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1940s Nostalgia Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
1940s Nostalgia Quizzes, Trivia

1940s Trivia

1940s Trivia Quizzes

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9 1940s quizzes and 90 1940s trivia questions.
1.
  When I Was a Kid (American)   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I cringed when my Mom and Dad said it. Now I'm saying it. And my kids and grandkids are wincing. See what you know about the 40's and 50's.
Easier, 10 Qns, Pick61, Jan 11 16
Easier
Pick61
2623 plays
2.
  Do You Remember 1947   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Not too many of you will remember 1947. It was quite a momentous year, so see what you do know about that time.
Average, 10 Qns, minch, Mar 12 15
Average
minch gold member
6913 plays
3.
  When I Was a Kid II (American)    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here's a mixture of subjects and objects from when I was a little 'un.
Easier, 10 Qns, Pick61, Jul 01 22
Easier
Pick61
Jul 01 22
1330 plays
4.
  What's the Buzz? 1949    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
What were people talking about in 1949? What was the 'buzz'?
Tough, 10 Qns, Rehaberpro, Oct 08 24
Tough
Rehaberpro
Oct 08 24
807 plays
5.
  Do You Remember 1948?   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
1948! World events, books, movies, etc. What was new?
Tough, 10 Qns, minch, Jul 07 04
Tough
minch gold member
3690 plays
6.
  Do You Remember 1946?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
1946 is the year that the first baby boomer was born and Dr. Spock published his child care book. Many other noteworthy things happened, however, and books, movies and plays that were new then are still around today.
Difficult, 10 Qns, minch, Jun 24 17
Difficult
minch gold member
2897 plays
7.
  Do You Remember 1949?   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Where you around in 1949? If so what do you remember? If not you should be able to answer at least some of the questions.
Tough, 10 Qns, minch, Aug 20 17
Tough
minch gold member
4143 plays
8.
  Remember the 40s?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The world changed a lot in the 1940s. Hitler and Mussolini met their ends. The world entered the nuclear age. India was divided into India and Pakistan. What else?
Average, 10 Qns, arsalanrizvi, Feb 18 07
Average
arsalanrizvi
4871 plays
9.
  The 1940s: Part 2    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some of our most interesting history came out of the forties. Here is a touch of it. Good luck.
Tough, 10 Qns, steiny1, Apr 17 20
Tough
steiny1
Apr 17 20
3945 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What speed barrier was broken for the first time?

From Quiz "Do You Remember 1947"




Related Topics
  1940s WS [Sports] (3 quizzes)

  NFL 1940s [Sports] (4 quizzes)

  1940s History [History] (16 quizzes)

  1940s Movies [Movies] (13 quizzes)

  1940s Music [Music] (10 quizzes)

  MLB 1940s [Sports] (6 quizzes)

  1940s Entertainment [Entertainment] (6 quizzes)


1940s Trivia Questions
1. In Canada on March 31, 1949 a new province on the Atlantic seaboard joined the country. Which was it?

From Quiz What's the Buzz? 1949

Answer: Newfoundland and Labrador

The official name was Newfoundland but Canadians referred to the island as Newfoundland and the land area as Labrador. Since Canadians still referred to them as separate entities, the name Newfoundland was changed to Newfoundland Labrador in 2001. Newfoundland is an island on the east of Canada. It is about 42,000 square miles and has a population of about 480,000 with St.Johns its largest city of about 106,000. Its jagged coast line is 6,000 miles. Terre Nova was the original name given by French explorers. Labrador on the northeast coast of Canada is about 113,000 square miles with a population of only about 26,000. The largest town is Goose Bay 7572. Labrador is named for a Portuguese explorer and mapmaker Fernandes Lavrador.

2. In the late 1940s and early 1950's, what would you be buying if you had to choose from among a Philco, Dumont, Airline or Admiral?

From Quiz When I Was a Kid (American)

Answer: a television or a radio

These were brands of American made electronic items. They were heavy, had 10 or 12 inch black and white screens and were full of vacuum tubes. They required an antenna on the roof. And they were awe-inspiring!

3. How many nations attended the first meeting of the United Nations?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1946?

Answer: 51

The first meeting of the UN took place in London, on January 10, 1946. The first Secretary-General was Norwegian Trygve Lie.

4. 1941. _____________________ is left incomplete when its sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, dies.

From Quiz Remember the 40s?

Answer: Mount Rushmore

Gutzon Borglum was influenced by Auguste Rodin's dynamic impressionistic light-catching surfaces.

5. Audie Murphy gained fame as a what in the forties?

From Quiz The 1940s: Part 2

Answer: War hero

6. The former country of India obtained its independence in 1947. It was divided into two different countries. One was India, what was the other?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1947

Answer: Pakistan

Pakistan was in two sections - West Pakistan and East Pakistan. In 1971 East Pakistan became the country of Bangladesh.

7. What was new in 1949?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1949?

Answer: Silly Putty

Silly Putty was the result of an experiment that went wrong. Slinky was first sold in 1946 at Gimbel's department store in Philadelphia. Scrabble was invented in the thirties and sold under other names. It was first marketed under the name Scrabble in 1948. Monopoly came out in 1933.

8. Who was born on January 10, 1949 and became one of the first commercially successful porn stars with her film "Deep Throat"?

From Quiz What's the Buzz? 1949

Answer: Linda Lovelace

Linda Susan Boreman (stage-name Linda Lovelace) is probably the most recognizable name to come out of the porn industry. "Deep Throat" initiated what is sometimes referred to as "The Golden Age of Porn" when "Deep Throat" emerged as a media phenomenon and was playing in traditional movie theatres and to mixed audiences. She made just seven porn films in her career and the total screen time is about five hours. She also has had five biographies written about her life. She later claimed that her husband kept control of her by the use of drugs and by pointing a rifle at her head during filming. Later she was to align herself with Gloria Steinem in an anti-pornography campaign. She died at 52 from infections following a car accident in 2002. ("Behind the Green Door", starring Marilyn Chambers, also came out in 1972).

9. Summertime play was sometimes interrupted by Grandma bringing us a sandwich and koolaid for lunch. Usually, anything dropped in the grass was picked up and eaten. Anyway, as Grandma always said, "You have to eat a peck of ______ before you die."

From Quiz When I Was a Kid II (American)

Answer: dirt & muck

I seriously doubt if there's any scientific evidence to back this claim. But Grandma was from a coal mining family and with that sooty, dusty environment it's probable that she was told this as a child.

10. Suppose you stopped into a showroom and looked over a REO, Graham, Kaiser, Frazer or Henry J. What would you be seeing?

From Quiz When I Was a Kid (American)

Answer: automobiles

REO stopped producing cars in the 1940s. Kaiser Frazer and Henry Js were produced by the same company from 1949 to about 1953, when they accepted an offer to move to Argentina. There were others, such as Hupmobile and Star. Although not in production in the 40s there were still plenty of these autos around, used. One thing these cars had in common, along with those produced by the big three auto makers - they had a character all their own.

11. 1942. Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is formed by students of the _____________________.

From Quiz Remember the 40s?

Answer: University of Chicago

The students pledged to use Ghandi's non-violent ideas to oppose racial discrimination.

12. Whom did Truman name Chief Justice of the United States in the forties?

From Quiz The 1940s: Part 2

Answer: Frederick Vinson

13. What speed barrier was broken for the first time?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1947

Answer: sound barrier

It was broken by Chuck Yeager.

14. The headline ' Dewey Beats Truman' appeared in which newspaper?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1948?

Answer: Chicago Tribune

It was thought to be a forgone conclusion, and the papers were printed. However, Truman won.

15. In the 1949 movie 'Adam's Rib' who were the two stars?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1949?

Answer: Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy

16. What South American country suffered a devastating earthquake on August 5th, 1949?

From Quiz What's the Buzz? 1949

Answer: Ecuador

The Ecuadorian earthquake measured 6.8 on the Richter Scale and cost the lives of about 5,050 people. The village of Libertad sank into 3,000 foot hole engulfing all 100 inhabitants. Four other villages near the town of Ambato were completely destroyed. The quake created landslides and disputed water supplies and communications over a broad area of Ecuador.

17. According to my Mom, one way to get rid of a wart was to cut a potato in half and rub the exposed surface on the wart. Then you were supposed to do what with the potato?

From Quiz When I Was a Kid II (American)

Answer: bury it

This actually worked for me, believe it or not. I realize it was just coincidence. According to Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer", you're supposed to bury the potato at midnight, in a graveyard.

18. Suppose you had some Viceroys in your shirt pocket and your friend had some Luckys. What were they?

From Quiz When I Was a Kid (American)

Answer: cigarettes

Known to be a bad and unhealthy habit now, the consequences were not widely suspected back then. You could choose from a whole raft of different brands, including Camels, Wings, Spuds, Kools, Chesterfields, Old Gold, and many others.

19. The Philippines were under American control from 1898 until gaining independence on July 4, 1946. Which nation controlled the Philippines before the U.S.?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1946?

Answer: Spain

Europeans first made with contact with The Philippines in 1521, through Magellan, who was killed by natives there. The Spanish established a colony on the islands 44 years later and maintained a presence there until losing the islands to the U.S. in the Spanish-American War. Manuel A. Roxas was The Philippines' first president.

20. 1943. The world's largest office building, ________________ is completed.

From Quiz Remember the 40s?

Answer: The Pentagon

21. Who made an historic trip across the Pacific in a balsa wood craft?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1947

Answer: Thor Heyerdahl

He did this to prove his theory that the South Pacific islands could have been settled by people from South America.

22. The first summer Olympic Games to be held since 1936 were held in which city?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1948?

Answer: London, England

There were no Olympic Games in 1940 or in 1944, because of World WarII. The 1936 Games were in Germany.

23. The People's Republic of China came into being in 1949. Who was its first head of state?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1949?

Answer: Mao Zedong

24. On March 24, 1949 the Academy Awards ceremony was held. What film was judged best film of 1948?

From Quiz What's the Buzz? 1949

Answer: Hamlet

Laurence Olivier was in line for a trifecta as best actor, best film, and best director. However, he won only two as "Hamlet" was tagged best picture and he as best actor. The director award went to John Huston for "The Treasure of Sierra Madre". In total the film was nominated for seven awards, winning four.

25. Duz, Oxydol, Ivory Flakes and Argo. Mom would have had these on a shelf close to what?

From Quiz When I Was a Kid II (American)

Answer: the washing machine

Duz, Oxydol and Ivory Flakes are detergents. Argo is starch. Some detergents came with a dish or dishcloth packed in them. It was a wringer washer; no spin dry at the time. She fed the clothes through a pair of rollers one at a time to get the excess water out, then hung them on a line outside to dry. Remember the smell associated with laundry day?

26. 1944. Scientists at ___________________ invent the first automatic general-purpose computer.

From Quiz Remember the 40s?

Answer: Harvard University

The program was sponsored by IBM.

27. In what city was the treaty creating the axis alliance between Germany, Italy and Japan signed?

From Quiz The 1940s: Part 2

Answer: Berlin

There was also another treaty between Rome and Berlin, signed in Rome.

28. Putting aside players from the 19th century, who was the first African-American to play for a major league baseball team in the 20th century?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1947

Answer: Jackie Robinson & Robinson & J Robinson

He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

29. The author of 'The Waste Land' and 'Murder in the Cathedral' won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. Who was he?

From Quiz Do You Remember 1948?

Answer: T. S. Eliot

The American born T.S. Eliot became a British citizen.

30. On January 20, 1949 Harry Truman was sworn into the office of President of the United States. Whom did he defeat in the November 1948 election?

From Quiz What's the Buzz? 1949

Answer: Thomas Dewey

Thomas E. Dewey was a crime busting district attorney in New York and rose fast in Republican circles. After losing to popular wartime President Roosevelt in 1944, he was considered a shoo-in in 1948. But the much maligned Truman, waging a spirited campaign against what he termed as a 'no-nothing' congress, won in a surprise result. A classic photo of the time showed Truman holding "The Chicago Tribune" headline proclaiming Dewey's win. The Tribune staff had not waited for the California result.

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