Just Another Whistlestop Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ferdinand Magellan

The Ferdinand Magellan was a railroad car built by the Pullman Company specifically for the President of the United States in 1928. Its most famous journey was by Truman in the summer of 1948, when he traveled to California. It served as Presidential Rail Car No. 1 from 1943 to 1958. The train car currently resides at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was designated a national historic landmark on February 4, 1985.

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition that circumnavigated the world. Magellan was killed in the Philippines, but his men completed the journey.

Answer: Robert Taft

Robert Alphonso Taft was the oldest son of William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States. Taft was a prominent politician in his own right, serving in the United States Senate from 1939 until 1953. He was a strong contender for the Republican nomination in 1952 until Dwight Eisenhower entered the race. Probably for the best, as Taft died of cancer in July 1953 - which would have been six months after his inauguration.

Arthur Vandenburg of Michigan was the President Pro Tem in 1948. Kenneth Wherry of Nebraska was the Majority Whip for the Republicans. Wallace White of Maine was Senate Majority Leader in 1948.

A whistle stop refers to a town that is too small to have regular train service. Passengers would have to pull a whistle in order to get the train to stop at their destination.

Answer: Seattle, Washington

It was William Devin, mayor of Seattle, commenting on his city's natural beauty. Devin was mayor from June 1942 to June 1952. Devin is arguably Seattle's most popular mayor, being re-elected three times in a city that is notorious for turning on local politicians.

Seattle was one of the largest cities on the west coast by 1948, with a population of around 450,000. The city saw a huge influx of population during the 1940s, as many people came to work for Boeing during the war years.

Answer: University of California - Berkeley

Truman got the degree at UC-Berkeley. It was quite satisfying for the President, as family responsibilities had prevented him from getting a college education after his return from World War I. The degree was as a "Doctor of Laws and Letters." The University of California has a long reputation as one of the most prestigious law schools in the United States.

The University of California opened its campus at Berkeley in 1873. The campus played a major role in World War II as one of the research centers for the Manhattan Project. Berkeley is the oldest university in the UC system, so it is often referred to simply as California.

Answer: Bremerton

It was June 10, 1948 in Bremerton at the Elks Club. The supporter yelled out the phrase that was to characterize the 1948 campaign, and Truman replied " "I don't give them Hell. I just tell the truth about them, and they think it's Hell." Truman made 11 speeches all across Washington over the course of June 9 and 10.

The phrase was also the title of a one man show by James Whitmore which toured the United States in 1975. A film was made of the play, and Whitmore was nominated for both the Golden Globe and Academy Awards for his performance.

Answer: Joseph Martin

Joseph Martin, a Republican from Massachusetts, was Speaker from 1947 to 1949 and later during the first two years of the Eisenhower administration. He was the only Republican to serve as Speaker between 1931 and 1995.

Charles Halleck of Indiana was the Majority Leader in the House. As such, he was a frequent target of Truman's criticisms. Leslie Arends of Illinois was the Majority Whip, J Parnell Thomas of New Jersey was head of the House Un-American Activities committee in 1948.

Answer: Ambassador Hotel

Truman spoke at the Coconut Grove, the ballroom of the Ambassador, which saw many legendary performances by some of entertainment's biggest stars. The Ambassador gained infamy in June 1968 as the site of the assassination of Robert Kennedy. The hotel opened in 1921 and closed to guests in 1989. After years of legal arguments, the building was finally demolished in 2005 and 2006. The Ambassador was also the filming location for dozens of movies.

The Chateau Marmont, built in 1929, was the site of the 1983 death of John Belushi. The Hollywood Roosevelt, built in 1927, was the site of the first Academy Awards show. The LA Biltmore (now the Millennium Biltmore) was built in 1923, and hosted many Academy Awards banquets in the 1930s.

After Taft made his whistlestop comment, Truman joked that "Los Angeles is the biggest whistle stop."

Answer: Joseph Stalin

Speaking to the crowd in Eugene, Oregon on June 11, Truman stated: "I got very well acquainted with Joe Stalin, and I like old Joe! He is a decent fellow. But Joe is a prisoner of the Politburo." Most of the time Truman's off the cuff style worked for him, but in this case he was directly contradicting the official policy of the US Department of State, which was that Stalin was the uncontested political dictator of the Soviet Union. Fortunately, Truman's strong anti-communist moves, including the Berlin Airlift, helped blunt the harm from his statement.

Franco was the dictator of Spain from 1936 until his death in 1975. Hirohito was the emperor of Japan from 1826 to 1989. George VI was the King of the United Kingdom from 1936 until his death in 1936.

Answer: Thomas Dewey

Thomas Dewey won the 1948 Republican nomination. He had run against Franklin Roosevelt in 1944 and lost. Dewey was the governor of New York, who had built his reputation as a prosecutor who fought organized crime in New York City. Dewey ran a highly efficient, but extremely boring, campaign against Truman that ultimately lost. Truman defeated Dewey by just over 2 million votes in the popular vote and won the electoral college 303 to 189.

Strom Thurmond would go on to become a Republican, but in 1948 he led the Dixiecrat party, a breakaway faction of the Democratic Party that opposed Truman over civil rights. Thurmond received 1.2 million votes and 39 electoral votes (all in the south). Henry Wallace had been Franklin Roosevelt's vice president. He led a revolt against Truman on the left and received around 1 million votes.

Dwight Eisenhower was recruited by both Democrats and Republicans to run in 1948, but declined to enter politics. He would go to run in 1952 and serve two terms as President.

Answer: Chicago Tribune

The first edition of the November 3, 1948 Chicago Tribune carried the premature news of Truman's political demise. It was especially sweet for Truman, as the Tribune was vehemently Republican and had brutally attacked him during the campaign. The famous photograph was taken at Saint Louis railroad station as Truman was returning to Washington. He is standing on the rear platform of the Ferdinand Magellan.

The Chicago Tribune was founded in 1847. The Detroit Free Press was founded in 1831. The Chicago Sun-Times had just started in 1948; it's predecessor, the Daily Journal, was founded in 1844. The Post-Dispatch was started by legendary publisher Joseph Pulitzer in 1878. The Post-Dispatch was one of Truman's harshest critics throughout his career.