ] [ Mammal Mound ] [ Natural Mound ]
  From Quiz: Ohio History
32 What Ohioan commanded the Gemini 8 and Apollo 11 missions?
Answer: Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstong was the first man to step on the moon.
  From Quiz: Ohio History
33 This city earned one of its less flattering nicknames, "The Mistake on the Lake", in 1969, after the polluted Cuyahoga River caught fire.
Answer: Cleveland

Yes, you read that correctly -- the river was on fire! Actually, there were several contributing factors that earned Cleveland this particular nickname, including municipal financial difficulties, unrest due to the civil rights movement, and sports teams that were (and had been for some time) exercises in futility.
    Your options: [ Columbus ] [ Cleveland ] [ Cincinnati ] [ Cambridge ]
  From Quiz: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati
34 What was the name of the Shawnee Indian Chief born in 1752 as Marmaduke Van Swearingen?
Answer: Blue Jacket

He was adopted by the Shawnees at the age of 17. He eventually became a respected war chief of the Shawnee Nation.
  From Quiz: More Ohio History
35 Cleveland chocolate maker Clarence Crane invented this candy.
Answer: Life Savers

Life Savers were invented in 1912.
    Your options: [ Red Hots ] [ Life Savers ] [ Jaw Breakers ] [ Lollipops ]
  From Quiz: Ohio First
36 The first Governor of Ohio was:
Answer: Edward Tiffin

He was elected governor of the newly organized state almost without opposition in 1803 and again in 1805 for a second term.
    Your options: [ Christopher Columbus ] [ Edward Tiffin ] [ Grover Cleveland ] [ William Howard Taft ]
  From Quiz: Ohio History
37 In the 2010 U.S. Census, this was the most populous city in Ohio, as well as the fifteenth most populous city in the United States.
Answer: Columbus

Cincinnati was the most populous city in Ohio from the inception of statehood through the 1900 census, when it was overtaken by Cleveland. Cleveland was Ohio's most populous city for most of the 20th century.
    Your options: [ Cleveland ] [ Columbus ] [ Cincinnati ] [ Chillicothe ]
  From Quiz: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati
38 What air and space museum is located in Wapakoneta, Ohio?
Answer: Neil Armstrong Museum

Neil Armstrong commanded the Gemini 8 mission and became the first person to walk on the moon as commander of Apollo 11. He was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio on August 5, 1930.
  From Quiz: More Ohio History
39 Ohio was the ___________state to join the Union.
Answer: 17th

The 13 stars grouped about the circle on Ohio's flag represent the original states of the union; the 4 stars added to the peak of the triangle symbolize that Ohio was the 17th state admitted to the union.
    Your options: [ 13th ] [ 17th ] [ 16th ] [ 18th ]
  From Quiz: Ohio History
40 How many counties are in Ohio?
Answer: 88

48 states have Counties with the exception of Louisiana, which has Parishes, and Alaska, which has boroughs.
  From Quiz: Ohio History
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