Townie Trivia: How Much Do You Know About Brockton?

On the surface, the Commonwealth's 7th largest city sometimes gets a bad rap. But if you dig a little, you're going to find out some pretty awesome facts about Brockton. Think you know Brockton better than your friends? See how many trivia questions you get.

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A. Baseball
B. Basketball
C. Boxing
D. Horse Racing

2. According to the Society for American Baseball research, Brockton resident and baseball player Bill McGunnigle gets credit for using a pair of bricklayer gloves as the first catcher's mitt. What team was he playing against at the time?

A. Harvard College
B. Boston College
C. The Boston Red Stockings
D. The Rhode Island Reds

3. Brockton holds the distinction of having which 'first ever' holiday tradition?

A. Independence Day Parade
B. Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning
C. Mall Santa Claus
D. Earth Day Tree Planting

4. The 1905 industrial explosion, building collapse and fire that killed 58 people and injured 150 happened at a shoe factory.

A. True
B. False

5. Thomas Edison was on hand to throw the switch when Brockton became the first place in the world to host:

A. An street light containing an electric bulb
B. A three-wire underground electrical system
C. An outdoor viewing of a motion picture
D. A stock ticker

6. Napster co-founder Sean Parker was born in Brockton.

A. True
B. False

7. Brockton was named one of the 100 Best Communities _____ in the United States in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2011.

A. For Cycling
B. For Youth
C. To Raise A Family
D. For Fresh Water Fishing

8. The largest privately held office product supply business in the U.S. is based in Brockton. It is:

A. Staples
B. OfficeMax
C. Office Depot
D. W.B. Mason

9. The city of Brockton took its name from Sir Issac Brock. The British general was obscenely popular up north. Which one of the following distinctions was never bestowed upon him in Canada:

A. The 28th Greatest Canadian of all time.
B The Hero of Upper Canada
C. A $0.25 coin with his face
D. A parliament building named after him

10. Brockton was once the largest American producer of:

A. Baseballs
B. Brass musical instruments
C. Chicken Salad
D. Shoes

11. Brockton-born Al Davis was the only NFL executive to serve as an assistant coach, head coach, general manager, commissioner and owner.

A. True
B. False

1. Brockton's nickname, "City of Champions" is a reference to two legends in which sport?

A. Baseball
B. Basketball
C. Boxing - Champion fighters Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler were both from Brockton.
D. Horse Racing

2. According to the Society for American Baseball research, Brockton resident and baseball player Bill McGunnigle gets credit for using a pair of bricklayer gloves as the first catcher's mitt. What team was he playing against at the time?

A. Harvard College - McGunnigle was playing for the Fall River team at the time.
B. Boston College
C. The Boston Red Stockings
D. The Rhode Island Reds

3. Brockton holds the distinction of having which 'first ever' holiday tradition?

A. Independence Day Parade
B. Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning
C. Mall Santa Claus - Department store owner James Edgar first donned the Santa suit in 1890. Word got out, and in a matter of days, kids were coming from miles away for the chance to see Santa.
D. Earth Day Tree Planting

4. The 1905 industrial explosion, building collapse and fire that killed 58 people and injured 150 happened at a shoe factory.

A. True - A steam boiler was blamed for the deadly blast at the Grover Shoe Factory.
B. False

5. Thomas Edison was on hand to throw the switch when Brockton became the first place in the world to host:

A. An street light containing an electric bulb
B. A three-wire underground electrical system - The light bulb, the motion picture, and the stock ticker were all Edison inventions. But none took place in Brockton.
C. An outdoor viewing of a motion picture
D. A stock ticker

6. Napster co-founder Sean Parker was born in Brockton.

A. True
B. False - Parker's co-founder Shawn Fanning was born in Brockton

7. Brockton was named one of the 100 Best Communities _____ in the United States in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2011.

A. For Cycling
B. For Young People - The designation was made by America's Promise Alliance.
C. To Raise A Family
D. For Fresh Water Fishing

8. The largest privately held office product supply business in the U.S. is based in Brockton. It is:

A. Staples
B. OfficeMax
C. Office Depot
D. W.B. Mason - Staples and Office Depot (which merged in 2013 with OfficeMax) are both situated in Framingham and both publicly owned.

9. The city of Brockton took its name from Sir Issac Brock. The British general was obscenely popular up north. Which one of the following distinctions was never bestowed upon him in Canada:

A. The 28th Greatest Canadian of all time.
B The Hero of Upper Canada
C. A $0.25 coin with his face
D. A parliament building named after him - Despite not being Canadian, a number of honors were bestowed upon Brock. Others included bridges, schools and other buildings named after him. No Parliament buildings though.

10. Brockton was once the largest American producer of:

A. Baseballs
B. Brass musical instruments
C. Chicken Salad
D. Shoes - Shoes & Leather were once two of Brockton's largest industries.

11. Brockton-born Al Davis was the only NFL executive to serve as an assistant coach, head coach, general manager, commissioner and owner.

A. True
B. False

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