Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Today is the anniversary of Mark Twain's birthday. On one of the Star Trek series of television shows, "Mark Twain" met the crew. Which show was it?

2) This European set sail in 1778 and was the first European to visit Hawaii.

3) In colonial America, people in this profession were called upon to make flags.

4) What is Africa's longest river?

1) Star Trek: The Next Generation

2) Captain James Cook

3) Upholsterers

4) The Nile is longest; it is 4,160 miles in length.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Who was Duke Ellington's first and long-time drummer?

2) How much did Lucy charge for her psychiatric sessions?

3) In whose band did Dizzy Gillespie play?

4) When is Canada Day celebrated?

Answers:

1) Sonny Greer

2) Five cents

3) Cab Calloway

4) July 1st is now known as Canada Day; prior to 1982, it was called Dominion Day.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Singer Tom Jones Woodward was born in Pontypridd, South Wales. What other famous person hailed from that same small village?

2) John Lennon maintained that the greatest rock-n-roll record ever made was what?

3) On this date in 1929, the Cardinals, then in Chicago (now in AZ), defeated the Chicago Bears 40 - 6. Their fullback was responsible for all 40 points. Who was he?

4) The Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act was a bill in the U.S. Congress that enacted the National Maximum Speed Law. States had to agree to the limit if they wanted federal funding for highway repair. This uniform speed limit was signed into law by which president? Which president mandated a federal speed limit of 55 mph and which president ended the 55 mph limit?

Answers:

1) Richard Burton

2) Jerry Lee Lewis's "Whole Lotta Shakin.'"

3) Ernie Nevers

4) Nixon signed into law the 55 mph limit out of safety and fuel economy concerns; Clinton ended the 55 mph limit on this date in 1995.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) The largest cereal maker is Kellogg's. Who is the second largest cereal maker?

2) Which Constitutional Amendment promises a speedy public trial?

3) Glenn Miller had a regular gig in the mid 1930's playing in what band?

4) The Glenn Miller Orchestra received its first gold record with this song February 2, 1942.

Answers:

1) General Mills

2) The 6th Amendment promises a speedy public trial

3) He played in the Dorsey Brothers band during that period.

4)"Chattanooga Choo Choo"

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) In what year did the first American Thanksgiving celebration take place?

2) Where was the first American Thanksgiving celebration held?

3) How many pilgrims were on board the Mayflower?
4) How long did the first American Thanksgiving celebration last?

5) Which beverage was brought along on the Mayflower?
6) Approximately how many feathers does a mature turkey have?

Answers:

1) 1621

2) Plymouth, MA

3) 102

4) 3 days (complete with games and food)

5) beer

6) 3,500

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) William H. Bonney was born on this date in 1859. If his given name doesn't ring a bell, perhaps you remember his nickname.

2) This movie star's given name was Archibald Leach.

3) On this date in 1942, FDR signed into law the creation of SPARS. What was it?

Answers:

1) Billy the Kid

2) Cary Grant

3) SPARS was the U.S. Coast Guard Women's Reserve. The acronym stood for the Latin "Semper Paratus" and its English translation: "Always Ready." This service, as well as similar women's divisions of other armed forces, was created to free up men from stateside duty in order to fight overseas.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) What is a caper?

2) What state consumes the most turkey?

3) Butterball recommends that a turkey should thaw for how long for every 4 pounds?

4) Eisenhower won both his elections handily, facing the same opponent for both elections. Who was his opponent?

Answers:

1) A caper is the unopened flower of the bush Capparis Spinosa, which grows mainly in southern France, Itlay and Algeria as well as California.

2) California

3) Thaw the turkey one day for every 4 pounds.

4) Adlai Stevenson

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) On this date in 1980, a TV show ended its season with a famous cliffhanger. What was the cliffhanger and the show?

2) On this day in 1934, this teenager, dressed in borrowed clothes, won the Amateur Night award at New York's Apollo Theater, beginning a very successful career.

3) Which U.S. president was the first to travel in a submerged submarine?

4) Goldie Hawn had a job at the 1964 World's Fair; what was it?

Answers:

1) The show was Dallas, and the season ended with the lead character having been shot. It wasn't revealed until the first episode of the following season who had shot him. All summer the headlines asked, "Who Shot J.R.?"

2) Ella Fitzgerald

3) Harry Truman

4) Ms. Hawn had a job as a dancer in a chorus line. This led to her go-go gig with Laugh-In, where her comedic talents emerged, leading to her film career.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Who wanted the wild turkey to be designated as the U.S. national bird?

2) In what year was a turkey first issued a "presidential pardon"?

3) Marlon Brando patented two innovations for use with a musical instrument. Which instrument?

Answers:

1) Benjamin Franklin

2) 1947

3) Drum (specifically, the conga drum)

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) This president established the third Thursday in November as the national day to celebrate Thanksgiving.

2) Being acquitted of treason and escaping prosecution for murder were not enough to deter this Vice President from his goal to establish a North American kingdom over which he would rule as emperor.

3) Which domesticated animal is distantly related to the hyena?

4) Which tenor sax man often played with Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Smith?

Answers:

1) Franklin D. Roosevelt

2) Aaron Burr

3) Hyenas belong to a family of their own, hyaenidae, but they are more closely related to cats than they are dogs.

4) Stanley Turrentine

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Which cartoon character was the first to be made into a Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloon?

2) Which president established Thanksgiving as a national holiday?

3) Macy's put on its Thanksgiving Day parade for the first time in what year?

Answers:

1) Felix the Cat

2) Abraham Lincoln

3) 1924

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Cats walk by moving their front and hind legs, first on side, then the other. Only two other species do the same. What are they?

2)The average dog makes about 10 different vocal sounds. How many, on average, can a cat make?

3) The world's first streetcar began operating on this date in 1832 in what city?

4) Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber composed this long-running musical in the early 80's.

Answers:

1) Camels and giraffes

2) A cat is able to make about 100 distinct sounds.

3) New York. The street car was pulled by horses.

4) Cats, which was named after T.S. Eliot's book, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Which New Testament verse is the briefest sentence in the Bible?

2) Which state was first to ratify the Constitution?

3) This land mammal is born underwater and grows to be 8,000 pounds.

4) In what year did the Little League Baseball World Series begin?

Answers:

1) John 11:35 - "Jesus wept."

2) Delaware

3) Hippotamus

4) 1947.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Which president issued the first Veteran's Day Proclamation?

2) Which individuals does Veteran's Day honor?

3) Veteran's Day in other countries is known by other names such as ____________ and ___________.

4)Which president said, "...to care for him [veteran] who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and orphan."

Answers:

1) Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill in 1954.

2) All who have served in the U.S. military in times of war and peace.

3) Armistice Day and Remembrance Day are used in the UK and commonwealth countrries.

4) Abraham Lincoln

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) How many of Elvis's hits did he write?

2) Whose picture is on the $2 bill?

3) What breed of dog has the sharpest eyesight?

Answers:

1) None - Elvis's fame was before Dylan ushered in the era of the singer-songwriter.

2) Thomas Jefferson

3) Greyhounds have the sharpest eyesight.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) What are the three most populous cities in the world?

2) Which three countries are the most populated?

3) Which six states established the CSA at a meeting in Montgomery, February 4, 1861?

4) Which U.S. library has the highest number of volumes?

Answers:

1) Shanghai (17.8M), Karachi (12.9M) and Istanbul (12.9M)

2) China (1.3B), India (1.2B) and the United States (312M)

3) Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.

4) The Library of Congress, with more than 147 million items.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) What has always been the theme song for the Glenn Miller Orchestra?

2) What was trumpeter Harry Edison's nickname?

3) Who was the Modern Jazz Quartet's vibraphone player?

4) Who is often thought of as the "father of jazz saxophone"?

Answers:

1) "Moonlight Serenade"

2) "Sweets"

3) Milt Jackson

4) Coleman Hawkins

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) This city was founded in 1820 and was a leading manufacturer of home furniture until the 1960s. It remains a major manufacturer of office furniture and is commonly referred to as "Furniture City."

2) This famous author once said this of Huckleberry Finn: "All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since."

3) The first English settlers to set foot in America did so at this tourist destination.

4) This river basin contains evidence of the earliest known human culture in Europe.

Answers:

1) Grand Rapids, MI

2) Ernest Hemingway

3) Virginia Beach, VA

4) The Danube

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) In what year did women win the right to vote in the U.S.?

2) Losing this item in 1951 made Thelonious Monk's life extremely problematic. What was it?

3) On this date in 1957, the same six songs topped both the pop and R&B charts. What were they?

Answers:

1) In 1920 the nineteenth amendment to the constitution was passed, granting women the right to vote.

2) He lost his cabaret card as a result of being charged with possession of narcotics. In New York the cabaret card permitted musicians to play wherever alcohol was served.

3)
1) Elvis - "Jailhouse Rock"
2) Everly Bros. - "Wake Up, Little Susie"
3) Sam Cooke - "You Send Me"
4) The Rays - "Silhouettes"
5) Ricky Nelson - "Be-Bop Baby"
6) Jimmie Rodgers - "Honeycomb"

Alan Rock's Trivia

Questions:

1) Name the traditional wedding anniversary gifts given for the 25th and 50th years.

2) Can you name the National Football League teams that faced off in the first Super Bowl in 1967? Who won?

3) Jazz can be hot or cool. One of the first to define "cool" jazz was this piano virtuoso. Noted mostly as a big band leader, he greatly influenced jazz by his less frantic approach to the genre. And what could be cooler than a "Snowfall"? Miles Davis was one of his admirers. What was his name?


Answers:

1) The 25th anniversary gift is silver, and the 50th is gold.

2) The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs with a score of 35 to 10 in Los Angeles.

3) Claude Thornhill. Thornhill worked as a band musician for most of the 1930s with such notables as Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Paul Whiteman. As a studio musician, he worked with Andre Kostelanetz on his studio recording arrangements. It was not until about 1940 that he created his own big band. But his was different in that he sought a new sound. He included French horns and a tuba. He also had a choir of six clarinets that played in unison. Thornhill's piano styling flourished among the brass. His band was interrupted by WWII, but reorganized afterward. "Snowfall" was his theme song and most noted recording.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) What's the difference between a nook and a cranny?

2) Which is the oldest letter in the Phoenician alphabet?

3) This tenor saxophonist was key to moving the bop genre forward.

4) In 1847, the first US postage stamps were sold. Whose images were on the 5 and 10-cent stamps?

Answers:

1) A nook is a corner and a cranny is a crack.

2) The letter, "O." It dates back to 1300 BC.

3) Sonny Rollins

4) Ben Franklin was on the 5-cent stamp and Washington's was on the 10-cent stamp.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Set to the tune of a once-popular British drinking song, this tune was inspired by an 1814 poem, called "The Defence of Fort McHenry."

2) Who are, to date, the top three best-selling recording artists?

3) This alto/soprano saxophone player achieved fame in the 70s with his jazz/pop ensemble, Spyro Gyra.

Answers:

1) "The Star-Spangled Banner."

2) The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.

3) Jay Breckenstein