Political Birthplaces, Part II Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States and saw the beginnings of peace with Russia. Where was he born?

Answer: Illinois

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois. For nearly 30 years, he was a motion picture and television actor before being elected governor of California in 1966. In 1980, he defeated Jimmy Carter in order to become the 40th president of the United States.

He became afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease and finally passed away on June 5, 2004, at his home in California.

2. George H. W. Bush was the 41st president of the United States and launched Operation Desert Strom to liberate Kuwait. Where was he born?

Answer: Massachusetts

George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts. He served in the House of Representatives in the 1960's and a number of appointed offices in the 1970's. In 1980, he was elected vice-president under Ronald Reagan. In 1988, he became the first sitting vice-president in 152 years to be elected president.

He served one term, being defeated by Bill Clinton in 1992. His eldest son was elected president in 2000.

3. Gerald Ford was the 38th president of the United States and the first one that had been an Eagle Scout. Where was he born?

Answer: Nebraska

Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr., born as Leslie Lynch King, Jr., was born on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. Starting in 1949, he served in Congress as a representative from Michigan until being appointed vice-president in December 1973. Eight months later, he became the first president to not have been elected to either the presidency or the vice-presidency.

He served until he was replaced by Jimmy Carter in 1977. He considered becoming an Eagle Scout to be one of his proudest achievements. He passed away on December 26, 2006.

4. John Kerry was the third Catholic (after Al Smith and John F. Kennedy) to run for president on a major party ticket. Where was he born?

Answer: Colorado

John Forbes Kerry was born on December 11, 1943, in Aurora, Colorado. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1972, but was elected lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts in 1982 and won election to the U.S. Senate in 1984. In 2004, he ran for U.S. president, narrowly losing to George W. Bush.

5. Do you recall Hillary Clinton? She became the first first lady to hold elected office. Where was she born?

Answer: Illinois

Hillary Rodham Clinton was born on October 26, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois. She met her husband Bill while attending Yale Law School and married in 1975. In 1979, she became first lady of Arkansas when her husband was elected governor. In 1993, she became first lady of the United States. She successfully ran for the U.S. Senate from New York in 2000.

6. Now about Condoleezza Rice. She has been considered among the most powerful women in the world. Where was she born?

Answer: Alabama

Condoleezza Rice was born on November 14, 1954, in Birmingham, Alabama. Serving as a professor at Stanford University, she became involved in Governor George W. Bush's presidential campaign. Afterwards, she was appointed as national security adviser by President-elect Bush.

In 2005, she was nominated and confirmed as the 66th secretary of state, the first African-American woman to serve in that office.

7. Senator John McCain was named by Time Magazine as one of the "25 Most Influential People in America". Where was he born?

Answer: Panama Canal Zone

John Sidney McCain III was born on August 29, 1936, in the U.S. Panama Canal Zone. Both his father and his grandfather were admirals in the U.S. Navy. He served as a naval aviator in the Vietnam War, where he was captured and held as a P.O.W. for five-and-a-half years. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate from Arizona and ran for president in 2000.

8. Colin Powell was the top military official during Operation Desert Storm and became widely known for its successful outcome. Where was he born?

Answer: New York

Colin Luther Powell was born on April 5, 1937, in the Bronx, New York. He served in the U.S. Army for 35 years, becoming a full general in 1989. He served as national security adviser from 1987 to 1989, then as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993, overseeing Operation Desert Storm.

In 2000, he was nominated and confirmed to become secretary of state, the first African-American in that position, which he served as until 2005.

9. Poor Jeb Bush. He seems to be overshadowed by his father and his older brother. However he has done rather well for himself. Where was he born?

Answer: Texas

John Ellis "Jeb" Bush was born on February 11, 1953, in Midland, Texas. He is the second son of George H. W. Bush and the younger brother of George W. Bush, both of whom had been elected president. He himself ran for office, narrowing losing in the 1994 gubernatorial race in Florida. He ran for governor again in 1998 and won, and was re-elected in 2002.

10. Al Gore was the second sitting senator (after John Kennedy) to author a book that was on the New York Times best-seller list. Where was he born?

Answer: District of Columbia

Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr., was born on March 31, 1948, in Washington, D.C., where his father was serving as a representative in Congress from Tennessee. He would follow in his father's footsteps, winning a Congressional seat in 1976, then was elected senator from Tennessee in 1984.

In 1992, running with Bill Clinton, he was elected vice-president and served two terms. In 2000, he ran for president, and despite winning the popular vote, he narrowly lost in the electoral college to George W. Bush.

He has been active on environmental issues both in and out of office, including authoring his best-selling book, "Earth in the Balance".

Source: Author keillan

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Leau before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

This is the second of three quizzes that ask where a U.S. political figure was born. This should be a bit harder than the first.

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