U.S History: Past and Present Quiz

Answer: Iroquois Theatre

The Iroquois Theater was advertised as "absolutely fireproof." That day, over 1,900 people were in attendance at a matinee showing the popular musical Mr. Bluebeard, and a light ignited a curtain. The building doors pulled out, but people were pushing, causing the firefighters to not get into the building. Over 600 people died that day.

Answer: Spanish-American War

This war was fought in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The Treaty of Paris provided that Cuba should becomes an independent country and the United States acquired Puerto Rico and Guam and agreed to pay Spain twenty million dollars for the Philippines.

Answer: all of these

Benjamin Franklin was one of the best known Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a leading author, politician, printer, scientist, philosopher, publisher, inventor, civic activist, and diplomat.

Answer: Chief Justice of the Marbury vs. Madison case

John Marshall was an American statesman and jurist who shaped American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court a center of power. John Marshall was also the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Answer: a freedom writer who wrote "Common Sense"

Thomas Paine was a pamphleteer who was born in Great Britain. He lived in America, having migrated to the American colonies just in time to take part in the American Revolution, mainly as the author of the powerful, widely-read pamphlet, "Common Sense, stating independence for the American Colonies from Great Britain".

Answer: General

Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kosciuszko (Thaddeus Kosciuszko) was a Polish and Lithuanian national hero, general and a leader. He fought in the American Revolutionary War as a colonel in the Continental Army on the side of Washington.

Answer: Brian Wilson

Joan Baez (b. 1941) and Bob Dylan (b. 1941) were probably the leading singers of the 1960s protest movement. Phil Ochs (1940-1976) is well known for his songs "I Ain't Marching Anymore" (1965) and "Draft Dodger Rag" (also 1965).
Brian Wilson (b. 1942) of the Beach Boys was apolitical.

Answer: The Korean War

The Korean War, occurring between June 25, 1950 and a ceasefire on July 27, 1953, began (nominally, at least) as a civil war between the states of North Korea and South Korea that were created out of the post-World War II Soviet and American occupation zones in Korea, with large-scale participation by other countries.

Answer: Comedian

Jerry Seinfeld is an American comedian, actor. Seinfeld is often described as an observational comedian. He is best known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the long-running sitcom Seinfeld, which he co-created and executive produced

Answer: Revolver

Samuel Colt was an American inventor and industrialist. He invented the firearm "Revolver". He called it that because the barrel that holds the bullets revolve around every time the trigger is pulled.