Trivia Facts and Achievements of Asian Pacific Americans

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month started in 1977 to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants in May of 1843. You never know when these can become useful for trivia questions, so here some more incredible facts and achievements from Asian Pacific Americans.

• 2.5% of Asian Americans are military veterans.

• Nearly 90% of all Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults have earned a high school diploma or equivalency.

• The first recorded settlement of Asians in the United States was in 1783 by a group of Filipinos in Louisiana.

• In 1946, Wing Ong of Arizona became the first Asian American elected to state office.

• In 2010, Apolo Anton Ohno became the most decorated American Winter Olympian.

• Ellison Onizuka was the first Asian American astronaut in space.

• In 2010, Nikki Haley of South Carolina became the first Indian American woman governor. 

• Kevin Tsujihara of Warner Bros. was the first non-white CEO of a major Hollywood Studio.

• Maxine Hong was awarded the National Book Award in 1976 for her family memoir.

• Chinese workers began to build the Transcontinental Railroad in 1865.

• Angel Island received the nickname of the “Ellis Island of the West” because it was the port where most Asian Americans immigrated.

• Before Vera Wang became a fashion designer, she pursued a career in figure skating.

• I.M. Pei designed the glass pyramid in the Louvre.

• Dr. David Ho was Time Magazine’s 1996 Man of the Year for his breakthroughs in AIDS research.

• In 1973, Seiji Ozawa became the musical editor of the Boston Symphony.

• Elaine Chao was the first Asian American woman appointed to a presidential cabinet.

• M. Night Shyamalan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for his film “The Sixth Sense”.

• B.D. Wong won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Song Liling in “M.Butterfly” 

• Sandra Oh was the first Asian woman to host the Golden Globe Awards.

• Snowboarder, Chloe Kim, has won gold in the Youth Olympic Games, X Games, and Winter Olympics.

There have been so many amazing feats and accomplishments by Asian Pacific Americans in history. It is always important to celebrate heritage. 

If you want to honor Asian Pacfic American History with a trivia game with your team, book an event with TriviaHub! You’re going to love this. Book Trivia Now.