A Scarlet Tour of America Trivia Quiz

Answer: Los Angeles

Los Angeles has become synonymous with the film industry, as it is home to - amongst other places - Hollywood Boulevard (and THAT sign) and Universal Studios. Pictured is the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a part of Hollywood Boulevard containing over 2500 stars with all kind of famous names on them, from actors and directors to pop stars and even fictional characters! Other tourist attractions on Hollywood Boulevard include Grauman's Chinese Theatre, which features the cement hand prints of various movie stars, and Madam Tussaud's waxworks.

Answer: Little Bighorn River

The Little Bighorn River is one of the tributaries of the Bighorn River (itself a tributary of the Yellowstone River). Best known as the site of General George Custer's last stand, it is also known as the Little Horn River and, historically, the Greasy Grass River, due to the heavy dew that gathered on the grass growing in it.

The picture is of Bighorn Canyon, which lies further down the Bighorn River, within the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. (The other rivers are also tributaries of the Yellowstone River.)

Answer: Black Hills

'Take me back to the Black Hills, the Black Hills of Dakota...' sang Doris Day in 'Calamity Jane'. More mountains than hills, the Black Hills got their name ('Paha Sapa' in the original Lakota) because, from a distance, they appeared to be black due to the many trees growing on them. The giant sculpture in question is the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which features Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The northern part of the Black Hills is popular with bikers because of its scenery; the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is held there every year.

The picture, incidentally, is of Black Elk Wilderness, named for Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa), an Oglala Lakota / Sioux medicine man. It is part of the Black Hills Forest.

Answer: Cody

The pioneer in question was Colonel William Cody, or - as he is known in popular culture - Buffalo Bill. Cody co-founded the city of the same name, seeing the area as a prime site for development due to its soil and situation near Yellowstone Park. The picture is of a display at the Buffalo Bill Centre of the West, a five-museum complex in Cody, founded in 1917.

As well as a museum dedicated to the life of Buffalo Bill, it also houses museums dedicated to Plains Indian life, firearms, natural history and art, and a research library.

Answer: Austin

Austin is the capital of Texas, and the second largest state capital in the US (the largest is Phoenix, the capital of Arizona). It is home to a series of moonlight towers (imagine giant streetlights), which are protected as Texas State Landmarks; fans of 'Dazed & Confused' might recognise them as the site of the film's keg party. On the subject of light, the 'violet crown' effect is attributed by some Austin residents to the purplish glow of the moon towers, while others attribute it to the Belt of Venus, a band of pinkish-purple light which appears on the horizon as the sun is rising or setting. Over the years, various local businesses have named themselves after it.

The statue in the picture is of a Texas State Ranger, in front of the Texas State Capitol Building.

Answer: Memphis

Situated on the fourth Chickasaw Bluff, a piece of high round near the Wolf River, Memphis is to blues and soul what Nashville is to country music. Famous residents have included blues singers Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, country singers Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, and, of course, Elvis Presley. The picture is of one of Presley's suits on display at Graceland, a former mansion which is now a museum of Elvis memorabilia. Presley, his parents and grandmother are all buried there.

Because of its situation, Memphis has also been a centre of trade, producing cotton, hardwood lumber and mules for transport, and is one of the busiest cargo ports in the US.

Answer: new york city

'New York, New York, so good they named it twice' is a line from the song of the same name by Gerard Kenny. Originally called 'New Amsterdam' by Dutch settlers, the burgeoning city was re-christened 'New York' by the English in 1664, after James II, the Duke of York. Nicknamed the 'City that Never Sleeps', New York has been immortalised in film, TV, music (including the author's favourite song of all time, 'Fairytale Of New York' by Kirsty MacColl and the Pogues), and literature for decades. The five boroughs are Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.

Today, Radio City Music Hall hosts events such as Cirque du Soleil and the annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular stage show. It was originally named for the Radio Corporation of America.

Answer: Chicago

The fire in question was the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. As for the 'Windy City', it is uncertain where Chicago's nickname comes from; suggestions include the weather, due to the city's proximity to Lake Michigan, or a quote from Charles Dana, editor of the 'New York', saying Chicago was 'windy' because of the hot air spouted by politicians there. The word 'Chicago' itself comes from 'shikaakwa', a Native American word for the wild garlic that grew there. A major industrial and financial centre, it is home to O'Hare International Airport, the world's busiest airport, and the enormous Harold Washington Library.

The picture of the city was taken from the John Hancock Centre, one of Chicago's many skyscrapers.

Answer: Miami

Nicknamed the 'Capital of Latin America' due to its large Spanish-speaking population, Miami lies on the Atlantic coast. Its main port, the Dante B. Fascell Port (aka PortMiami), is a major site for cruise ships, which has gained it a nickname of its own: the 'Cruise Capital of the World'. (The 'vice' comment is a reference to the '80s crime drama 'Miami Vice'.)

This palm-tree lined beach in the picture is at Bayfront Park, also in Biscayne Bay. The park has hosted several motor sports events, and the Ultra music festival, an electronic music festival held in summer.

Answer: Jamestown

Jamestown, named for King James, was the first British settlement in the nascent United States of America, established in 1607 by settlers from the Virginia Company of London. Today, the original site is known as Historic Jamestowne, and is part of the Historic Triangle of Virginia, along with Yorktown and Williamsburg.

The photo is of a replica of the Susan Constant, the largest of the three ships to arrive at the colony; it can be seen at the Jamestown Settlement, a museum near the site of the original Jamestown.