New Hampshire History Trivia

1. How long is New Hampshire's coastline?

From Quiz Ten Fun Facts About New Hampshire

Answer: 15 miles

There are only four communities on the coast - Seabrook, Hampton Beach, Rye, and Portsmouth.

From Quiz New Hampshire History I

Answer: Christa McAuliffe - first teacher in space

Personally, this was the "JFK assassination for schoolchildren" in the '80s. I can still remember being in the class room watching live footage Challenger lift-off carrying the woman who was to become the first teacher in space and then seeing the Challenger blow up. McAuliffe was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1948 and moved with her family to Concord, NH in 1978 because her husband had become the assistant to NH's attorney general. Prior to that the McAuliffes had been living in Washington DC where she had a job teaching at a local high school. Four years after moving to Concord McAuliffe became a social studies teacher at Concord High School. In 1984 McAuliffe became one of the thousands of teachers to apply for Regan's Teacher in Space program, being selected as the first teacher in 1985. She trained for the STS-51-L shuttle mission aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger which was to have begun January 28, 1986. But rather than making history as the first teacher in space, she became part of the first shuttle crew to be lost and the second crew lost in NASA's history. Her backup, Barbra Morgan, would become the first teacher in space twelve years after the Challenger disaster. McAuliffe is memorialized in NH with the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium in Concord and the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference held yearly in Nashua.

From Quiz Fun Facts about New Hampshire

Answer: Lake Winnipesaukee

Lake Winnipesaukee, the largest lake in New Hampshire with a surface area of approximately 72 square miles, is a popular vacation area for average folks and the rich & famous alike. Well-known people who have come to the lake include former Massachusetts Governor and presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, whose family has a summer residence here, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who vacationed here in the summer of 2007.

From Quiz New Hampshire History II

Answer: Hinsdale

In 1815 Nathan Babbitt became Hinsdale's first postmaster. Babbitt constructed the two story clapboard building the Hinsdale Post Office operates out of today on what is today the town's main street. The post office first opened in 1816. In its early years the building served as a general store with the post office operating out of one corner of the building. Over time the post office grew to incorporate the entire ground floor of the building. The Hinsdale Post Office was one of the first in the nation to have a female postmaster. In 1885 Adelia Barrows began assisting her father, who was the postmaster at the time. Three years later after his death she succeeded him as postmaster, being so appointed by the federal government. Barrows would serve as Hinsdale's postmaster for thirty-seven years. During her time as postmaster the Hinsdale Post Office would survive the 1900 that destroyed the old town hall located next to the post office. It also survived a couple of robbery attempts which involved blowing up the safe inside, the first in 1899 and the second ten years later in 1909. In August 2016 the Hinsdale Post Office celebrated its 200th birthday. It has continuously been operating in the same spot since it opened. It's even been a clue on Jeopardy! in 2021.

From Quiz Ten Fun Facts About New Hampshire

Answer: Henniker

I learned to ski at Pat's Peak in Henniker. It is the home of New England College.

From Quiz New Hampshire History I

Answer: Raleigh

The USS Raleigh was built in Portsmouth, NH in 1776. She was authorized by the Second Continental Congress in December of 1775, one of thirteen warships to be authorized. Raleigh holds the distinction of being the first warship to fly the American flag. However, two years after she was built and launched she was captured by the British and finished the war as the HMS Raleigh. Raleigh appeared on the seal at least as early as 1904, but controversy over elements of the seal prompted a change in its appearance leading to the 1931 seal that is still in use. Among other things that were held questionable was a dock filled with rum barrels in the foreground of the seal.

From Quiz Fun Facts about New Hampshire

Answer: Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth president of the U.S. (1853-1857), was born in Hillsborough, NH in 1804. Prior to becoming president, he was a successful lawyer, NH State Representative, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator. The Franklin Pierce Law School in Concord, NH, founded in 1973, is named for President Pierce.

From Quiz Ten Fun Facts About New Hampshire

Answer: Franklin Pierce

I'm sorry to say he was one of our worst presidents. There is a College in Rindge, New Hampshire named in his honer. He signed the Kansas Nebraska Act. This act allowed the people living in those territories to allow slavery or not. Which upset anti slavery north and moved the country closer to the Civil War.

From Quiz New Hampshire History I

Answer: Strawbery Banke

Originally settled in 1630 by a group of Englishmen led by Captain Walter Neal, Strawbery Banke was named for the local wild berries which caused them to settle there. Neal and his men served as an advanced party for the Laconia Company, which was directed by on of Newfoundland's former governors, Captain John Mason. Unlike other New England groups such as the Pilgrims, the Laconia Company sought to establish a colony in New England for the purpose of economics. In 1638 Strawbery Banke found itself free of the legal authority of the Laconia Company thanks to latter being forced to declare bankruptcy. This led to the settlers of Strawbery Banke creating a covenant under which to govern their colony. However, this covenant proved less effective than they hoped, and in 1641 Strawbery Banke welcomed the authority brought to it by the expanding Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1653 Strawbery Banke requested a formal name change to Portsmouth, which was granted by the Massachusetts General Court. Strawbery Banke would be little more than a footnote in the history of New Hampshire if it had not been for the efforts of Strawbery Banke, Inc., a group formed in 1958 with the purpose of saving historic buildings from demolition during urban renewal. One of the group's first actions was to get the state to change the renewal law so as to allow restoration under to the urban renewal law. Prior to this the state law held that everything in an area to face urban renewal was to face demolition, which would have destroyed all the historic buildings. Once the law changed land was acquired and some of the late 19th century and 20th century buildings were demolished while the rest of the area was deeded to Strawbery Banke, Inc. The group worked on the neighborhood, reopening it as the Strawbery Banke Museum in 1965.

From Quiz Fun Facts about New Hampshire

Answer: The highest wind gust measured on the earth's surface

During a wild storm in April, 1934 on Mount Washington (sometimes called the 'Home of the world's worst weather'), a wind gust of 231 miles per hour was directly measured on the mountain's surface. Part of the Presidential Mountain Range, Mount Washington is 6,288 feet high.

From Quiz Ten Fun Facts About New Hampshire

Answer: Amoskeag Manufacturing Company

You can still see the the mill buildings along the Merrimack River. The company provided housing, medical care, banks, schools, stories, and many other civic functions. This made Manchester into a company town. Because of this, when the mills closed without waring on December 24, 1935, Manchester went into a severe economic decline.

From Quiz Fun Facts about New Hampshire

Answer: John Stark

John Stark, an American Revolutionary War hero, was a life long resident of New Hampshire and was widely known for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington (Vermont) in 1777. The famous motto came from a letter written in 1809, sent to fellow war veterans. The letter closed, 'Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils.' It became the state motto in 1945.

From Quiz New Hampshire History II

Answer: Fort Constitution

Originally built in 1631 as an earthen redoubt, the fort came to simply be known as the Castle until 1692 when it was named Fort William and Mary. On the night of December 14, 1774 several hundred men from Portsmouth under the command of John Langdon raided the fort, forcing the surrender of Captain John Cochran and his five man garrison along with a hundred barrels of gunpowder. The following night a force of similar size under John Sullivan and Alexander Scammell again raided the fort, this time carrying off muskets, supplies, and sixteen cannons. Some of these items would later be used at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The fort would not remain in the hands of the colonials at this time and three days later a force of a hundred Royal marines would prevent a third raid on the fort. In 1775 Sullivan, by then a Brigadier General in the newly formed Continental Army, would return to the then abandoned Fort William and Mary and have it dismantled. Forts Washington and Sullivan were built upriver from the old fort site at a more defensible position on the Piscataqua river and the old Fort William and Mary site was renamed Fort Hancock. Following the war the sight was renamed either Castle Fort or Fort Castle. Then in 1791 the federal government purchased the land and began construction on a new wooden First System Period of fortification construction fort there. This would be the beginning of the modern Fort Constitution. The First System fort would be replaced in the early 19th century with Second System fort featuring higher walls and brick buildings. Fort Constitution was to be upgraded to the Third System during the Civil War, but by the time construction began weapons technology had already demonstrated that the Third System was already outdated and this Third System fortification was never completed. Following the war during the Endecott Period saw the construction of two concrete reinforced gun batteries at the fort known as Battery Farnsworth and Battery Hackleman.

From Quiz Ten Fun Facts About New Hampshire

Answer: Daniel Webster

He brought the first Gordon Setters into the United States. The story of "The Devil and Daniel Webster" was written by Stephen Vincent Benet. It was about a New Hampshire farmer who sold his soul to the Devil. The farmer then hired Daniel Webster to take the Devil to court to get it back.

From Quiz Fun Facts about New Hampshire

Answer: Dixville Notch, NH

Since the 1960 election year, all of the eligible voters in Dixville Notch, an unincorporated township, have gathered at midnight to cast their primary election ballots. After all the votes have been cast, the polls officially close, approximately one minute later. During the 2004 primary, Dixville Notch had 26 registered voters.

From Quiz New Hampshire History II

Answer: The Connecticut Lakes

The Republic of Indian Stream, which was named after a tributary of the Connecticut River, was established because of an ambiguity in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. The treaty which ended the American Revolution in its second article established a boundary between British Canada and the United States. Part of that boundary was to be the northernmost head of the Connecticut River; however it did not establish where the northernmost head of the river was. The British claimed the border was the southern branch at the end of what is today the four Connecticut Lakes while the United States claimed the border to be at Halls Stream. Both countries were taxing the residents of this area because of this dispute and this would lead to the citizens declaring themselves to be part of a republic independent of both nations until the dispute could be settled.

From Quiz Ten Fun Facts About New Hampshire

Answer: Tuckerman's Ravine

You hike into the ravine but there are no ski lifts and no lodge. The ravine is prone to avalanches, so be careful should you chose to ski there.

From Quiz New Hampshire History I

Answer: Signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth

From February 10, 1904 until the signing of the peace treaty known as the Treaty of Portsmouth the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan fought the Russo-Japanese War for control of Manchuria and Korea. In 1905 facing the 1905 Russian Revolution, Czar Nicholas II decided to negotiate for peace. Though the two countries could have negotiated the peace settlement anywhere, they ended up doing so in Portsmouth after President Theodore Roosevelt offered to mediate the negotiations. While they were negotiating the peace settlement the diplomats from both countries stayed at the Hotel Wentworth, now known as Wentworth by the Sea, in nearby New Castle. The treaty was signed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which is actually located in Kittery, Maine. However, the boundary is disputed and despite a US Supreme Court decision New Hampshire in 2006 once again laid claim to the island upon which the Naval Shipyard lays.

From Quiz Fun Facts about New Hampshire

Answer: 2003

The 'Old Man of the Mountain', a rock profile of a man's face, jutted out of an upper edge of a mountain. It was one of New Hampshire's most cherished symbols. Carved by receding glaciers 10,000 years ago, the formation weakened over time. Despite attempts to keep it together, the Old Man finally yielded to the ravages of nature, falling to the ground on May 3, 2003.

From Quiz Ten Fun Facts About New Hampshire

Answer: Seabrook

There were many protests and riots while it was being built. Finally the state won and it was built.

From Quiz New Hampshire History I

Answer: Mt Washington & Mt. Washington & Mount Washington

Agiocochook, the Native American name for Mt Washington, means "home of the Great Spirit." The first recorded climb of Mt Washington came in 1642 when the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Winthrop, recorded the account of Irishman Darby Field who claimed to have accomplished this feat thus becoming the first known person to do so. Field's claim to have climbed the mountain is supported by his description of the mountain top which proved to be fairly accurate to how the summit actually appears. More than a hundred years later Field's notes of his climb were used by a party climbing the mountain in 1816, giving further credence to his having made such an ascent. In his record of Field's climb Governor Winthrop calls Mt Washington the White Hill. This may have been one of the various names given to it by European settlers. But in 1784 a geological team led by one Dr. Cutler named it Mt Washington after then General George Washington.

From Quiz Fun Facts about New Hampshire

Answer: Alan B. Shepard, Jr

Alan Shepard, one of the early heroes of the space program, was born in Derry, NH on November 18, 1923. His historic flight as the first American in space took place on May 5, 1961, when he rode the Freedom 7 spacecraft aloft for 15 minutes.

From Quiz Ten Fun Facts About New Hampshire

Answer: The Old Man of the Mountain

He overlooked Profile Lake in Franconia Notch. He was held in place by concrete and steel cables. Mother Nature took him away on May 3, 2003. Nobody saw or heard it happen.

From Quiz New Hampshire History I

Answer: The Old Man of the Mountain

Though thousands of years old and known to the Native Americans long before Europeans ever laid eyes on it, the rock formation that was known as the Old Man of the Mountain was discovered, according to the state parks department, by surveyors Luke Brooks and Francis Witcomb in 1805 during a survey of Franconia Notch. Interestingly, in 1604 Native Americans told a legend of a great stone face if one were to take the Merrimack River north, clearly showing that they had known about the rock formation long before Europeans, but the state picked 1805 as the "birth" of the Old Man. Thus it was actually a celebration of the acknowledged discovery by people of European descent that Eisenhower participated in. On May 3, 2003 after having existed to thousands of years the rock formation which formed the Old Man of the Mountain finally fell down, taking with it one of the best known images of the state. This fall might have happened much sooner if not for the efforts of Reverend Guy Roberts who went in 1905 to the then owner of Franconia Notch, one Colonel Greenleaf, to discuss the fact that erosion was beginning to take away the rock formation and that generations to come would never get to see it. The two agreed that something had to be done though they did not know what to do. In 1915 Roberts found one Edward Geddes, who came up with a solution to save the stone face. Work to save the formation began the following year. Geddes received frostbite to the fingers of one hand, but his work in 1916 proved so successful that when he returned for his final trip to place cinder blocks on the formation in 1937 it had not moved an inch since 1916. Over the years more would be done to protect the Old Man, with one Niels Nielsen becoming it's first official caretaker in 1960. He served in this capacity for the next thirty years, being succeeded by his son David in 1990. But despite all the work done to preserve the stone face for future generations it collapsed in 2003.

From Quiz Fun Facts about New Hampshire

Answer: Tupperware

In the late 1930's, Earl Tupper (who was born in Berlin, NH on July 28, 1907) founded his company, Tupper Plastics, in nearby Massachusetts. The now well-known plastic containers that bear his name first became popular in the early 1950's, utilizing the 'home party' sales method.

From Quiz New Hampshire History II

Answer: Colonel Moses Little

Part of what would become the town Lisbon prior to 1770; the area was called Chiswick, a Saxon name meaning Cheese Farm, after the Duke of Devonshire's castle in 1764. In 1770 Littleton was separated from the rest of what would become Lisbon and named Apthorp after wealth Boston mercantile George Apthorp. At some point between 1770 and 1784 the Apthorps passed control of the land to family associates in Newburyport, Massachusetts. These associates were headed by the Surveyor of the King's Woods, Colonel Moses Little. As for Lisbon, when it was incorporated as a town in 1824 it was named in honor of Governor Levi Woodbury's friend Colonel William Jarvis who served a decade as the U.S. Consul to Lisbon, Portugal.

From Quiz Ten Fun Facts About New Hampshire

Answer: Alan Shepard and Christa McAuliffe

Alan Shepard was the first astronaut sent up and later played golf on the moon. Christa Mcauliffe was due to become the first teacher in space, but sadly she lost her life when the space shuttle Challenger exploded.

From Quiz Fun Facts about New Hampshire

Answer: The Queen City

Manchester is called the Queen City because it is the largest city in New Hampshire but it is not the state capital (the capital of New Hampshire is Concord). Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, Manchester was an industrial center in the 19th century, and, at one time, was the home of the largest cotton mill in the world.

From Quiz New Hampshire History II

Answer: Sank off the Isle of Shoals

Commissioned March 1, 1939, SS-192 USS Squalus had completed fitting out by May 12th when she began a series of test dives. Squalus had completed eighteen successful test dives off the Isle of Shoals prior to the morning of May 23rd. But at 7:40 AM on May 23rd the boat's main engine air induction valve failed just after submerging during her nineteenth test dive, resulting in the flooding of the engine room. Squalus would sink in 240 feet of water with twenty-six men. About thirty-three of her crew survived the sinking, finding themselves trapped on the sea floor. Squalus would be located by her sister ship SS-191 USS Sculpin later that day. Via a telephone marker buoy Sculpin was able to determine there were survivors aboard the downed boat. Rescue operations began that day, though the survivors would have to spend the night aboard the sunken ship. This was particularly dangerous for them as sea water in the battery compartment unleashed chlorine gas. The rescue ship ASR-2 USS Falcon arrived on scene at 10:14 AM the following morning and began lowering the McCann Rescue Chamber on the first of four dives to rescue the survivors. Four of the men involved in the rescue operation would receive the Medal of Honor for their actions. Squalus would eventually be raised and towed back to Portsmouth by the end of September of that year. In November she was decommissioned. Recommissioned USS Sailfish almost a year to the day of her sinking, she would go on to earn nine battle stars during World War II. Sailfish was decommissioned in October 1945 and sold for scrap in 1948

From Quiz Ten Fun Facts About New Hampshire

Answer: Kittery Maine

It is the oldest United States Naval Base. Maine and New Hampshire have fought for years as to where the state border is and who can claim the shipyard for tax purposes. Just up the road is Pease National Guard Base.

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