GH West Virginia Famous People 1

Question 1

Booker T. Washington, who was born into slavery in Franklin County, Virginia (now West Virginia), became famous as a leader in which field?

Accepted Answer

African American education and civil rights

Answer

Booker T. Washington was born near Malden, WV, and rose to found the Tuskegee Institute and become the most prominent African American leader of his era.

Question 2

Chuck Yeager, a West Virginia native from Myra, became the first person to do what in 1947?

Accepted Answer

Break the sound barrier in level flight

Answer

Chuck Yeager, born in Myra, WV, piloted the Bell X-1 to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, becoming an aviation legend.

Question 3

Pearl S. Buck, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938, was born in which West Virginia town?

Accepted Answer

Hillsboro

Answer

Pearl S. Buck was born in Hillsboro, Pocahontas County, WV, and won the Nobel Prize for Literature, famous for her novel 'The Good Earth.'

Question 4

Mary Lou Retton, from Fairmont, WV, won the first American gold medal in which Olympic event in 1984?

Accepted Answer

Gymnastics all-around

Answer

Mary Lou Retton won the individual all-around gold medal in gymnastics at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the first American woman to do so.

Question 5

Senator Robert C. Byrd, a West Virginia political icon, held what distinction in the US Senate?

Accepted Answer

Longest-serving US Senator in history

Answer

Robert C. Byrd served in the US Senate for 51 years, making him the longest-serving senator in American history at his death in 2010.

GH - Golden Horseshoe Practice Test

GH - Golden Horseshoe Practice Test

GH West Virginia Famous People 1