Famous Seconds Trivia Quiz

Answer: John Adams

But he was the first vice-president and the first president to live in the White House. His choosing to be inaugurated on the same day as George Washington (4 March) started the tradition for all presidents. This date eventually became law and was unchanged until Franklin Roosevelt.

Answer: Amelia Earhart

That's right. The famous aviatrix beat every man (except for Charles Lindbergh) across the Atlantic alone. She crashed into the Pacific with Frank Noonan due to a damaged radio that could only send signals and not receive. It is thought that she crashed within 10 miles of a US Navy ship.

Answer: Admiral Doenitz

By the end of Nazi Germany, Doenitz was the only high ranking official that Hitler trusted enough to make his heir. It was Doenitz then that took power after Hitler committed suicide and his first official act was to surrender to the Allies.

Answer: Edwin Aldrin

Michael Collins was the Command Module pilot during Apollo 11 and never got to the Moon itself. James Lovell was the commander during the ill-fated Apollo 13 flight. Eugene Cernan was the last person on the moon (as of October 2003).

Answer: Francis Drake

The question is tricky to phrase. Ferdinand Magellan did not actually circumnavigate the Earth, having died in the Philippines. However, 18 crew members brought the Victoria home to complete the journey. Therefore Drake was the first CAPTAIN to circumnavigate the Earth.

Answer: Richard

"Tumbledown Dick" proved extremely incompetent. Within 2 years, General Monk took over, dissolved Parliament, called a new one, and this new Parliament restored Charles II to the throne.

Answer: St. Linus

Nothing interesting here about Linus. What is interesting is that the list of early popes was compiled about AD 400. The sixth pope is St. Sixtus - which roughly translated as "sixth one". So was that his name or a "fill-in-the-blank"?

Answer: Mary Pickford

She won for Coquette in 1929. By the way, "America's Sweetheart" was born in Canada.

Answer: Richard Wilbur

The official title is "Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress" and was established in 1986. The Poet Laureate is appointed by the Librarian of Congress for a term from October to May. They get $35,000 for giving a lecture and writing poems for national occasions.

Answer: Elisha Gray

On 14 February 1876, Alexander Graham Bell filed his patent for the first telephone. Elisha Gray was the second person to file a patent (technically a caveat) for a telephone - a couple of hours after Bell. His patent was reject in favor of Bell's. Bell's patent would become the single most valuable patent ever.