NYC Renamed Trivia Quiz

Answer: New Orange

In 1624, the Dutch occupied what they then called "Nieuw Amsterdam", after Holland's biggest city. In 1664, the city fell into the hands of the British when Peter Stuyvesant signed it over and it was renamed New York, after the Duke of York. But in 1673 the Dutch, with their fleet of ships, regained control of New York harbor and their leader renamed the colony New Orange.

This was officially its name for a year until it was "permanently ceded" to the British under the Treaty of Westminster.

Answer: Idlewild Airport

After the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, Idlewild Airport was renamed JFK International Airport in memory of the slain President. To help relieve the overcrowding at LaGuardia Airport, the original construction began in 1943 on what was first called Major General Alexander E. Anderson Airport in Queens, NY (1943), and in 1948, the name was again changed to New York International Airport, Anderson Field. Since it was built on the site of the old Idlewild golf course, however, it became known as Idlewild. ("There's a scout troop short a child, Khrushchev's due at Idlewild" from "Car 54, Where Are You?")

Answer: 125th Street

After King's assassination in June of 1968, one of Harlem's major streets was named Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard in his honor. 125th Street is a street in upper Manhattan which runs from east to west, and includes neighborhoods like Manhattanville and Morningside Heights, as well as the world famous Apollo Theater.

In addition to the eponymous boulevard, there is also an MLK Jr. High School on Amsterdam Avenue, and a Martin Luther King Jr. Triangle on Austin Place and East 149th Street in New York City.

Answer: Jacob Javits Center

The Jacob Javits Convention Center is located on Eleventh Avenue, between 34th and 40th Streets. Jacob Javits (1904-1986) was a progressive Republican senator who represented New York state from 1957 to 1980. He was preceded by Herbert Lehman and succeeded by Alfonse D'Amato. Among other issues, Javits supported the 1957 Civil Rights Act and Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" programs.

The incorrect choices also served as senators from the State of NY (i.e., Ives from 1947-1959, Keating from 1959-1965 and Moynihan from 1977 to 2001).

Answer: Jackie Robinson

The Interborough Parkway was renamed the Jackie Robinson Parkway to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his becoming the first black player to play for a professional Major League baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. The parkway runs from Jamaica Avenue in Manhattan to Queens Boulevard in Queens; the parkway goes by the Cypress Hills Cemetery where Jackie was buried in 1972.

The other choices were all famous professional New York baseball players of the era who have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Answer: Ed Koch

The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge is also known as the 59th Street Bridge (as referred to in Simon and Garfunkel's 1966 hit "Feelin' Groovy"). The bridge crosses the East River from 59th Street in Manhattan to Long Island City in Queens. Ed Koch served as NYC Mayor for three successive four-year terms from 1978 to 1989, a feat accomplished previously only by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia (1934-45) and Robert F. Wagner (1954-1965). Mr. Koch's often-heard campaign slogan was "How'm I doing?", which was also the name of his 1981 book.

Answer: Triborough Bridge

The Triborough Bridge, or Triboro as it is sometimes spelled, connects Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx (hence the name "Triborough"), and was so dedicated by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in 1936. It is comprised of three separate bridges in NYC and spans the Harlem River, the Bronx Kill and Hell Gate (part of the East River).

The Tappan Zee Bridge is in New York State and crosses the Hudson River; the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge connects Staten Island and Brooklyn; the Williamsburg Bridge crosses the East River and connects the Lower East Side of Manhattan with Williamsburg in Brooklyn.

Answer: Hugh Carey

The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel is a NYC toll road which crosses under the East River and connects the southern tip of Manhattan with the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was opened on May 25, 1950. Hugh Carey was the 51st Governor of New York from 1975 through 1982, and was succeeded by Mario Cuomo (father of Governor Andrew Cuomo - who says politics doesn't run in the family?). Carey (1919-2011) was born in Brooklyn, NY, served in World War II and in 1974 became the state's first Democratic governor in sixteen years.

He was responsible for building the Javits Convention Center, Battery Park City and the South Street Seaport.

Answer: North Tarrytown

North Tarrytown, later Sleepy Hollow, is a village in Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, NY about 30 miles north of midtown Manhattan, on the bank of the Hudson River. It was renamed Sleepy Hollow to celebrate the works of Washington Irving (1783-1859), which conjured up images of Rip Van Winkle, Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. Within the village is the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where Irving, Andrew Carnegie, Brooke Astor and Elizabeth Arden are all buried.

The incorrect choices are all places neighboring North Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow.

Answer: Albany

Albany, which lies about 150 miles to the north of NYC on the west bank of the Hudson River, is named for the Duke of Albany - Alba being the Gaelic name for Scotland. Albany became the capital of the state of New York in 1797 (no, the capital is not NYC).

The Capital District includes Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs, and was the fourth largest urban area in New York State by population in 2010.