Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: Which furniture company pioneered the warehouse showroom model?

IKEA
Jennifer Convertibles
Levitz Furniture
Pier 1 Imports

Correct Answer: Levitz Furniture

So why is this answer correct? : The first Levitz Furniture opened in Pennsylvania in 1910 but didn’t find major success until the 1960s, when the company adopted the “warehouse” shopping model. The concept involves a massive, open-plan showroom with little merchandising; inventory is often left in its original packaging. The warehouse model is meant to enable low prices and a no-frills shopping experience.

Trivia: Woolworth’s popularized which early-20th-century shopping model?

Layaway
Five and dime
Delivery
Phone ordering

Correct Answer: Five and dime

So why is this answer correct? : Frank Winfield Woolworth opened his first retail store in Utica, New York, in 1879. Over the next decade, Woolworth’s five-and-dime pricing model was successful enough to open more than 20 additional stores on the East Coast. By 1929, Woolworth’s had more than 2,200 stores in the U.S. and Europe.

Trivia: What Chicago retailer had the largest store in the world in 1881?

Marshall Field’s
JCPenney
Saks Fifth Avenue
Macy’s

Correct Answer: Marshall Field’s

So why is this answer correct? : In 1865, three Chicago businessmen — Potter Palmer, Levi Leiter, and Marshall Field — agreed to a partnership, but by 1881, Field had taken full control of the growing retail business. Known for pioneering practices such as liberal return policies and emphasizing customer service, Marshall Field’s success allowed the company to open a 12-story department store in downtown Chicago, the largest store in the world at the time. It remained one of the most popular upscale department stores in the U.S. until the late 20th century, attracting tourists to its Chicago flagship store.

Trivia: What Michigan car company made the GTO and Tempest models?

Chrysler
Chevrolet
Pontiac
Mercury

Correct Answer: Pontiac

So why is this answer correct? : Edward Murphy was a carriage manufacturer when he launched the Oakland Motor Car Company in Pontiac, Michigan. In 1909, the company was acquired by General Motors; it eventually dropped the Oakland name and became its own division within GM. From the late ’50s through the ’60s and beyond, Pontiac’s powerful, sporty consumer cars became icons of the era’s “muscle car” culture.

Trivia: What was the first billion-dollar corporation in America?

U.S. Steel
IBM
General Electric
Goodyear

Correct Answer: U.S. Steel

So why is this answer correct? : The United States Steel Corporation was created through a 1901 alliance between some of the biggest names in U.S. business history, including Andrew Carnegie, Charles M. Schwab, and J.P. Morgan. Its initial valuation was $1.4 billion, making it the largest company in American history at the time. Throughout the 1950s and early ’60s, U.S. Steel was a prominent battleground for organized labor in the U.S.

Trivia: Which oil company was known for its red, white, and blue logo?

Marathon
Conoco
Getty
Amoco

Correct Answer: Amoco

So why is this answer correct? : Founded as Standard Oil Indiana under John D. Rockefeller’s oil empire, this Chicago-based company became independent in 1911 after the U.S. Supreme Court broke up the Standard Oil conglomerate. In 1961, the company adopted the name American Oil Company, or “Amoco,” for its U.S. operations, and debuted its recognizable red, white, and blue logo. The company officially changed its name to Amoco Corporation in 1985.

Trivia: The Druther’s food chain got its name from a slang phrase meaning what?

I’d rather
Don’t bother
Drunk brother
Dr. Ruth

Correct Answer: I’d rather

So why is this answer correct? : Druther’s began as a Florida fast-food chain called Burger Queen, which expanded into Kentucky in the late 1950s and ’60s. In 1980, the company rebranded to reflect its Midwestern popularity with the name “Druther’s,” a play on the local slang for the phrase “I’d rather.” At its height, Druther’s had close to 200 locations from Florida to Missouri.

Trivia: The NCR company was named after which business device?

Calculator
Typewriter
Credit card
Cash register

Correct Answer: Cash register

So why is this answer correct? : In 1884, a former coal dealer named John Henry Patterson purchased the rights to a struggling cash register company and renamed it National Cash Register, or NCR. Patterson made some key improvements to the eponymous device, and pioneered modern business techniques such as direct mail and commissioned salespeople. The company, now known as NCR Corporation, was acquired by AT&T in 1991.

Trivia: Kodak was founded in which city in upstate New York?

Albany
Buffalo
Rochester
Syracuse

Correct Answer: Rochester

So why is this answer correct? : Products made by the Eastman Kodak Company — commonly known as Kodak — dominated the fledgling photography industry of the early 20th century. In the 1960s, the company found success by offering equipment for amateur photographers, such as early cartridge-loaded video cameras. Kodak also invented the 8mm video format, which became the go-to format for consumer camcorders.

Trivia: Which of these companies invented Styrofoam and Saran Wrap?

Dow Chemical
Chrysler
Texaco
Lucky Strike

Correct Answer: Dow Chemical

So why is this answer correct? : Founded in Michigan in 1897 by Herbert Dow, Dow Chemical rose to prominence after developing methods for bromine extraction. In the 20th century, Dow expanded into different chemicals and other products, including Styrofoam and Saran Wrap, as the company grew. Today, Dow has tens of thousands of employees and operates production facilities in 150 countries.