I heard from lots of folks about the last newsletter, “When Virginia Claimed Pittsburgh,” who were shocked by the power and rivalry of colonial governors. Heads up: to succeed in this month’s Ohio River Trivia quiz, you need to read it first. This month’s trivia is focused on Pittsburgh with a little Philly and Pennsylvania sprinkled in for flavor.

Okay, as a reminder, the answers are in the footnotes. Good luck!

QUESTIONS

* Which of these nicknames is/has been used for Pittsburgh?

* City of Bridges

* The ‘Burgh

* The Paris of Appalachia

* All the above

* Only a. and b.

* “Hell with the Lid Off” refers to:

* A book of that title exploring the ferocious five-year battle between Pittsburgh and Oakland for NFL supremacy during the turbulent seventies

* Pittsburgh’s thick smog (coal smoke plus fog)

* After a decade as a republic under Oliver Cromwell, England “restored” the monarchy under King Charles II in 1660. The restored king settled a large loan with William Penn's father (also named William) by granting him a “restoration colony” of roughly 40,000 square miles of land west and south of New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Which two of the following are also restoration colonies?

* New York

* New Jersey

* The “Lower Counties” of Delaware (New Castle, Sussex, and Kent)

* South Carolina

* The British colony of Virginia fought Lord Dunmore’s War on two fronts. First was against the Shawnee and Mingo people of the Ohio Valley. Second was with another colony. Name that colony.

* In what year was Pittsburgh finally established as being in Pennsylvania, not Virginia?

* 1768, when the Mason-Dixon survey was completed

* 1779, when Pennsylvania and Virginia agreed to extend the original Mason-Dixon line westward to a point five degrees from the Delaware river

* In 1783, when Britain formally recognized the independence of the United States in the Treaties of Paris

* When Pennsylvania’s Act for Gradual Abolition of Slavery was signed in 1780, were there more enslaved workers in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh?

* One of the most-photographed scenes in Pittsburgh is the Duquesne Incline on Mt. Washington. The first Pittsburgh funicular was the Ormsby Mine Gravity Plane, built in 1844. In the course of The ‘Burgh’s industrial history, how many inclines were in service?

* 11

* 22

* 23

* Which of these foodie stories about Pittsburgh is true?

* The Big Mac was invented there in 1967 by a McDonald’s franchisee

* The Klondike Bar was invented there in 1929

* To make any salad a “Pittsburgh Salad,” simply add french fries on top

* Chipped ham was invented by the same restaurant that invented the Klondike Bar

* All the above

* Which of these is NOT a Pittsburgh first?

* First PBS station

* First Ferris Wheel

* First Ice Capades

* First nighttime World Series Game

* First American hospital

* This Pittsburgh native graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1962 and attended Pitt’s Graduate School of Child Development before going on to be a broadcaster in children's television. This TV personality is recognized by more than forty honorary degrees and several awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1997 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. Who is this native Pittsburgher?

Intermission Message

I always put a little intermission between the questions and answers to keep you from inadvertently seeing the answers before you’re ready. With vacation season straight ahead, I’ve included two posts from my other newsletter. I hope you’ll enjoy them.

The April 8 solar eclipse will be visible throughout most of the Ohio River Valley. NASA will livestream it. Here’s the official website with cool details and interactive features.

ANSWERS