U.S. History: Who Knew? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Richard Nixon

From the Oval Office on July 20, 1969, Richard Nixon placed a radiotelephone call to the astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission. Nixon spoke to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin while they were on the surface of the moon by the Sea of Tranquility. The President declared they "made the heavens a part of man's world", and Armstrong responded that it was a privilege to serve his country. I'm not sure what long distance phone charges were in 1969, but it couldn't have been a cheap call.

Answer: He was a dog

Bass was a Belgian Malinois who had the title of Multi-Purpose Canine (MPC). During the fighting in Afghanistan, Bass served four deployments across the Middle East between 2014 and 2019. The decorated dog completed over 350 missions, and, during a raid in Afghanistan's Helmand Province, Bass found five IEDs hidden in a building, ensuring the safe regrouping of his unit.

The Dickin Medal is a British award similar to their awarding of the Victoria Cross for humans. The prestigious medal is awarded to heroic creatures and has included pigeons, dogs, horses, and even a cat.

Answer: Texas

Since Texas adopted the death penalty in 1976, the use of lethal injections exceeds any other state in the USA by almost a margin of five times. By 2026, Texas had amassed 590 convicted murders put to death by lethal injection. To put in a comparison, Oklahoma was second with 127.

Lethal injection is the most common way that states have chosen for the death penalty as it appears to be more medical and more humane. The reference, "don't mess with" Texas, is a famous quote that even President George W. Bush campaigned with during his time in office. The slogan came from a anti-littering campaign by the Texas Department of Transportation and became a popular Texas catchphrase.

Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson

LBJ was never known for his eloquence. President Johnson made this quote in 1964 about the Vietnam War. Johnson was running for the office of President and wanted to share that sending U.S. troops to Vietnam and escalating the war was not in his plans.

But after the election, the Vietnam military attacked U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. Johnson took quick action and did send American troops to Vietnam.

Answer: The Patriot Act

The Patriot Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., in 2001. The new Act gave the government more freedom to conduct searches, spy on potential terrorists, and increase security efforts to protect the nation from another attack.

SpaceX became more popular years later but the name was adopted on March 14, 2002, under the legal name Space Exploration Technologies Corporation. The MeToo movement went viral in 2006 and discussed sexual advances in the work place. Black Lives Matter became a viral internet hashtag, "#BlackLivesMatter", following Trayvon Martin's murder in 2013.

Answer: Jeff Bezos

During the COVID lockdown of 2020, physical business were shutting their doors and Americans were relying more and more on deliveries of essential items to their homes. "Forbes" magazine declared that Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, saw his net worth surpass the $200 billion dollar mark on August 26, 2020. Prior to starting Amazon, the Princeton graduate became a highly successful Wall Street career and was a vice president at D. E. Shaw & Co. by the age of 30.

Answer: John

Donald Trump's middle name is John. He shares that name with the middle name of his grandfather, Frederick Trump. President Trump didn't start using his middle initial during his presidency as a way to sound more important, he was called Donald J. Trump as early as 1973 in a "New York Times" article.

Answer: True

What a brilliant way to save on travel costs! This ridiculous fact is true but it didn't make it past a year as the U.S. Postal Service discontinued the parcel post option in 1914. Parents bought stamps and had them attached directly to their children's coats. Postal workers safely escorted the "mailed" children to their grandparents' houses.

Answer: The Liberty Bell

The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a symbol of America's break from England's rule. The bell was first rung on July 8, 1776, prior to the reading of the Declaration of Independence. The only concern was that the pride in American symbol was forged in London back in 1751. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, the bell was specially designed and ordered from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London.

Answer: $10,000 bill

While the $10,000 bill has been discontinued, it did feature Salmon P. Chase, the former Secretary of the Treasury and Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Chase was instrumental in getting paper money established in the United States during the Civil War.

The bills were called greenbacks. In fact, Chase was the original face on the one-dollar bill until 1869 when President George Washington's face was replaced. Chase National Bank was founded by New York banker John Thompson.