Jumbo the Elephant Trivia Quiz

Answer: It was a derivative of a Swahili word

Jumbo's name is a derivative of the Swahili word jumbe which means "chief".
It was because of P. T. Barnum's promotion of Jumbo's name that the word came to be used in the English language to indicate something was very large.

Answer: London

Jumbo had grown to four feet tall and came to London's Regent Park Zoo in poor health. Under the care of zookeeper Matthew "Scotty" Scott he soon began to flourish and became the darling of London's public.

Answer: Whiskey

Although Jumbo's caretaker wasn't a drinker he believed it was beneficial for Jumbo's health if he was allowed to drink one to two gallons of whiskey occasionally.

Answer: Asking her to intervene in a decision to sell Jumbo

It is thought the decision was made to sell Jumbo because he had become irritable and was a danger to the public. Even so his sale caused a great public outrage and thousands of letters were sent to Queen Victoria begging her to intervene and stop the sale of their beloved Jumbo. In spite of legal attempts to stop the sale Barnum prevailed and Jumbo's circus career began.

Answer: $10,000

Barnum had paid $10,000 for Jumbo and also secured the services Matthew "Scotty" Scott, the London zookeeper who had cared for Jumbo during his time in the London Zoo.

Answer: $1.5 million

On Easter Sunday, 1882 Jumbo arrived in New York to large crowds and with great fanfare. Jumbo's circus career began in New York City's Madison Square Garden. It had cost Barnum $10,000 to purchase Jumbo and another $20,000 to transport him across the Atlantic.

It is reported Jumbo earned $30,000 in just the first ten days after his arrival and he went on to earn $1.5 million in the first year for his new owners.

Answer: Tom Thumb

Jumbo was indeed large but he did no tricks, his greatest asset was his size. In his performances he was often paired with a dwarf elephant, Tom Thumb. They were billed as the largest and the tiniest elephant on earth.

Answer: False

Jumbo did tour with the Barnum and Bailey circus for four seasons but he was not sold to a zoo. His budding career was cut short by an untimely death.

Answer: He was killed by a train

Jumbo and dwarf elephant Tom Thumb were being loaded on a circus train in St. Thomas, Ontario when an unscheduled switch engine plowed into them, killing Jumbo and injuring the little elephant. Barnum published a story saying that Jumbo died heroically trying to save the little elephant, Tom Thumb.

More credible accounts say Jumbo tried to outrun the train and in a panic he turned toward the train and his skull was crushed by the impact.

Answer: He slept beside him

Eyewitness accounts say as Scotty lay sobbing beside the great elephant, Jumbo wrapped his trunk around him and pulled him closer to his side. After he died Scotty stayed curled up beside him and slept with him through the night.

Answer: Five months

Jumbo's health had been declining for sometime and even before his death museums and similar institutions were inquiring about Jumbo's remains should he die. It was Henry Ward's Natural Science Establishment in Rochester, NY that was chosen to perform the five month process of mounting this enormous elephant.

Answer: Heart

Cornell University paid forty dollars for Jumbo's heart.

Answer: Tufts University

Tufts University was established by the Universalist Church in 1840. Barnum was a patron and was at one time on Tufts Board of Trustees. Barnum had donated money to build and maintain a museum of natural history and had also donated many of its exhibits.

In 1889 he donated the mounted Jumbo to Tufts and it was placed in the Barnum Museum of Natural History. Jumbo has the distinction of being the only university mascot who is named in Webster's dictionary.

Answer: Peanut butter jar

Ashes were collected from the destroyed building where Jumbo had been exhibited and they were put into a 14-ounce, Peter Pan Crunchy Peanut Butter jar and kept in the athletic director's office. Tufts' athletes and students still come to rub the jar for good luck before a game or an important exam.

Answer: A piece of Jumbo's tail

Before a big game or an important test Tufts' students would often go and pull Jumbo's tail for luck. Needless to say eventually a piece of the tail broke off and it was stored in their archives. Today Jumbo is still Tufts' mascot. While not a true model of Jumbo A large statue stands on Tufts' campus in his honor. The statue is an Asian elephant but Jumbo was an African elephant.

Jumbo's short life is recorded in the history of five nations, because of him a new word was added to the English language. Movies, books, songs and stories abound of this greatly beloved elephant.