The Old and the New: United States Quiz

Answer: Amsterdam

When the Dutch Republic (or Republic of the Seven United Netherlands) colonized America, they, in a way, predicted their own country's future. At the time, The Hague was the capital of the Republic, but in America, New Amsterdam was the capital of the New Netherlands province. Skip forward a couple hundred years, and the Netherlands place its capital at Amsterdam.

New York would come later under English rule. When England originally obtained New Amsterdam, King Charles II granted the land to his brother, the Duke of York, who would eventually be King James II. The Dutch temporarily took the city back in 1673 during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, but with the Treaty of Westminster the English gained the city back until the American Revolution.

Answer: Orleans

New Orleans was officially named after Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, but naturally his name came from the city of Orléans. It was founded in 1718, and temporarily came under Spanish control with the Treaty of Fontainebleau. With Napoleon's rise, the city came back under French control, but was sold as part of the Louisiana Purchase just two years later.

In wartime, the English should learn to stay away from the name "Orleans." The Siege of Orléans proved a major victory for Joan of Arc in the Hundred Years' War in 1429, and the Battle of New Orleans proved a major American victory in the already-over War of 1812 (the Treaty of Ghent had been signed 12 days before the battle).

Answer: Smyrna

In 2007, the University of Florida studied what areas of the world have the most shark attacks. They found that New Smyrna Beach claimed the most confirmed shark bites, and then the next year there were 24 attacks for the year. In fact, UF ichthyologist George Burgess was once quoted that "Most people who have swum in and around New Smyrna have been within ten feet of a shark in their lifetime." Swimmers around the location of the original Smyrna in Turkey shouldn't worry about that when swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, though, as "The Daily Telegraph" reported in 2008 that sharks were "functionally extinct" there.

Answer: England

For a short time, New England was its own entity in the Dominion of New England in America. King James II put it together, and it was comprised of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New Hampshire, Maine, Narraganset Country, and eventually Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, East Jersey, and West Jersey.

It was established in 1686 as a defensive posture against France and Native Americans, but failed on multiple fronts. Colonists fought the rulings attempting to end smuggling as it was so commonplace, but they didn't have to for long.

In 1689, King James II was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution, and the Dominion disbanded.

Answer: Bedford

At the time of the first American census, New Bedford had just over 3,000 residents. This would slowly rise until the 1880s, when cotton mills begin popping up around the city. In 1880, the city had 26,845 residents, but only ten years later had 40,733. By 1920, 121,217 people lived in the city, but that would be extent of its growth.

It starting dropping after that point, and the 1970 census would be the last time New Bedford passed the 100,000 mark. In 2010, the city had just over 90,000 residents, and was trying to recover from legislation that prevented over-fishing in the area, one of the main industries of the city.

Answer: Mexico

Under Mexican control in the early 19th century, New Mexico had little development. With threats coming from the United States, however, the population began to rise and by the time of the Mexican-American War had reached over 50,000 people. After it became a United States territory, the population ballooned to well over 100,000 by 1880.

In 1861 it was almost made a state, but it was postponed by a significant majority. It was finally admitted on January 6, 1912, just 39 days before Arizona was admitted, completing the continental United States.

Answer: Rochelle

In World War II, La Rochelle was the last French city to be freed from Nazi forces. Germany held out for nearly eight months before allowing Allied troops into the city in May 1945. The naval base the Nazis set up in La Rochelle was used for both "Das Boot" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (the latter just for U-boat scenes).

New Rochelle has also had a rich history of movies being shot in and about it. Movies shot in New Rochelle include "Goodfellas," "Michael Clayton," and "Burn After Reading." "Catch Me if You Can" was all about Frank Abagnale, and one of the earliest scenes of the movie shows Frank's father (played by Christopher Walken) receiving a lifetime achievement award from the New Rochelle Rotary Club.

Answer: Jersey

During the English Civil War, King Charles II left England to live elsewhere for his own safety. This included going to Jersey, where Governor George Carteret proclaimed him the King of England after Charles I was executed. After he won the war, Charles II never forgot the gesture, and after granting New York to his brother, gave Carteret the land that he would name New Jersey.

His relative Philip Carteret then became governor of New Jersey somewhat against the wishes of those already living there.

Answer: Brunswick

In 1714, the city of Inian's Ferry (changed from Prigmore's Swamp in 1697) decided that they didn't do a very good job on choosing a name twice. Their third choice was to name the city after the capital of the Duchy of Brunswick, Braunschweig in German. Later that same year, the House of Hanover took over the British crown headed by King George I, son of the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

Answer: Hampshire

Names from Hampshire were continually reused in New Hampshire even outside of Portsmouth and Hampshire itself. The largest city in Hampshire, Southampton, finds its counterpart in South Hampton, although not in size. At the 2000 census, South Hampton did not have 1,000 residents. Andover, Hampshire and Andover, Massachusetts are actually twin cities thanks to their common ties. Winchester, Hampshire instead has twinned itself with Winchester, Virginia, instead of Winchester, New Hampshire.