The era of railroad barons, Fifth Avenue mansions, and champagne fortunes got its famous name from an 1873 novel. Who coined the phrase "The Gilded Age" — and meant it as an insult? Charles Dickens Mark Twain Theodore Roosevelt Horace Greeley None Deep in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, George Washington Vanderbilt II built himself a "country retreat" that opened to guests in 1895. Biltmore House remains, to this day, the largest private home ever built in America. How many rooms does it have? About 90 About 140 About 250 About 400 None In New York society, an invitation from Mrs. Caroline Astor was the difference between existing and mattering. Her social gatekeeper, Ward McAllister, famously declared there were only about 400 people in fashionable New York society. What was the legendary explanation for that exact number? It was the number of families listed in the first Social Register It was how many people fit in Mrs. Astor's ballroom It was the number of boxes at the opera It matched the passenger list of the Mayflower, times ten None In 1901, Andrew Carnegie sold Carnegie Steel for $480 million — the deal that created U.S. Steel, the world's first billion-dollar corporation, and made him one of the richest men alive. What did Carnegie do with roughly 90 percent of his fortune? Left it to his heirs in a record-setting will Lost it in the Panic of 1907 Gave it away — much of it to build free public libraries Bought railroads to compete with the Vanderbilts None On March 26, 1883, Alva Vanderbilt threw a costume ball at her new Fifth Avenue mansion so lavish it forced Mrs. Astor to finally accept the Vanderbilts into society. One costume stole the show — a gown worn by Alice Vanderbilt that seemed to glow. What was it? A "Ghost of Versailles" gown sewn with phosphorescent paint An "Electric Light" dress powered by hidden batteries A "Diamond Sunrise" dress covered in 4,000 gems A "Firefly" gown with live insects in glass beads None Stumper. In February 1895, the United States government was in serious trouble — the Treasury's gold reserve had collapsed, and Washington was drifting toward default. Who personally stepped in to rescue the finances of the U.S. government? Andrew Carnegie John D. Rockefeller J.P. Morgan Cornelius Vanderbilt II None Time's up
