Fun Q & A American History

Q - Where and when was the first child born to European settlers?

A - Virginia Dare was born to English settlers in 1587 on Roanoke Island. Unfortunately the entire colony disappeared. No one knows for sure what happened to them.

Q - Was turkey on the menu for the first Thanksgiving celebration?

A - Good records survived about that 3 day feast, but sorry no turkey is mentioned.

They ate venison, duck, goose, seafood, eels, white bread, corn bread, leek, watercress, various greens, plums, berries and wine. Much of the food was provided by their Indian friends.

Q - Was Manhattan Island bought from the Indians for $24?

A - Yes. Peter Minuit gave the Manhattoe tribe trinkets and cloth valued at 60 guilders; that is about equivalent to $24.

Q - Is it true that Pittsburgh was named after someone with the name Pitt?

A - Yes indeed it is named after William Pitt. William Pitt never got anywhere near Pittsburgh. In fact William Pitt never set foot in Pennsylvania. Pitt was the British war minister during the French and Indian War. His planning led to the defeat of the French in the area and the building or a fort in 1758. That fort was called Fort Pitt and the town that grew up around it was called Pittsburgh.

Q - What is the oldest hospital that still exists in America?

A - Bellevue Hospital in New York City. Bellevue began in 1736 on a site that is the present-day City Hall Park. In 1816 a larger site was needed and construction began at Belle Vue Farm, which is the hospital’s present site and the reason for its name. The hospital’s name in 1736 was the Public Workhouse.