Q 01/05

Which children's character, named partly after a Canadian black bear at London Zoo, got his first book in October 1926?

A) Paddington Bear

B) The Velveteen Rabbit

C) Winnie-the-Pooh

D) Rupert Bear

Answer · why

C) Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh sold 150,000 copies before the end of 1926. The second half of the name came from a swan called Pooh that the Milnes met on holiday.

Q 02/05

Which British royal, third in line to the throne at birth, was born in a Mayfair townhouse in April 1926?

A) Elizabeth II

B) Princess Margaret

C) Edward VIII

D) Princess Anne

Answer · why

A) Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II was not expected to reign, because her uncle, the heir, was still young enough to marry and have children. She was delivered by Caesarean...

Q 03/05

Which US highway, established in November 1926, ran from Chicago to Santa Monica and was nicknamed the Mother Road?

A) Route 101

B) Lincoln Highway

C) Route 20

D) Route 66

Answer · why

D) Route 66

Route 66 nearly had another number: promoter Cyrus Avery wanted US 60, but Kentucky officials won that number for a road through their own state.

Q 04/05

Which escape artist died in a Detroit hospital on Halloween 1926, days after being punched in the stomach backstage?

A) Howard Thurston

B) Harry Houdini

C) Harry Blackstone

D) Harry Kellar

Answer · why

B) Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini died of peritonitis at 52. That August he had stayed sealed in a submerged casket for an hour and a half in a New York hotel pool.

Q 05/05

Which physicist launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket in March 1926 from his aunt's farm in Massachusetts?

A) Robert Goddard

B) Wernher von Braun

C) Hermann Oberth

D) Robert Millikan

Answer · why

A) Robert Goddard

Robert Goddard's rocket, later nicknamed Nell, flew for only 2.5 seconds and came down in a cabbage field 184 feet away.