Changes Trivia Quiz

Answer: The White House

George Washington, first President of the USA, selected the site for the presidential home in 1791. In 1800 President John Adams became its first resident.
It was destroyed by fire by the British during the Revolutionary War of 1812, and was rebuilt, with President James Monroe moving in in 1817.
At various times, the White House has been known as the "President's Palace," the "President's House," and the "Executive Mansion."
Theodore Roosevelt gave it the current name in 1901.

Answer: Google

In 1996, Larry Page and Serge Brin created an internet search engine, BackRub. It was renamed "Google" in 1998.
The new name is a play on the word 'googol,' which is a mathematical term for a number represented by the numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros.

Answer: Istanbul

To confuse matters further, Constantinople was not the original name of the city on the cusp of two continents. It was initially known as Lygos and then Byzantium in Greek and Roman times.
Between AD 330 and 1453 it was known as Constantinople. At that latter date, the Byzantine Empire, of which it was the capital, was overthrown by the invading Ottoman Empire.
The Ottomans used several variations and spellings of Constantinople, and it was not until 1923 that the Turkish Government officially changed the name to Istanbul.

Answer: Cape Kennedy

Cape Canaveral is a coastal area in Brevard County, Florida.
It was discovered by Juan Ponce de León, of Spain, in 1513.
Between 1963 and 1973 it was known as Cape Kennedy, after President John F Kennedy.
The name change was not popular in Florida, particularly in the neighbouring city of Cape Canaveral.
Cape Canaveral became a missile testing site in 1949. It also became the launching place of many of the USA's greatest space missions.

Answer: Pepsi-Cola

In 1893, Caleb Bradham, a North Carolina pharmacist, began to make a non-alcoholic beverage that he initially called "Brad's Drink".
It was renamed Pepsi-Cola in 1898.

Answer: Houston Colt .45s

The name change came in 1965. The team President, Judge Roy Hofheinz, wanted a new name to reflect Houston's growing position as a centre for space exploration.
The name also reflected the team's home ground, the Houston Astrodome, the world's first domed sports centre - and the first to have an artificial playing surface: "astroTurf".
The Astros used the ground until 1999.

Answer: Canada

From the late 19th Century, Canada used both the Union Flag and the Canadian Red Ensign as its national flag at various times.
In a poll in 1958, the vast majority of Canadians said they wanted a new flag that was different from the past. Sixty per cent said they wanted their flag to bear the maple leaf.
In December 1964, the Canadian Parliament voted to adopt a new flag featuring the maple leaf - but only after prolonged and often acrimonious arguments.
Pedants: Please do not send me a Correction Note that the Union Jack is a name that can only be used when the Union Flag is flown on a ship: that old saw was put to bed a long time ago.

Answer: St Petersburg

St. Petersburg was built by Czar Peter the Great in the early 1700s.
Its name was changed to Petrograd at the start of World War 1 to remove any Germanic influences in the etymology.
In 1924 following the death of Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Russian Revolution, it was renamed Leningrad in his honour.
In 1991 it was renamed St. Petersburg after a majority of the population voted in favour in a referendum.

Answer: To match the name on an airline ticket

Adam Armstrong, a 19-year-old student from Manchester, England, changed his name in May 2015 because he had been booked onto a flight in the wrong name.
He had used the name "Adam West" on a Facebook profile and his girlfriend booked a flight for him in that name.
He discovered that it would cost $337 to change the name on his Ryanair ticket - I'm sure some of you are nodding your heads sagely at that, "Been there, paid the extortionate alteration fee..."
So Adam Armstrong changed his name legally to Adam West. Even paying $157 for a new passport made it financially worthwhile.

Answer: Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha dates back to the early 1800s and is the Royal lineage of several European nations. These include the United Kingdom, Belgium, Bulgaria and Portugal.
Prince Albert brought the name to the British Royal Family with his marriage to Queen Victoria.
In 1917 the name "Windsor" was adopted as the British Royal Family's official name by a proclamation of King George V.
The old name was considered to be too Germanic at a time when Great Britain and her allies were deeply involved in a war with Germany.