The QUIZ
Lions and Tigers and Bear-Dogs, Oh My! From giant pigs to Elvis sightings, how much do you know about the Sunshine State? 5.
WIKIPEDIA
1.
All of the above. During the Miocene and Pleistocene epochs, mammals—many of them giant—flourished throughout the state. Most died out about 10,000 years ago, probably from a cooling climate.
D. In 1962, “Follow That Dream” was filmed in Citrus, Marion and Levy counties. The film is considered one of the star’s best; Elvis, who plays the good-hearted, unsophisticated son of a scheming vagabond, displayed good comic timing and charisma in the role.
A. In 1918, oil magnate John D. Rockefeller purchased a home on the banks of the Halifax River in Ormond Beach. The home, called “Casements,” was Rockefeller’s winter residence until his death in 1937. Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone were among the friends Rockefeller entertained there. Now owned by the city, the home is used as a cultural center and park.
7.
3. Which two regions of Florida did John James Audubon AUDUBON FLORIDA
4.
Who was the first U.S. president to visit Florida? A: Chester A. Arthur B: Andrew Jackson C: Abraham Lincoln D: Thomas Jefferson A. In 1883, an ailing President Chester A. Arthur took a recuperative trip to Florida. His entourage traveled to Central Florida, going as far as Kissimmee, where Arthur fished in Reedy Creek, which he described as idyllic. Almost a century later, another visitor, Walt Disney, was so struck by the creek’s beauty that he decided to build his grand dream, Disney World, along its banks.
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B and C. In 1831 Audubon traveled from Charleston to St. Augustine, where he spent six months searching for birds to sketch for his “Birds of America.” He found fewer than he had hoped, however, and in spring 1832, he returned to Florida, visiting Indian Key, Key West and the Dry Tortugas, where he discovered many new species.
A, C and D. Eastern, Pan American and National airlines all were founded in Florida. Pan American became the first international airline on Oct. 19, 1927, with its first flight carrying passengers between Key West and Havana. Elvis made which one of these movies in Yankeetown? A: “Girls, Girls, Girls” B: “Love Me Tender” C: “Clambake” D: “Follow That Dream”
Florida attracts lots of millionaires. This millionaire called Ormond Beach home. A: John D. Rockefeller B: Henry Flagler C: Isaac Singer D: John Ringling
visit in the 1830s? A: Tampa Bay B: St. Augustine C: The Florida Keys D: The Everglades
Three airlines got their start in Florida. Which were they? A: Eastern Airlines B: Jet Blue Airlines C: Pan American Airways D: National Airlines
Prehistoric megalodon sharks were enormous. How long were the largest? A: 36 feet B: 50 feet C: 90 feet D: 120 feet C. These massive sharks ruled the seas for some 13 million years. Florida paleontologist David Letasi says a recent find of a 9-inch-long fossilized tooth likely came from a 90-foot-long megalodon.
8.
In addition to founding Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Mary McLeod Bethune started the National Council of Negro Women and helped form the United Negro College Fund. What other institution did she create? A: A national chef’s academy B: A hospital C: A small business fund for Black women D: A nature center B. When a Black student at BethuneCookman College was turned away from a local hospital, Bethune decided to start a hospital that would treat AfricanAmericans. Mary McLeod Hospital and Training School for Nurses opened in 1911.
Our questions were inspired by recent programs in our free Florida Talks speakers’ series. To attend in person or register for a virtual event: floridahumanities.org/events/
NMAH SMITHSONIAN
Which of the following mammals lived in prehistoric Florida? A: Six-foot-tall pigs B: Bear Dogs C: Rhinoceroses D: Giraffe Camels E: Saber-tooth cats (AKA saber-tooth tigers)
