Time of the Year Trivia Quiz

Answer: Charles Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh was an easy choice for the magazine's editors. Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 33 hours and 39 minutes. As of 2023, he also remains the youngest recipient.

Answer: Wallis Simpson

Wallis Simpson was a twice-divorced American woman who was responsible for King Edward VIII's abdication of the British throne. Simpson and Edward met in 1931 and he became infatuated with her. They carried on an affair until 1936 when, following the death of his father, King George V, Edward became king.

At the time, it would have been unacceptable for the king to marry a divorcee, especially one whose previous husband was still alive. He was faced thus with a choice to end the affair, continue the affair under a threat of the resignation of the government, or give up the throne. On 1 December 1936, Edward chose abdication.

Answer: James Francis Byrnes

Byrnes was 1946's Man of the Year. He was one of the few people to hold top positions in both the federal and state governments. Byrnes served as Secretary of State in the Truman Administration. He was nominated to the Supreme Court by FDR and he was governor of South Carolina from 1951-1955. From 1999 the title became Person of the Year.

Answer: The American Fighting Man

The American Fighting Man was again Time's Person of the Year in 2013.

The origins of the popular nickname, "G.I." are somewhat murky. A popular theory links the term to the early 20th century, when "G.I." was stamped on military trash cans and buckets. The two-letter abbreviation stood for the material from which these items were made: galvanized iron. Later, "G.I." referred to all things Army-related. When this happened, "G.I." was reinterpreted to stand for "government issue" or "general issue."

The prevalence of the term led soldiers in World War II to start referring to themselves as "GIs". Some servicemen used it as a sarcastic reference symbolizing their belief that they were just mass-produced products of the government. During the war, "GI Joe" also became a term for U.S. soldiers.

Cartoonist Dave Breger, who was drafted into the Army in 1941, is credited with coining the name with his comic strip titled "G.I. Joe", which he published in a weekly military magazine called Yank, beginning in 1942.

In June 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, which became commonly known as the GI Bill.

Answer: General Motors Corporation

Harlow H. Curtice started with General Motors in the Air Corps Spark Plug Division in 1914. In 1933 he became President and general manager of the Buick Motor Division of GM until 1948, when he became a Vice President of GM. In 20 years he rose from working in the spark plug division to president of the company.

General Motors is one of the so-called "big three" automobile makers in the U.S.

Answer: General William Westmoreland

William Childs Westmoreland was the U.S. Army commander in Vietnam from 1964-1968. Westmoreland was Person of the Year for 1965.

His combat-oriented strategy placed an emphasis on body count. This strategy proved ineffective as the enemy proved more than capable of sending in replacements.

Answer: Yes

Queen Elizabeth II was Person of the Year for 1952. The throne was thrust upon her unexpectedly when her father, George VI died. Her coronation took place the following year, on 2 June 1953.

Answer: Peter Ueberroth

Ueberroth chaired the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics which were boycotted by the Soviet Union. He also served as President of Major League Baseball. Ueberroth was named Time's Person of the Year for 1984.

Answer: Newt Gingrich

Gingrich served as the 50th Speaker of the House. He was a leader of the "Republican revolution" in 1994 and a co-author of the "Contract with America". The "Republican revolution" ended 40 years of Democratic control of Congress. He was Person of the Year in 1995.

Answer: You

"You" was Person of the Year for 2006. Time's purpose was to recognize the millions of people who contribute to websites such as YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Wikipedia and all the other websites that would not exist without user contributions.