Quiz of the Day
The Wild West
Monday, 26 October 2026
Anchored to the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (Oct 26, 1881), covering the American frontier, cowboys, outlaws, and gold rushes.
1. The famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place in which frontier town?
- Tombstone
- Deadwood
- Dodge City
- Abilene
The gunfight happened on October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, a silver-mining boomtown. Ironically, the shootout did not actually occur inside the O.K. Corral but in a narrow lot nearby on Fremont Street. Tombstone earned the nickname 'the town too tough to die.'
2. Tombstone, site of the O.K. Corral shootout, is located in which present-day state?
- Texas
- Colorado
- Arizona
- New Mexico
In 1881 Tombstone was part of Arizona Territory, which did not become the 48th U.S. state until 1912. The town sprang up almost overnight after prospector Ed Schieffelin discovered silver there in 1877. He was warned he would only find his own tombstone in the Apache-controlled hills, which is how the town got its name.
3. Doc Holliday fought at the O.K. Corral alongside which set of famous lawman brothers?
- The Dalton brothers
- The Earp brothers
- The James brothers
- The Younger brothers
Doc Holliday backed his close friend Wyatt Earp along with brothers Virgil and Morgan Earp. Virgil was actually the town marshal and had deputized the others. The three-against-a-larger-outlaw-faction fight cemented the Earp legend in American folklore.
4. Before becoming a gunfighter and gambler, Doc Holliday trained and worked as a what?
- A dentist
- A blacksmith
- A banker
- A doctor
John Henry 'Doc' Holliday earned a degree from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in 1872. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis and moved west hoping the drier climate would help his health. Chronic illness pushed him away from dentistry and toward gambling halls, where he befriended Wyatt Earp.
5. Roughly how long did the actual shooting at the O.K. Corral last?
- About 5 minutes
- About 20 minutes
- About 30 seconds
- About an hour
Despite its enormous fame, the gunfight was over in roughly 30 seconds, with around 30 shots fired. Three men were killed: Billy Clanton and brothers Tom and Frank McLaury. The brief clash triggered a longer cycle of revenge known as the Earp Vendetta Ride.
6. Which notorious outlaw was shot and killed by gang member Robert Ford in 1882?
- Butch Cassidy
- Wild Bill Hickok
- Jesse James
- Billy the Kid
Jesse James was shot in the back of the head by Robert Ford at his home in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1882. Ford hoped to collect a reward and a pardon for the killing. The betrayal was immortalized in the folk ballad about 'that dirty little coward' who shot Mr. Howard, the alias James had been living under.
7. The 1849 gold rush that drew hundreds of thousands of prospectors west was centered in which region?
- California
- Nevada
- Alaska
- Texas
Gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill near Coloma, California, in January 1848, setting off a massive migration. Within a few years San Francisco grew from a tiny settlement of about 200 into a booming city of tens of thousands. The rush accelerated California's admission as a U.S. state in 1850.
8. What nickname was given to the prospectors who flooded into California chasing gold in 1849?
- Boomers
- Sooners
- Pioneers
- Forty-niners
The gold seekers of 1849 became known as 'forty-niners,' after the year of the peak rush. The San Francisco 49ers football team later took its name from them. Most miners never struck it rich, and many merchants selling shovels and supplies profited far more than the diggers.
9. The outlaw Billy the Kid was famously shot and killed by which lawman?
- Wild Bill Hickok
- Pat Garrett
- Bat Masterson
- Wyatt Earp
Sheriff Pat Garrett shot Billy the Kid at Fort Sumner, New Mexico Territory, in 1881, when the outlaw was only about 21. Billy, whose real name is usually given as Henry McCarty, had already escaped custody after being sentenced to hang. Garrett later co-authored a sensational book that helped turn the young gunman into a legend.
10. Wild Bill Hickok was shot dead in Deadwood while holding a poker hand later called the 'dead man's hand,' consisting of which pair of cards?
- Kings and queens
- Aces and kings
- Aces and eights
- Jacks and tens
Hickok was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall in a Deadwood saloon in 1876. He was reportedly holding two pairs, black aces and black eights, forever after known as the 'dead man's hand.' McCall was initially acquitted by a miners' court but was later retried, convicted, and hanged.
11. The short-lived Pony Express of 1860-1861 was famous for rapidly delivering what across the frontier?
- Gold
- Cattle
- Newspapers
The Pony Express used a relay of riders and fresh horses to carry mail between Missouri and California in about ten days, far faster than stagecoaches. It lasted only about 18 months before the transcontinental telegraph made it obsolete. Despite its fame, the service lost money and never turned a profit.
12. Frontier showman Buffalo Bill Cody became world-famous for touring with what kind of production?
- A Wild West show
- A frontier circus
- A cowboy revue
- A traveling rodeo
William 'Buffalo Bill' Cody launched 'Buffalo Bill's Wild West' in 1883, staging reenactments of frontier life, sharpshooting, and horsemanship. The show toured the United States and Europe, even performing for Queen Victoria. It helped shape the romantic image of the American West around the globe.
13. Annie Oakley, a star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, was celebrated for her skill at what?
- Horse taming
- Sharpshooting
- Lasso tricks
- Knife throwing
Annie Oakley was a markswoman who could shoot the thin edge of a playing card and split it. She reportedly once shot a cigarette from the lips of Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II at his own request. Sitting Bull, who also toured with the show, admired her so much he nicknamed her 'Little Sure Shot.'
14. The First Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869 with a golden spike driven at which location?
- Cheyenne, Wyoming
- Sacramento, California
- Promontory Summit, Utah
- Omaha, Nebraska
The Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory on May 10, 1869. A ceremonial golden spike was tapped in to mark the joining of the rails, linking the eastern and western United States. The telegraph flashed the single word 'DONE' across the nation to celebrate.
15. Outlaw Butch Cassidy led a gang of train and bank robbers commonly known by what name?
- The Wild Bunch
- The Cowboys
- The Dalton Gang
- The Clanton Gang
Butch Cassidy's gang, the Wild Bunch, included his partner Harry Longabaugh, better known as the Sundance Kid. They often hid out at a remote Wyoming stronghold called Hole-in-the-Wall. Pursued relentlessly by lawmen and the Pinkerton agency, Cassidy and Sundance fled to South America, where they are believed to have died in a shootout in Bolivia around 1908.