At the Independence Day festivities in Alton and Thayer, Missouri, the AltonMo.com field team asked locals various historical trivia questions. The questions varied from the age of the United States to the first state to the best part about living in the U.S. All those who were polled got goodie bags featuring items from Shelter Insurance in Alton, Simpson’s True Value, Alton Assembly of God, Shilo Baptist Church, Shepherd’s View, and Riverton Baptist Church.
Alton
Some of the questions weren’t the same at Alton and Thayer. The questions asked at Alton were as follows: “How old is the U.S.?”; “What was the first U.S. state?”; “Whose signature is considered most notable on the Declaration of Independence?”; and “What’s your favorite thing about living in the U.S.?”
Age
Most of the people knew how old the U.S. is.
- 250 years old: 85%
- Did not know: 15%
First State
A harder question asked was what was the first state. Some of the answers included Virginia, Wyoming, Washington, and Philadelphia. The correct answer was Delaware.
- Did not know: 78%
- Delaware: 22%
Signature
The third question asked was whose signature was the most notable on the Declaration of Independence. Some wrong answers given were George Washington and Alexander Hamilton. In a surprising turn of events, fifty percent of those polled knew the answer, which is John Hancock.
- John Hancock: 50%
- Did not know: 50%
Favorites
An opinion question to the locals were what’s your favorite thing about living in the U.S. A variety of answers were given including fireworks, national parks, football games, and food.
- Freedoms: 49%
- Religious Freedom: 9%
- Guns: 6%
Thayer
Thayer was asked some different questions then Alton: “How old is the U.S.?”; “What war was the last war the U.S. Congress declared?”; “Which three U.S. Presidents died on July 4th?”; “How many times does the Liberty Bell ring each Independence Day?”; “What’s your favorite thing about living in the U.S.?”; and the bonus question, “Where was the Declaration of Independence hidden for safekeeping during World War II?”
Age
Like in Alton, most of the individuals polled knew how old the U.S. is this year.
- 250 years old: 89%
- Did not know: 11%
War
A trickier question was what was the last war Congress declared. Some individuals mentioned Operation Desert Storm and the Korean War, but the correct answer is World War II.
- World War II: 50%
- Other answers: 50%
Presidents
An interesting trivia fact is that three U.S. Presidents have died on July 4th. Most of the locals either knew at least Adams and Jefferson or they didn’t know it at all.
- Did not know: 76%
- Adams, Jefferson, Monroe: 24%
Liberty Bell
Another trivia question that was asked was how many times the Liberty Bell rings on the the 4th of July. The correct answer is 13 times.
- Answered correctly (13 times): 23%
- Answered incorrectly: 77%
Favorites
Like in Alton, the question of “what’s your favorite thing about living in the U.S.” was also asked at Thayer. Some answers included the people, learning about Jesus, get-togethers, friends, weather, sunset, and fireworks.
- Freedoms: 42%
- Liberty/being free: 12%
- Food: 12%
Bonus
To some of the attendees at Thayer’s fireworks got to answer the bonus question of where was the Declaration of Independence hidden for safekeeping during World War II.
- Answered correctly (Fort Knox): 20%
- Answered incorrectly: 80%
