WHO HAD THAT JOB?
Which famous person worked as a lifeguard before becoming a Hollywood star?
A. Clint Eastwood
B. Arnold Schwarzenegger
C. James Stewart
D. Cary Grant
B. Arnold Schwarzenegger!
Schwarzenegger worked as a swimming instructor and lifeguard as a young man in Austria before becoming a bodybuilding champion and movie star.
The traditional eight-hour workday is based on how many hours?
A. 6
B. 7
C. 8
D. 10
ANSWER: C. 8
Fun Fact: The famous labor slogan was: “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will.”
Fun Fact: The phrase “9 to 5” became especially famous through the 1980 movie 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton.
Which invention made it possible to have a conversation with someone far away without yelling across the room?
A. Telephone
B. Toaster
C. Vacuum cleaner
D. Typewriter
ANSWER: A. Telephone
Fun Fact: Alexander Graham Bell received a U.S. patent for the telephone in 1876.
Which food is one of the most classic choices for an American Labor Day cookout?
A. Hamburger
B. Hot Dogs
C. Lasagna
D. Corn
ANSWER: A. Hamburger
Fun Fact: Hamburgers became especially popular in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and eventually became an American cookout classic.
Which state was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution?
A. Pennsylvania
B. Virginia
C. Delaware
D. New Jersey
ANSWER: C. Delaware
Fun Fact: Delaware ratified the Constitution on December 7, 1787, earning its nickname: “The First State.”
Which future president worked as a rail-splitter, store clerk, postmaster and surveyor before becoming president?
A. Abraham Lincoln
B. Harry Truman
C. Theodore Roosevelt
D. Ulysses S. Grant
ANSWER: A. Abraham Lincoln
Fun Fact: Lincoln was also largely self-educated and famously became a lawyer before entering politics.
In 1894, what new invention was created to record when workers arrived and left work?
A. The time clock
B. The office camera
C. The punch-in telephone
D. The employee buzzer
ANSWER: A. The time clock
Fun Fact: The “Workman's Time-Recorder” was invented in 1894. Basically, your boss eventually figured out how to know exactly when you were late. 😂
Which invention made it possible to have a conversation with someone far away without yelling across the room?
A. Telephone
B. Toaster
C. Vacuum cleaner
D. Typewriter
ANSWER: B. Thomas Edison
Fun Fact: Edison didn't invent the very first incandescent bulb, but his team developed a long-lasting, commercially practical version and an entire electrical lighting system around it.
Which snack is famously associated with George Crum and Saratoga Springs, New York, where a popular story says extremely thin fried potatoes were created after a customer complained about thick ones?
A. French fries
B. Potato chips
C. Tater tots
D. Hash browns
ANSWER: B. Potato chips
Fun Fact: The George Crum story is a famous historical legend, but historians have found that the exact origin of the potato chip is not completely certain. So this one is a great trick question—but the Saratoga Springs connection is real.
According to the State of New Jersey, where was the first organized baseball game played in 1846?
A. New York City
B. Hoboken, New Jersey
C. Boston
D. Philadelphia
ANSWER: B. Hoboken, New Jersey
Fun Fact: The famous game was played at Elysian Fields in Hoboken. Yes—Jersey gets to claim a big piece of baseball history!
Which famous comedian worked as a shoe salesman before becoming a major television and comedy star?
A. Bob Hope
B. Jerry Lewis
C. Red Skelton
D. Jack Benny
.
ANSWER: C. Red Skelton
Fun Fact: Skelton started entertaining people as a child and eventually became famous for characters including Freddie the Freeloader.
Which federal law, passed in 1938, established important national rules involving minimum wage, overtime and child labor?
A. Fair Labor Standards Act
B. Social Security Act
C. Wagner Act
D. Civil Rights Act
ANSWER: A. Fair Labor Standards Act
Fun Fact: The law originally established a 25-cent-per-hour federal minimum wage and a 44-hour maximum workweek.
Which American automobile company became famous for producing the Model T?
A. Chevrolet
B. Ford
C. Chrysler
D. Buick
ANSWER: B. Ford
Fun Fact: The Model T was introduced in 1908 and became famous for making automobile ownership much more affordable.
According to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, which U.S. city consumes the MOST hot dogs?
A. New York City
B. Chicago
C. Los Angeles
D. Philadelphia
ANSWER: C. LOS ANGELES
Fun Fact: Los Angeles residents consume about 27.8 million pounds of hot dogs a year—more than New York and Chicago! 🌭
The world's first boardwalk was built in which New Jersey resort town in 1870?
A. Asbury Park
B. Wildwood
C. Cape May
D. Atlantic City
ANSWER: D. Atlantic City
Fun Fact: The original boardwalk wasn't built just for strolling—it helped keep sand out of railroad cars and hotels.
Which famous author worked in advertising before becoming famous for The Great Gatsby?
A. F. Scott Fitzgerald
B. Ernest Hemingway
C. John Steinbeck
D. Mark Twain
ANSWER: A. F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fun Fact: Fitzgerald worked for an advertising agency in New York and famously described himself as a “failed advertising man” before his writing career took off.
During the early Industrial Revolution, some factory workers—including children—could face workdays lasting approximately:
A. 6 hours
B. 8 hours
C. 10 hours
D. 14–16 hours
ANSWER: D. 14–16 hours
Fun Fact: Early factory workers could spend nearly their entire waking day at work. The push for shorter hours became a major part of the American labor movement.
Which American automobile company became famous for producing the Model T?
A. Chevrolet
B. Ford
C. Chrysler
D. Buick
ANSWER: C. Airplane
Fun Fact: Their first powered flight at Kitty Hawk lasted only 12 seconds and covered 120 feet!
About how many hot dogs does the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council estimate Americans eat EVERY SECOND during peak hot-dog season?
A. 82
B. 218
C. 518
D. 818
ANSWER: D. 818
Fun Fact: If you tried to personally keep up with America for just one minute, you'd need to eat about 49,000 hot dogs!🌭😂
The first intercollegiate football game was played in 1869 between Rutgers and which school?
A. Princeton
B. Yale
C. Harvard
D. Penn
ANSWER: A. Princeton
Fun Fact: The game was played in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on November 6, 1869. Rutgers won 6–4.
Before becoming a famous singer, which future star worked as a truck driver for an electric company?
A. Elvis Presley
B. Frank Sinatra
C. Johnny Cash
D. Dean Martin
ANSWER: A. Elvis Presley
Fun Fact: Elvis drove a delivery truck for Crown Electric in Memphis before becoming the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.
The famous labor slogan “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, and eight hours for…” ends with what?
A. Family
B. Sleep
C. What we will
D. Recreation
ANSWER: C. What we will
Fun Fact: “Eight hours for what we will” meant workers should have time to spend as they chose—not simply more time working or sleeping.
Which American inventor developed the phonograph, one of the first machines capable of recording and playing back sound?
A. Thomas Edison
B. Alexander Graham Bell
C. Nikola Tesla
D. Samuel Morse
ANSWER: A. Thomas Edison
Fun Fact: Edison demonstrated his first successful phonograph in 1877. One of the first recordings he famously made was “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Here's your Labor Day cookout “HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!” question: If Americans eat about 7 billion hot dogs from Memorial Day through Labor Day, approximately what percentage of ALL hot dogs eaten in the U.S. during the year does that represent?
A. About 10%
B. About 25%
C. About 38%
D. About 75%
ANSWER: C. ABOUT 38%
Fun Fact: That's more than one out of every three hot dogs eaten during the entire year happening during peak summer season. 🌭☀️
The first professional basketball game is credited to a game played in which New Jersey city in 1896?
A. Newark
B. Trenton
C. Jersey City
D. Paterson
ANSWER: B. Trenton
Fun Fact: New Jersey really does have an impressive collection of American “firsts.” The state also claims the first drive-in movie theater, first boardwalk and first organized baseball game.