The Great American History Quiz?: Americana [Paperback]

The History Channel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000 | Series: Great American History Quiz (Book 1)

THINK YOU KNOW YOUR AMERICANA? WITH THIS BOOK, YOU WILL!

The Great American History Quiz is the popular show on The History Channel that's also a great, entertaining way to learn about our country's history. Filled with celebrities, it tests viewers on facts from the basic to the arcane -- and sometimes both at once! Now, based on this national treasure of a quiz show, comes a book that's just as fun, challenging, and quirky. Featuring questions from the program (and new brainteasers as well), THE GREAT AMERICAN HISTORY QUIZ will have you burning those gray cells and wishing learning had been this much fun in school!

TRY THESE CONUNDRUMS ON FOR SIZE:

1. The U.S. declared its independence on July 4, 1776. True or False?

2. During WWI, Harry Houdini taught American soldiers which of the following tricks? How to (a) catch a bullet in their teeth, (b) survive underwater, or (c) escape from handcuffs.

3. Who was the first sitting (or rather traveling) president to voyage outside the continental U.S.?

The answers may not be what you think. Guess away!

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Five Questions from GAHQ: AMERICANA

1. Francis Scott Key wrote the music for "The Star Spangled Banner." True or false?

Well, that's actually false, because he wrote the words in a wonderful poem but he applied those words to an already existing melody that was actually from an old British drinking song, called "To Anacreon in Heaven."

2. Betsy Ross sewed the first official US flag. True or false?

The answer to that question is false. There's no historical proof that Betsy Ross actually sewed the first U.S. flag. This popular legend seems to have been started by her grandson almost a century after Betsy allegedly threaded her way into history.

3. We've all heard about "The shot heard 'round the world" that got the Revolutionary War going. When the British Army tried to get past a group of minutemen, an unordered shot rang out, causing a bit of a ruckus, and by the end of the melee, 8 minutemen had lost their lives.

Many consider this to be the beginning of the revolutionary war.

Where was "the shot heard round the world fired?" a) Concord, MA; b) Lexington, MA; c) Saratoga, NY; d)Trenton, NJ.

Answer: b) The shot heard 'round the world was fired in Lexington, MA. To this day, no one knows if the British or the Patriots fired that first shot.

4. Artist Emanuel Leutze created the familiar depiction of "George Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River." The question is, which way was George going? a) From Pennsylvania to New Jersey ... b) from New Jersey to Pennsylvania ... or c) from Delaware to Pennsylvania?

On Christmas night 1776, Washington sneaked across the Delaware River from Pennsylvania, for a stunning surprise attack that became known as the Battle of Trenton. Washington's victory was a huge morale booster. So the answer is a) He crossed from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. And by the way, if you answered "c" you lose history points and geography points. Because you can't get from Delaware to Pennsylvania by crossing a river.

5. Imagine facing a raging wall of water 40 feet high, moving 40 miles an hour. A wall of water so powerful it tosses a 48-ton locomotive a mile. Well, that's just what the people of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, faced during the Great Johnstown Flood. Thousands of people perished in the disaster which was triggered when a dam collapsed after heavy rains. Name the decade in which it happened. Was it a) the 1850s ... b) the 1880s ... c) the 1910s?

The Johnstown Flood occurred in 1889 so the correct answer is b) the 1880s. The dam had been built to provide a good place to fish; but when it collapsed, 2,000 people lost their lives.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446676845
• ISBN-13: 978-0446676847
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,868,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent trivia quiz, June 5, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great American History Quiz?: Heroes and Villains (Paperback)

The History Channel has put together an interesting American History trivia quiz that consists of 101 questions with subsequent answers on the next page. This reviewer played a game against her husband as we tried to see who could answer the most over a week's time. The book is fun and enlightening, especially for trivia buffs.

4.0 out of 5 stars Think you know the presdents, then check this book out., June 24, 2003

By 

Michael J Woznicki "Michael J Woznicki" (Holland, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great American History Quiz?: The Presidents (Paperback)

We have had 43 presidents and I am sure that a book could have been written with thousands of questions about them, this book only has 101 and I was amazed and how tough they were.

The other books in the series seemed relatively easy compared to these questions. The only thing I saw was that there was no pictures of the presidents and this should be a part of the book.

The book does provide some new material and from the reading I don't think there was a question on each president. Overall another good book to add to the reference library.

4.0 out of 5 stars Learn something new each and every day., June 24, 2003

By 

Michael J Woznicki "Michael J Woznicki" (Holland, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: the Great American History Quiz: Modern Marvels (Paperback)

You watch the History Channel and you see the inventors and inventions. Now you have book that has you questions about those Modern Marvels.

The book only has 101 questions and no pictures. This is okay but I was hoping for a little more as was my kids. The book does have some challenging questions, even for adults.

One thing I liked about the book is that you could use it as a game and get points for the ones you answer correctly. Overall it was entertaining and enlightening.