Former Names of Current Places
Are You Smarter Than a 1912 Middle Schooler?
Words Named After People
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1960's
100

Constantinople

Istanbul

100

Do lines of latitude run parallel to the equator or the prime meridian? 

Equator

100

Namesake of the leotard, Jules Léotard had what profession?

Acrobat

100

After their spouse died in 1861, what monarch wore black every day for 40 years?

Queen Victoria

100

In February 1964, which British band caused screaming crowds during their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show?

The Beatles

200

Sandwich Islands

Hawaii

200

Hernando de Soto was the first European explorer to see what body of water?

the Mississippi River

200

What month is named for a Roman emperor?

August

200

True or false: emotionally stressful events like breakups can cause a medical condition with symptoms similar to a heart attack.

True

200

Who wrote and sang the 1962 civil rights anthem "Blowin' in the Wind"?

Bob Dylan

300

New Amsterdam

New York City
300

In which of these places would you find the Wasatch Mountain Range?

Utah

300

Civil War General Ambrose Burnside inspired the name of a style of which facial hair styling?

Side Burns

300

Which scientist was known for eating exotic animals whenever he could, including giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands?

Charles Darwin

300

Which classic vocal duo made waves in 1965 with their smash hit "I Got You Babe"?

Sonny and Cher

400

Peking

Beijing

400

Remember this is 1912: what is the largest state?

Texas

400

A frequent eater of light meals, 18th-century nobleman John Montegu was the 4th earl of…

Sandwich

400

Raised in a slave-owning family in Missouri, which author was a lieutenant in a Confederate militia for two weeks?

Mark Twain

400

Which Scottish actor originated the cinematic role of James Bond in the 1962 film Dr. No?

Sean Connery

500

Leningrad

St. Petersburg

500

The Erie Canal connects Lake Erie to what waterway?

The Hudson River

500

The active ingredient in this was named for Jean Nicot, who helped popularize it?

tobacco 

500

Which world leader proposed and was rejected by three different women before marrying Clementine Hozier, his wife of 56 years?

Churchhill

500

What was the title of the very first prime-time animated series on television, debuting on ABC in 1960?

The Flintstones