Q 01/05

Which 1962 book warned that pesticides such as DDT were poisoning wildlife?

A) Silent Spring

B) The Other America

C) A Sand County Almanac

D) The Population Bomb

Answer · why

A) Silent Spring

Silent Spring drew threats of lawsuits from the chemical industry, yet it spurred tighter US controls on pesticides, including DDT.

Q 02/05

Which three major US retailers opened their first stores in 1962?

A) Sears, Macy's and JCPenney

B) Walmart, Kmart and Target

C) Costco, Home Depot and Kohl's

D) Woolworth, Kresge and Gimbels

Answer · why

B) Walmart, Kmart and Target

Walmart, Kmart and Target all opened in 1962, and Sam Walton and Kmart's Harry Cunningham had each studied the same Rhode Island discounter, Ann & Hop...

Q 03/05

Which Pacific nation became independent from New Zealand on January 1, 1962?

A) Cook Islands

B) Solomon Islands

C) Western Samoa

D) Marshall Islands

Answer · why

C) Western Samoa

Western Samoa, renamed Samoa in 1997, skipped December 30, 2011 entirely, jumping the date line to line up with trade partners Australia and New Zeala...

Q 04/05

Which Cuban leader did the Vatican announce had been excommunicated in January 1962?

A) Che Guevara

B) Raúl Castro

C) Fulgencio Batista

D) Fidel Castro

Answer · why

D) Fidel Castro

The reason given was preaching communism and interfering with Catholic churches in Cuba.

Q 05/05

Aboard which capsule did John Glenn become the first American to orbit Earth on February 20?

A) Friendship 7

B) Freedom 7

C) Aurora 7

D) Sigma 7

Answer · why

A) Friendship 7

Before Friendship 7 flew, John Glenn asked NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson to verify the electronic computer's calculations of his orbit.