How much do you know about Navy Pier? You can probably guess that it was named in honor of the Naval personnel that served there during World War I. But what else do you know about this fabulous Chicago landmark? Here are some fun facts to test your historical knowledge.

True or False: Navy Pier is 100 years old?

Answer: False, while construction began on the Pier in 1914, it opened to the public in 1916, making it the ripe old age of 97.

What does Navy Pier have in common with Las Vegas?

Gambling
Shakespeare
Fountains
Elvis

Answer: C- Fountains. The interactive animated fountains at the entrance to the Pier were created by Water Entertainment Technologies, the same company that built the famous Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas.

True or False: Navy Pier once housed a jail?

True: During World War I in 1917-1918, in addition to the many Navy and Army personnel who worked there, the Pier had a jail for draft dodgers.

Which Oak Park Comedian has a statue at the entrance to Navy Pier?

Frank Lloyd Wright
Bob Newhart
Stephen Colbert
John Belushi

Answer: Bob Newhart, best known for his role as a psychologist on the 1970s sitcom, The Bob Newhart Show. He was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1929 and graduated from Loyola University of Chicago in 1952.

True or False: Navy Pier served as a spot training for pilots?

True: During World War II, the Navy docked two aircraft carriers at the Pier and trained approximately 15,000 pilots. Future president George H. W. Bush was among the pilots who trained there.

True or False: The University of Illinois in Chicago had its first home at Navy Pier.

True: During WWII, the Navy built barracks and ran an electronics school on the Pier. After the war, the facility was used by the University of Illinois for a two-year undergraduate program serving returning veterans. The University used Navy Pier for 20 years until it moved to it’s current location at the Chicago Circle campus in 1965.

Which of these amusements can you find at Navy Pier?