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Boston Big Brain Tests
Enjoy these Boston Big Brain quizzes we've created for you, helping to test the Boston knowledge you have.
Question 1
Why is Boston called beantown?
| Because pilgrims grew beans as their first crop. | |
| Because molasses was plentiful from Boston´s trade routes. | |
| Because green beans are a primary crop of the Boston area. | |
| Because of all the universities in Boston (bean is slang for brain). | |
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Boston´s trade routes meant that there was a ton of molasses being stored and used in the Boston area. Molasses was a primary sweetener back in colonial times. Beans were cheap, plentiful and easy to store. The combo was natural!
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Question 2
When did the Boston Marathon start?
| 1852 | |
| 1873 | |
| 1897 | |
| 1913 | |
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The very first Boston Marathon was held in 1897. It only had 15 runners and the winner was John McDermott, with a time of 2:55:10. It was a 24.5 mile run from Ashland to Boston.
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Question 3
What was the Boston Massacre?
| An Indian attack of colonists in colonial days. | |
| An attack by colonists of Indians in colonial days. | |
| An attack by British officers on Massachusetts civilians. | |
| An attack by Rebels during the Civil War. | |
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On March 5, 1770, a group of Americans were harassing a troop of British soldiers by throwing ice and snowballs at them. The soldiers retaliated by firing into the crowd, killing 5 people. This infuriated the local population, inciting them to further acts of rebellion.
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Question 4
Who led the Boston Tea Party?
| Samuel Adams | |
| John Adams | |
| Edith Wharton | |
| Nathan Hale | |
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The Boston Tea Party was on December 16, 1773. Most people at the time drank tea, and the British taxed it heavily. The people of Massachusetts became furious that they were paying such high taxes to a country that didn´t seem to care about them. When ships bearing tea arrived in Boston Harbor, Samuel Adams lead a nighttime sneak attack and, dressed as indians, they poured all of the tea into the harbour.
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Question 5
What Boston university was the background for Love Story?
| MIT | |
| Harvard | |
| Boston College | |
| Berklee College of Music | |
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This famous love drama from 1970 has Ali MacGraw and Ryan O´Neal as students in love at Harvard University.
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Question 6
What famous incident involving molasses occurred in 1919?
| The famous Boston Baked Beans were invented. | |
| A giant flood of molasses killed 21 people. | |
| A taxation issue caused citizens to dump molasses into the harbor, imitating the Tea Party. | |
| Health issues called for all molasses in the Boston area to be discarded. | |
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The Great Molasses Flood took place in Boston on January 15, 1919. At the time, Molasses was used in most baking to provide sweetness, and there were huge vats and tanks of it around Boston.
The tank that burst was 50´ tall and held 2.5 million gallons. The wall of molasses was 20´ high or more, and moved at 30 miles an hour while it was flowing. 21 people were killed.
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Question 7
Who were Saco and Vanzetti?
| A comedy team famous for many years at Boston clubs. | |
| A famous clothing partnership based in the Boston area. | |
| Two Boston policemen who hepled clean up prohibition-era Boston. | |
| A pair of Italian immigrants treated poorly by the justice system. | |
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Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco were accused of shooting a guard in South Braintree. After a trial which many feel was very biased against the two Italians, they were electrocuted to death on August 23, 1927. For many years, this helped Italians and other immigrants feel that Boston City Hall was not a friend of theirs.
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Question 8
What started the Great Fire of 1872?
| A cow in a barn. | |
| A knocked-over gaslight. | |
| A candle in a window. | |
| Nobody knows for sure. | |
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On November 12, 1872, a huge fire wiped out 65 acres of Boston, destroying most of Boston´s financial district. Many people had warned that a fire was likely, given the crowded nature of the city and lack of fire equipment. It is unknown what sparked the fire.
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Question 9
When was the First Thanksgiving held?
| 1620 | |
| 1621 | |
| 1640 | |
| 1641 | |
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The Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts in 1620, and had a very rough winter in which many of them died. In 1621, the governor, William Bradford, decided to celebrate when the harvest came in well in the fall. He called for a day of "thanksgiving".
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