Tennessee Trivia | Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast

We’re heading the Country Music capital. Whether you want to or not. This week we’ve got thirty Tennessee Trivia questions. You know the drill, I ask and you answer. Good luck!

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Episode Transcript/Quiz

Episode Intro

We’re heading to the home of country music. Whether you want to or not.

Howdy gang, I’m your host Brian Rollins and this is episode 195 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. This week, we’ve got Tennessee trivia on docket. Thirty questions about the southern state’s history and famous residents.

If you’re new to the show, welcome. Every week, this show has thirty questions on a given topic. This whole season covers each of the fifty US states. If you want to know more about us, check out DorkyGeekyNerdy.com.

I think that covers everything you need to play along, so let’s get this going.

The Dorky Round

What is the name of Elvis Presley’s palatial estate in Tennessee?
Graceland
What is the capital of Tennessee?
Nashville
What singer-songwriter, actress, and philanthropist had many hits including 9-to-5 (both the song and starring in the movie)?
Dolly Parton from Pittman Center, TN
Born in Tennessee in 1942, what singer is often called the “Queen of Soul” and had hits with Respect and I Say A Little Prayer?
Aretha Franklin
What director from Knoxville has won 7 Oscars, his first for Pulp Fiction and his latest for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood?
Quentin Tarantino
What Tennessee actress terrified audiences and scared up an Oscar in 1990’s Misery?
Kathy Bates
What distiller was born in Lynchburg, TN in 1849? Hint: The company that bears his name is still there.
Jack Daniel
Nashville is the largest city in Tennessee. What’s the second-largest?
Memphis
What civil rights leader was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968?
Martin Luther King, Jr.
What river forms Tennessee’s western border?
The Mississippi River

The Geeky Round

What actor from Tennessee has been nominated for 5 Oscars, but only won once for Best Supporting Actor in Million Dollar Baby?
Morgan Freeman
What actor and singer from Tennessee started out as a member of the All-New Mickey Mouse Club and NSYNC but also starred in The Social Network and Friends with Benefits?
Justin Timberlake
Born in Brownsville, what singer had her life story told in the 1993 docudrama, What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Tina Turner
What singer, from Franklin, TN, charted hit songs both as herself and as her Disney Channel alter ego?
Miley Cyrus
Born in Bristol, TN, what singer and TV host had hits with The Shotgun Boogie and Sixteen Tons?
Tennessee Ernie Ford
The Lost Sea is the largest what in the US?
It’s the largest underwater lake in the US.
What two states border Tennessee to the North?
Kentucky and Virginia
What federally owned utility is centered on Tennessee and was created as part of the New Deal in 1933?
The Tennessee Valley Authority or TVA
Located in Smyrna, what company owns the largest automotive assembly plant in North America?
Nissan
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park sits on Tennessee’s eastern border with what other state?
North Carolina

The Nerdy Round

What 6-term Representative from Tennessee died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836?
Davy Crockett
What zookeeper and frequent guest of Johnny Carson and David Letterman titled his autobiography, Monkeys on the Interstate?
Jack Hanna
What play and 1960 movie fictionalizes the Scopes “Monkey” Trial as a metaphor for the McCarthy Hearings?
Inherit t h e Wind
How many states border Tennessee?
Eight, it’s tied for the most bordering states.
Though not from Tennessee, what 11th US President is buried at the TN state capital?
James Polk
Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State because of their contributions to which war?
The War of 1812
How many stars are on the Tennessee state flag?
Three
Glenn Miller and his orchestra performed what 1941 hit song with a Tennessee town in its title?
Chattanooga Choo Choo
What time zone is Tennessee in?
2/3 of the state is in the Central Time Zone. The rest resides in the Eastern Time Zone.
The name Tennessee is an Anglicization of Tanasi from what Native American language?
Cherokee

Episode Conclusion

And that’s it for Tennessee. Need some bonus facts?

It was the 16th state and is 16th in population.
In area, Tennessee ranks 36th.
The three stars on the Tennessee flag represent the state’s three Grand Divisions: East, Middle, and West Tennessee.
The Tennessee River is the longest tributary of the Ohio River and sees 28,000 barges on it annually. For scale, a barge carries as much as 60 semi trucks.

I’ve spent time in southeastern Tennessee a long time ago. It was in August so I think I sweat out my entire body weight in water. I’d love to visit again when the weather’s a little more to my liking.

What’s your recommendation for things to see in Tennessee?

I’ll be back again next week with another state. Here’s a hint:

What state gets its name from the Choctaw words for “red people”?

See you back here next Wednesday.

This has been episode 195 of the the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. The theme music has been by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com.

This podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Brian Rollins. Come say hello to me at TheVoicesInMyHead.com.

As always, thanks for listening.