Q 01/05

Which river is dyed green for St. Patrick's Day and had its direction of flow reversed in 1900?

A) Milwaukee

B) Chicago

C) Detroit

D) Calumet

Answer · why

B) Chicago

The Chicago River tradition arose by accident in 1961, when plumbers were using dye to trace illegal pollution. The plumbers union went on to sponsor ...

Q 02/05

Which river carved the Grand Canyon but has rarely reached the sea since the 1960s?

A) Colorado

B) Gila

C) San Joaquin

D) Green

Answer · why

A) Colorado

The Colorado is drained so heavily that its lower 100 miles have dried up. A planned 2014 release let it touch the ocean for the first time in 16 year...

Q 03/05

Which river, the longest in the United States, joins the Mississippi just north of St. Louis?

A) Illinois

B) Kansas

C) Des Moines

D) Missouri

Answer · why

D) Missouri

The Missouri carries so much silt that it earned the nickname 'Big Muddy'. It runs 2,341 miles from the Rocky Mountains of Montana.

Q 04/05

Which river did George Washington cross on Christmas night 1776 to surprise the Hessians at Trenton?

A) Schuylkill

B) Raritan

C) Delaware

D) Brandywine

Answer · why

C) Delaware

The Delaware crossing set up Washington's victory over the Hessians at Trenton the next morning. Emanuel Leutze's famous painting of the scene dates f...

Q 05/05

Which river, a concrete channel ending at Long Beach, hosted the car race in the film Grease?

A) Santa Ana

B) San Gabriel

C) San Diego

D) Los Angeles

Answer · why

D) Los Angeles

The Los Angeles River ran free until a series of devastating floods led to it being locked into a fixed concrete course. Terminator 2 and Chinatown al...