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Quiz about It Happened in Washington State

It Happened in Washington State Quiz

How much do you know about these historical events which occurred in the State of Washington?

A multiple-choice quiz by FatherSteve. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
FatherSteve

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
364,575

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
604

Awards
Top 5% quiz!

Last 3 plays: zp2000 (8/10), Guest 172 (6/10), DeepHistory (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. On Sunday, 18 May 1980, there was a tremendous explosion in Washington State. What blew up? Hint

the Hanford B Nuclear Reactor near Richland

Mount Saint Helens

a Boeing 747, killing everyone on board

an oil refinery in Anacortes

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Two men attending a hydroplane race on the Columbia River in 1996 discovered a human skull which turned out to be part of a body dubbed "Kennewick Man." Who was this Kennewick Man? Hint

a victim of the Columbia River Killer

a prehistoric man dating from circa 7500 BC

a member of the Lewis and Clerk Expedition who died in 1805

a European missionary killed in the Whitman Massacre of 1847

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Question 3 of 10

3. Out of what larger territory was the Washington Territory (which became the State of Washington in 1889) created in 1863? Hint

The Oregon Territory

The Vancouver Territory

The Louisiana Purchase

The Columbia Territory

4. Who was born in Seattle on 27 November 1942, became an accomplished rock guitarist, was named Billboard Artist of the Year and Rolling Stone Performer of the Year (both in 1968), performed at Woodstock in 1969, died in London on 18 September 1970 by choking on his own drug-induced vomit, and is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Renton, Washington? Hint

Jimi Hendrix

Otis Redding

Sam Cooke

Jim Morrison

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Question 5 of 10

5. From 1859 until 1872, two nations "fought" The Pig War on San Juan Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Which two nations participated in this "war"?

Hint

The United States and Spain

The United States and Great Britain

Spain and Great Britain

Great Britain and France

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Question 6 of 10

6. In September of 1962, Elvis Presley arrived in Seattle. What was the purpose of his visit?
Hint

To receive an honourary doctorate from the University of Washington

To attend a reunion of his old US Army unit

To perform a concert at the Eagles Auditorium

To film "It Happened At The World's Fair"

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Question 7 of 10

7. On 29 November 1847, Cayuse and Umatilla Native Americans carried out the Whitman Massacre near present-day Walla Walla. Who was killed in this incident? Hint

Major George Whitman and his cavalry troops

Faculty members trying to establish a college

Protestant medical missionaries

Door-to-door chocolate salesmen

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Question 8 of 10

8. By what geographical designations are the explorers Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark remembered in Washington State?

Hint

The City of Lewis and the City of Clark

Lewis Beach and Clark Beach

Mount Lewis and Mount Clark

Clark County and Lewis County

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Question 9 of 10

9. Washington voters have shown remarkable independence over the years. An example is the presidential election of 1912 in which the incumbent President William Howard Taft ran as a Republican, former president Theodore Roosevelt ran as the candidate of the Progressive (or Bull Moose) Party, Woodrow Wilson ran as a Democrat, and Eugene V. Debs ran as a Socialist. Who won Washington's electoral votes? Hint

William Howard Taft and the Republican Party

Eugene V. Debs and the Socialist Party

Woodrow Wilson and the Democratic Party

Roosevelt and the Bull Moose Party

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Question 10 of 10

10. What was the name (or the supposed name) of the man who hijacked a Boeing 727 jetliner on 24 November 1971 and parachuted into the dark somewhere in southwestern Washington with $200,000 in ransom?
Hint

Charles Raymond Starkweather

Jack Ruby

Dave Beck

D.B. Cooper

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 12 2024 : zp2000: 8/10
Nov 07 2024 : Guest 172: 6/10
Oct 20 2024 : DeepHistory: 10/10
Oct 01 2024 : Guest 47: 8/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. On Sunday, 18 May 1980, there was a tremendous explosion in Washington State. What blew up?

Answer: Mount Saint Helens

The eruption of Mount Saint Helens was the largest volcanic eruption in the continental United States since Lassen Peak erupted in California in 1915. Fifty seven people were killed. The ash cloud spread over eight states and into Canada. The volcano remains active and could erupt again.

2. Two men attending a hydroplane race on the Columbia River in 1996 discovered a human skull which turned out to be part of a body dubbed "Kennewick Man." Who was this Kennewick Man?

Answer: a prehistoric man dating from circa 7500 BC

The Umatilla Native American tribe brought a lawsuit to obtain custody of Kennewick man but scientific evidence showed that he was genetically dissimilar to Native Americans and more similar to both the Ainu of Japan and the Polynesians. Custody was therefore given to the Burke Museum at the University of Washington.

3. Out of what larger territory was the Washington Territory (which became the State of Washington in 1889) created in 1863?

Answer: The Oregon Territory

The original Oregon Territory included what is now Washington, Oregon, Idaho and parts of Montana and Wyoming. The first Washington Territory (1853) included Washington, Idaho and parts of Montana and Wyoming.

Answer: Jimi Hendrix

Hendrix attended Horace Mann Elementary School, Washington Junior High School and Garfield High School (all in Seattle) before joining the army in 1961 where he became a paratrooper. Hendrix' grave was ranked as the number two tourist attraction in Renton, Washington, by TripAdvisor in 2013.

5. From 1859 until 1872, two nations "fought" The Pig War on San Juan Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Which two nations participated in this "war"?

Answer: The United States and Great Britain

Three islands -- Orcas, Lopez and San Juan -- lay in disputed waters between what would later become British Columbia and what would later become the State of Washington. Despite the Oregon Treaty of 1846, the islands remained in dispute. On 15 June 1859, Lyman Cutler (an American settler) shot a large pig belonging to Charles Griffin (an Irish settler) while it was trespassing in Cutler's potato patch.

The argument grew to involve marines encamped on the island and five British warships. Fortunately, the pig was the only casualty and a negotiated resolution was achieved.

6. In September of 1962, Elvis Presley arrived in Seattle. What was the purpose of his visit?

Answer: To film "It Happened At The World's Fair"

The Century 21 Exposition (Seattle World's Fair) ran from 21 April until 21 October 1962 and was a great success. "It Happened at the World's Fair" was released by MGM on 3 April 1963 and was a much more modest success.

7. On 29 November 1847, Cayuse and Umatilla Native Americans carried out the Whitman Massacre near present-day Walla Walla. Who was killed in this incident?

Answer: Protestant medical missionaries

Dr. Marcus Whitman, a medical missionary, and his wife Narcissa were killed by Native Americans angry that his medical treatment of them did not cure a measles epidemic to which they had no immunity. It was their custom to kill a medicine man who failed to heal the sick. Whitman was hacked to pieces, eleven others were killed and 53 women and children were taken hostage.

This massacre led to the Cayuse War (1847 to 1855).

8. By what geographical designations are the explorers Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark remembered in Washington State?

Answer: Clark County and Lewis County

The Voyage of Discovery occurred between May 1804 and September 1806. The Lewis and Clark Bridge crosses the Columbia River between Longview, Washington and Rainier, Oregon. Lewis and Clark College is located in Portland, Oregon. Lewis and Clark National Historical Park is located in both Washington and Oregon.

Answer: Roosevelt and the Bull Moose Party

The Progressive Party split the national Republican vote, allowing Woodrow Wilson to be elected as a Democrat. Washington's seven electoral votes went to TR and the Progressives. President Taft lost badly; the Bull Moose Party won eleven times more electoral votes than the Republicans.

Answer: D.B. Cooper

Cooper was never found but a small portion of the $200,000 was discovered by a small boy playing on the banks of the Columbia River near Vancouver in February of 1980. A 1975 novel ("Rainbow's End" by James M. Cain) and a 1980 novel ("Free Fall" by J.D. Reed) inspired a 1981 movie called "The Pursuit of D.B.Cooper." A Washington artist named Judy Sword produced the song "D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?" in 1971 and Chuck Brodsky wrote and sang the song "The Ballad of D. B. Cooper" in 2006.

Source: Author FatherSteve

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