For more than 25 years, Hy Speck, Class of 1995, has challenged, entertained, and stumped Docent News and The Bridge readers with his trivia questions. His questions cover architects, architecture, and Chicago history and include quotations, word play, literary references, and even pictures (many taken by Hy himself). He has had a loyal following, and some of them have even given Hy ideas for future columns and question suggestions.
Hy has decided to pursue a well-deserved retirement – how has he continued to come up with all those questions?
We would like to honor Hy Speck for his contribution to the docent community by presenting some of his favorite past trivia questions. One of them is from 2006 and was his one question never answered correctly. We will present the answers next week.
We are also “gifting” you the wonderful story and pictures of Hy’s life and his winding road to becoming a docent – an achievement of which he is most proud. To enjoy “In His Own Words,” CLICK HERE.
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1 – A famous architect’s son invented a very popular children’s toy. Name the inventor and the toy.
2 – For 25 years the Sears Tower reigned supreme as the tallest in any land. Can you supply the answers to the following Sears/Willis Tower trivia questions?
a. How many elevators and windows
b. How much rentable square feet
c. Color of antenna on Mothers’ Day
d. Three “highest” records Sears Tower still holds
3 – What Chicago restaurant holds liquor license number 1?
4 – Art Institute Trivia
a. Names of the two lions that guard the AI collection
b. Architect who had his/her first office on the 3rd floor of AI
c. Site of art museum before present site
5 – What Civil War figure supervised the cutting of a channel to Lake Michigan through a sand bar at the mouth of the Chicago River?
6 – Which architects said the following and what were the occasions?
a. “I can’t help it Your Honor, I’m under oath”
b. “Why did the men behind the Tribune throw away this priceless treasure?”
c. “Less is a bore.”
d. “We don’t need a new architecture every Monday morning.”
7 – What political figure took his flight training at the old Navy Pier?
8 – What very famous artist’s grandfather played a role in very early Chicago history?
9 – The following phrases are engraved on plaques on our tours. Can you locate them and describe what they commemorate?
a. “…17,600 feet below…”
b. “…more than 800 people…”
c. “…Day of Two Noons.”
d. “Conceived as part of Daniel Burnham’s 1900 [sic] Plan of Chicago…
10 – One year, Chicagoans were allowed to write something on the top of their tax return to receive a filing extension. What was the year and reason they had to give to get the extension?
11 – Chicago developer Miles Berger said “the architect’s work reflects not only his/her own creativity, but the intent and vision of the building’s developer” Who were the developers, without whom the following buildings would never have been created?
a. 55 W. Monroe nee Xerox Center
b. 200 S. Wacker and 190 S. LaSalle
c. Lake Point Tower
d. 1818 W. Madison
e. 860-880 N. Lake Shore Drive
12 –When I was a young lad, women had wonderful names like Agnes, Gertrude, Minnie, Sophie, and ever-popular Zelda. Can you identify the following uniquely named women and the role they played in Chicago history and/or Chicago architecture?
a. Bertha
b. Mamah
c. Dila
d. Olgivanna
e. Eulalia
13 – LAST QUESTION – AND THE ONLY ONE IN OVER 20 YEARS OF HY’S TRIVIA THAT NO ONE ANSWERED CORRECTLY.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has placed the griffin on the endangered species list. The once-noble animal with head, beak and wings of an eagle on the body of a lion, has stood over our institutions for hundreds of years. With the death of the last griffin at the Lincoln Park Zoo, the few remaining are endangered because of changes in architectural style and the wrecking ball. At the behest of the Trivia Academy, CAF has undertaken the task of documenting the few remaining griffins. Please help us locate these four once proud animals.
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