The 2026 Memphis Magazine Trivia Quiz

This is a test. It is only a test. No — not of the Emergency Broadcasting System, but to see how carefully you’ve read the stories we published in the past year. We looked through issues produced since August 2025, and posed questions about columns that appeared in “Ask Vance” as well as feature stories throughout the magazine. This is an “open-book” test, so if you’d like to look back through the 1,100+ pages printed in the past 12 months, take your time.   

Now look, there’s no prize involved. Instead, your reward will be our reward — the satisfaction that you enjoyed the stories we scribbled by quill pen under candlelight, hoping to inform and entertain you. If we accomplished that, we can go to bed happy.

1. When Sylvester Mee ran ads imploring customers, “Let Mee Do It!” what service was he offering?

a. Golf lessons

b. Moustache waxing

c. Plumbing

d. Lawn care

2. When the memorial of E.H. Crump was unveiled in Overton Park, what key feature of the man did the sculptor leave off?

a. His floppy hat

b. His wooden leg

c. His distinctive eyeglasses

d. His silly toupee

3. What other locations did the Crump Memorial Association consider for the statue?

a. The median in the middle of Crump Blvd.

b. Crump Stadium

c. The parking lot of what is now Crumpy’s Hot Wings

d. The Peabody Skyway

4. In the 1940s, two cousins — Pete Romeo and Sam Bomarito — opened a business on Airways. They called it:

a. The RomBom Café

b. Pete’s Pizza Parlor

c. The Rendezvous

d. Pete & Sam’s

5. What was the Handwerker Gingerbread Playhouse used for over the years?

a. A sno-cone parlor (which later became Jerry’s)

b. A beauty salon

c. The Handwerker family’s lending library.

d. A guest house for relatives of the Lauderdales who didn’t need a bathtub.

6. When we referenced a 1983 story, writer Andrew Yale asked our readers, “Looking for a den of iniquity?” He didn’t find it, but what place was he talking about?

a. The Lauderdale Mansion

b. Shakey’s Pizza Parlor

c. Hotel Tennessee

d. The Jungle Room at Graceland

7. What statue in Memphis was cast by the Marinelli Bell Foundry in Florence, Italy?

a. Richard Halliburton

b. Elvis Presley

c. Danny Thomas

d. W.C. Handy

8. What disaster halted production at Aeolian Piano in 1969?

a. They ran out of black keys.

b. A blaze destroyed two buildings.

c. They realized they had been misspelling “Aeolian” all this time.

d. Elvis Presley canceled his order for a gold-plated grand piano.

9. This is our 50th anniversary. What famous Memphian appeared on the cover of our very first issue?

a. Elvis Presley

b. E.H. Crump

c. Vance Lauderdale

d. Prince Mongo

10. In the 1930s, what distinctive feature could the Shriners enjoy in the basement of their headquarters building on Monroe?

a. The city’s first Mexican restaurant

b. An indoor race track for those little cars they drive in parades

c. A movie theatre, called The Fez

d. A swimming pool for members only

11. In the 1960s, which restaurant chain in Memphis introduced a specialty called “The Big Scot?”

a. Sandy’s

b. Handy’s

c. McDonald’s

d. Scotty’s

12. In our May 2025 issue, who were Junebug and Dido?

a. Editors’ dogs who (supposedly) wrote two stories for the Pet Guide.

b. Nicknames of the bartenders in that month’s “Sips” column

c. The newest additions to the Memphis Zoo (a meerkat and an aardvark)

d. Twins who ran the downtown shop, Tea for Two.

13. The sculptures of Memphis artist Jim Buchman, displayed at The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis Botanic Garden, and Overton Park, are unusual because they are formed of:

a. Gold

b. Brass

c. Glass

d. Concrete

14. Joseph Newberger was the original owner of the mansion that later became home to:

a. The Handwerker Gingerbread Cottage

b. The Dixon Gallery and Gardens

c. The Children’s Museum of Memphis

d. The Memphis Theological Seminary

15. At age 90, Memphian Dale Sanders embarked on a challenging adventure:

a. To visit the capital of every U.S. state

b. To hike the entire Appalachian Trail

c. To swim the length of the Mississippi River

d. To sing the “Star Spangled Banner” at Memphis in May

16. Last year, this local business celebrated its 150th anniversary:

a. Memphis Magazine

b. FedEx

c. Burke’s Book Store

d. International Harvester

17. What Memphis establishment featured a neon sign showing “Mr. Brown Goes to Town”?

a. Brown’s Costume Shoppe

b. Brown’s Coffee Shoppe

c. Leonard’s Pit Barbecue

d. Town Park Hotel

18. How did Memphian Ruth Welting gain national fame?

a. Writing and singing the theme song for the Mr. Bingle puppet show

b. Performing with the Metropolitan Opera

c. Answering the phone when you called “Dial ‘n’ Smile

d. Walking the length of the Appalachian Trail

19. Where would Memphians find a memorial to famed escape artist Harry Houdini?

a. Audubon Park

b. Metal Museum

c. Houdini Park

d. The Orpheum Theater

20. What White Station High School graduate won a 1990 Academy Award?

a. Cybill Shepherd

b. Alan Lightman

c. Kathy Bates

d. Bruce Willis

21. In 1985, who did this magazine feature on the cover, asking, “Is This Man America’s Happiest Millionaire?”

a. Kemmons Wilson

b. Fred Smith

c. Elvis Presley

d. Danny Thomas

22. Who did we declare was the “Queen of Memphis Soul”?

a. Carla Thomas

b. Yeah, probably Carla Thomas

c. Pretty sure it was Carla Thomas

d. Who else but Carla Thomas?

23. According to the famous song, “Walking in Memphis,” where is “Muriel playing the piano”?

a. Amro Music

b. The Peabody Lobby

c. The Hollywood Cafe

d. Muriel’s Tacos and Tapas

24. In addition to Memphis International Airport and Mud Island, what other local landmark did architect Roy Harrover design?

a. Sterick Building

b. Halliburton Tower at Rhodes College

c. Memphis College of Art in Overton Park

d. Brooks Museum of Art in Overton Park

25. What city was the original “den” of the Grizzlies before they came to Memphis in 2001?

a. Denver, Colorado

b. Vancouver, Washington

c. Seattle, Washington

d. Vancouver, British Columbia

ANSWERS: 1-c, 2-c, 3-b, 4-d, 5-b, 6-c, 7-d, 8-b, 9-b, 10-d, 11-1, 12-a, 13-d, 14-d, 15-b, 16-c, 17-c, 18-b, 19-d, 20-c, 21-a, 22-any or all, 23-3, 14-c, 15-b