American Exceptionalism
Original Inhabitants
This Land is My Land
The Average American
A House Divided
100
Maybe it was the pressure of being broadcasted to millions on television, but this American astronaut forgot to say "a" small word in his iconic landing line
Neil Armstrong
100
The Wampanoag chieftain Metacom led the Indians against the colonists in King Philip's War, the deadliest conflict of American colonial history. Only 54 years earlier, Metacom's father Massasoit had been present with the colonists at the first instance of which American holiday?
Thanksgiving
Bonus Fun Fact: Sarah Josepha Hale, Squanto
100
The Section VII of the Platt Amendment (1901) reads:
"That to enable the United States to maintain the independence of Cuba, and to protect the people thereof, as well as for its own defense, the government of Cuba will sell or lease to the United States lands necessary for coaling or naval stations at certain specified points to be agreed upon with the President of the United States. "
As of today, what is the only remaining naval station that the US owns in Cuba?
Guantanamo Bay
100
The average American identifies with this branch of Christianity
(Evangelical) Protestantism
100
Upon annexation into the United States, this territory chose to give up its land north of 36.5° rather than give up slavery. The renounced land now forms an iconic panhandle shape of another state.
Republic of Texas
200
Out of any country, the USA experiences by far the most amount of this meteorological phenomena; in fact we even have an "alley" for them
Tornadoes
200
This class of US Army vehicle has a tradition of being named after Native Americana, with names like "Apache", "Black Hawk", and "Chinook"
Helicopters
200
The United States owns 5 permanently inhabited territories (not states). Name at least 4 of them.
Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands
200
In 2024, how much income did the median American household make (closest guess wins)?
200
"'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall – but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other."
Who said this?
Abraham Lincoln
Bonus point: What is the quote in the first line originally from?
300
This national park in America is not just the most visited national park in the US, but the entire world*
*citation needed, couldn't find numbers for China
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
300
This Apache raiding party leader gradually shifted from being one of the last Native holdouts at war with the United States to being an attraction at Wild West shows. His name was adopted by US Paratroopers to show their fearlessness when parachuting.
Geronimo
Bonus Fun Fact: He was at Teddy Roosevelt's inaugural parade (perhaps, against his will)
300
The northernmost point of the contiguous U.S. is the Northwest Angle, a pene-exclave that was the result of a land surveying error. What state is it a part of?
Minnesota
300
Out of all Americans who get paid time off (PTO), what percentage take less time off than the total amount allotted to them (closest guess wins)?
300
In 1957, US Senator Strom Thurmond attempted to block the passage of the 1957 Civil Rights Act by breaking what congressional record?
Longest Filibuster (24 hrs)
Cue 10 minute rabbit hole about Strom Thurmond Daughter
400
The United States was the first of the New World colonies to successfully declare independence from their European colonial masters. Which nation was the second?
Haiti (1804)
400
This Cherokee polymath is one of the few humans in history to have singlehandedly invented a writing system for a pre-literate society, which is still used in Cherokee writing today. A genus of redwood trees is named in his honor.
Sequoyah
400
You probably know about the American Colonization Society's attempt to ship freed black Americans back to Africa to create Liberia. In 1862, another attempt was made at this idea, this time shipping recently freed slaves to modern-day Panama. What was this new colony planned to be called?
Linconia (it was never established)
400
On a scale of not healthy, somewhat healthy, extremely healthy, what % of Americans say that their diet is "extremely healthy" (closest guess wins)?
400
What was the first motion picture to be screened inside the White House?
Birth of a Nation
500
At almost 250 years old, the United States is the second oldest constitutional republic that still exists today. What is the first oldest?
San Marino
500
Despite inventing the sport, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) lacrosse team was not allowed to play at the 2022 World Games because they were not recognized as a sovereign nation. Which national team voluntarily gave up their spot in the tournament to allow them to play?
Ireland
Bonus fun facts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_and_Irish_interactions
500
Fill in the blank: "Whenever any citizen of the United States discovers a deposit of ----- on any island, rock, or key, not within the lawful jurisdiction of any other Government, and not occupied by the citizens of any other Government, and takes peaceable possession thereof, and occupies the same, such island, rock, or key may, at the discretion of the president, be considered as appertaining to the United States."
- 1856 ----- Islands Act, under which 10 islands/atolls are claimed by the United States
Guano
500
The OECD's PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) aims to compare education benchmarks across 15 year olds across various countries. Out of the 81 countries and territories in the 2022 PISA, where does the USA rank (closest guess wins)?
34th/81 (slightly below average)
Bonus question: which state is clearly drawn as independent on this map, despite not being recognized by any UN member state?
500
When was the last known slave* freed in America?
*slave = chattel slavery, not the same as human trafficking or prison laborer
1963
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Louise_Miller
or 1942 depending on whether you count debt peonage as slavery