Name That Decade
In this decade, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon.
Answer: What are the 1960s?
Explanation: Apollo 11 landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Armstrong was followed onto the lunar surface by Buzz Aldrin.
He became the first president of the United States in 1789.
Answer: Who is George Washington?
Explanation: Washington served two terms and remains the only U.S. president unanimously elected by the Electoral College.
This nut is traditionally used to make marzipan.
Answer: What is an almond?
Explanation: Marzipan is traditionally made from ground almonds and sugar and is often shaped into decorative candies.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Answer: Who is Franklin D. Roosevelt?
Explanation: Roosevelt delivered the famous line during his first inaugural address in 1933 amid the Great Depression.
This state is nicknamed the "Lone Star State."
Answer: What is Texas?
Explanation: The lone star symbolizes Texas's history as an independent republic.
The original Star Wars and Saturday Night Fever were both released during this decade.
Answer: What are the 1970s?
Explanation: Both movies premiered in 1977 and became major cultural phenomena.
This woman became the first female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981.
Answer: Who is Sandra Day O'Connor?
Explanation: President Ronald Reagan nominated O'Connor, who served on the Court until 2006.
This cheese is traditionally used in a Greek salad.
Answer: What is feta?
Explanation: Feta is a brined Greek cheese traditionally made primarily from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk.
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Answer: Who is Neil Armstrong?
Explanation: Armstrong spoke the famous words as he stepped onto the Moon during Apollo 11 in 1969.
This famous highway originally ran from Chicago to Santa Monica, California.
Answer: What is Route 66?
Explanation: Established in 1926, Route 66 became one of America's most famous highways and was nicknamed the "Mother Road."
The first McDonald's restaurant opened during this decade.
Answer: What are the 1940s?
Explanation: Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their original restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940.
In 1927, this aviator became the first person to complete a solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
Answer: Who is Charles Lindbergh?
Explanation: Lindbergh flew from New York to Paris aboard the Spirit of St. Louis.
Despite its name, this nut is actually a legume.
Answer: What is a peanut?
Explanation: Peanuts belong to the legume family along with peas, lentils, and beans. Unlike tree nuts, they grow underground.
"Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."
Answer: Who is John F. Kennedy?
Explanation: Kennedy delivered the line during his 1961 presidential inauguration.
This city is home to the Gateway Arch.
Answer: What is St. Louis?
Explanation: The 630-foot Gateway Arch commemorates St. Louis's historic role in America's westward expansion.
The first successful human heart transplant and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. occurred during this decade.
Answer: What are the 1960s?
Explanation: Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first successful human-to-human heart transplant in 1967. King was assassinated the following year.
This Soviet cosmonaut became the first human to travel into outer space.
Answer: Who is Yuri Gagarin?
Explanation: Gagarin orbited Earth aboard Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961.
The classic French dessert crème brûlée gets its distinctive top layer from this cooking process.
Answer: What is caramelization?
Explanation: Sugar is sprinkled over the custard and heated until it melts and caramelizes into a thin, brittle crust.
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" is commonly attributed to this inventor.
Answer: Who is Thomas Edison?
Explanation: The quotation, in various forms, is associated with Edison's persistence during experimentation.
This U.S. state is the only one that was once an independent kingdom recognized internationally.
Answer: What is Hawaii?
Explanation: The Kingdom of Hawaii existed as a unified monarchy from 1810 until the monarchy was overthrown in 1893. Hawaii became a U.S. state in 1959.
$500: The Empire State Building opened, Prohibition ended, and Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic during this decade
Answer: What are the 1930s?
Explanation: The Empire State Building opened in 1931, Earhart made her historic flight in 1932, and Prohibition ended in 1933.
In 1901, this Swedish writer became the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize.
Answer: Who is Selma Lagerlöf?
Explanation: Trick question! Lagerlöf was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, but Marie Curie was the first woman to win any Nobel Prize, in 1903. So the clue as written would be incorrect—the correct answer is Marie Curie, and the year should be 1903.
This expensive spice comes from the dried stigmas of a type of crocus flower.
Answer: What is saffron?
Explanation: Each saffron crocus produces only three stigmas, which must traditionally be harvested by hand. This labor-intensive process helps explain saffron's high price.
"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far" is associated with this U.S. president.
Answer: Who is Theodore Roosevelt?
Explanation: Roosevelt used the phrase to describe an approach to foreign policy that emphasized diplomacy backed by military strength.
Four U.S. presidents—Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe—were born in this present-day state.
Answer: What is Virginia?
Explanation: Virginia has produced eight U.S. presidents in total, more than any other state when counted by birthplace, earning it the nickname "Mother of Presidents."