How's your New Jersey History?

So you know a little about Ocean City's history...  But, how much do you know about New Jersey's history? Jot down your answers on a piece of paper to these 20 questions before you peek at the answers. The following quiz and article about New Jersey appeared in the March 30, 2003, edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer and is provided here with their permission. 

Do You Know The Garden State?
By Terry Bitman INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

True or False
1. The only "New" state that doesn't require "New" to identify it is Jersey.
True. It doesn't work when you say Hampshire, York or Mexico, does it?

2. The Delaware River was discovered by Henry Hudson.
False. Cornelius May - as in Cape May - discovered the Delaware in 1614.

3. New Jersey is the nation’s most densely populated state, with more than 1,10 people per square mile.
True, but not true that they are all on Route 73 at 5 p.m.

4. New Jersey has more shopping malls per capita than any other state.
Like you even have to think about it?

5. Hitler’s toilet was found in a garage in Burlington County.
True. The toilet and sink from his yacht were last seen at an auto repair shop in Florence.

6. The state bird is the mosquito and the state flower is concrete.
False. The bird is a goldfinch; the flower is a violet.

7. The first drive-in movie theater opened in 1933 on the Camden-Pennsauken border.
True, near where the first traffic circle later was constructed

8. The first brewery in America opened in Jersey City in the mid-1600s.
False, but close enough. It was in Hoboken.

9. The first college baseball game was played in New Jersey in 1869, with Rutgers defeating visiting Princeton, 6-4.
False. It was the first college football game, and it did end 6-4.

10. The first dinosaur skeleton discovered in North America was found in Haddonfield in 1858.
True, and that was long before onetime resident Steven Spielberg directed Jurassic Park.



Multiple Choice
11. The only president born in New Jersey was
a. Woodrow Wilson
b. James Buchanan
c. Calvin Coolidge
d. Grover Cleveland •

12. In 1793, the first balloon flight in America took Jean-Pierre Blanchard from Philadelphia to
a. an Atlantic City casino
b. a Deptford farm field •
c. the Cherry Hill Mall
d. Mount Misery

13. The two figures on the state seal symbolize
a. elected officials with their hands out
b. native sons Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
c. liberty and prosperity •
d. a farmer and a developer

14. In a radio play that thousands of terrified listeners thought was real, Orson Welles reported that New Jersey had been invaded by
a. the Mafia
b. Martians •
c. Nazis
d. New Yorkers

15. Quite by accident, Roy Plunkett discovered this strange substance at the DuPont plant in Salem County:
a. tomato soup
b. saltwater taffy
c. Ralphie Cifaretto
d. Teflon •

Who Said It About N.J.?
16. "When I die, I want to be buried in Jersey City so I can continue in politics."
Former Gov. Robert Meyner
17. "What exit you from?"
Joe Piscopo
18. "I'm just a guy from New Jersey who got a few breaks along the way."
Frank Sinatra
19. "I believe there's an intelligence to the universe, with the exception of certain parts of New Jersey."
Woody Allen in Sleeper
20. "Truth and happiness? Come on, I’m a fat crook from New Jersey. What truth and happiness?"
Tony Soprano