17 Trivia Questions Americans Get Wrong Every Time

Americans don’t always do well when it comes to basic trivia about our own country. It’s not entirely our fault, though. 

For generations we’ve been passing less-than-credible stories down as “facts.” Everything from where the Pilgrims landed to who exactly discovered our continent is steeped in rumor and myth. Of course, there are other things we probably should know but don’t, like how our system of measurement works (to be fair, it’s confusing). 

Even if you think you’re a trivia master, we bet there are a few questions on this list you get wrong. We were certainly surprised by the answers to some of them. 

1: What City Was America’s First Capital? 

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If you guessed Washington D.C., think again. Other common guesses include Philadelphia and Baltimore. 

While all those cities have been the capital at one point or another (along with Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for a short 24 hours), New York City had the honor of being the nation’s first capital. George Washington gave his inaugural address from the Big Apple in 1789. Washington, D.C. didn’t become the capital city until 1790. 

2: How Many Feet Are in a Mile? 

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According to Statista, the U.S. is one of only three countries in the world that refuses to switch to the metric system of measurement. But that doesn’t mean Americans know much about it. 

You can stump a lot of Americans by asking them how many feet are in a mile. We can’t blame them though; 5,280 is a pretty random number to try and remember. 

3: Who Discovered America? 

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Ask a random American who discovered America and there’s a good chance they’ll tell you it was Christopher Columbus. This is a story perpetuated in elementary school classrooms throughout the country, but many scholars believe it’s a myth. 

Columbus reached the American continent in 1492. However, it’s likely that Leif Erickson, the Viking, found “the new world” much earlier — sometime around the year 1000! And, unlike Columbus who first ended up in the Bahamas, Erickson landed in North America.  

4: When Was the Declaration of Independence Signed? 

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If you think America’s founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, you’re not alone. It only makes sense that we would celebrate signing day as Independence Day. 

However, we celebrate the day the Declaration of Independence was finalized, not the day it was signed. the correct answer to this question is August 2nd, 1776. 

5: Was “Under God” in the Original Pledge?

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Most Americans learn the Pledge of Allegiance in school, and teachers typically present it as a static statement, something that’s been passed down since the U.S. became a country. In truth, the pledge is subject to revision. 

Perhaps the most controversial part of the Pledge of Allegiance is the phrase “under God,” which many note doesn’t align with the idea of the separation of church and state. Many Americans today believe the phrase “under God” originated with the original version of the Pledge. However, it was added in relatively recent history. 

President Eisenhower added the words in 1954. At the time, many wanted the words included to emphasize America’s moral superiority to communist nations.    

6: Where Did the Pilgrims Land? 

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If you visit Plymouth Rock, you’ll see a definitive sign that reads “Plymouth Rock: Landing Place of the Pilgrims.”  But according to the Washington Post, this probably isn’t true. In fact, the idea that Plymouth Rock was the landing spot is based on a very old rumor. 

As it turns out, 121 years after the Pilgrims arrived, a young boy named Thomas Faunce was eavesdropping on his father. The father said that his father (the boy’s grandfather), who’d arrived three years after the Mayflower, heard from an unknown person that the original Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.  

7: What Were the Names of Columbus’s Ships?

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As elementary school teachers falsely proclaim that Columbus discovered America, they often have their students memorize the names of his three ships. Of course, the names they teach are also (mostly) wrong. So, if you think the answer to this question is the Santa Maria, the Nina, and the Pinta, it’s understandable.

In truth, the first ship was the Santa Maria. The second ship was the Santa Clara, but its owner was Jaun Nino, so sailors sometimes called it the Nina. 

No one knows the real name of the third ship. Sailors called it Pinta jokingly, as a reference to the Spanish term for “prostitute.”   

8: What Started the Great Chicago Fire? 

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The Great Chicago Fire killed approximately 300 people and left another 100,000 homeless (31% of Chicago’s population at the time). It was a devastating event, and many Americans still blame it on one poor woman and her ornery milk cow. 

Directly after the fire, newspapers jumped on a rumor that a woman named Catherine O’Leary and her cow started the fire when the cow kicked over a lantern in her barn. However, the story has no real evidence behind it and O’Leary denied it, saying she was in bed at the time the fire started. 

9: How Long Does a Senator’s Term Last? 

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According to Pew Research, less than half of Americans know how long a U.S. Senate term lasts. The correct answer to the question is six years. 

Determining the length of a senator’s term was a controversial issue for the country’s founding fathers. Some wanted much shorter terms of two or four years, but ultimately, they settled on longer terms, which James Madison argued would have a stabilizing effect on the new nation. 

10: Why Does the Liberty Bell Have a Crack? 

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Many Americans believe the Liberty Bell cracked on July 4th, 1776 when overenthusiastic patriots rang it too hard. It’s a great story, but it’s only a story. 

In truth, the bell cracked because it was poorly cast. And craftsmen have actually attempted to fix the bell several times throughout America’s history. The crack we see today didn’t show up until the 19th century

11: Who Paid For the Statue of Liberty? 

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You were probably taught at some point that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France. That’s true, but only in part. The real history of Lady Liberty is a bit more convoluted. 

France paid for and commissioned the woman in the statue, but she needed a base if she was ever going to stand. New York had to raise funds for the base we see today. So, really, New York and France paid for the Statue of Liberty. 

12: Who Invented the First Car?

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Americans typically believe Henry Ford is responsible for automobiles. While you could argue that he was the father of the American automobile industry, he didn’t create the first car. 

The title of car inventor goes to Karl Benz, who went on to launch the car company Mercedes Benz. Mr. Benz invented the automobile in 1885 and exhibited it at the World’s Fair in 1889. Ford’s first cars didn’t hit the market until 1908. 

13: Why Do We Call Chicago the Windy City? 

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Many Americans assume we call Chicago the “Windy City” because it’s windy. However, this nickname doesn’t have anything to do with the weather. 

In actuality, Chicago earned its title because it was home to so many “windbag” politicians. And, in case you were wondering, as windy as Chicago can be, it doesn’t even crack the list of top ten windiest cities in the United States. Jackson, Mississippi holds that title.

14: Who Invented the Light Bulb? 

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Did you say Thomas Edison or were you thinking Benjamin Franklin? Many Americans say it was one of these two influential Americans, but neither deserves full credit. 

In truth, an English Chemist named Humphry Davy probably deserves the title of light bulb inventor. Davy managed to create a lightbulb but couldn’t find an affordable material that burned brightly and lasted for a usable period. We can thank Franklin for electricity and Edison for the carbon filament bulb that allowed lights to last, but Davy is the real light bulb creator. 

15: What Does GOP Stand For? 

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Most Americans know “GOP” refers to the Republican party, but ask them what the letters stand for and you might get a blank stare. In 2002, the Wall Street Journal issued an internal memo saying they would no longer use the term GOP because too many Americans didn’t know what it stood for. 

If you’re one of the Americans who’s unsure, the answer is typically “Grand Old Party.” However, the acronym has stood for other things in the past, including “Gallant Old Party” and “Get Out and Push.” 

16: What Species Did Franklin Want as Our National Bird? 

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There’s a persistent myth that Franklin wanted the U.S. to be represented by a turkey. The idea comes from a letter he wrote to his daughter in 1784

However, if you read the letter in full, and know a bit about Ben Franklin’s general demeanor, it becomes clear that he was kidding. Franklin does make fun of the Bald Eagle, but it doesn’t appear he really wanted our national bird to be a turkey. 

17: Is English Our National Language?

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Most Americans feel that speaking English is a quintessential part of being American, according to Pew Research. However, English isn’t the official language of the U.S. 

The U.S. doesn’t have a national language at all. It’s always been a multilingual nation, even though English is the dominant language spoken.  

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If your teacher taught it in history class, it’s normal to assume it’s true. Ask any historian, though, and you might be surprised to learn the stuff of school history lessons is often riddled with inaccuracies. 

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