Question 1

True or false: J.P. Morgan’s personal art collection included works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Raphael, many now in major museums.

Accepted Answer

True. Morgan amassed one of the greatest private art collections of his era, much of which later formed the core of the Morgan Library & Museum in New York.

Question 2

True or false: J.P. Morgan invented the modern stock ticker machine to speed up trading.

Accepted Answer

False. The stock ticker was invented by Edward Calahan in 1867; Morgan was a user and investor, not the inventor.

Question 3

True or false: J.P. Morgan famously refused to invest in Thomas Edison’s electric light bulb, calling it a passing fad.

Accepted Answer

False. Morgan actually invested in Edison’s company and had his home wired for electric lighting, becoming an early adopter and financier of electricity.

Question 4

True or false: J.P. Morgan was a strong supporter of women’s suffrage and donated heavily to the movement.

Accepted Answer

False. Morgan was politically conservative and did not support women’s suffrage; he focused his philanthropy on arts and education, not social reform.

Question 5

True or false: J.P. Morgan once personally bailed out the U.S. government during the Panic of 1907.

Accepted Answer

True. Morgan organized a consortium of bankers to lend funds to stabilize the financial system, effectively acting as a central bank before the Fed existed.

Question 6

True or false: J.P. Morgan was the primary financier behind the creation of the Eiffel Tower.

Accepted Answer

False. The Eiffel Tower was funded by Gustave Eiffel and the French government; Morgan had no involvement in its construction.

Question 7

True or false: J.P. Morgan owned a massive yacht, the Corsair, which was so large it delayed the opening of the Cape Cod Canal.

Accepted Answer

True. Morgan’s yacht Corsair was 343 feet long; its passage through the canal required modifications, and Morgan’s influence helped fund the project.

Question 8

True or false: Morgan’s father, Junius Spencer Morgan, was a successful banker who helped finance the American Civil War for the Union.

Accepted Answer

True. Junius Spencer Morgan was a partner in the London bank George Peabody & Co., which helped sell U.S. bonds to British investors during the war.

J.P. Morgan Trivia Questions