Q 01/05

The city was founded in 1764 by French fur traders and named after which French monarch?

A) The Sun King, Louis XIV

B) The guillotined Louis XVI

C) The crusader Louis IX

D) The boy Louis XIII

Answer · why

C) The crusader Louis IX

Louis IX was the crusader-king canonised as Saint Louis in 1297, which is why the city gets a saint's name rather than a plain royal one.

Q 02/05

Which two French fur traders are usually credited with founding the city, along with Gilbert de St. Maxent?

A) Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet

B) René-Robert Cavelier and Henri de Tonti

C) Antoine Cadillac and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne

D) Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau

Answer · why

D) Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau

Chouteau was only about 14 when he led the work party that started clearing the site; Laclède was his stepfather in all but name.

Q 03/05

How tall is the Gateway Arch?

A) 555 feet

B) 630 feet

C) 702 feet

D) 480 feet

Answer · why

B) 630 feet

It is exactly as wide at the base as it is tall, and it was designed to sway up to 18 inches in high wind.

Q 04/05

Which Finnish-American architect designed the Gateway Arch?

A) Alvar Aalto

B) Eliel Saarinen

C) Eero Saarinen

D) Marcel Breuer

Answer · why

C) Eero Saarinen

The competition jury picked his entry unanimously in February 1948; his father Eliel, also an entrant, was reportedly congratulated by mistake at firs...

Q 05/05

In what year was construction of the Gateway Arch completed?

A) 1965

B) 1968

C) 1971

D) 1976

Answer · why

A) 1965

Building started in February 1963 and the last piece went in on October 28, 1965; the public did not ride to the top until June 1967.