Since it’s the first month of a new year, I thought a puzzle on “firsts” would be fun. See how good you can do with the questions below!
1. How old was Moses when he died? 200; 134; 110; 120.
2. Who was the oldest president at the time of election? George Washington; Abraham Lincoln; Ronald Reagan; Thomas Jefferson.
3. Who was the first cartoon character to be made into a balloon for a parade? Mickey Mouse; Felix the Cat; Donald Duck; Porky Pig.
4. What was the first make of automobile to offer air conditioning? Packard; Cabriolet; Cadillac; Hudson.
5. In 1945, which U.S. city was the first to fluoridate water? Denver, Colo.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Chicago, Ill.; Columbus, Ohio.
6. In April 1917, Jeanette Rankin became the first woman to be sworn in as a member of the United States Congress. What state was she elected to represent?
7. What was so unique and new with the Pulsar watch when it debuted in 1971? It was waterproof; it was digital; it was quartz; it was LCD-powered.
8. In 1914, a young girl named May Pierstorff was the first person ever sent by United States Mail Parcel Post, where she was shipped to visit her grandmother. In which Western state did little May travel?
9. In a team of dogs pulling a dogsled, what do you call the first dogs, or the ones closest to the sled? Sleddies; wheel dogs; pinch dogs; strong doggies.
10. In 1869, which western U.S. state or territory first allowed women the right to vote?
Answers
1. 120 years old. See Deuteronomy 34:7. 2. Ronald Reagan (age 69). 3. Felix the Cat. 4. Packard, in 1939. 5. Grand Rapids, Mich. 6. Montana. Rankin was a suffragette, and before the election had helped lobby to give Montanan women the right to vote in 1914. Rankin is also well-known for being the only member of Congress to vote against U.S. participation in both World War I and World War II. 7. It was digital. 8. Idaho. May Pierstorff was 4-years-old, and her parents wanted her to visit her grandmother in Lewiston, Idaho, which was 160 miles from their home in Grangeville, Idaho. Convenient transportation was not available in those days, so her parents took her to the post office. The postmaster checked the regulations and found out that he was not allowed to ship live animals, but he could ship live baby chicks. He therefore classified May as a baby chick, charged the Pierstorffs 53 cents, and affixed the stamps to a tag tied to May’s coat. She was put in the post office truck and taken to the mail baggage car under the care of the train baggage officer. She was supposed to spend the night at the Lewiston post office since parcel post packages were to be delivered the next day; however, the postmaster took her to her grandmother that night. 9. Wheel dogs. 10. Wyoming. One of the prime motivations for allowing women’s suffrage was far from altruistic. The right to vote was considered a publicity stunt to attract more marriageable women to the sparsely populated territory. There were approximately six men for every woman in the territory at the time.