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1970s All American Politics Trivia Quiz

How much do you remember from the days of Watergate?

A multiple-choice quiz by brewster76. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
brewster76

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
298,257

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
3018

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: RobertLee_1964 (10/10), Guest 137 (4/10), Guest 67 (5/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Who was identified by "Vanity Fair" magazine in 2005 as being the real Deep Throat? Hint

General Alexander Haig

Nixon's Press Secretary Ron Ziegler

Deputy FBI Director Mark Felt

CIA Director William Colby

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. On November 27, 1978 San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Dan White shot Mayor George Moscone and his fellow supervisor, the openly gay Harvey Milk. At his trial, White's lawyer argued that White's mental state at the time of the killings was diminished due to depression as reflected in his excessive eating of junk food. What is the better known name of this legal tactic? Hint

The Little Debbie Excuse

McDonald's Motivated Manslaughter

The Twinkie Defense

Blame it on Burger King

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Who was the president of the United States when Iranian students took 52 members of the US Embassy in Tehran as hostages? Hint

Ronald Reagan

Jimmy Carter

Gerald Ford

Richard Nixon

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Question 4 of 10

4. In October of 1973 former Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew resigned the office of the Vice-Presidency. Why? Hint

He had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease

To run for the US Senate

He had pled no contest to charges of tax evasion and money laundering

To care for his terminally ill wife, Judy

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Which prominent 1970s American political figure is credited with coining the phrase "Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac"? Hint

Carl Bernstein

Gary Hart

Richard Nixon

Henry Kissinger

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which group claimed responsiblity for a series of bombings in the 1970s that included the US Capitol, the Pentagon and the Harry S. Truman Building of the State Department? Hint

The Black Panthers

The Weathermen

The Chicago Seven

Sinn Fein

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. In 1974 the intoxicated chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee was involved in a sex scandal in which his companion, Argentinian stripper Fanne Fox, jumped into Washington's Tidal Basin after their car was stopped for a minor traffic violation. Who was this once powerful man? Hint

Wilbur Mills

Everett Dirksen

Wayne Hayes

Henry "Scoop" Jackson

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. President Jimmy Carter signed legislation creating this new Cabinet Department in 1977. Which was it? Hint

Department of Ecology

Department of Energy

The Atomic Energy Commission

Department of Veteran's Affairs

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. In October 20, 1973 President Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire the Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson refused to do so and resigned from the Cabinet, as did his Deputy, William Ruckelshaus. It fell to third-in-command, Robert Bork, to fire Cox. What is this series of events now called? Hint

The Dismissals of October

Tricky Dicky's End Run

Bork-a-gate

The Saturday Night Massacre

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. On August 5, 1975 President Gerald Ford issued a posthumous Presidential pardon to this man based on "character (that) has been an example to succeeding generations, making the restoration of his citizenship an event in which every American can take pride." Which historic figure received the pardon and return of citizenship? Hint

Julius Rosenberg

Richard Nixon

Robert E. Lee

Benedict Arnold

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 20 2024 : RobertLee_1964: 10/10
Nov 20 2024 : Guest 137: 4/10
Nov 18 2024 : Guest 67: 5/10
Nov 15 2024 : Guest 71: 9/10
Oct 29 2024 : lrjensen: 8/10
Oct 27 2024 : Guest 64: 9/10
Oct 26 2024 : joespeedboat: 3/10
Oct 25 2024 : dmaxst: 7/10
Oct 23 2024 : Guest 166: 4/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who was identified by "Vanity Fair" magazine in 2005 as being the real Deep Throat?

Answer: Deputy FBI Director Mark Felt

Felt's claim as Deep Throat was confirmed by the reporters who first broke the Watergate story, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, and the "Washington Post"'s editor at the time, Ben Bradlee. Deep Throat was portrayed by Hal Holbrook in the 1976 movie "All the President's Men" .

Answer: The Twinkie Defense

White's conviction of first degree manslaughter rather than pre-meditated murder led to rioting in San Francisco's gay community and eventually to the elimination of California's "diminished capacity" statute. In the 2008 movie "Milk" White was played by Josh Brolin, Milk by Sean Penn and Moscone by Victor Garber.

3. Who was the president of the United States when Iranian students took 52 members of the US Embassy in Tehran as hostages?

Answer: Jimmy Carter

The events leading up to the hostage taking in November of 1979 and how it was handled afterwards are thought by many politicos as the downfall of President Jimmy Carter. He engendered enmity in the radical Iranians by allowing deposed Shah Reza Pahlavi to enter the US for medical treatment in the fall of 1979.

The failed rescue attempt in May of 1980 which resulted in the deaths of several American soldiers only added to the general feeling of Carter's incompentency in handling the crisis.

4. In October of 1973 former Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew resigned the office of the Vice-Presidency. Why?

Answer: He had pled no contest to charges of tax evasion and money laundering

While the governor of Maryland, Agnew had received payments of more than $250,000 from construction industry members who wanted their projects green-lighted. Agnew continued to receive payments even after he assumed the office of Vice-President of the US.

While he didn't have to resign, in his memoirs he alluded to the fact that President Nixon and Alexander Haig threatened to have him killed if he did not.

5. Which prominent 1970s American political figure is credited with coining the phrase "Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac"?

Answer: Henry Kissinger

Another of Kissinger's quotes is "Even a paranoid has some enemies."

6. Which group claimed responsiblity for a series of bombings in the 1970s that included the US Capitol, the Pentagon and the Harry S. Truman Building of the State Department?

Answer: The Weathermen

The Weathermen made news in the 2008 presidential election when it was learned that Democratic candidate Barack Obama had served on several community action boards with Weathermen co-founder, Bill Ayres.

Answer: Wilbur Mills

Mills (D-Arkansas) effectively ended his political career when after the Tidal Basin incident he and Fox's husband appeared together (allegedly while once again inebriated) on the stage of a strip club where she was appearing. He later received treatment for his alcoholism.

8. President Jimmy Carter signed legislation creating this new Cabinet Department in 1977. Which was it?

Answer: Department of Energy

The Department of Energy was created in response to the 70s energy shortage caused, in part, by the Iranian Oil Embargo of 1973. There is no Department of Ecology. The Atomic Energy Commission was formed during the Truman administration after the detonation of the atomic bombs during WWII. The Department of Veterans' Affairs came into existence in 1992 following the first Gulf War.

Answer: The Saturday Night Massacre

It is said Bork was also going to resign but Richardson convinced him that someone who knew what they were doing had to remain in place to handle the debacle.

Answer: Robert E. Lee

Some might be tempted to answer Nixon, but he was very much alive when Ford pardoned him in 1974. Additionally, Nixon never lost his citizenship after Watergate and it is questionable whether he was a shining example of American pride so soon after he resigned the Presidency in disgrace.
(notice the quote also says "succeeding generations")

Source: Author brewster76

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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