Answers to Spin Control questions

1 C. Joel Poinsett was the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico in the 1820s.

2 A. That’s the song Janie was practicing when George Bailey came home despondent on Christmas Eve, and everybody breaks into that song as the money comes pouring in, although the ending song is “Auld Lang Syne.” It’s also a fitting song after Linus reads a part of the Gospel of Luke about the angel appearing to the shepherds.

3 B. As the toy says, “Nobody wants a Charlie in the Box.”

4 D. Pierce brought the first tree to the White House and Teddy Roosevelt banned them out of environmental concerns, but it was Coolidge who lighted the first national tree in 1923.

5 D. Reagan authorized the first ornament in 1981 with the proceeds going to charity.

6 B. Gorbachev resigned on Dec. 25, 1991. By then, there wasn’t much Soviet Union left.

7 A. Linebacker II was the large-scale bombing campaign that was halted for about a day and a half.

8 C. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863.

9 A. Julius Caesar, who remade the Roman calendar so that one of the months was named for him, also made Jan. 1 the start of a new year. Before that, Roman years started around the spring equinox.

10 D. FDR seized Montgomery Ward factories and warehouses because the company refused to honor labor agreements that had been negotiated. He said the country wouldn’t tolerate any slowdowns during wartime.

11 A. In a move they would later regret as it helped lead to their demise, Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979.

12 B. As his term was coming to an end, Johnson granted unconditional pardons in 1868.

Scoring

0-3 You could be Scrooge before a visit from Marley’s Ghost

4-7 You could be Scrooge, after the visit of the Ghost of Christmas Past

8-11 You could be Scrooge after visit of Ghost of Christmas Present

12 You must be Scrooge after visit of Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come