Trivia Center
ANSWERS
Entrepreneurs
Question 1:
This 19th century entrepreneur started his empire at the age of 16 when he purchased
a small sailing vessel for $100 and started a ferry service from Staten Island to
New York City. He later made his fortune in steamboats and railroads. Who was he?
Cornelius Vanderbilt, Sr.
Cornelius (Sr., he also had a grandson named Cornelius) founded Vanderbilt University.
His son, George, built the 'Biltmore' estate near Asheville, NC.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 2:
A graduate of the University of Missouri, this businessman started his retail
career by opening several franchises of Ben Franklin five-and-dime stores in
Arkansas. In 1962, he started what would become the largest U.S. retail store.
Who was he?
Sam Walton
Walton opened the first Wal-Mart in 1962. By using the 'superstore' strategy,
Wal-Mart became America's largest retailer in 1991, surpassing Sears.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 3:
In 1901, two brothers formed two separate companies that would one day merge into
one corporation. Their brand would eventually become the number 1 brand of apparel
in the world. What is this family brand?
Hanes
J. Wesley Hanes formed Shamrock Mills Co. (Hanes Hosiery) and Pleasant Hanes formed
P.H. Hanes Knitting Co. They were joined in 1965 as Hanes Corporation. Consolidated
Foods Corporation (now Sara Lee) acquired Hanes in 1979. Hanes became the Number
One brand of apparel in 2000.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 4:
The sixth of sixteen children, this tobacco pioneer started his chewing-tobacco
company in 1875 and would later introduce a smoking tobacco brand that became
the first nationally popular cigarette in the U.S. Who was he?
R. J. Reynolds
Richard Joshua Reynolds started R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in Winston-Salem, N.C.,
a town with only a few hundred residents and no paved roads but was a main
railroad stop. He introduced the 'Camel' brand in 1913. Incidentally:
P.H. Hanes (from question 4) Tobacco Co. was sold to R.J. Reynolds in 1900 for $175,000.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 5:
This individual was instrumental in the development of the American banking
industry. He took over his father's firm in 1890, renamed it and built his
empire and reputation on character first, business second. Who was he?
J. P. Morgan
J.P. took over the firm after his father, J.S., died. When asked by a congressional
committee if money was the basis of commercial credit, he replied, 'No sir, the
first thing is character.... a man I do not trust could not get money from me on
all the bonds in Christendom.' Morgan became the symbol of Wall Street and helped
restore confidence after the panic of 1907.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 6:
In 1992, this businessman became the youngest CEO on the Fortune 500 when his
company joined the list. Who is this technology notable?
Michael Dell
Michael Dell started Dell Computer Corporation with $1000 from his dorm room at the
University of Texas at Austin.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 7:
This aviation pioneer made his fortune in the timber industry and after succeeding
in the aviation business and was a successful thoroughbred breeder. Who was he?
William Boeing
Under his guidance, a tiny airplane manufacturing company grew into a huge corporation
of related industries. When post-Depression legislation in 1934 mandated the break-up
of the corporation, Boeing sold his interests in the Boeing Airplane Company, but
continued to work on other business ventures. He lived until 1956, long enough to
see the company he started enter the jet age.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 8:
This cosmetics 'queen' launched her first scent in 1953 called 'Youth Dew', the
first bath oil to double as a perfume. Who was she?
Estee Lauder
Leonard Lauder, chief executive of the company his mother founded, says she always
thought she 'was growing a nice little business.' And that it is. A little business
that controls 45 percent of the cosmetics market in U.S. department stores. Lauder's
first department store account was established in 1948 with Saks Fifth Avenue in
New York City.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 9:
This semi-pro baseball player turned financier formed a partnership with a soda
fountain equipment businessman and started an investment bank with the philosophy
of 'bringing Wall Street to Main Street.' Who was he?
Charles Merrill
Merrill founded Charles E. Merrill and Co. in 1914. He had formed a friendship
and later a partnership with Edmund Lynch while working in the office of a textile
firm. After partnering, they changed the name to Merrill Lynch and Co. In 1941,
Merrill Lynch was the first firm to publish an annual report.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 10:
This animator incorporated 'Laugh-O-gram Films' which produced animations of
'Little Red Riding Hood', 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and 'Goldie Locks and the
Three Bears' among others before later creating an animation icon. Who was he?
Walt Disney
Mickey Mouse made his debut in the 1928 film 'Steamboat Willie.' Walt Disney's
first feature-length film was 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' in 1938.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 11:
This pre-Civil War immigrant, together with his cousin, started a chemical company
whose first product was candied santonin - a palatable antiparasitic. Today, the
company he started is one of the premier pharmaceutical companies. Who was he?
Charles Pfizer
Charles Pfizer and cousin Charles Erhart were German immigrants. They started their
chemical firm in 1849. Today, among many products, drugs and medicines.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 12:
This merchant got his start from a successful five-and-dime store in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania and later built the highest building in the world (at that time).
Who was he?
Frank Woolworth
In 1879, Woolworth opened a five-cent store in Utica, NY. After opening over
1,000 five-and-dimes across the U.S. and foreign countries, the F.W. Woolworth Co.
was incorporated in 1911. Two years later he built the famed Woolworth Building
in NY City. Then the highest building in the world stood 792 feet tall.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 13:
This businessman sold produce before buying his first refinery where he made his
fortune. His firm, which would later come to symbolize large trusts, led to the
Sherman Antitrust Act. Who was he?
J.D. Rockefeller
Rockefeller and his associates formed Standard Oil in 1870. The company grew through
acquiring competitors. The Sherman Antitrust Act was designed to dissolve monopolies
and was a forerunner to the Federal Trade Commission. Though Rockefeller was a big
businessman, he was also a generous donator. Throughout his life he gave away over
$550 million to charities.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 14:
This media mogul got his start by inheriting his father's failing billboard
business after being expelled from Brown University. Who is he?
Ted Turner
Ted won the America's Cup in 1977 with his yacht 'Courageous', and then showed up
drunk to collect the prize. He has worn a Confederate officer's uniform, complete
with sword, to corporate negotiations; managed the Atlanta Braves (which he owned,
along with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks) from the dugout during a particularly bad season;
and challenged his arch-enemy, fellow media mogul Rupert Murdoch, to a televised
boxing match in Las Vegas.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 15:
This businessman moved from New York to San Francisco during the gold rush,
not to pan for gold but to sell supplies to miners. In the ensuing years, he
made his riveted 'waist overalls' famous. Who was he?
Levi Strauss
Jacob Davis, a tailor from Reno, Nevada, actually started the riveting technique
but lacked the funds for a patent. Davis and Strauss formed a partnership to
produce the popular denim jeans in 1872.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 16:
This early 20th century immigrant developed a chain of nickelodeons throughout
New England and founded the American Feature Film Co. to serve as his distributor.
He was later a partner in a production company whose first film was 'He Who Gets
Slapped' in 1925. Who was he?
Louis B. Mayer
A three-way deal merged Metro Pictures, the Goldwyn Company and Mayer Productions
into MGM. Mayer, a Russian immigrant, was responsible for the careers of stars
such as Clark Cable, Greta Garbo, Spencer Tracy, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford and
numerous others. He was also responsible for movies such as 'Ben-Hur', 'A Night
at the Opera' and 'The Wizard of Oz.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 17:
This truck manufacturer took a job with the carriage and wagon company of Fallesen
and Berry and later bought the company with his brother, Augustus. Another brother,
William, joined the business a year later. Their first successful motorized
vehicle was a 40-horsepower, 20 passenger bus in 1900. Who was this big vehicle
pioneer?
John Mack
Mack used a slogan in advertisements for many years, especially when they produced
buses...'The first Mack was a bus and the first bus was a Mack.' Mack trucks have a
long-standing reputation as tough, high quality vehicles.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 18:
This showman's attractions included a midget and a Swedish soprano. As an author,
his books include 'Humburgs of the World' and an autobiography. Who was he?
P.T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum opened his American Museum in NY in 1842 featuring exhibits
of freaks such as Tom Thumb and the original Siamese Twins. 'The Greatest Show
on Earth' opened in 1871. Barnum merged with his chief competitor, James Bailey,
in 1881. Barnum died in 1891, 28 years before Ringling Brothers joined the
traveling show.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 19:
This salesman of a five-spindled milk shake maker called the Multimixer joined
forces with two brothers who owned a hamburger stand in California and opened the
first restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955. Who was he?
Raymond Kroc
Brothers Dick and Mac McDonald owned a hamburger stand in San Bernardino, CA. Ray
Kroc convinced them they could open several restaurants as franchises and sell them
the milk shake maker. Incidentally, 100 shares of stock bought during the 1965 IPO
would have cost $2,250 and would have multiplied into 74,360 shares and been worth
$2.8 million in Dec. 1998.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 20:
With the slogan 'you push the button, we do the rest,' this businessman put his
product in the hands of consumers for the first time. Who was he?
George Eastman
Eastman introduced a handheld camera in 1888. He was a pioneer in offering profit-sharing
to his employees. He was also a generous donator, giving away over $100 million.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 21:
This chocolatier had only a fourth grade education before becoming a printer's
apprentice. Having never developed a talent for printing, he established the
Lancaster Caramel Company in 1886. Eight years later he started the chocolate
company we know today making breakfast cocoa, sweet chocolate and baking chocolate.
Who was he?
Milton Hershey
Hershey's Kisses were first produced in 1907. The 'plume' sticking out of the
top is a registered trademark as well as the configuration with the familiar foil
wrap. Hershey's also makes York, Reese's, Almond Joy, and many other candies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 22:
This businessman's first business was not a hotel. In 1926 he opened a nine-seat
root beer stand in Washington D.C. called The Hot Shoppe. His first hotel was the
Twin Bridges _________ Motor Hotel which opened in Arlington, Virginia in 1957.
Who was he?
J. Willard Marriott
Marriott also pioneered in-flight catering at Washington's old Hoover Airfield
(now the site of the Pentagon) serving Eastern, American and Capital Airlines.
Marriott also operated several restaurants including the Roy Rogers fast food
chain.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 23:
Originally a candlemaker, this Cincinnati immigrant started a business during the
financial panic of 1837 with the help of his brother-in-law, a soapmaker. Who was he?
William Procter
William Procter and James Gamble went into business at the encouragement of their
father-in-law, Alexander Norris. Neither had had intentions of settling in
Cincinnati and may have never met had they not married sisters. Gamble's son,
James Norris, developed a high quality soap in 1879 and Proctor's son, Harley,
named it 'Ivory'.
How Did You Do???
Back to top of page...
|