This week, Nevada wraps up its sesquicentennial celebration—that’s 150 years of desert scrub, silver and unbearable heat—and what better time to test your state knowledge? From strange spellings to college sports records, we dug into Nevada history for this totally mandatory pop quiz. Grab a No. 2 pencil, and good luck.
1. Who was president of the United States when Nevada achieved statehood?
2. The early name for Nevada came from which native tribe?
A. Paiute
B. Washoe
C. Walapai
D. Shoshone
3. Where was the University of Nevada originally located?
4. True or false: Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States.
5. What approximate percentage of Nevada is owned by the federal government?
A. 75
B. 53
C. 81
D. 47
6. True or false: At one point, Reno had a bigger population than Las Vegas.
7. True or false: Gambling has always been legal in Nevada.
8. What famous Nevadan once performed steer wrestling in rodeo competitions at Ralph Lamb’s ranch?
A. Siegfried Fischbacher
B. Steve Wynn
C. Ted Binion
D. Clint Holmes
9. In area, Nevada is the ____ largest state.
10. Nevada’s hottest temperature ever recorded is 125 degrees. What’s the lowest temperature ever recorded in Nevada?
A. 18 degrees
B. 10 degrees
C. 5 below zero
D. 50 below zero
11. Which one of the following is NOT one of Nevada’s nicknames?
A. Silver State
B. Battle Born State
C. Sagebrush State
D. Sage Hen State
E. All are state nicknames
12. Since 1912, Nevada has voted for the winner in every presidential election except:
A. Dwight D. Eisenhower
B. John F. Kennedy
C. Jimmy Carter
D. George H. W. Bush
13. When the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels defeated Duke 103-73 in the 1990 Men’s Division I Championship, it set national title game records for:
A. Most points scored by a team
B. Largest margin of victory
C. Largest attendance
D. A and B
E. B and C
F. All of the above
14. What is Nevada’s state artifact?
A. The original Liberty Bell slot machine, the first slot machine ever created
B. The Tule Duck Decoy
C. The People’s Market sign in Elko, the first documented use of neon in the state
D. Sheldon Adelson
15. In the 1930s, when Nevada became famous for the “quickie divorce,” how many weeks was the residency requirement?
A. Six weeks
B. Eight weeks
C. Two and a half weeks
D. One week
E. There was no minimum
16. What is Helen J. Stewart’s claim to fame?
A. She was Las Vegas’ first showgirl.
B. She’s “The First Lady of Las Vegas.”
C. She was the first woman ever voted into office in Nevada.
D. She was Nevada’s first jailed prostitute.
17. True or false: Las Vegas was once spelled “Las Vegos.”
18. According to Nevada legend, what famous 19th-century writer convinced the designer of the state seal to make two trails of smoke blowing in opposite directions?
A. Herman Melville
B. Henry James
C. Mark Twain
D. Louisa May Alcott
19. What was the Las Vegas Strip’s first casino?
A. The Flamingo
B. The El Rancho
C. The Bank Club
D. The Pair-O-Dice Club
20. What casino mogul’s daughter was kidnapped in 1993?
A. Steve Wynn
B. Sheldon Adelson
C. Kirk Kerkorian
D. Jackie Gaughan
Answers: 1. Abraham Lincoln. Nevada’s statehood was expedited in order to ensure his reelection. 2.. B. 3. Elko. It was founded there in 1874 and moved to Reno in 1885. 4. True. Lake Mead has a capacity for 28.9 million acre-feet. The second-largest is Lake Powell at 26.2 million acre-feet. 5. C. Utah is No. 2, with 66.5 percent federal ownership. 6. True. According to the 1930 census, Reno had 19,000 people; Las Vegas had 5,000. 7. False. Gambling wasn’t legalized until 1931. 8. B. Wynn was big into rodeo as a young man, and even had a PRCA-issued permit at one time. 9. 7th, covering 110,567 miles. 10. D. That temperature was recorded in San Jacinto, in the state’s northeastern region, in 1937. 11. E. 12. C. We voted for Gerald Ford in 1976. 13. D. 14. B. The decoy was discovered in 1924 and is believed to be 2,000 years old. 15. A. 16. B. In addition to being a successful rancher and businesswoman, Stewart was Las Vegas’ first postmaster. 17. False. However, the Postmaster General of the United States spelled it “Los Vegas” in the early part of the 19th century. 18. C. Mark Twain has a long and storied history in Nevada. 19. D. It was originally on Highway 91, which later became the Las Vegas Strip. 20. A. Wynn’s daughter, Kevyn, was kidnapped in 1993, and Wynn paid a $1.45 million ransom to get her back.
How did you do? Calculate your score:
18 to 20 correct: High Roller Much respect! You’ve either lived here all your life or you’re really good at Googling. (And yeah, that’s totally cheating.)
15 to 17 correct: Whale Solid! Have some extra shrimp at the buffet, on us.
13 to 16 correct: Bad Beat Are you sure you read the questions correctly?
Less than 13 correct: Black Book Check for a pulse.
