Early Blooming Boomers: The Early Years (American) Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. One of my earliest recollections is that of sitting in the kitchen listening to "The Hit Parade" on the radio. Who was the principal sponsor of the show?

Answer: Lucky Strike Cigarettes

"The Hit Parade" was on radio from 1935 to 1955. The program announcer assured us that the show's top ten list was "an accurate, authentic tabulation of America's taste in popular music". Sheet music sales, record sales and even jukebox choices were all evaluated to generate the list, but the exact methodology was never revealed.

It was after one of these shows that one of the greatest tragedies of my early years occurred: I broke the 78 rpm disc, on which was recorded one of my father's most beloved songs, "Pistol Packin' Mama".

2. My parents purchased their first new (as opposed to previously owned) car in 1952. It was a Ford. How much did it cost?

Answer: About $2,000

Typical Mercedes and Cadillac automobiles sold for $5,000 in the early 1950s. But then, my father's well paying job was bringing in about $600 monthly in the early 50s. It was fortunate that gasoline was selling for 23 cents a gallon.

3. One of my favorite commercials featured tom-toms and an animated bear. It was, of course, a beer commercial. Which beer did Sasha the bear plug? (Hint: "In the land of sky blue waters...")

Answer: Hamm's

Really, I hardly noticed the bear or the beer. It was the catchy jingle that had my attention:

"From the land of sky blue waters, waters,
From the land of pines, lofty balsam,
Comes the beer refreshing,
Hamm's the Beer Refreshing"

At least the first two lines of this jingle were adapted from the poem "From The Land of Skye-Blue Water" by Charles Wakefield Cadma. Can you hear the tom-toms?

4. Somehow, I've never forgotten the item of apparel that Richard Nixon indicated his wife wore in the famous "Checkers" speech given to rebut charges that he benefited from a secret slush fund. What "good Republican" item of clothing did Richard Nixon say his wife wore?

Answer: Cloth coat

I may have been too young in 1952 to hear that speech, but I certainly heard about it. The Checker's speech and Pat's "good Republican Cloth Coat" were much discussed and much ridiculed in our staunchly Democratic household. As I read the speech today, I realize that it was a masterful rebuttal and can appreciate how it saved Richard Nixon's campaign to remain Dwight Eisenhower's running mate.

5. When I went to elementary school in the 50s, I walked three long blocks to my school (and it really was uphill both directions). And the nearest thing we had to a computer or a calculator in our classes was our fingers.

Answer: True

The suburban population doubled in the 1950s and schools were built at record rates to accommodate the burgeoning population of children. High technology consisted of movie projector, fluorescent lighting, and ballpoint pens, although I remember being trained to use a fountain pen. An electric typewriter was a marvel indeed.

6. A girls' toy incorporated what was, perhaps, the most marvelous example 50s toy technology (although the electric motor in my cousin's erector set was pretty neat). It was common for baby dolls of that era to close their eyes when held recumbent, but which doll's eyes remained open until the baby was rocked to sleep?

Answer: Tiny tears

Perhaps the truth can now be told. I was fascinated by the "rockababy" eyes in my girl cousins' dolls. OK, I'll admit I didn't want to rock them to sleep. But it would have been fascinating to take a doll apart and figure out how those eyes worked. (No I never did so. Really. I just thought about it and thought about it and ...)

7. First I peeled the frosting from the top, rolled it up and set it aside. Next, I sucked out the filling in the center. Then I ate the cake and washed it down with milk. Finally, I popped the chocolate frosting into my mouth and savored it. Who made my favorite cupcake?

Answer: Hostess

All right, I confess I didn't exactly "suck out" the filling. But describing the actual process in any detail might generate unnecessary waves of nausea. There was a competitor to Hostess. I can no longer remember the company's name but I can remember the substandard taste of their cupcakes.

It was like getting a Hydrox cookie instead of an Oreo. By the way, if you haven't tasted a Hostess cupcake since childhood, I strongly advise you to restrain any urge you might have to do so. My disappointment on doing so was acute.

8. Which candy bar cost 10 cents in the 1950s?

Answer: Almond Joy

Hersheys, Snickers and Baby Ruths all went for a nickel. I could not fathom how anyone could squander a dime for one Mound or Almond Joy candy bar when that same thin dime could purchase two snickers or a couple of Hershey bars. They weren't fooling me by dividing the bars in two and placing them in those little trays!

9. And of course, no early blooming boomer would ever mistake "cowabunga" for a surfing term or think a teenage mutant turtle coined it. What is the name of the character that brought the term "cowabunga" into popular culture (if not into my Microsoft Word spell checker)?

Answer: Chief Thunderthud on the "Howdy Doody Show"

Who could forget the antics of Buffalo Bob, Clarabell and Chief Thunderthud on the "Howdy Doody Show"? And who wouldn't switch channels in a heartbeat (even though it meant actually getting up and walking across the room) if there were a genuine cartoon show on another channel. In "thud-speak" the good was "kawagoopa", the bad - "kawabonga."

Oh, and by the way Mr. Gates, "cowabunga" is in the OED. And your spellchecker doesn't even have a "spelling suggestion" for it.

10. A particular US coin was produced from 1948 to 1963 and, therefore, comes closest to matching the baby boom years, considered by most to be from 1946 to 1963. In the 1950s, one of these coins would have purchased five coca colas or a couple of gallons of gas. Whose likeness was on this coin?

Answer: Benjamin Franklin

We may not have had computers, or color TVs, or electric typewriters (kind of like a keyboard attached to a printer, one of my kids' friends said), microwaves or television remotes, but at least we had 50 cent pieces made out of four bits worth of genuine, honest-to-God silver with Ben's reassuring profile stamped on one side and the Liberty Bell on the obverse. And we had the sun in the morning and the news at night - with Huntley and Brinkley and Uncle Walter. And we could cross bridges without being obliged to part with paper money. And there was no traffic or crime... well not much anyway. And if a politician was caught with money that may not have exactly been his, he just plopped a cocker spaniel on his lap, wrapped is wife in a good cloth coat and said, "My fellow Americans ..."

Source: Author uglybird

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

If you were born in the first wave of the American baby boom between 1946 and 1954, you might find familiar material here. If not, it may still be worth the challenge. And don't forget to listen for the tom-toms.

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