Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Let's start early on. In the middle of the 17th century, a Swedish farmer acquired a piece of land close to the Hudson River estuary. His name survives to this day in one of the boroughs of New York City. Which one?
2. Moving on to the next century, one of the founding fathers hailed from Swedish settlers in Delaware, the site of a short-lived colony called New Sweden. He was initially opposed to the idea of independence, but actually came to cast the deciding vote at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia (some say because he was late to the meeting), dying shortly thereafter. What was his name?
3. Fast-forward to the 19th century and the epic Civil War. Swedish-born 'cranky but brilliant' engineer John Ericsson, was the constructor of ironclad warship Monitor, which won a decisive battle against the Confederates' Merrimack. Where did the battle take place?
4. John W. Nordstrom arrived in the States from Sweden in 1887 with the (almost) proverbial five dollars in his pocket. After years of struggle, in 1901 he founded a shoe-store company by the name of Nordstrom & Wallin. Since then, of course, only the first name survives in one of the most well known US department store chains. How did Nordstrom meet his partner Wallin?
5. We shall continue in the business world. In 1914, Swedish immigrant Carl Wickman started an enterprise transporting miners by bus. In 1921, the company went interstate and began calling its vehicles 'greyhounds'. In which state, a favourite settling place of many Swedish immigrants, did Wickman begin his enterprise?
6. Charles Augustus Lindbergh arrived as child in the United States from the province of Smaland. He became a lawyer and served as a U.S. congressman from Minnesota. His son, Charles Jr., would gain even greater fame when he became the first man to perform a solo flight across the Atlantic. What popular dance was named in honor of his exploit?
7. Legendary jazz musician and composer Charles Mingus had a most varied ethnic background. His half-Swedish Mulatto father was a farmhand who ran away before Mingus was even born. What was Mingus's main instrument?
8. Let's broaden our horizon a little. In July 1969, two humans made a giant leap for mankind by stepping on the moon. The second one, (Edwin) Buzz Aldrin, hailed from the province of Varmland. Actually, most of the legendary pictures taken on that occasion are of him, since first stepper Neil Armstrong was holding the camera. Now that very camera was 100% Swedish. Its brand?
9. 16th Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court William Rehnquist's paternal grandparents emigrated separately from the beautiful provinces of Varmland and Ostergotland, respectively, and met each other in Chicago. (One of his Swedish forefathers was executed for embezzling!) Which President nominated Rehnquist to the position of Chief Justice?
10. The surname Soderberg is pretty common in Sweden (it means 'southern mountain'). It should come as no surprise, therefore, that Hollywood hotshot director Steven Soderbergh's grandfather came from Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. In the year 2000, what first in Oscar history did Soderbergh achieve?
Source: Author
jensj2
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
Exit10 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
