First, our team would like to offer our sincere thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth during the 2018 MBI Winter Conference to say “Hi!”. Now, as promised, here are the answers to our history quiz contest. We’ve republished the quiz here for your convenience; the correct answers are shown in bold type.
SPOILER ALERT: If you didn’t see the original quiz, and want to take a crack at solving these questions before reading the answers, you can find the original quiz post here.
Question 1: Who was president of the United States in 1866 — the year L. H. Kurtz started Kurtz Hardware?
A) Chester A. Arthur
B) Benjamin Harrison
C) Andrew Jackson
Question 2: Which of the following events occurred in 1904 — the year Kurtz Hardware supplied the plumbing fixtures for the St. Louis World’s Fair?
A) Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders fight the Battle of San Juan Hill
B) The U.S. gains control of the Panama Canal
C) Boy Scouts of America founded
Question 3: Only one of the companies in the following list is older than Kurtz Hardware; which company is it?
A) Coca-Cola
B) FAO Schwarz
C) Coors Brewing Co.
D) Paine Webber
E) Smith Corona
F) Crayola
Question 4: Which notorious outlaw(s) purchased a gun from Kurtz Hardware?
A) Bonnie & Clyde
B) John Dillinger
C) “Pretty Boy” Floyd
Question 5: For which noted Des Moines skyscraper was Kurtz Hardware a major product supplier for in 1924, and again in 2016?
A) The Plaza
B) The Equitable Building
C) The Ruan Center
Question 6: According to a 2008 report published by the Bank of Korea, which of the following is true of companies with more than 100 years of history (such as Kurtz Hardware)?
A) 77 percent provide financial products and/or services
B) The average age of a Fortune 500 company is 106 years
C) Almost 90 percent employ fewer than 300 people
Question 7: What is the top product (by unit sales volume) that Kurtz Hardware sells today?
A) Doors
B) Door handles / locks
C) Hinges
Question 8: How many years prior to Kurtz Hardware’s founding had Iowa been granted statehood?
A) 10 years (1856)
B) 20 years (1846)
C) 30 years (1836)
Question 9: What Iowan-invented device was granted a patent in 1866?
A) The typewriter
B) The bread-cutting machine
C) The gas-powered tractor
Question 10: In 1982, Kurtz Hardware moved to its current location on Keo Way, after 116 years on Walnut Avenue. Which of the following noteworthy pop culture events also happened in 1982?
A) Michael Jackson’s Thriller album was released
B) The Rubik’s Cube was introduced on the global market
C) The first Simpsons cartoon short aired during The Tracey Ullman Show
