Famous and Infamous Nevadans Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mark Twain

Twain, then still known as Samuel Clemens, tried his hand at making his fortune in mining at the boom town of Aurora. While there, he wrote articles about the town that were published in the "Territorial Enterprise". Within a year, he had been hired as editor and relocated to Virginia City. While there, he adopted the name Mark Twain.

Answer: Pat Nixon

Thelma Pat Nixon was born March 16, 1912, in the now abandoned copper town of Ruth, located in White Pine County, Nevada. She and Richard Nixon were married in 1940 and she became an integral part of his political life. During her time as First Lady, she became deeply involved in many volunteerism projects. She passed away in 1993 at the age of 81.

Answer: Bing Crosby

Crosby bought his first ranch near Elko in 1943 and later purchased a couple of others. He, his wife, and his children spent a lot of time in the Elko area and on February 7, 1948, he was made the honorary mayor of Elko. While Crosby sold his Elko ranches in 1958, he continued as honorary mayor until his death in 1977.

He still made trips to visit friends in Elko even after he had moved away.

Answer: Andre Agassi

Agassi was born in Las Vegas in 1970. He turned professional in 1986 and enjoyed an illustrious career before retiring in 2006. Agassi had eight grand slam titles and 68 career wins. He was first married to Brooke Shields. After his divorce in 1999, he began dating Steffi Graf and they were married in 2001.

Answer: Susan Hayward

Graham was a very troubled woman and spent her early adult years getting into trouble. In 1949, after serving a sentence for perjury in California, Graham, twenty four at the time, saw an ad in the Reno paper for nurses in Tonopah. She was hired at the Nye County Hospital and trained to be a nurse. Graham married for the third time while in Tonopah and later managed a luncheonette.

However, she suddenly abandoned her husband and took a bus to Los Angeles where her final fate would take shape.

Answer: Harry Reid

Reid was born in the little mining town of Searchlight, Nevada in 1939. His career started as Nevada's Lt. Governor in 1971 and later as a United States Representative from 1983 to 1987. Reid was first elected United States Senator in 1987. Over the years, he has been known for his many controversial statements and positions. Whether he is famous or infamous is in the eye of the beholder.

Answer: Greg LeMond

In 1986, Lemond became the first American to win the Tour de France. After recovering from being accidently shot by an arrow in 1987, he made a comeback and won the 1989 and 1990 Tour de France. Lemond's family moved to Reno when he was very young and he was a common sight riding his bike in the mountains around Reno and Lake Tahoe. He retired from competitive racing in 1994.

Answer: Dawn Wells

Wells was born and raised in Reno. In 1959, she won the title of Miss Nevada and participated in the Miss American pageant in 1960. Shortly after, she began pursuing an acting career. However, it was her role of Mary Ann that made her a star. Wells reprised the role for the entire run of the show from 1964 to 1967.

She made the news again in 2008 after she was arrested for flunking a field sobriety test for marijuana, although Wells ended up pleading guilty to only one count of reckless driving.

Answer: Howard Hughes

While Hughes had many prominent exploits known the world over, he had a strong impact on the history of Nevada. During the late 1950s and 1960s, Hughes purchased a huge amount of mining interests in Nevada, particularly in Tonopah. He had a home there and spent considerable time trying to make his mining interests pay.

It was in Tonopah that he married his second wife, Jean Peters, in 1957. It was just south of Tonopah that Melvin Dummar rescued Hughes from the desert. That story later became the basis for the movie "Melvin and Howard."

Answer: Wayne Newton

Newton came to the attention of the public in 1963 with the release of his first hit, "Danke Schoen". After stints with the Jackie Gleason Show and as the opening act for Jack Benny, he took Las Vegas by storm, starting by performing at the Flamingo Hotel.

He has performed more than 40,000 shows in various Las Vegas venues during the ensuing years. Mr. Las Vegas is semi-retired but still does occasional performances at the MGM Theatre.