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In the 1780's, part of Wrentham,
Massachusetts split off from Wrentham. As was
common, the church was the cultural, social,
religious and governmental center of the new town.
But they had no bell in the church. There was no
way to summon the local citizens for services, or
for emergencies such as fire. So, they came up with
a clever plan. They named their new town
"Franklin", and wrote a letter to Benjamin Franklin
asking him to donate a bell. However, Dr. Franklin
was not so impressed. "Sense being preferable to
sound," Dr. Franklin sent the good citizens a crate
of books instead, and suggested they start a
library. They did. It's still operating. It is the
oldest public library in the United States.
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History Quiz
#47 During the Cuban Missile crisis, this
man successfully persuaded JFK's administration not
to bomb Cuba because it would appear to the rest of
the world as Pearl Harbor, and he did not want
President Kennedy to be the next "Hirohito"?
Answer:
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Robert Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln,
was waiting to board a crowded train when the train
lurched forward and he fell between the platform
and the body of the passenger car he was trying to
board. But before harm came, he was seized by the
collar and yanked to the platform. His rescuer was
Edwin Booth the brother of the man that would soon
kill President Lincoln.
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History Quiz
#48 Which First lady was accused of being
insane and was actually committed after she left
the White House by her own son? Answer:
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You may think frisbees were invented in the
1960's, but the Children on the Oregon Trail threw
frisbee-like devices over 100 years earlier. But
they weren't made of plastic--they were made of
buffalo dung. Buffalo dung was also used for
campfires since the plains had little firewood and
the dung made an excellent odorless fire.
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History Quiz
#49 This man who was to become President
hanged a man while serving as sheriff. Answer:
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Over 1200 people perished and all of the 800
buildings in the Peshtigo, Wisconsin burned to the
ground in in 1871. Yet newspapers barely mentioned
the event. The reason was, on that same exact day,
the Great Chicago fire occurred. So, the deadliest
forest fire in U.S. history went largely
unnoticed.
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History Quiz
#50 What was Ulysses S. Grant's occupation
when the War Between the States broke out? Answer:
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When a shell landed near the porch of his
house during the first major battle of the Civil
War, Wilmer McLean decided he'd had enough. So to
get out of harm's way, he moved to Appomattox,
where in his home four years later, Lee surrendered
to Grant. Thus, Mclean could truly say, the Civil
War began and ended at his home.
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History Quiz
#51 Twenty-one people
died and another 150 were injured in Boston, Mass.
on Jan. 15, 1919 by this unusual flood. Answer:
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The most devastating bombing of WWII was not
Hiroshima or Nagasaki. It was the firebombing of
Tokyo on March 9, 1945. Since most buildings were
made of wood and paper, 1660 tons of incendiary
bombs were used on one of the most densely
populated areas in the world. Over 100,000
civilians died and 100,000 others injured.
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History Quiz
#52 Japan declared war
on this country on Aug. 23, 1914 Answer:
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