American Personalities

Question: Who was it who praised "common-looking people" as "the best in the world"?

Answer: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln praised ordinary men and women, saying, "Common-looking people are the best in the world; that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them."

Question: Which Louisiana politician was nicknamed "Kingfish"?

Answer: Huey P. Long, the governor of Louisiana during the Depression era, was nicknamed "Kingfish."

Question: Who was the first African American to be depicted on a postage stamp?

Answer: Booker T. Washington, the great educator, died in 1915. He was honored 25 years later with a U.S. postage stamp.

Question: Buffalo Bill’s real name was:

Answer: "Buffalo Bill" Cody was one of the American West’s most colorful figures. A hunter and guide, he became a famous showman.

Question: Where might one find the grave of Pocahontas?

Answer: Pocahontas was a Powhatan Indian woman who died of smallpox after traveling to England. She is buried at Saint George’s Church in Gravesend, near London.

Question: What popular dance was named after aviator Charles Lindbergh?

Answer: The Lindy Hop was a popular kind of dance in the United States and Europe after Charles Lindbergh made a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927.

Question: What was the name of the African American sailor killed in the Boston Massacre?

Answer: Crispus Attucks died when British soldiers fired into a crowd during the Boston Massacre.

Question: Who was the first African American woman to serve as a U.S. senator?

Answer: Carol Moseley Braun served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from 1993 to 1999.