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Townie Trivia: How Much Do You Know About Worcester?

worcester
(WBZ-TV File)

Less than 50 miles from Boston and the second largest city in Massachusetts, Worcester is known as the Heart of the Commonwealth. It also has a notable history with a number of notable residents. But how much do you know about Worcester?

Editor's Note: This is the first of many installments. Check back next week for more Townie Trivia.

1. From 1880 to 1882, Worcester was home to the Ruby Legs, a National League baseball team. Despite a short lived tenure, they managed to make it into the history books. Which of these feats was NOT credited to the Ruby Legs:

A. First perfect game in Major League Baseball
B. First MLB team to be no-hit at home
C. First MLB team to visit Cuba
D. First MLB team to serve beer at their stadium

2. There was a time when traders could sail by boat from Worcester to the Atlantic Ocean via a man-made canal.

A. True
B. False

3. Which Worcester festival is the oldest of its kind in the nation, dating back to 1858?

A. Worcester Music Festival
B. Worcester Festival of Lights
C. Worcester Film Festival
D. Worcester Arts & Crafts Festival

4. The original settlement where Worcester now stands was called:

A. Plantation of Quinsigamond
B. Shire town of Worcester County
C. Commonwealth of Northborough
D. Shrewsbury Trading Post

5. Created around 1837, Worcestershire sauce was created in and named after Worcester. Massachusetts.

A. True
B. False

6. Isaiah Thomas delivered New England's first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Worcester on July 14, 1776 after special messenger from Philadelphia stopped there for a rest on the way to Boston. The spot where that speech was given, in front of the current city hall, is marked with:

A. A marble statue of Thomas
B. A bronze statue of three founding fathers
C. A plaque depicting an eagle
D. A brass star

7. Name the man who would go on to be president who gave a speech at the 1848 ceremony where Worcester was chartered as a city.

A. James Polk
B. Abraham Lincoln
C. William Taft
D. Franklin Pierce

8. The Worcester State Insane Asylum Hospital, the first hospital in the United States established to treat mental illnesses, was established in what year?

A. 1742
B. 1833
C. 1877
D. 1912

9. Which of these is not a sister city of Worcester, Massachusetts

A. Worcester, United Kingdom
B. Piraeus, Greece
C. Pushkin, Russia
D. Rotterdam, Holland

10. After a mishap involving an experimental rocket, Worcester native Robert Goddard, the inventor of the liquid fueled rocket and the bazooka was banned from launching his experiments in the state of Massachusetts. Thanks to some help from Charles Lindbergh and the Guggenheim family, he eventually relocated to which town that was chosen because of its stable weather and wide open space?

A. Roswell, New Mexico
B. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
C. Mojave Desert, California
D. Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah

Answers on Page 2

1. From 1880 to 1882, Worcester was home to the Ruby Legs, a National League baseball team. Despite a short lived tenure, they managed to make it into the history books. Which of these feats was NOT credited to the Ruby Legs:

A. First perfect game in Major League Baseball
B. First MLB team to be no-hit at home
C. First MLB team to visit Cuba
D. First MLB team to serve beer at their stadium -- The Ruby Legs actually got the Cleveland Reds kicked out of the league by reporting that beer was being served at the Reds' home stadium.

2. There was a time when traders could sail by boat from Worcester to the Atlantic Ocean via a man-made canal.

A. True -- The Blackstone Canal connected Worcester to Providence (and Narragansett Bay) from 1828 to 1848. It closed because of competition from the railroad. It's on the National Registry of Historic Places, and while some of it has been filled, there are parts that are still visible.
B. False

3. Which Worcester festival is the oldest of its kind in the nation, dating back to 1858?

A. Worcester Music Festival -- In its 150+ years, the festival has featured "world-renowned orchestras and guest soloists, chamber music, ballet, world music and dance, jazz and choral masterworks."
B. Worcester Festival of Lights
C. Worcester Film Festival
D. Worcester Arts & Crafts Festival

4. The original settlement where Worcester now stands was called:

A. Plantation of Quinsigamond -- Quinsigamond was overrun by American Indians. Eventually the area was resettled and re-named Worcester.
B. Shire town of Worcester County
C. Commonwealth of Northborough
D. Shrewsbury Trading Post

5. Created around 1837, Worcestershire sauce was created in and named after Worcester. Massachusetts.

A. True
B. False -- It got its name from the place where it first marketed by Lea & Perrins, a company based in Worcester, England.

6. Isaiah Thomas delivered New England's first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Worcester on July 14, 1776 after special messenger from Philadelphia stopped there for a rest on the way to Boston. The spot where that speech was given, in front of the current city hall, is marked with:

A. A marble statue of Thomas
B. A bronze statue of three founding fathers
C. A plaque depicting an eagle
D. A brass star -- Thomas stood on a porch of the city's Old South Church as he read. The church was eventually torn down.

7. Name the man who would go on to be president who gave a speech at the 1848 ceremony where Worcester was chartered as a city.

A. James Polk
B. Abraham Lincoln -- Historical reports indicate Lincoln was in town stumping for Whig Party members. At the time, he was a relatively unknown congressman.
C. William Taft
D. Franklin Pierce

8. The Worcester State Insane Asylum Hospital, the first hospital in the United States established to treat the criminally insane, was established in what year?

A. 1742
B. 1833
C. 1877
D. 1912

9. Which of these is not a sister city of Worcester, Massachusetts

A. Worcester, United Kingdom
B. Piraeus, Greece
C. Pushkin, Russia
D. Rotterdam, Holland

10. After a mishap involving an experimental rocket, Worcester native Robert Goddard, the inventor of the liquid fueled rocket and the bazooka was banned from launching his experiments in the state of Massachusetts. Thanks to some help from Charles Lindbergh and the Guggenheim family, he eventually relocated to which town that was chosen because of its stable weather and wide open space?

A. Roswell, New Mexico -- Between 1930 and 1941, Goddard launched 31 rockets in the Roswell area. Of note, the first Roswell UFO incident wasn't until 1947.
B. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
C. Mojave Desert, California
D. Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah

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