Famous Cows Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chicago

The Great Chicago Fire began on the evening of October 8, 1871, and continued for two days. It destroyed 3.3 square miles of Chicago, and resulted in 200 to 300 casualties. Over 17 thousand buildings and property worth $222 million (roughly $4.3 billion in modern terms) was destroyed. The fire started in a small barn at 137 DeKoven Street, owned by Patrick and Catherine O'Leary.

There are several theories about how the fire might have started, and the cow has been exonerated in most historical circles.

The training academy for the Chicago Fire Department stands on the site where the fire began. The cow story was popularized by the 1937 film "In Old Chicago", which won Alice Brady an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Answer: William Howard Taft

Pauline Wayne, or Miss Wayne, provided milk for the Taft family. She was a Holstein cow, who lived at the White House from 1910 to 1913, and was a gift to the Tafts from Wisconsin Senator Isaac Stephenson. Pauline Wayne replaced Mooley Wooly, the Tafts' first pet cow.

When Taft left office, the cow was sent to Wisconsin. Her Bovine Blue Book number was 115,580. Taft was the 27th president of the United States, serving between Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Given the activist nature of TR and Wilson, Taft is seen as a something of a placeholder, but he did have some accomplishments.

After leaving the White House, Taft served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1921 to 1930.

Answer: Missouri

Elm Farm Ollie, who became known as "Sky Queen" after the flight, flew in Missouri. On February 18, 1930, the cow was flown 72 miles from Bismarck, Missouri to Saint Louis, as part of an experiment to see how animals would react to air travel. Ollie was even milked in mid-flight, by Wisconsinite Ellsworth W. Bunce. Ollie was an extremely productive Guernsey cow, and produced 24 quarts of milk on the short flight.

Answer: True

The Elsie marketing campaign was created in the 1930s. The first real life Elsie, "You'll Do, Lobelia", was a Jersey heifer from Brookfield, Massachusetts. The offspring of You'll Do, Lobelia and Elmer included Beulah, Beauregard (born 1948), and twins Larabee and Lobelia (born 1957). There was also a real life Elsie at the 1964-65 World's Fair.

Answer: Amy

Amy was cloned from a cow named Aspen, who was 14 years at the time and was too old to reproduce naturally. Amy gave birth to a male calf named Fina-Lee in April 2002. Chloe was cloned at Kansas State, and Millie was cloned at the University of Tennessee. Scientists have had a great deal of success both with cloning and breeding cloned cows/cattle since 1999.

Answer: Give birth to quadruplets

Daisy, who was owned by Henry and Christa Bayle of Fergus, Ontario, gave birth to four calves on July 20, 2004. A veteranarian calculated the odds of a cow having quadruplets at 1.5 million to one. The Bayles say the birth was a natural occurrence, and they had not given Daisy any hormones.

Answer: Little Witch

Little Witch won the 2004 race, running one mile in 9 minutes, 18 seconds. Both Taffy and Big Bodacious Bertha were competitors in the 2013 race. Taffy actually beat Little Witch's time, running in 8 minutes, 55 seconds. Hathor is an Egyptian cow goddess.

Answer: Holstein

Eastside Lewisdale Gold Missy is a Holstein, and the Danish buyers will use her genetic material to improve the breed. The $1.2 million was the second highest price ever paid for a cow in Canada. In 2011, Missy was named Supreme Grand Champion Of All Breeds at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. Missy was bred on Prince Edward Island, and was raised in Alberta, Canada.

Answer: Germany

Yvonne spent three months wandering around Bavaria, in Germany, during the summer of 2011. The cow eventually joined with a herd of deer. When she was finally captured near the town of Stefanskirchen, Yvonne required a double dose of tranquilizers before she went down. The story gained so much media attention that the press corps set up a headquarters at an animal-rescue farm.

Answer: Pennsylvania

The Holstein Association of Pennsylvania marked 100 years in business in 2013. The first cow to be featured is Burkett-Falls Elevation Sophia, who was born in August 1974. Sophia is the foundation of five generations of dairy cows, and has produced at least 130 Excellent offspring. Pennsylvania is the only state with a Blair County.