Washington DC Trivia | Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast #200

Two-hundred episodes of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast? That calls for something special. So, this week, we’re taking a break from this seasons theme of US States to cover the US Capital with some Washington DC Trivia.

And we’ve got thirty questions all about the capital of the United States. Its history, its residents, and more.

Thank you so much for sticking with the show for 200 episodes. I don’t plan on going anywhere, so keep coming back every Wednesday for more trivia.

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Episode Transcript/Quiz

Episode Intro

200 episodes? That calls for something special!

Hey gang, I’m your host, Brian Rollins and this is the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. 200 episodes? Yep, 200. So, for that milestone, we’re stepping away from the states to cover the US Capital, Washington, DC.

It’s the same format as always, three rounds of ten questions each. But we’ve done this a few times, so most of you know the drill.

With that, let’s get going.

The Dorky Round

What is the address of the White House?
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
What river forms the Southwestern border of Washington DC?
The Potomac
What TV show, beginning in 1999 and starring Martin Sheen, was named for a part of the White House?
The West Wing
What engineer, TV host, and science educator was born in DC in 1955?
Bill Nye (The Science Guy)
Born in Washington, DC in 1948, what actor has appeared in the Star Wars, Marvel, and Jurassic Park franchises?
Samuel L Jackson
What two states border the District of Columbia?
Maryland and Virginia
What is the name of the park that runs from the Potomac River to the US Capitol Building?
The National Mall
Large crowds gather for each presidential inauguration, which inauguration had the largest crowd?
Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009. The National Park Service estimates about 1.8 million people attended. For comparison, the 2017 inauguration has less than a quarter of that.
What Tennessee Senator, Vice President, and 2000 Presidential candidate was born in DC in 1948?
Al Gore
What FBI director for six presidents was born in and died in Washington DC?
J Edgar Hoover

The Geeky Round

What 2009 Dan Brown novel and sequel to The Da Vinci Code takes place in and around Washington DC?
The Lost Symbol
Which branch of the US government resides at the US Capitol Building?
The Legislative Branch (The House and the Senate)
What sits at the western end of the National Mall in Washington?
The Lincoln Memorial
The cherry trees found around Washington DC were a gift from what city?
Tokyo.
The British Army set fire to the White House during which war?
The War of 1812
A native of DC, what cartoonist created Calvin and Hobbes in 1985?
Bill Watterson
Though he calls North Carolina home, what late night host and former Daily Show correspondent was born in Washington in 1964?
Stephen Colbert
Born in DC in 1960, what presidential son died in a plane crash in 1999?
John F Kennedy Jr
Before she was Willow on Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Lily on How I Met Your Mother, what actress was born in Washington in 1974?
Alyson Hannigan
What HBO comedy, running from 2012-2019, is set in DC and starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus?
Veep

The Nerdy Round

What Sci-fi villain is sculpted into the Washington National Cathedral as a gargoyle?
Darth Vader
Who was the first president to reside in the White House?
John Adams. Though the building wouldn’t be completed until the Jefferson Administration
Traditionally, the Vice-President resides where?
The Naval Observatory
Before it was known as the White House, what was the building named?
The Presidential Palace. Theodore Roosevelt officially changed the name in 1901.
What phrase is found on District of Columbia license plates?
Taxation without representation. Residents are rightfully salty about not having a voice in Congress
What composer of The Stars and Stripes Forever was, fittingly, born in Washington in 1854?
John Philip Sousa
What 2006 Mike Judge movie gave us an alarming look at a future Washington DC?
Idiocracy
Who was the first president to die in the White House?
William Henry Harrison. He fell ill and died just 30 days after his inauguration.
A copy of what famous document is buried under the Washington Monument?
The US Constitution
Which memorial would you find on the southern edge of the Tidal Basin?
The Jefferson Memorial

Episode Conclusion

And that wraps up the District of Columbia. Want more trivia?

The city is a 10-mile square and the site was chosen by George Washington.
The capitol’s size is actually laid out in the Constitution, but doesn’t specify a location.
The song, “The Room Where It Happened” from the musical, Hamilton, is about the compromise that moved the capital from New York to a place further south. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson came to the agreement in exchange for the federal government assuming the states’ debts from the Revolutionary War.
If DC became a state today, it would be larger (in population) than Vermont or Wyoming.

DC is impressive and chock full of history. Every American should go at some point in their lives. It should surprise no one that I’m a huge museum nerd and Washington is full of them. There’s also something special about reading the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution from the original document.

Thanks for joining me on 200 episodes. I couldn’t do this without your support. For those of you still trying to figure out the order of these episodes, do not factor this episode into that order. It’s a special case. We’ll be back to more US states next week. Here’s a clue:

What is the only New England state we haven’t covered yet?

Kind of a meta trivia question, huh? You might have to do some research on it. Good luck.

This has been episode 200 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. The theme music is by Jason Shaw at Audionautix.com.

This show is written, produced, and hosted by me, Brian Rollins. You can find me at TheVoicesInMyHead.com.

And for the 200th time, thanks for listening.