Pennsylvania Facts by the Numbers

Calculate the answers to these word problems that are based on Pennsylvania History and trivia. Note some research may be required.

1. John Harris and Harry Davis opened the first movie theatre on June 1905. It was called a Nickelodeon. It was located on Smithfield St. in Pittsburgh. The second day they sold 1500 tickets. How much money did they take in that day?

2. Pennsylvania is the first state of the fifty United States to list their web site URL on a license plate. What is that url? How many years ago was it released?

3. Edwin L. Drake drilled the world's first oil well in Titusville in 1859 This marked the beginning of the modern petroleum industry. How many decades ago was the well dug?

4. Philadelphia is home to the cheesesteak sandwich, water ice, soft pretzels, and TastyKakes. Select one and give the calories in one serving. What percent of the recommended daily number of calories would that be for a person your age?

5. Benjamin Franklin founded the Philadelphia Zoo. It as the first public zoo in the United States. Your class is going on a field trip to the zoo. Which zoo is closer to your school: the Pittsburgh Zoo or the Philadelphia Zoo? If you travel 50 miles per hour what is the difference in the travel times to each zoo from your school.

6. In June 1778, a 700 wagon caravan escorted the Liberty Bell on its return to Philadelphia from Allentown along Towamencin's Allentown Road. When British troops threatened to capture the Philadelphia, the bell was quickly hidden in Allentown. How many days was the bell out of the city of Philadelphia?

7. Punxsutawney citizens are proud of their town's most famous resident the world-renowned weather forecasting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil. How many Ground hog days have been celebrated?

8. Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State. Describe a keystone using geometry vocabulary. How many sides does a keystone have?

9. Write these rivers in order from the shortest to the longest. Juniata River, Allegheny River, Casselman River, Schuylkill River, Susquehanna River, Little Conemaugh River, Conestoga River, Tioga River, Genesee River, Delaware River, Youghiogheny River, River.

10. In 1900, Pennsylvania had 32 electoral votes and California had 9 votes. In 2008, Pennsylvania has decreased to 21 and California has grown to 55 votes. What are the implications for Pennsylvania in this change of electoral votes?

Extra : Write your own Pennsylvania history or trivia math question.

Extras: Elbow Room - Exploring Population Density | Examine your Government's Demographic Statistics

Should Legislative District Apportionment decisions be made to advantage a sub group?

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posted 2/2007 by Cynthia J. O'Hora, released to public domain in honor of Lt Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll

Save a tree - use a digital answer format - Highlight the text above. Copy it. Paste it in a word processing document. Save the document in your folder. Answer on the word processing document in a contrasting color (not yellow) or font. Avoid fancy fonts like: Symbols, , or . Save your work frequently. Proof the project. It is funny how speling errors and typeos sneak in to the bets work.
Make Your Own Answer Sheet Form using Word Processing

Tech Tip: Working in a group or in two different places like the library & home? You do not have to be physically together to work together. Watch Google Docs video TAI - How could you use free, Google Docs to do a project? How would this facilitate group projects?

Aligned with the following Pa Academic Standards - Reading, Writing Speaking, History, Civics and Government, Mathematics, History, Science and Technology
Aligned with the National Standards for Civics and Government