Previous Challenges, their answers and winners:
November 3, 2011:
What are the three most populous countries in the world?
Answer: To be announced in next week's newsletter.
Winner: To be announced in next week's newsletter.
September 23, 2011:
In 2004, a 20 ton slab of granite, inscribed to honor “the enduring spirit of freedom” was laid where?
Answer: At the base of the World Trade Center site.
Winner: H D West, of Jackson, MS
August 4, 2011:
In terms of acreage, what was the largest wildfire in US history?
Answer: According to various sources, the Miramichi Fire of 1825 was the largest and burned about 3 million acres. Some sources claim that the Peshtigo Fire of 1871 was one of the largest, burning anywhere from 1.2 million to around 3 million acres.
Winner: Verlee Terwilliger, of Santa Clarita, CA
July 14, 2011:
What is the largest open pit mine in North America?
Answer: Bingham Canyon Mine, located near Salt Lake City, is the deepest open pit mine, and the Hull Rust mine near Hibbing, Minnesota covers the most acreage.
Winner: Earlene Mara, of Pawtucket, RI
June 17, 2011:
According to the US Census Bureau, in 2009, 158,000 dads were performing this task as their occupation?
Answer: A stay-at-home dad/ homemaker.
Winner: Catherine Gorneault, of Southington, CT
June 2, 2011:
Which President's son has the distinction of being the only person to be present or at least close to three Presidential assassinations?
Answer: Robert Todd Lincoln, the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln
Winner: Kathi Mulhall, of Darby, PA
May 19, 2011:
What is the largest National Park in the United States?
Answer: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, located in Alaska and contains 13.2 million acres.
Winner: Danny Thomas, of Rosamond, CA
May 6, 2011:
What is the only US state capital city without a McDonald’s?
Answer: Montpelier, Vermont is the only US state capital without a McDonald's
Winner: Henriette Azimi, of Burke, VA
April 27, 2011:
Who was the first father and son to each win an Academy Award for their work on the same movie?
Answer: In 1949, Walter and John Huston became the first father and son pair to win Oscars. Walter Huston won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). His son, John Huston, won the Oscars for Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay for: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Winner: Linda Auerbach, of Mount Dora, FL
April 13, 2011:
What is the largest forest in the world?
Answer: The Boreal forest or Taiga Forest (pronounced Tiger) located in the far northern part of planet.
Winner: Lucy Williams, of Homerville, OH
April 8, 2011:
Which Senator from Wisconsin organized the first Earth Day?
Answer: Gaylord Nelson
Winner: Loyvone M. Washington of Columbia, SC
March 30, 2011:
In longitude and latitude, what are the Northernmost, Southernmost, Easternmost and Westernmost states in the United States?
Answer: The answer can be controversial.
Northernmost: Alaska (Point Barrow; 71°23'N)
Southernmost: Hawaii (Ka Lae; 18°55'N)
Westernmost: Alaska (Attu Island; 173°11'E), if following the International Date Line. However, if the border between east and west is defined by the 180th meridian, the westernmost point is Amatignak Island (179°06'W), as Attu would thus belong in the eastern hemisphere.
Easternmost: Alaska (Attu Island; 173°11'E), if defined by the 180th meridian. However if following the International Date Line, it would be Maine (Sail Rock, just offshore of West Quoddy Head; 66°56'W)?
Winner: Bob Digilio, of Hendersonville, TN
March 10, 2011:
According to the recent Forbes article "The World's Billionaires", who is the wealthiest person in the United States?
Answer: Bill Gates, with over 56 Billion.
Winner: Lynda Halcott, of New York, NY
February 25, 2011:
Where was the highest wind speed on Earth officially recorded?
Answer: Mount Washington, NH held the world record for the highest wind speed ever
registered at 231 miles per hour, but in 1996, the record was blown away with a recorded
wind speed of 253 miles per hour during Typhoon Olivia, which swept over Barrow Island, in Western Australia.
Winner: CJ Farr, of Denver, CO
February 10, 2011:
What is the largest island in the world?
Answer: At 840,000 square miles (2,175,590 km2), Greenland is the world's largest island.
(Although Australia also meets the definition of an island (a piece of land surrounded by water),
it is large enough to be considered its own continent.)
Winner: Barry Yaffe, of Winthrop, MA
November 24, 2010:
Every year the US President pardons a turkey. Which president is believed to be the first to pardon a turkey and start this annual tradition?
Answer: Harry Truman in 1947, according to the US Government web site.
Winner: Carole Davis, of Sanford, NC
November 4, 2010:
What is the minimum age requirement to hold the office of Vice President of the United States?
Answer: Same as the President of The US, 35 years of age.
Winner: Rosemary Callahan, of Billerica, MA
October 12, 2010:
What was the name of the United States' first satellite in space?
Answer: Explorer 1 was the first American Satellite. It was launched on January 31, 1958.
Winner: Suzan Baldonado, of Albuquerque, NM
September 24, 2010:
What language does the word autumn come from?
Answer: French
Winner: Greta Kirby, of Carthage, TN
August 19, 2010:
Which planet has the greatest number of known moons of any planet in the solar system?
Answer: Jupiter, with 63 natural satellites/moons
Winner: Stanton Bringer, of Fremont, CA
July 28, 2010:
What is the highest point in the "lower 48" states?
Answer: Mount Whitney in California at 14,494 feet
Winner: Richard Case, of Warren, IN
July 2, 2010:
Which US President had the honor of celebrating his birthday on the 4th of July?
Answer: Calvin Coolidge; July 4, 1872
Winner: Karen Danen, of Laughlin, NV
June 18, 2010:
Which country played soccer (football) as military training?
Answer: Greece
Winner: Wendell Coogan, of Rocky Hill, CT
May 20, 2010:
Which country has been to the most World Cup (Soccer/Futbol) finals?
Answer: Both Brazil and Germany have made 7 appearances in a World Cup final.
Winner: Mary Mclain, of Patrick, SC
May 6, 2010:
Statistically, which day of the week is the most common to have a baby?
Answer: Tuesday
Winner: Elizabeth Pettit, of Manson, WA
April 16, 2010:
What is the largest lake by water volume in the United States?
Answer: Lake Superior, 2,900 cubic miles (12,100 km³) of water
Winner: Laura Tuggle, of Mount Olive, MS
April 3, 2010:
IRS Trivia: The error rate for a paper return is 21 percent; what do you think the error rate is for an e-file return?
Answers: A. 33%; B. 25%; C. 10%; D. .5%
Answer: .5%
Winner: Donald Ancelin, of McKinney, TX
March 25, 2010:
Alaska and Hawaii were the 49th and 50th states to enter the Union in the same year. Which year was it?
Answer: 1959
Winner: Mary Ann Roberson, of Canon City, CO
March 12, 2010:
According to Forbes Magazine, what person has surpassed Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the wealthiest person on earth?
Answer: Mexican tycoon Carlo Slim Helu
Winner: Jim Wyllie, of Boston, MA
February 26, 2010:
Name the only two countries south of the equator that have ever won medals at the Olympic Winter Games.
Answer: Australia and New Zealand
Winner: Martin Schachter, of New York City, NY
February 12, 2010:
Which US State produces the most roses?
Answer: California
Winner: Saundra Smith, of Alexandria, MN
February 5, 2010:
Which NFL Football Team has won the most Super Bowls?
Answer: Pittsburgh, with 6 Super Bowl titles.
Winner: Dennis Kinsey, of Pleasant Lake, IN
December 10, 2009:
The largest iceberg ever recorded worldwide was 207 miles long and 62 miles wide. Where was it found?
Answer: In the Antartic, off the Ross Ice Shelf.
Winner: Eleanor Landers, of Wilmington, MA
November 24, 2009:
Which U.S. Car Manufacturer posted its first quarterly profits in 4 years?
Answer: Ford, with a net income of $997 million for the third quarter of 2009.
Winner: Ben Samson, of Cedarhurst, NY
October 26, 2009:
Which U.S. state receives the least amount of average rainfall each year?
Answer: Nevada, on average gets the least amount of precipitation.
Winner: Rick Williamson, of Warsaw, IN
August 14, 2009:
What is the smallest National Park in the United States National Park System?
Answer: Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial
Winner: Sylvia E. Gruber, of Mineola, NY
July 3, 2009:
Three American Presidents died on the Fourth of July. Can you name 2 of them?
Answer: John Adams (July 4, 1826); Thomas Jefferson (July 4, 1826); James Monroe (July 4, 1831)
Winner: Mary Buswell, of Haverhill, MA
May 14, 2009:
What is the name and breed of the First Dog?
Answer: Bo, A Portuguese Water Dog
Winner: Juanita Smallwood, of New Castle, DE
April 24, 2009:
What is the United States National Tree?
Answer: The Oak Tree
Winner: John Kijek, of Kingston, PA
April 10, 2009:
According to US News and World Report, what US city is the most affordable place to retire?
Answer: Binghamton, NY
Winner: Sonia Loigman, of Philadelphia, PA
March 28, 2009:
As a percentage of US Households, what was the most watched US TV program?
Answer: The Ed Sullivan Show: Elvis Presley's first appearance with 82.6% of households.
Winner: Shirley Younger, of Bala Cynwyd, PA
March 18, 2009:
What is the most visited web site on the Internet?
Answer: Google. Next in Line: 2. Yahoo; 3. Facebook; 4. YouTube; 5. MySpace
Winner: Charlie Patrick, of Rushsylvania, OH
February 26, 2009:
What famous inventor's father invented modern day plywood?
Answer: Alfred Nobel
Winner: Joseph Fritz, of Cicero, NY
February 18, 2009:
Which US President held both the office of Vice-President the office of President while never having been elected to either?
Answer: Gerald Ford
Winner: Joe Cronin, of Salt Lake City, UT
February 9, 2009:
What is the Greek word for Cupid, God of Love?
Answer: Eros
Winner: John Gill, of Riverside, CA
January 30, 2009:
Goundhog Day: Where does Punxsutawney Phil make his yearly prediction?
Answer: Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Winner: Dorothy Clark, of Baltimore, MD
January 22, 2009:
Which US President gave the shortest inaugural speech?
Answer: George Washington in his second inaugural speech in 1793.
Winner: Ellie Moore, of Schenectady, NY
January 15, 2009:
Which US Presidential Inauguration had the largest attendance?
Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson with 1.2 million people in attendance.
Winner: Charles Patrick, of Rushsylvania, OH
December 10, 2008:
Of the big three US automakers, which company is not publically traded?
Answer: Chrysler
Winner: Irvin Cooperman, of Memphis, TN
November 20, 2008:
The first Thanksgiving football game was started in 1934 by which team?
Answer: Detroit Lions. It was their first year in Detroit after a local radio executive, George A. Richards, had purchased the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans and moved the team to Detroit.
Winner: Michael Holota, of Redford, MI
November 11, 2008:
Where does the Vice President of the United States live while in office?
Answer: In July 1974 Congress designated a house on the southeast
corner of 34th Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Washington DC where the
vice president of the United States would live. Located on the grounds
of the United States Naval Observatory, the house was built in 1893
for the Superintendent of the Observatory.
Winner: Dick Tineo, of Brooklyn, NY
October 28, 2008:
In the past 100 years, the decision in which state has predicted the presidential outcome most frequently?
Answer: Missouri
Winner: Arlene Fagga, of Bristol, VT
October 17, 2008:
Which US University or College has the largest endowment?
Answer: Harvard, with over $36 billion as of 2007.
Winner: Teresa Foley, of Turtle Creek, PA
October 8, 2008:
Which US State consumed the most gasoline last year?
Answer: California, averaging 8.0234 million gallons per day.
Winner: Lucy Young, of Smithtown, NY
September 9, 2008:
What is the largest building (square footage) in the United States?
Answer: The Palazzo, a new casino resort in Las Vegas, NV at 6.9 million sq ft. The Pentagon, the former largest building in the US, is 6.6 million sq ft.
Winner: Mary Smith, of Oklahoma City, OK
August 29, 2008:
Denver is known as the Mile High City, so what is the highest State Capital, in elevation, in the United States?
Answer: Santa Fe, NM at approximately 7,000 feet
Winner: Janice Frederickson, of Aurora, CO
August 15, 2008:
Who was the oldest athlete ever to participate in an Olympic event?
Answer: Oscar Swahn was 72 years old when he competed in the 1920 Olympic games and he won a silver medal in shooting.
Winner: Robert Hicks, of Colcord, OK
August 8, 2008:
Which country is first in line during the Olympics’ Opening Ceremony's Parade of Nations?
Answer: Greece
Winner: Roberta Giller, of Williamsville, NY
July 25, 2008:
What do the seven rays on the Statute of Liberty's crown represent?
Answer: The seven seas and continents of the world.
Winner: Deanna Jagusak, of Cranford NJ
July 9, 2008:
Which US city had the largest fireworks display this July 4, 2008?
Answer: New York City, NY
Winner: Fred Sieber, of Rogers, AZ
June 24, 2008:
What body of water was recently designated the fifth ocean by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)?
Answer: In 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization created the fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - from the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean completely surrounds Antarctica.
Winner: Janice Danielsen, of Long Beach, CA
June 4, 2008:
What chemical element, found in the periodic table, is the most abundant element in the universe?
Answer: Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the known universe and makes up about 90% of the universe by weight.
Winner: Dianne Ervin, of Dracut, MA
May 21, 2008:
What is the oldest park in the National Park System?
Answer: Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is technically America's first national park, but Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas was initially created by an act of the United States Congress on April 20, 1832, and the area was made a national park on March 4, 1921. We accepted both answers.
Winner: Jewel Hannah, of Birmingham, AL
May 7, 2008:
What is the highest officially recorded number of children born to one mother?
Answer: 69. To the first wife of Feodor Vassilyev (1707-1782) of Shuya, Russia.
Winner: Lou Goutman, of Commerce Township, MI
April 25, 2008:
According to the US Census Bureau, what is the smallest city by population in the United States? (Hint: Looking for a city not a town.)
Answer: We accepted a couple of answers for this one. Maza, North Dakota had a population of 5 in 2000 and Tenney, Minnesota had a population of 5 in 2006. Hove Mobile Park, North Dakota had a population of 2 in 2000, but the city government of Hove Mobile Park was dissolved in 2002. Many submitted New Amsterdam, IN with a population of 1, but according to the US Census, New Amsterdam is a town, not a city.
Winner: David Ockene, of Mount Vernon, NY
April 18, 2008:
What is the 4th largest city by population in the United States?
Answer: Houston, TX
Winner: Nancy Matzen, of Hudsonville MI
April 11, 2008:
Where is the oldest remaining schoolhouse in the United States?
Answer: Staten Island, NY in 1696.
Winner: Jasmine Melzer, of Brooklyn, NY
April 2, 2008:
In what city did the first "recorded" baseball contest take place?
Answer: Hoboken, New Jersey in 1846.
Winner: Patti Sauvinet, of Espanola, NM
March 21, 2008:
How is the date for Easter Sunday determined in the United States?
Answer: It is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox.
Winner: Melanie Hansen, of Littleton, CO
March 14, 2008:
What is the newest National Park in the United States?
Answer: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Established in 2004.
Winner: Pat Douglas, of Williamsburg, PA
February 29, 2008:
Which US state has the most ski areas?
Answer: New York
Winner: Carol Rashleger, of New York City, NY
February 13, 2008:
What US state produces about 75% of the total flowers produced in the United States?
Answer: California
Winner: Barbara Lockyer, of Jacksonville, FL
February 6, 2008:
What is the foggiest place in the entire United States?
Answer: Cape Disappointment, Washington
Winner: Debra Smith, of Melvindale, MI
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