Famous Americans
According to legend, this frontiersman could stick an axe in a tree trunk, fire at its blade, and split a bullet in two. He wore a coonskin cap, and became known as the "King of the Wild Frontier." Name this American hero, who died at the Alamo.
Davy Crockett
This month was selected by Congress in 1845, partly because most citizens lived on farms, and would be finished harvesting crops. Also, it would not be as cold then as during the winter months. Which month did Congress choose for the election of president?
November
When put under enough pressure, this rock changes to a kind of very hard stone that is then used as jewelry and in drills. What black sedimentary rock, often used as fuel, is mined in Eastern and Western Kentucky?
Coal
A life-sized statue of this lesser known tall tale hero stands in Fosston, Minnesota. Despite his petite, four-foot-nine-inch frame, he proved himself to be one of the best lumberjacks in the country. Who was this younger brother of Paul Bunyan?
Corwood Pete
This river drains much of the American Great Plains. Its headwaters lay in southwestern Montana where the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin rivers combine. Name this river that was a main corridor for the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Missouri River
What major crop, also known as corn, was a staple agricultural product cultivated by many indigenous North American peoples?
maize or corn
He was an explorer, mapmaker, and writer who mapped much of the coast of New England, and gave the area that name. He was largely responsible for the success of the first British colony in America. Identify this leader who is said to have been rescued by Pocahontas.
John Smith
Which 19th century President of the U.S. concluded a speech with this? "...that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth."
Abraham Lincoln
This major waterway ends its journey in Kentucky where it flows into the Ohio River. It begins east of Knoxville, Tennessee, flows past Chattanooga, and joins the Ohio at Paducah, Kentucky. Name this river that feeds the waters of Kentucky Lake.
Tennessee River
This tall tale man is the subject of a folk song called "This Old Hammer." He used his fourteen-pound hammer to hit spikes and drills that made holes in Big Bend Mountain. Give the name of this freed slave, who allegedly died after defeating a steam drill in a race.
John Henry
This state's northern and southern borders were established by treaties with Spain in 1819 and Britain in 1846. Its border with Montana follows the Continental Divide. Name this mostly rural state that is home of significant potato farming.
Idaho
What dome-shaped, bark- or mat-covered shelters were commonly used by northeastern Native Americans?
wigwams
Known for his wisdom, he published the first edition of "Poor Richard's Almanack" in 1732. His scientific studies included research into electricity, mathematics, and mapmaking. What founding father was the inventor of bifocal glasses?
Benjamin Franklin
Gutzon [GOOT-zen} Borglum began work on this national memorial in 1927, and finished his work in 1941. Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln are depicted in which national memorial in South Dakota?
Mount Rushmore
This expert woodsman and surveyor was a soldier in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 at the Battle of the Thames (temz). Counties in nine states and several cities have been named for him. Name this first and fifth governor of Kentucky.
Isaac Shelby
Following her marriage to John Rolfe, she went by the name of Rebecca. Before that, she is said to have saved the life of a colonial leader. Give the best known name for this daughter of the chief of the Powhatan (POW-uh-tan) tribe.
Pocahontas
It began life as a Franciscan mission before becoming a place of death and destruction. Today it is a monument to the volunteers who fought and died there in 1836. Name this place where Texans lost the battle, but gained a battle cry that led them to victory.
The Alamo
This Native American dance, which both men and women participated in, took place after men returned from battle. Women danced in concentric circles around the title objects while the medicine men beat drums and sang. What was this dance celebrating the taking of the tops of enemies' heads?
Scalp dance
This man delivered his most famous speech to more than 200,000 people during 1963's March on Washington. In that speech, he declared, "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream". Identify this civil rights activist and author of the "I Have a Dream" speech.
Martin Luther King Jr.
President Roosevelt declared war this month, day, and year was a "date that will live in infamy." He spoke those words the next day when he asked Congress to declare war. What was the date on which Japan bombed Pearl Harbor?
December 7, 1941
This Kentucky region's soil is largely silty material called loess (LOH-es). This makes it one of the most fertile parts of the state. Name this northernmost extent of the Gulf Coastal Plain that is located in western Kentucky.
Jackson Purchase
This tall tale figure supposedly invented the branding iron and lasso, and may have worked for a time in the oilfields. He grew up with coyotes along the Rio Grande, and tamed a horse that he named Widow-Maker. Identify this cowboy, who was very briefly married to Slue-Foot-Sue.
Pecos Bill
This river flows past El Paso, Laredo, and Brownsville before reaching the Gulf. It marks a significant part of the border between the United States and Mexico. Name this river that separates Texas from Mexico.
Rio Grande
This Native American culture was centered in southern Ohio and takes its name from the home of an early Ohio governor. Groups in Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia are also considered part of this culture. What mound-building culture lasted from roughly 500 B.C. to A.D. 100?
Adena
This man's love for nature, especially scenes found in New England, is evidenced by his poems "A Patch of Old Snow" and "The Pasture". He examines neighborly relationships in "Mending Wall" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening". Identify this poet of "The Road Not Taken".
Robert Frost
During his presidency the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty was signed, and the Cuban missile crisis occurred. Before becoming president, he was a United States Senator from Massachusetts. Name this president, who, in Dallas in 1963, as assassinated.
John F. Kennedy
This early Kentucky settlement was built about 1775 by a company of North Carolina pioneers. It was named for the frontiersman who led the company to that location. Name this place that was located about fifteen miles from present-day Lexington.
Fort Booneborough
Nickname, please. This tall tale figure slept in the forest, with his bare feet pointed toward a small fire. He wore coffee sacks and a mush pot hat, and spent fifty years walking throughout the Ohio Valley and Midwest. Who was this man, born John Chapman, who planted numerous orchards?
Johnny Appleseed
The French envisioned this as a "port of deposit" for trade between the American interior and the outside world. Its location at the mouth of a major river encouraged its growth and development. Name this city that is the birthplace of jazz, and the American home of the Mardi Gras.
New Orleans
This dance is particularly associated with tribes in the Southwestern United States. This dance is part of a Native American weather modification ritual. Name this type of dance, used during times of drought.
Rain Dance
This historical figure worked as a silversmith in Boston in the years leading up to the American Revolution. Who is best known today, because Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote of his "midnight ride" to warn colonists at Lexington and Concord that the British were coming?
Paul Revere
He was born in Kentucky and was elected president of the Confederate States of America.
Jefferson Davis
Although it is customarily called a "mountain", this land form is actually a long ridge that runs through Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It extends from Jellico, Tennessee to near Elkhorn City, Kentucky. Name this ridge through which the Cumberland River passes at Pineville.
Pine Mountain
This mythic animal is commemorated with a statue in north central Minnesota, where he worked at a logging camp. He loved Bessie the Yeller Cow, who enjoyed summer, while he preferred winter. Identify this strangely-colored companion of Paul Bunyan.
Babe the blue ox
Near what large Missouri city did Lewis and Clark officially begin their expedition in the spring of 1804? Today, this city is famous for its Gateway Arch.
ST. LOUIS (MISSOURI)
This member of the Shoshone tribe had a "golden dollar" created in her honor in 2000. Which Native American woman helped guide Lewis and Clark on their exploration of the Western United States?
Sacagawea
She was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic - both as a passenger and as a pilot. Who was this famous aviator who was lost and never recovered when attempting to fly around the earth?
AMELIA EARHART
Identify the president who was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
George Washington
This National Historic Landmark is the nation's most widely traveled steamboat. It is also the oldest Mississippi River-style steamboat in operation. Identify this boat, which shuttles passengers along the Ohio River from Kentucky's largest city.
Belle of Louisville
This man is a giant lumberjack in American folklore. His exploits revolve around the tall tales of his superhuman labors, and he is customarily accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox.
Paul Bunyan
What U.S. state is the second most populous? Its capital is Austin.
TEXAS
What southwestern Native American group (also known as the Ancestral Puebloans) became famous for building cliff dwellings and using complex irrigation systems?
Anasazi
What American military leader was killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn? This battle is often called his "Last Stand".
CUSTER
Give the first and last name of the American president who stated in his first inaugural address, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT
The four lakes listed below are located in southern and southwestern Kentucky. The shorelines of all but one of these lakes extend into Tennessee. Which lake is entirely within the boundaries of the Commonwealth of Kentucky?
Lake Cumberland
A German fairy tale tells the story of two children who are abandoned in the forest and who are trapped by a witch in a house made of gingerbread. Eventually they escape with the witch`s treasure. What are the names ofthe two children in this fairy tale?
HANSEL and GRETEL
What is the longest river in the United States?
Mississippi River
Which Native American nation, famous for leaders like Sequoyah who created their written alphabet, lived in the Southeast and was one of the primary tribes forced to travel the Trail of Tears?
The Cherokee