St. Louis is Famous For... Trivia Quiz

Answer: 7-Up

Invented by Charles Leiper Grigg of the Howdy Corporation, 7-Up was originally called "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda". Introduced in 1929, Grigg changed the name to 7-Up in 1936. No one knows exactly why he chose the name 7-Up but here are a few theories.

There are (or were) seven ingredients in 7Up.

The original 7Up bottle was seven ounces.

Mr. Grigg saw a cattle brand that looked like 7 Up, and he liked it enough to name his soda after it.

Mr. Grigg named his new soda after a popular card game at the time that was also called 7up.

Answer: 1904

Thanks to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis we now enjoy ice cream cones and iced tea. The St. Louis Art Museum and the Flight Cage in the Zoo are a couple of the structures built for the Fair that are still standing. Paris, France hosted the Fair in 1900, Chicago in 1933 and New York City in 1939.

Answer: Maya Angelou

Born Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, Maya Angelou has become one of the most prolific writers of poetry in America. In January 1993, she became only the second poet in U.S. history to have the honor of writing and reciting original work at the Presidential Inauguration of William Jefferson Clinton.

The first one was Robert Frost in 1961 who read his work at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. In 1995 she was congratulated by Bantam Books for being the first African-American to be the longest-running (2 years) on The New York Times Paperback Nonfiction Best-seller list.

Answer: Barbeque sauce

Our favorite way to consume barbeque sauce is to use it on pork steaks. You get these by slicing a pork butt into half inch "steaks" and using plenty of sauce. Like any good barbeque, everyone has their own way of cooking it and many an argument has been had over the best way to prepare a pork steak.

Answer: Monument

I'm referring, of course, to the St. Louis Gateway Arch. The Arch was completed in 1966 to commemorate the Louisiana Purchase and St. Louis' role as the Gateway to the West. You can get to the top of the Arch by taking a rather harrowing tram ride where you will have a spectacular view of downtown St. Louis. It's worth the cramped ride just to feel the Arch sway during a windy day.

Answer: Michael McDonald

Born in 1952 in my own suburb of St. Louis, Ferguson, Michael attended McCluer High School and performed locally with The Majestics and Jerry Jay and The Sheratons before moving to Los Angeles in 1970. He returns every once in a while and has even performed some free concerts at the school he attended so long ago.

Answer: Vincent Price

After graduating from high school in St. Louis, Vincent went on to Yale where he graduated in 1933. In addition to being a consumate actor he was also a gourmet cook, quiz show champion and an art historian who bought his first Rembrandt at age 11. He died in 1993 from Parkinson Disease and lung cancer and, although he had a cemetary plot here, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea over Point Dume in Southern California.

Answer: A chocolate on your pillow

According to the Mayfair Hotel this custom was started when actor Cary Grant used chocolate to woo a lady friend of his into bed. Open since 1925 the Mayfair boasts a guest list that includes Irving Berlin, Cary Grant and Harry Truman. These days the hotel includes up-to-date luxuries including free hi-speed internet.

Answer: Kindergarten School

Susan Blow was born in the affluent Carondelet neighborhood of St. Louis in 1843. She was raised in a very religious household and was educated by tutor and a private school in New York City. She opened the first public kindergarten in America at the Des Peres School in St. Louis in September 1873.

The next year she established a training school for kindergarten teachers, and within a few years, St. Louis had become the focal point of the U.S. kindergarten movement.

Answer: The Olympics

In addition to the immensely popular 1904 World's Fair, St. Louis was also host that year to the first ever American-sponsored Olympiad. This was only the third modern Summer Olympics held, with the first modern Games in Athens in 1896 and in Paris in 1900. Of the 681 athletes, 525 were from the United States.

It should be pointed out, however, that the Olympics were not intended to be a competition among nations at the time - it was a competition among amateur athletes from around the world. It was the job of the amateur athlete to find his way to the games at his own expense.

Answer: The Anheuser Busch Clydesdales

St. Louis is the home of the world famous Anheuser Busch Brewing Plant which churns out millions of gallons of beer a year including Busch, Budweiser and Michelob. The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales were formally introduced to August A. Busch Sr., President of Anheuser-Busch, Inc., by his son on April 7, 1933. Prohibition had just been repealed, and to commemorate the event, the hitch thundered down Pestalozzi Street in St. Louis, carrying with it the first case of post-Prohibition beer from the St. Louis Anheuser-Busch brewery.

Answer: Russ Mitchell

Russ Mitchell began his career in broadcasting with KMBC-TV in Kansas City and from 1983 until 1985 he was an anchor for WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas. Russ returned to St. Louis in 1985 as a reporter for KTVI-Channel 2 which was an ABC affiliate at that time.

In 1987 Russ became a popular weekend anchorman and reporter with KMOV, our CBS affiliate. Russ remained with KMOV until 1992 when he left for a network assignment. He is now the co-anchor of the Saturday Early Show on CBS since it debuted in 1997.

Answer: Escape From New York

Directed by John Carpenter this movie propelled Kurt Russell into the Hollywood limelight. The fight scene in the wrestling ring was filmed in the Grand Hall of St. Louis' Union Station. This was filmed a few years before renovation when the building was abandoned.

While the hall was extremely dilapidated, one can make out the stained glass window representing New York, St. Louis, and San Francisco in the background. This window is still above the front entry into the Grand Hall from Market Street. Union Station is now a beautifully restored shopping mall with a first class hotel and restaraunts.

Answer: University

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University received a formal charter from the state of Missouri in 1832, making it the oldest University west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. St. Louis University is ranked among the top research institutions in the nation.

It also has a campus in Madrid, Spain, which was the first freestanding campus operated by an American University in Europe.

Answer: Ringo Starr

"Ringo Rama", an album released in March of 2003 contained the amusing ditty, "Missouri Loves Company." Also appearing on this song is Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd fame. It's a fun-filled song with references to places in Missouri including, of course, St. Louis and Kansas City.