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Quiz about The Curse of the Presidents
Quiz about The Curse of the Presidents

The Curse of the Presidents Trivia Quiz


The curse of the presidents is that every president elected every 20 years starting with 1840 has been killed or died while in office. Take this quiz to learn more.

A multiple-choice quiz by Ilona_Ritter. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
Ilona_Ritter
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
335,939
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
1893
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: RJOhio (9/10), Guest 207 (9/10), Guest 162 (6/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. To look at this curse we must first go back a little in time. During the War of 1812, Tecumseh was killed in battle. Who was the man who led the army that eventually killed Tecumseh on October 5, 1813? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In 1840, Harrison was elected president of the United States. Harrison gave a speech that was two hours long. The day he read it it was raining and he did not have on the appropriate clothes for the weather. Consequentially, he became the first president to die in office. He died only 32 days after he took office. From what did he die of on April 4, 1841? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Twenty years after Harrison was elected in 1840, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States in 1860. Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at the theatre. He died on April 15, 1865. What show were the Lincolns viewing when he was shot? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The year is now 1880 and James Garfield has just been elected president of the United States. He died on September 19, 1881. Who assassinated him? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The year is now 1900, and William McKinley has been elected president of the United States. McKinley died on September 14, 1901. He was the third president to be assassinated. Who was his assassin? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. It is now 1920, and Warren G. Harding has been elected as president of the United States. He died on August 2, 1923. Which scandal was Harding involved in? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. We are now in the year 1940 and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt has been re-elected as president. Interestingly enough, he died in office on April 12, 1945, keeping the curse alive. How did he die? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. We have now come to the year 1960 and John Fitzgerald Kennedy has just been elected president. He died on November 22, 1963. The history books tell us that he was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, however, some people do not believe this to be true. Which of the following is not an explanation that has been given as to how he might have died? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. We have now reached 1980. Ronald Reagan was elected president of the United States. A man was obsessed with Jodie Foster and decided the best way to attract the woman he loved was to kill a president. Who was this man who shot Reagan in 1981? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. How many different US presidents were there between 1840 and 1988 when the curse started and ended? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : RJOhio: 9/10
Mar 24 2024 : Guest 207: 9/10
Mar 22 2024 : Guest 162: 6/10
Mar 21 2024 : Guest 104: 5/10
Mar 18 2024 : Guest 38: 7/10
Mar 01 2024 : Guest 98: 10/10
Feb 27 2024 : Guest 75: 9/10
Feb 19 2024 : Guest 152: 10/10
Feb 19 2024 : Guest 76: 9/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. To look at this curse we must first go back a little in time. During the War of 1812, Tecumseh was killed in battle. Who was the man who led the army that eventually killed Tecumseh on October 5, 1813?

Answer: William Harrison

Tecumseh was a Shawnee leader. Tecumseh had warned Harrison that the selling of the land that we now know as Ohio was illegal because the tribes who sold did not have the right to sell. Harrison didn't listen and tensions grew between the two. Both Tecumseh and Harrison knew war was inevitable.
2. In 1840, Harrison was elected president of the United States. Harrison gave a speech that was two hours long. The day he read it it was raining and he did not have on the appropriate clothes for the weather. Consequentially, he became the first president to die in office. He died only 32 days after he took office. From what did he die of on April 4, 1841?

Answer: Pneumonia

And so the curse began. His death caused a problem in the country because people were not quite sure what to do at first since they had never had a president die while in office.
3. Twenty years after Harrison was elected in 1840, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States in 1860. Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at the theatre. He died on April 15, 1865. What show were the Lincolns viewing when he was shot?

Answer: Our American Cousin

"Our American Cousin" is a three act play written by Tom Taylor.

Interesting fact: John Wilkes Booth's brother once saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son.

We now have two presidents who died while in office, one elected in 1840 and the other in 1860.
4. The year is now 1880 and James Garfield has just been elected president of the United States. He died on September 19, 1881. Who assassinated him?

Answer: Charles J. Guiteau

Guiteau had plans to assassinate Garfield at an earlier date, but postponed his plans because Garfield's wife was ill at the time and he did not want to upset her while she was sick. Guiteau believed he was doing what God wanted him to do. He didn't mind being hanged because he believed he was going to see the Lord.

We now have the presidents elected in 1840, 1860, and 1880 dying while in office.
5. The year is now 1900, and William McKinley has been elected president of the United States. McKinley died on September 14, 1901. He was the third president to be assassinated. Who was his assassin?

Answer: Leon Czolgosz

McKinley was greeting the American people at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY. Czolgosz had the gun hidden and walked right up to him. McKinley put his hand out to Czolgosz, who pushed the president's hand away and shot him at point blank range. Czolgosz's lawyers had a difficult time defending him as he refused to speak to either one of them. He was found guilty and given the electric chair.

Emma Goldman, who was also an anarchist, was arrested as the government believed she was part of the conspiracy. However, she was released as no evidence was found that she was involved.

The presidents elected in 1840, 1860, 1880, and 1900 have all died while in office.
6. It is now 1920, and Warren G. Harding has been elected as president of the United States. He died on August 2, 1923. Which scandal was Harding involved in?

Answer: Teapot Dome Scandal

The Teapot Dome Scandal was a scandal based on bribery. The scandal ruined the reputation of Harding who, at the time of his death, was still popular, but posthumously that popularity dwindled.

Mysteriously, while in office Harding died. Many people believed he committed suicide because of the Teapot Dome scandal. He had only been in office for two years when he died.

The presidents elected in 1840, 1860, 1880, 1900 and 1920 have all died while in office.
7. We are now in the year 1940 and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt has been re-elected as president. Interestingly enough, he died in office on April 12, 1945, keeping the curse alive. How did he die?

Answer: Massive cerebral hemorrhage

Roosevelt was the only US president to be elected to four terms. It was his third term in 1940 that made him susceptible to the curse of the presidents, but he did not die in office until his fourth term.
8. We have now come to the year 1960 and John Fitzgerald Kennedy has just been elected president. He died on November 22, 1963. The history books tell us that he was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, however, some people do not believe this to be true. Which of the following is not an explanation that has been given as to how he might have died?

Answer: He shot himself in the head

Kennedy was doomed from the start. Not only was he elected on one of the years affected by the Curse of the Presidents, he was also a Kennedy. People have also said there is a curse on the Kennedy family itself and that very few Kennedys have died of natural causes.

Here is a list of how some of the Kennedy family members have died in ways other than natural causes:
Joe Jr. was killed in action during WWII.
JFK was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.
Kathleen was killed in an airplane crash.
RFK was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan.
JFK Jr and his wife Carolyn were killed in an airplane crash.
Patrick (JFK's son) died in infancy.
David overdosed on drugs.
Michael was killed in a skiing accident.
9. We have now reached 1980. Ronald Reagan was elected president of the United States. A man was obsessed with Jodie Foster and decided the best way to attract the woman he loved was to kill a president. Who was this man who shot Reagan in 1981?

Answer: John Hinckley, Jr.

Reagan was the first president since the curse began to survive an assassination attempt and not die in office from any other causes. Reagan did not die until many years later, on June 4, 2005.

The curse is now considered broken.
10. How many different US presidents were there between 1840 and 1988 when the curse started and ended?

Answer: 31

For those of you who said 32, one president was elected 2 different times so there are actually 31 different presidents.
Source: Author Ilona_Ritter

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ladymacb29 before going online.
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