What Happened In 1941?
41 Trivia Questions and Answers for 1941 History
1. Who was President of the United States in 1941?
Franklin D. Roosevelt (March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945)
2. What was the Biggest Number One Song of 1941?
Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy) by Jimmy Dorsey
3. To the nearest dime, what was the average movie theater ticket price in 1941?
30 cents
4. On July 1, 1941, what two television networks began broadcasting in New York City?
CBS and NBC.
5. What was the date that US President Franklin Roosevelt said “which will live in infamy the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
December 7, 1941
6. What did Germany and Italy do on December 11, 1941?
They both declared war on The United States.
7. This quasi-biographical film was based on real-life newspaperman William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer? Name this film.
Citizen Kane
8. How much did a Gallon of Milk cost 1941?
54 cents
9. How much did a Loaf of Bread cost in 1941?
8 cents
10. How many people lived in the United States in 1941?
The population was an estimated 133,402,471 people.
11. What was the highest-grossing film of 1941?
Sergeant York
12. What practice did the 13th Academy Awards start after a fiasco the prior year with the Los Angeles Times newspaper?
They placed the winners’ names in envelopes. In 1940, the L.A. Times published a list of winners before they were announced.
13. Who won the Stanley Cup in 1941?
In 1941, The Boston Bruins won over the Detroit Red Wings (4 games to 0)
14. In 1941, what was the average life expectancy in the United States?
Men – 63.1 years, Women – 66.8 years.
15. Who was the subject of a popular World War 2 pinup, which featured the actress wearing a negligee?
Rita Hayworth
16. True or False? Joseph Stalin decreed that every Soviet soldier should receive 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of vodka per day.
True
17. What was the Bestselling Fiction Book in 1941?
The Keys of the Kingdom by A.J. Cronin
18. What was the title of the second “Road To…” films, starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour?
Road to Zanzibar
19. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is also referred to as an MLB legend’s disease. Name that New York Yankee.
Lou Gehrig’s disease (June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941)
20. Who won the 1941 World Series?
In 1941, The New York Yankees won, beating the Brooklyn Dodgers (4 games to 1)
21. Red Sox MLB player Ted Williams set an all-time baseball batting record o the last day of the 1941 season. What record did he set?
He the season with a batting average of .4057 (rounded up to 406)
22. What were the four freedoms mentioned in Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech?
Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.
23. The first American television station outside New York went on the air in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Name that station.
KYW-TV (WPTZ at the time, an NBC affiliate)
24. Who won the US Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1941?
Whirlaway
25. Over the period of 1941 and 1945, the United States build over 2,700 of this class of cargo ship. Name that class of ships.
Liberty Ships
26. Who was the Time Magazine Man of the Year in 1941?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
27. What was the name of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidential yacht from 1936 until his death in 1945?
USS Potomac (AG-25)
28. Which celebrity was NOT born in 1941: Judy Blume, Joan Baez, David Ruffin or Neil Diamond?
Judy Blume (born February 12, 1938)
29. This baseball player is the all-time MLB player with hits, games played and at-bats. Born in 1941, who is he?
Pete Rose (born April 14, 1941)
30. What was Pete Rose’s nickname?
Charlie Hustle
31. A New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio began a record-breaking streak on May 15, 1941, that continued until July 16th. What record does he hold for that period?
A 56-game hitting streak. (the record still stands)
32. This group began entertaining the United States Armed Services on February 4, 1941. What is the name of this group?
USO (United Service Organizations)
33. This superhero first appearing in Police Comics #1, was among the first to be a wise-cracking super-crimefighter.
Plastic Man
34. How much did a gallon of gas cost in 1941?
$0.19 per gallon
35. This radio program started in Helena, Arkansas, and is the longest-running daily American radio broadcast in history. What is it?
King Biscuit Time, a blues radio show
36. What Marx Brothers film featured Grouch Marx as Wolf J. Flywheel?
The Big Store
37. How much did a dozen eggs cost in 1941?
40 cents
38. Plutonium was chemically identified in 1941. What is plutonium’s Atomic Number?
Plutonium’s atomic number is 94.
39. What Andrews Sisters hit was revived by Bette Midler in 1973?
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
40. Based on Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 book, this 1941 film noir starred Humphrey Bogart and Mary Aster.
The Maltese Falcon
41. What 1941 film was remade as Heaven Can Wait in 1978, and starring Warren Beatty, Buck Henry and Julie Christie?
Her Comes Mr. Jordan
Trivia Team Bonus Questions:
1. What was Virginia Woolf’s final novel, published shortly after her death?
Between the Acts
2. This comic book publisher’s first issue was an adaptation of The Three Musketeers and they published more stories through 1969. Name that long-running comic book company.
Classic Comics
3. Who was the American Vice-President in 1941?
John Garner (March 4, 1933 – January 20, 1941) and Henry A. Wallace (January 20, 1941 – January 20, 1945)
4. Who were the 1941 NFL Champions?
Chicago Bears
5. Six-year-old Elaine Esposito began a world medical record on August 6, 1941. What record did she hold?
The longest person in a coma – 37 years. She was anesthetized for an appendectomy and never woke up; she died in 1978.
6. What is the National Hockey League record for shots on goal in a single game?
The Boston Bruins took 83 shots on goal during a 3-2 win over the Chicago Black Hawks on March 4, 1941.
This lead to another NHL record that game – Black Hawk goaltender Sam LoPresti had 80 saves.
7. Cheerios was released by General Mills by what another name in 1941. What were they called?
CheeriOats. They were renamed Cheerios in 1945.
8. What was the name of the Cartoon where Bugs Bunny was first named?
Elmer’s Pet Rabbit
9. Who was the Pope in 1941?
Pope Pius XII, March 2, 1939 – October 9, 1958
10. On January 13, 1941, All persons born in what American territory were declared U.S. citizens by birth, through U.S. federal law?
Puerto Rico
