History Quiz with Fred Holway

A Quiz on American History by Fred Holway

(programmed by Steve Bergen, revised Monday 11/29/99)
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  1. Question: What is Uncle Sam? Is he a real person or a cartoon character? If he is real, where is he from? And what is he famous for? (answer)

  2. Question: When the famous battleship Constitution was built how did its builders keep barnacles from growing on the bottom of the ship and slowing it down while under full sails? (answer)

  3. Question: What is the historical significance of the pond in Arlington (spy pond)? (answer)

  4. Question: What was the last stop on the underground railroad in Boston? (answer)

  5. Question: What is the significance of November 11? (answer)

  6. Question: Who is the last person buried in the Granary on Park Street? (answer)

  7. Question: Who rode with Paul Revere when he said "the British are coming"? What town was Paul Revere from? What town was the other person from? (answer)

  8. Question: What year in the 1700s is referenced in the Gettysburg Address? What was the actual year of the address? (answer)

  9. Question: Who did President Lincoln refer to as a drunkard? (answer)

  10. Question: What was Lincoln's wife's maiden name? (answer)

  11. Question: Name at least two of the famous Patriots buried at the Granary on Park Street. (answer)

  • Question: Name at least two of the famous Patriots buried at the Granary on Park Street.

    Answer: Hancock and Warren were two of them. I would like to know more. Please e-mail me (fred_holway@nobles.edu) and Steve Bergen (bergen@nobles.edu) if you can tell me others!

    Mary Todd was a Southern belle.

  • Question: What was Lincoln's wife's maiden name?

    Answer: Todd

    Mary Todd was a Southern belle.

  • Question: Who did President Lincoln refer to as a drunkard?

    Answer: General Grant drank too much. Lincoln wanted all the generals to drink the same liquor. Because Grant was such a great general and all the others were losers, Lincoln wanted all the others to drink like Grant and gain his courage!
  • Question: Who rode with Paul Revere when he said "the British are coming"? What town was Paul Revere from? What town was the other person from?

    Answer: The other person was William Dawes. He was from Somerville. He was a Patriot, possibly buried at the Granary. Paul Revere was from Cambridge.
  • Question: What year in the 1700s is referenced in the Gettysburg Address? What was the actual year of the address?

    Answer: The speech was given in 1863. Four score and seven years ago refers to 87 years. 1863-87 = 1776.
  • Question: Who is the last person buried in the Granary on Park Street?

    Answer: Paul Revere.
  • Question: What is Uncle Sam? Is he a real person or a cartoon character? If he is real, where is he from? And what is he famous for?

    Answer: Uncle Sam Wilson was a real person. He was a pork packer from Arlington Mass. He sent porks and hams to the Americans fighting the British in the War of 1812. He branded the kegs of pork and ham with U.S. or Uncle Sam so they would be returned to him to be refilled.
  • Question: When the famous battleship Constitution was built how did its builders keep barnacles from growing on the bottom of the ship and slowing it down while under full sails?
    Answer: The builders put copper on the bottom!

    One of these builders was a very famous patriot from the revolution and one of the Sons of liberty -- Paul Revere. When they re-built the ships in 1976, they found a PR on some of the tacks holding the copper.

    During the celebration of our 200 years of freedom in this nation, I was still able to work and walk. I would walk from my office in Boston to the famous Granary burial grounds on Park Street in downtown to the burial site for all of the Sons of Liberty. I would then stop and look in that the burial sides and say to myself thank you for the freedom at these brave Patriots gave to us as Americans. As a young man I lived in the town of Arlington MA where I learned most of my history of the revolution.

  • Question: What is the historical significance of the pond in Arlington (spy pond)?
    Answer: This is a large fresh water pond. High above it, you can see Boston on a clear day. From this location, the Patriots were able to see whether the British were going to Lexington or to Concord.
  • Question: What was the last stop on the underground railroad in Boston?
    Answer: The last stop was Smith Court. There was a church there called the Old South Meeting Hall. Now there is an African American Museum at that location. This is on the back side of Beacon Hill off of George Street.
  • Question: What is the significance of November 11?
    Answer: Today I am dictating this on Dragon Dictate and it is, in fact, November 11th. This day has always had a special meaning to many Americans. Having grown up in Arlington I can always remember it as Armistice Day. To me, there was special significance of 11 o'clock a.m. when fire whistles would blow 11 times to signify the end of world war one.

    I will always remember the significance of that date and the blowing of the fire whistles to honor these veterans of the war to end all wars. This proved not to be the case since we have been involved in another world war and several other conflicts that were not declared wars. Korea was called a conflict to stop communism, Vietnam was another war; it was not declared but it was. This country seems to go from one hot spot to another without a formal declaration of war.

    These days, Armistice Day is called Veteran's Day.