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History of the Lighthouse Trivia Quiz

The lighthouse...let's shed some light on its history!

A multiple-choice quiz by catnippin. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
catnippin

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
49,867

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
713

Last 3 plays: Linda_Arizona (2/10), RIPwtaworld (7/10), klotzplate (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The first known lighthouse was the Pharos, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Where was this lighthouse located..? Hint

Istanbul, Turkey

Vergina, Macedonia

Athens, Greece

Alexandria, Egypt

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Question 2 of 10

2. In colonial America, ship owners had to pay a fee (toll) when the ship passed by a lighthouse on its way into or out of a port. This fee was based upon..? Hint

The length of the ship

The weight of the cargo

The number of sailors on board

The number of sails on the ship

3. On August 7th 1789, the First Congress federalized colonial lighthouses. This was the beginning of the U.S. Lighthouse Service. In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt combined the Lighthouse Service with which one of the following? Hint

The Coast Guard

The Commerce Department

The Treasury Department

The Department of Transportation

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Question 4 of 10

4. To help the mariner determine his location, by using lighthouses as landmarks, the Lighthouse Board issued an order to have each lighthouse painted in different colors and-or designs. What is the word for this unique color scheme, or pattern, that identifies a specific lighthouse during daylight hours?

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 5 of 10

5. Before electricity, different fuels were used to illuminate the lighthouse lamps - wood and coal, bales of oakum and pitch, rows of candles, sperm whale oil, lard oil and kerosene to name a few. What was the first lighthouse ever to use electricity in America? Hint

Alcatraz Lighthouse

Montauk Point Lighthouse

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Statue of Liberty

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Question 6 of 10

6. In 1822, this invention was probably the most important discovery in lighting technology. It is the...? Hint

Fresnel lens

Selfner lens

Lenserf lens

Elfsern lens

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Question 7 of 10

7. Picture yourself sailing along a black-looking sea in a thick pea soup fog, with no stars shining or moonlight visible. The lighthouse light can not be seen! What sound do you listen for..?

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 8 of 10

8. What was the nickname given to a lighthouse keeper before the days of electricity? Hint

House buoy

Ship spotter

Shore sentinel

Wickie

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Question 9 of 10

9. Lighthouses with no families living in them (called 'stag lights') were usually located on offshore islands or reefs, and inhabited by men only. They had to stay on the island for a certain period of time before a small boat came with supplies or other keepers came to relieve them of duty. What was this small boat called...? Hint

a beacon boat

an astragal

a tender

a tugboat

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Question 10 of 10

10. People who study, or are interested in, lighthouses are called....?

Answer: (One Word - think of the first lighthouse...)

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The first known lighthouse was the Pharos, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Where was this lighthouse located..?

Answer: Alexandria, Egypt

Pharos of Alexandria, Egypt, was constructed between 300 and 280 B.C. by Ptolemy I and his son Ptolemy II. It stood 450 feet high. It was destroyed in stages by invaders and earthquakes, and was completely destroyed in the 1300's.

2. In colonial America, ship owners had to pay a fee (toll) when the ship passed by a lighthouse on its way into or out of a port. This fee was based upon..?

Answer: The weight of the cargo

They paid a penny for each ton of goods on board ship. This helped cover the costs of lighthouse construction and maintenance.

Answer: The Coast Guard

Lighthouse administration bounced between the Treasury Department and the Commerce Department until July 7th 1939, when the Coast Guard took over.

Answer: daymark

Before this order, when a ship captain looked on shore, he'd see a tall red brick tower. He'd sail about forty miles down the coast and see another red brick tower, just like the first one! How would he know where he was? So, lighthouses were painted with alternating black and white sections, horizontal or spiral bands, or diamond patterns.

Answer: Statue of Liberty

In 1886, this symbol of freedom was used as a lighthouse in New York harbor for the first fifteen years of her existence.

6. In 1822, this invention was probably the most important discovery in lighting technology. It is the...?

Answer: Fresnel lens

The Fresnel lens (pronounced 'Frey Nel') enabled man to produce an unlimited number of flashing combinations and intensified the light so it could be seen at greater distances. It consists of a convex lens and many prisms of glass which focus and intensify the light through reflection and refraction.

7. Picture yourself sailing along a black-looking sea in a thick pea soup fog, with no stars shining or moonlight visible. The lighthouse light can not be seen! What sound do you listen for..?

Answer: foghorn

The first foghorn used, in 1719 at Boston, was a cannon. Fog bells were used as well as steam whistles, reed trumpets, and sirens. Today, an automatic sensor, which detects moisture in the air, turns on the fog signals when needed. There are also soundless fog signals called radio beacons.

8. What was the nickname given to a lighthouse keeper before the days of electricity?

Answer: Wickie

They earned the name 'wickie', because one of the chores was to trim the burned lamp wick, so it wouldn't smoke and dirty the lens. Keepers also shined the brass in the building, kept the windows clean, and kept a daily log detailing everything from the weather to the amount of fuel consumed.

Answer: a tender

If the weather was too rough for the boat to come out, the keeper often had to stay many extra days or weeks before being taken to shore. In later years, helicopters were sometimes used for transportation.

10. People who study, or are interested in, lighthouses are called....?

Answer: pharologists

The name comes from the famous Pharos of Alexandria, Egypt.

Source: Author catnippin

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