Famous North Carolinians Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gastonia

Floyd and Worthy definitely weren't strangers. In fact, they each played for Gastonia's two high schools--Floyd at Hunter Huss and Worthy at Ashbrook. They would also go on to have successful NBA careers.

Answer: Wilmington

Jordan played his ball at Laney High School in Wilmington. He has been honored by having a stretch of Interstate 40 near the city named for him.

Answer: Black Mountain

"The World Almanac and Book of Facts" lists Black Mountain as Roberta Flack's birthplace, although other sources list the larger nearby city of Asheville. In addition to her solo offerings, Flack also had notable duets with Donny Hathaway ("Where Is The Love?"), one of her classmates at Howard University, and Peabo Bryson ("Tonight I Celebrate My Love") during her career.

Answer: False

Ms. Harry was actually born in the Piedmont Triad's second city, Winston-Salem, about 20 miles west of Greensboro, and raised in Harlem. Although she's best known for her work on "227" and "Sister, Sister", Harry is an accomplished dancer and stage actress. She also spent two years as a school teacher in Brooklyn.

Answer: Durham

An incredibly busy woman who has sung for US Presidents and given free concerts across the country, Caesar served on Durham's city council from 1987 to 1991. During her term, she focused on issues regarding the poor and the elderly. Often called "The First Lady of Gospel", she is also an ordained pastor, leading a church in nearby Raleigh.

She also feted fellow singer Bob Dylan with his song "Gotta Serve Somebody" when Dylan was honored by the Kennedy Center in 1997. (Thanks to www.africanpubs.com for additional information on Shirley Caesar.)

Answer: Luther Hodges

Although he was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Luther Hodges grew up in Leaksville, North Carolina. After getting his degree at UNC, he rose to the rank of vice president with the Marshall Field Company, and later became lieutenant governor. Upon the death of Governor William Umstead in 1954, Hodges finished serving the term and went on to win the seat outright in 1956.

As governor, Hodges was instrumental in the creation of Research Triangle Park, a 7,000 acre campus in southeastern Durham and western Wake counties devoted to luring high-tech industries and research groups from around the world.

The park sits within easy driving distance of Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh, which seat three of the state's major research schools (Duke, UNC, and NC State).

Answer: NC State

Although Andrea Stinson's high school was in the same conference as my high school at the time, I didn't get to see her play until I went to NC State. She has been a joy to watch, both as a collegian and as a professional. Equally exciting is the fact that she played for Kay Yow, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002--an honor for which Stinson herself will someday be considered.

Answer: 5

A former Democrat who switched party affiliations to challenge a liberal Democratic candidate, Helms won the first of his five terms in the Senate in 1972. During his tenure, Helms's conservative leanings and divisive tactics won the support of much of the state outside of the heavily-urbanized I-85 Crescent.

At the same time, they also served to contradict the policies of a forward-looking state. With his health beginning to fail, Helms stepped down after his fifth term and was succeeded by Salisbury native Elizabeth Dole.

Answer: Pepsi-Cola

A native of the town of Chinquapin, North Carolina, and a graduate of UNC, Caleb Bradham began his soda business in earnest when he trademarked the Pepsi name in 1903, then started selling his soda to other fountain vendors and in glass bottles. By the early 1930's, though, with rising sugar prices and the onset of the Depression, Pepsi-Cola, out of Bradham's hands since 1920, hit bankruptcy. Pepsi was purchased by the Loft Candy Company in 1931, refomulated and reintroduced to the market.

It has remained a staple in the American home ever since. (Thanks to About.com and Insider.com for information on Caleb Bradham.)

Answer: True

Born in 1818 in Money's Neck, North Carolina, Gatling studied medicine in school but never practiced. Instead, he became known as an inventor. One of his first inventions, a screw propeller for steamboats, was patented by another inventor, working independently, a few months earlier.

He also invented a cotton-sowing machine and a steam-driven plow. But the rapid-fire gun, his eleventh patent (1862), was by far his best known invention. The gun is considered to be the forerunner of the powerful Vulcan cannons used on modern helicopters and aircraft. (Thanks to the Ryan Middle School website, Newman-Maxwell-Drew team page, from Fairbanks, Alaska, for information on Richard Gatling.)