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Quiz about 1950s All American History
Quiz about 1950s All American History

1950s All American History Trivia Quiz


Calling all American Baby Boomers! How much do you remember the days of poodle skirts, cars with fins and the birth of rock 'n' roll?

A multiple-choice quiz by brewster76. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
brewster76
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
294,927
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
6952
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: gumman (6/10), Guest 172 (7/10), elon78 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. In 1950 science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard published the book "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health." What church was founded, based on this book and Hubbard's other writings? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In the third game of the 1951 National League pennant race New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson hit a home run off of Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca that led to a 5-4 Giants victory and the World Series. What is the well known name of this 'homer'? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. In the 1950s a patent was issued for the geodesic dome, a spherical structure that is aerodynamic and wind resistant because its weight is evenly distributed across the entire structure. Who was the patent holder? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. According to the Museum of Broadcasting at 8:00 pm on Monday, January 19, 1953 more than 70% of all American televisions were tuned in to what program? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education found that separate schools based on race were inherently unequal. Who was the attorney who successfully argued this case for the NAACP? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. On October 11, 1959 Pope John XXIII announced the beatification of the first American-born saint. Who was it? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. A well known nightly news broadcast debuted on NBC in 1956 and ran until 1970. It was hosted by Chet Huntley and which other veteran newsman? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. On August 28, 1957 Senator Strom Thurmond set a US Senate record for what? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In the 1950s former Stanley Home Products representative Brownie Wise rocked the world of direct marketing with her sales model that empowered women to sell a new product to their friends and neighbors at in-home "parties". Which item was it? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Almost 26 years after a constitutional amendment ended this practice in the rest of the country, Oklahoma finally repealed a law in 1959 that had been written into its 1907 state constitution. What Oklahoma law was over-turned by a state-wide election in April of 1959? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : gumman: 6/10
Mar 26 2024 : Guest 172: 7/10
Mar 25 2024 : elon78: 9/10
Mar 25 2024 : Guest 174: 7/10
Mar 22 2024 : Guest 67: 8/10
Mar 19 2024 : Guest 75: 5/10
Mar 17 2024 : Guest 73: 8/10
Mar 15 2024 : Guest 168: 6/10
Mar 13 2024 : Guest 76: 5/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In 1950 science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard published the book "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health." What church was founded, based on this book and Hubbard's other writings?

Answer: Scientology

Celebrity followers of Sceintology include John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Leah Remini, Kirstie Alley, Isaac Hayes and, most famously, Tom Cruise.
2. In the third game of the 1951 National League pennant race New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson hit a home run off of Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca that led to a 5-4 Giants victory and the World Series. What is the well known name of this 'homer'?

Answer: The Shot Heard 'Round the World

It's said the home run received this name from the many servicemen who listened to the game on Armed Services Radio. It refers to a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson about the Revolutionary War.
3. In the 1950s a patent was issued for the geodesic dome, a spherical structure that is aerodynamic and wind resistant because its weight is evenly distributed across the entire structure. Who was the patent holder?

Answer: Buckminster Fuller

Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) was an architect, author, humanist and futurist. He was described by "Time Magazine" as "the greatest living genius of industrial-technical realization in building, an anticipator of the world to come, and a seminal thinker." The article went on to say that "for most of his life, R. Buckminster Fuller was known simply as a crackpot." As with many people whose visions are ahead of their time, Buckminster Fuller is now viewed as a genius.

The carbon allotropes "Fullerenes" are named for Fuller; when spherical in shape they are called "buckyballs."
4. According to the Museum of Broadcasting at 8:00 pm on Monday, January 19, 1953 more than 70% of all American televisions were tuned in to what program?

Answer: "I Love Lucy" - Lucy Ricardo giving birth to Little Ricky

President Eisenhower was sworn in the next day, January 20th (US Presidential inaugurations are always held on January 20th unless it's a Sunday) but in the morning and with about half of the viewers of Lucy. Elvis premiered on the Sullivan Show (which aired on Sunday nights for its entire run) in 1956 with a whopping 82% of Americans watching.

In 1953 Winston Churchill was the British prime minister; he died in 1965.
5. The landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education found that separate schools based on race were inherently unequal. Who was the attorney who successfully argued this case for the NAACP?

Answer: Thurgood Marshall

Marshall was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson as the first African American Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1967.
6. On October 11, 1959 Pope John XXIII announced the beatification of the first American-born saint. Who was it?

Answer: Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton

Mother Elizabeth Anne Seton was born was born in New York in 1774, converted to Catholicism after the death of her husband and founded the American Sisters of Charity. She was beatified by Pope John XXIII on 17th March 1963. She was canonized in 1974.
Mother Cabrini was the first American citizen to be canonized a saint, however she was born in Italy.
7. A well known nightly news broadcast debuted on NBC in 1956 and ran until 1970. It was hosted by Chet Huntley and which other veteran newsman?

Answer: David Brinkley

The Huntley-Brinkley Report ended with Chet Huntley's retirement. He returned to his native Montana and one of his ventures was founding the Big Sky Ski Resort near Bozeman.
8. On August 28, 1957 Senator Strom Thurmond set a US Senate record for what?

Answer: Delivering the longest filibuster

Thurmond filibustered against the Civil Rights Act of 1957 for 24 hours, 18 minutes. He did switch political parties in 1964, from Democrat to Republican because he objected to the Dem's support of civil rights. 66 year old Thurmond married 23 year old former Miss South Carolina Nancy Moore in 1968 and they had four children.

After his death it was revealed that Thurmond had fathered a child with a member of his parent's household staff who was of African American heritage.
9. In the 1950s former Stanley Home Products representative Brownie Wise rocked the world of direct marketing with her sales model that empowered women to sell a new product to their friends and neighbors at in-home "parties". Which item was it?

Answer: Tupperware

Earl Tupper developed the hard plastic shells with airtight lids in the late 1940s. After his unsuccessful attempts at selling Tupperware through traditional retail outlets, Ms. Wise came to him with her idea of letting women run their own small businesses from their homes, offices and schools and thus the birth of the "Tupperware Party." Tupper sold the company for almost $100 million in 1958, after he fired Brownie Wise.
10. Almost 26 years after a constitutional amendment ended this practice in the rest of the country, Oklahoma finally repealed a law in 1959 that had been written into its 1907 state constitution. What Oklahoma law was over-turned by a state-wide election in April of 1959?

Answer: Prohibition of liquor

The Volstead Act of 1919 prohibiting most phases in the distribution chain of alcohol was repealed by the 21st Amedment on December 5, 1933. While Oklahoma was a "dry state" the illegal liquor trade was vibrant. In fact, knowing their livelihood depended on prohibition remaining state law, bootleggers gave financial support to the cause until the law was finally enforced in the 1950s.

When conventions and other businesses suffered because of no liquor, repeal of prohibition became imminent. Native Oklahoman Will Rogers is said to have remarked "Oklahoma will be a dry state as long as the voters can stagger to the polls." (Information from the Oklahoma Historical Society)
Source: Author brewster76

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