Remembering the 60s - 1965 Americana Quiz

Answer: Joe Namath

A native of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, "Broadway" Joe Namath was perhaps the best known sports figure of his day. The outrageous sum of money offered him by the New York Jets sparked a bidding war between the upstart American Football League and the well-established National Football League, culminating in their merger several years later. With his playboy style and flair, and the image of a loveable anti-establishment rogue, "Broadway Joe" was admired by both men and women.

His defining moment in football came when he guaranteed, and delivered a Super Bowl III victory over the Baltimore Colts. Off the field, Namath was a media sensation, earning a fortune doing television commercials where he wore panty hose and shaved off his "trademark" "Fu Manchu" moustache.

Answer: Silver was eliminated from most coins

All dime, quarter, half-dollar and dollar coins dated 1964 or earlier were 90% silver. All dimes dated 1965 or later are 'clad' coins and contain no silver. Except for specially minted collector 40% silver coins, quarters were also copper-nickel 'clad' coins, as were Eisenhower dollars.

The silver in the Kennedy half-dollar was reduced to 40% from 1965 until 1971, and thereafter eliminated.

Answer: The Sound of Music

A joyous and uplifting adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, "The Sound of Music" perhaps single-handedly saved 20th Century Fox from possible bankruptcy. The story of a novitiate, played by Julie Andrews, who is hired to care for the seven children of a widowed Austrian captain, played by Christopher Plummer, was at the time of its 1965 release, the number one box office hit of all time.

Answer: Dominican Republic

After years of political instability and repeated coups, President Johnson, under the pretext of protecting American lives, ordered U.S. troops into the Dominican Republic. The president believed that Fidel Castro was behind the revolution, and he did not want "another Cuba" and the further spread of Communism.

This was the United States' fourth military intervention in the Dominican Republic since 1906.

Answer: Bill Cosby

Despite racial tension, NBC premiered "I Spy" in 1965. Kelly Robinson, played by Robert Culp, and Alexander Scott played by Bill Cosby were American agents traveling the world posing as a tennis player and his trainer. The 27 year old Cosby quickly outshone his co-star, and went on to win three Emmys.

Answer: Gus Grissom

Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom was the second American in space, piloting "Liberty Bell 7" in a sub-orbital Mercury Program test flight. Unfortunately, the capsule sank during recovery efforts. Grissom was named to command the flight of the three-manned Apollo 1, but tragically, Grissom and two other astronauts perished when a fire consumed the capsule during a simulation.

Answer: Hubert Humphrey

The former mayor of Minneapolis, Hubert Horatio Humphrey II served in the U.S. Senate from 1948 until he resigned to become Vice-President in 1964. Humphrey really wanted to be president, but was defeated by John Kennedy for the 1960 Democratic Party nomination.

As riots raged in Chicago during the 1968 convention, Humphrey won the Democratic presidential nomination, only to lose to Richard M. Nixon in the general election.

Answer: New York

Located at First Avenue and 63rd Street in Manhattan, T.G.I. Friday's was an immediate success, and became a popular Upper East side meeting place for single adults. Within ten years the antique-filled bar/restaurant had spread to ten restaurants in eight states. By the end of 2003 there were 735 "Friday's" in 55 countries.

Answer: White

Actually the color was changed from white to "bright gold" by the N.F.L., which also the same year added a sixth official, the line judge, to help referee games better.

Answer: Wooly Bully

"Wooly Bully", by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, was about a creature with "two big horns and a wooly jaw". It was nominated for a Grammy award and was named 'Record of the Year' by Billboard Magazine in 1965. "Sam", whose real name was Domingo Samudio, was born near Dallas Texas. "Wooly Bully" became the first American record to sell a million copies during the onslaught of the British invasion. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs toured the world and scored another hit in 1966 with "Little Red Riding Hood".