Next Friday, April 24, is New Haven’s 388th birthday: the anniversary of the day an English Puritan settling party landed here to try their fortune in the wilderness.
To mark the occasion, we’re offering a much safer way to try your own fortune: a new round of riddles, this time focused on New Haven events and figures surrounding the birth of America and the Revolutionary War—and offering, as always, the chance to win a nice meal out. Solving them will test your knowledge of the city, your knack for deciphering enigmatic phrasing and, probably, your Googling skills.
The more correct answers you get, the better your odds of winning. Every correct solution, submitted to this form by 6 p.m. next Wednesday, April 22, will earn you an entry into the prize drawing, where each of three entrants will be randomly selected to win a $50 gift card to a restaurant of their choice. Correctly answering all seven riddles will get you seven entries into the drawing, but even if you get just one answer right, you’ll still be in the running. (In fact, if you solve zero answers, you’ll still receive an entry. Call it an A for effort.)
And if you don’t win, don’t despair. History marches on, and there’ll be more chances to play—and win—in the future.
Here we go:
1. With life to give for liberty, this spy was brave but too naive.
2. Still holding torch for olden times, this place was torched in ’79.
3. With steady pen, he signed all four—the only one, if keeping score.
4. His paintings shaped the founding scenes—and founded their home for ~centuries.
5. In first of turns, he held the key, to Saratoga’s victory.
6. A square with park still bears his name, unbloomed in nation’s halls of fame.
7. Made to fend off enemies, its duties now guard memories.
That’s all of ’em. Remember: You have until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, the 22nd, to submit your solutions. Take your time and think things through, and most of all, have fun.
Happy birthday, New Haven, and happy solving, too—
Written by Dan Mims.
