Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus Quiz

Answer: The New York Sun

"The New York Sun" was very slow to recognize the importance of the editorial, and even though the paper got annual requests for the editorial to be republished, refused to do so for five years following the initial publication and then did it only reluctantly. It wasn't until the 1920s that "The Sun" reprinted the editorial annually until the paper went out of business in 1949.

Answer: September 21, 1897

It was buried on the editorial page, under ones about New York State politics, New York City politics, questions about Connecticut's election laws, the British navy in the Atlantic, plans for a railroad to link the gold mines of the Yukon with eastern Canada, and features of a new "chainless" bicycle expected to debut the next year.

Answer: O'Hanlon

Virginia O'Hanlon grew up to be a teacher and then a principal in the New York City school system. She was briefly married to Edward Douglas, who left her shortly before their daughter, Laura, was born. Virginia kept the surname "Douglas", however. She died on May 13, 1971 at the age of 81.

Answer: Francis P. Church

Francis Pharcellus Church wrote the editorial, but as per the paper's policy he was not immediately credited by name - he was only publicly acknowledged as the author after his death in 1906.

Clement C. Moore wrote the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas", better known as "The Night Before Christmas".

Haddon H. Sundblom is best known for the images of Santa Claus he did for the Coca-Cola Company.

Charles A. Dana was the publisher of paper where the editorial appeared, and while he did not write the editorial he was erroneously credited with doing so when "The Arizona Republican" first reprinted it.

Answer: Married

Francis P. Church married shortly after the editorial was published. He died in 1906, and did not have any children. He also wasn't very happy about this particular assignment, but wrote the editorial anyway, and did so quickly, the same day it appeared on his desk.

Answer: Her friends

Virginia was an only child. While Santa Claus had always given her presents, there were less fortunate boys and girls who made her doubt his existence.

"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus," she wrote.

Answer: Virginias

The text continues: "There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished."

Answer: fairies

The text continues: "Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world."

Answer: Coroner's Assistant

Virginia's family often wrote to the semi-regular "question and answer" column in the paper (entitled "Notes and Queries"), and when she couldn't get a straight answer from her Papa, she wrote to the paper. She was surprised to see a response weeks later on the editorial page instead.

Answer: 100,000 years

"No Santa Claus? Thank God he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

10 x 10,000 years = 100,000 years