WHILE NOTHING IS TRIVIAL about the University of Cincinnati, try your hand at these 16 UC trivia questions. Don't be nervous. We won't be grading you.

If your competitive side is gnawing at you, however, you can keep track of your correct answers as you go along, and we'll whip out the grade book at the end. (We're on the honor system, you'll be glad to know.)

1. What are the names of the two stone lions that stand in front of McMicken Hall and are among the most popular symbols of the university?

A. Ren and Stimpy
B. Felix and Oscar
C. Frick and Frack
D. Mick and Mack

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ANSWER: D -- Mick and Mack have guarded the front lawn of the university since 1904. They are copies of statues that stand in the Loggia del Lanzi in Florence, Italy.

2. Herman Schneider, one of the most important figures in UC history, is best known for what?

A. Opening the first McDonald's restaurant on campus
B. Being the founder of co-op education
C. Composing the UC alma mater
D. Inventing Cincinnati-style chili

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Answer: B -- Herman Schneider was the founder of co-op education, which allows students to gain valuable work experience while attending college. UC has the oldest and second-largest co-op program in the country.

3. Which popular television family was conceived by a UC alumnus?

A. The Waltons
B. The Bradys
C. The Simpsons
D. The Munsters

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Answer: A -- The Waltons. Earl Hamner, a 1948 graduate of the College-Conservatory of Music, created the series based on his own experiences growing up in Virginia.

4. UC graduate Charles G. Dawes composed the music to the 1958 hit song, "It's All in the Game." He was also known for all of the following distinctions except one. Which one is bogus?

A. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
B. Dean of the College-Conservatory of Music
C. Vice President of the United States
D. U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain


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Answer: B -- Dawes was never dean of CCM, but he did attain all the other distinctions. The graduate of UC's College of Law was one of the best known statesmen of the 1920s. His death warranted front-page coverage in the New York Times.

5. George Rieveschl, working as a faculty researcher at UC, discovered the world's first antihistamine, which is still in wide use today. The name of that drug is:

A. Benadryl
B. Listerine
C. Contac
D.Bactine

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Answer: A -- Rieveschl discovered Benadryl while doing research in 1946. The drug continues to be widely used for a number of varied conditions today and Rieveschl was named to the International Science and Engineering Hall of Fame in 1995.

6. The origins of what government agency can be traced back to UC?

A. The Secret Service
B. The National Weather Service
C. The Internal Revenue Service
D. The Central Intelligence Agency

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Answer: B -- The National Weather Service. Cleveland Abbe initiated a program in which trained observers around the country telegraphed weather data to him while he headed up the UC-run Cincinnati Observatory in the 1860s, a path that would eventually lead him to becoming the forefather of the National Weather Service.

7. To honor UC's academic traditions, a brick from the original McMicken Hall was used in the construction of:

A. The Empire State Building
B. The Library of Congress
C. The Gateway Arch
D.The Golden Gate Bridge

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Answer: D --Joseph B. Strauss, an 1892 UC graduate, was the visionary designer of the Golden Gate Bridge, an engineering feat that many of his contemporaries thought impossible at the time. Strauss ceremonially placed a McMicken brick in the bridge's south anchorage.

8. Which of the following movies did not film on a UC campus?

A. "Little Man Tate"
B. "Fresh Horses"
C. "Rain Man"
D. "Eight Men Out"

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Answer: C -- "Rain Man" may be the movie most easily identified with Cincinnati's "Hollywood on the Ohio" movie boom of recent years, but it used no UC locations.
For more information on movies with a UC-Hollywood partnership, read the "Horizons" article (MNstory.)

9. Legend has it that one of the most prominent figures of the 19th century once read every book within UC's College of Applied Science library in the span of one year. Who was that individual?

A. Andrew Carnegie
B. Alexander Graham Bell
C. Thomas Edison
D. Ulysses S. Grant

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Answer: C -- Thomas Edison. While still a young man, Edison spent a year in Cincinnati as a telegraph operator and spent time reading at the Ohio Mechanics Institute library, the forerunner of the College of Applied Science. But statistics show that for him to achieve the feat, he would have needed to average six books a day and know five different languages.

10. Which of the following UC alums has not won a Grammy Award?

A. Al Hirt
B. Tennessee Ernie Ford
C. David Canary
D. Kathleen Battle

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Answer: C -- David Canary. Though the "All My Children" veteran has won his share of Daytime Emmys and even majored in music while at UC, he has never won a Grammy.

11. UC alum William Howard Taft served as the 27th president of the United States. What other political position did he hold?

A. Secretary of State
B. Speaker of the House
C. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
D. U.S. Vice President

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Answer: C -- Taft is the only person to serve as both U.S. President and Chief Justice.

12. What musical instrument was invented by UC alum Winston Kock in the 1930s?

A. Electronic Organ
B. Banjo
C. Autoharp
D. Electric Guitar

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Answer: A -- Baseball games wouldn't be the same without the accompaniment of Koch's electronic organ.

13. UC medical researcher Albert Sabin helped save thousands of lives around the world with what accomplishment?

A. Development of an oral polio vaccine
B. Discovery of penicillin
C. Invention of the first heart defibrillator
D. Leader of the fight against smallpox

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Answer: A -- Sabin is known worldwide for developing the oral vaccine to battle polio.

14. The UC Medical Library holds the world-record for the most overdue book. How long did it take for the book to be returned?

A. Six months
B. Five years
C. 50 years
D. 145 years

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Answer: D -- 145 years. In 1823, James Curie checked out "Medical Reports of the Effects of Water, Cold & Warm, Remedy in Fever & Febrile Diseases." His grandson, Richard Dodd, returned it to the UC Medical Library on Dec. 7, 1968.

15. An out-of-the-ordinary occurrence set UC's 1947 Homecoming celebration apart from all the others. What was it?

A. A male student ran for Homecoming queen, and won.

B. The Bearcat mascot was injured by the opposing team's quarterback during the Homecoming game.

C. A hailstorm forced the cancellation of the Homecoming parade.

D. A twin brother and sister were selected Homecoming king and queen.

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Answer: A -- An ex-serviceman who lived in UC's temporary housing following World War II ("Vetsville") won the queen's crown.

16. The UC men's basketball team holds the NCAA record for the most overtime periods in a single game. How many was it?

A. 3
B. 7
C. 5
D. 11

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Answer: B -- Seven overtimes. The Bearcats set that record during a 75-73 thriller in which they beat Bradley Dec. 21, 1981.

Now grade yourself, and see how you did. To see a complete list of answers, click here.

1-3 Correct 4-8 Correct 9-12 Correct 13-16 Correct

You've been sleeping in class You may bleed red, but you're lacking the black An honorary degree may be in your future Obviously a Bearcat scholar

 

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