Military History
What year did World War II officially end?
Answer: 1945
Fun fact: Germany surrendered in May 1945, and Japan formally signed its surrender on September 2, 1945
How many stars are on the current American flag?
Answer: 50
Fun fact: Each star represents one state. The current 50-star flag was adopted in 1960 after Hawaii became a state.
Which American president served as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II?
Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Fun fact: Eisenhower oversaw the Allied invasion of Normandy and later served as the 34th U.S. president.
Which patriotic song begins with the words 'God bless America, land that I love'?
Answer: God Bless America
Fun fact: Irving Berlin wrote the song in 1918 and revised it in 1938. Kate Smith helped make it famous.
On what date is Veterans Day celebrated every year?
Answer: November 11
Fun fact: The date marks the armistice that ended fighting in World War I at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.
What was the name of the surprise attack on December 7, 1941, that brought the United States into World War II?
Answer: Pearl Harbor
Fun fact: Japan attacked the U.S. naval base in Hawaii. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called December 7 a date which will live in infamy.
What patriotic song was written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812?
Answer: The Star-Spangled Banner
Fun fact: Key was inspired by the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry after a British bombardment in 1814.
Which famous actor and star of It's a Wonderful Life served as a bomber pilot in World War II?
Answer: Jimmy Stewart
Fun fact: Stewart flew combat missions over Europe and eventually reached the rank of brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve.
What song is traditionally played or sung to honor the U.S. Army?
Answer: The Army Goes Rolling Along
Fun fact: The official Army song developed from The Caissons Go Rolling Along, a song associated with the Army's field artillery.
What was Veterans Day originally called?
Answer: Armistice Day
Fun fact: The holiday originally honored the end of World War I. Its name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954.
What was the code name for the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944?
Answer: Operation Overlord
Fun fact: The invasion began on D-Day, June 6, 1944. More than 156,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy by sea and air that day.
What is the name of the famous Marine Corps memorial in Arlington, Virginia, depicting a flag-raising?
Answer: The Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial)
Fun fact: The statue was inspired by the iconic 1945 photograph of Marines raising the flag on Mount Suribachi.
Which legendary singer and actor served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960?
Answer: Elvis Presley
Fun fact: Elvis served in Germany during his military service, where he met his future wife, Priscilla.
What bugle call is traditionally played at military funerals and memorial ceremonies?
Answer: Taps
Fun fact: Taps originated during the Civil War in 1862 and became closely associated with military remembrance.
What is the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day?
Answer: Veterans Day honors all U.S. military veterans; Memorial Day honors those who died while serving in the military.
Fun fact: Veterans Day recognizes living and deceased veterans, while Memorial Day specifically remembers those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Which U.S. general famously promised 'I shall return' after leaving the Philippines during World War II?
Answer: General Douglas MacArthur
Fun fact: MacArthur made the promise in 1942 and returned to the Philippines in October 1944.
What is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States for valor in combat?
Answer: The Medal of Honor
Fun fact: The Medal of Honor is awarded for extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty.
Which U.S. president commanded PT-109, a Navy patrol torpedo boat, during World War II?
Answer: John F. Kennedy
Fun fact: After a Japanese destroyer struck his boat in 1943, Kennedy helped his surviving crew reach safety.
What famous patriotic march by John Philip Sousa is the official national march of the United States?
Answer: The Stars and Stripes Forever
Fun fact: Sousa composed it in 1896. Congress designated it the national march in 1987.
Which president signed the legislation changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954?
Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Fun fact: The change expanded the holiday's purpose to honor American veterans of all wars.
What 1953 agreement brought an end to major fighting in the Korean War?
Answer: The Korean Armistice Agreement
Fun fact: Signed July 27, 1953, the armistice stopped most fighting, but it was not a formal peace treaty.
What flower is traditionally worn to honor fallen service members, inspired by a famous World War I poem?
Answer: The Red Poppy
Fun fact: The poem In Flanders Fields, written by John McCrae in 1915, helped make the poppy a symbol of remembrance.
Which famous Hollywood actor, known for westerns and the film The Dirty Dozen, served as a Marine in World War II?
Answer: Lee Marvin
Fun fact: Marvin served in the Pacific and was wounded during the Battle of Saipan in 1944.
Which patriotic song, originally written by Woody Guthrie in 1940, celebrates America's landscapes and belongs to all Americans?
Answer: This Land Is Your Land
Fun fact: Guthrie wrote it as a response to the popular patriotic music of his era. It became a beloved American folk song.
At which national cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier located?
Answer: Arlington National Cemetery
Fun fact: The Tomb honors unidentified American service members. The first Unknown Soldier was interred there in 1921.