The following quiz was posed at a recent London Historians event marking 400 years since the death of Pocahontas in Gravesend. How well would you do?
1. Which super-famous American made a surprise visit to Chingford in July 1952 to ride the model railway?
2. Which controversial American is celebrated with a plaque in Marylebone and a stained glass window in Battersea, where he's buried?
3. Which US president is represented by a bust overlooking Marylebone Road?
4. Which American invented the glass harmonica, which can still be played at his former house in central London?
5. Which American movie star died on June 22, 1969 in Cadogan Lane, Chelsea?
6. Name the American who drew a crowd of 46,000 to Highbury Stadium in May 1966.
7. In 1886, future US president Theodore Roosevelt married Edith Carow in St George's Hanover Square. What was Edith's unusual middle name, more often associated with a famous puppet?
8. Kaiser Wilhelm II, it goes without saying, was not an American. But in 1887 (shortly before becoming Kaiser), he did travel to London to watch an American show endorsed by Queen Victoria. Who was the famous showman who attracted such an august audience?
9. In September 1959, Hollywood actress Jayne Mansfield cut the ribbon on which west London landmark?
10. Multiple choice: According to the 2011 census, how many residents of Greater London were born in the USA? (a) 64,000; (b) 640,000; (c) 46,000; (d) 460,000
Answers
1. Walt Disney. Disney was a lifelong train enthusiast and made the journey to see the model railway in Ridgeway Park.
2. Benedict Arnold. The soldier famously changed sides, first fighting for American then British forces during the American Revolutionary War. He later lived in Gloucester Place. The stained glass window in St Mary's Battersea was completed in 1982.
3. John F Kennedy. Other presidents commemorated as London statues include FDR, Washington, Reagan and Lincoln.
4. Benjamin Franklin. See his 'armonica at his house in Craven Street.
5. Judy Garland.
6. Muhammad Ali, in his second fight against Henry Cooper.
7. Kermit.
8. Buffalo Bill (or Bill Cody). Queen Victoria had been greatly impressed by Buffalo Bill's wild west show. She requested a second Command Performance for her Golden Jubilee, which was attended by European royalty, including the future Kaiser.
9. Chiswick Flyover. She got all the glamorous jobs.
10. (a) 64,000.
