THE USM SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
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Altitude:   10 feet below sea level
Founded January 1970
Julian date:  2458669.5
                   "Da da da da da da da da da da da daaaaaaaaa.
                     Da da da da da da da da da da da daaaaaaaaa"
                                               "Liberty Bell"
G.P.  Sousa
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, July 5, 2019
Quiz XXIV:  Declaration of Independence

It wasn't on July 4, 1776 that the USA won the Revolutionary War, deemed by
the British as the "Silly War of  Unprovoked Yankee Aggression."   Instead,
it is the day we commemorate the date when the Declaration was adopted by
the Continental Congress.    We all know the story of how the founders shot
off that famous angry e-mail to the King and gave him whatfor, only to
receive a dismissive  THOL ("Ta ha out loud") as a response.  Instead of
saying "good riddance," and crossing us off their list of possessions, the
crown became rather toffee nosed about the whole affair and the
Revolutionary War ensued.     We also know that the USA eventually
prevailed in the skirmish and has been a free country ever since, hasn't
it, Libertarians?
Today, we celebrate the actual document: the Declaration of Independence
with, of course, a trivial quiz.

1.  Who is considered the "main author" of The Declaration of Independence?
         a.  Benjamin Franklin
         b.  Thomas Jefferson
         c.  Alexander Hamilton
         d.  John Jay


2. How many people signed the Declaration?
          a. 25
          b. 40
          c. 52
          d. 56

3. How many of the signatories became presidents?
        a. 0
        b. 1
        c. 2
        d. 3


4. Which state had the greatest number of signatories?
     a.  Massachusetts
     b. New York
     c. Virginia
     d. Pennsylvania


5.  When deciding who to choose as the Declaration's main author, Benjamin
Franklin was seriously considered, but rejected because of what reason?
        a. He told the others he didn't want to write it
        b. Some of the founders were worried that Franklin would write part
or all of the declaration while intoxicated.
        c. His son was a loyalist
        d. Simple.  Benjamin Franklin was a terrible speller.


6. What are the first words in the Declaration?
            a.  "When in the course of human events..."
            b.  "Four score and seven years ago..."
            c.  "It is a truth universally acknowledged,"
            d. "We the People of the United States, in order to form a more
perfect union.."


7.  John Dickinson is noteworthy as he was the only member of Congress not
to sign the Declaration.   Why didn't he?
           a.  He suffered a heart attack and died before he could sign it.
           b.  He wanted to reconcile with Britain
           c.  He detested John Adams and didn't want to put his name on
any document that also included his signature
           d.  He wanted to sign it, but at the age of 16, he was
considered too young for become a signatory


8.  How many people signed the Declaration ON July 4, 1776?
            a.  none
            b.  2
            c. 4
            d. all 56


9. Who was King of England when those insolent, ungrateful upstarts
submitted that detestable document to their benevolent sovereign?   (Sorry
about the phrasing.  I'm trying to get a free one year BBC subscription.)
                a.  George VI
                b.  Arthur
                c. Richard IV
                d. George III


10. What are the three last words on the Declaration?
               "...our sacred honor."
               "Take that, George!"
               "Praise the Lord."
               "E Pluribus Unum."




ANSWERS
1.  b. Thomas Jefferson

2.     d. 56

3.      c. 2
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

4.      d. Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania had nine signatories, including Benjamin Franklin

5.  c. His son was a loyalist

6.       a.  "When in the course of human events..."
The first sentence reads  "When in the course of human events, it becomes
necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have
connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth,
the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of Nature's
God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that
they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
 (Diagram that.)

"Four score and seven years ago..."  (The first words of the Gettysburg
address)

 "It is a truth universally acknowledged,   (The first words of "Pride and
Prejudice")

"We, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect
union"  (The first words of the US Constitution.)

7.  b.  He wanted to reconcile with Britain

8.  b 2
JOHN HANCOCK and Charles Thomson

9  d. George III
(Note: Richard IV was a far more important king, as he was the Black
Adder's father.)
10.      "...our sacred honor."
"And, for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the
protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our
lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."