Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) On this date in 1947, the Hoover Dam became "the Hoover Dam" - again. What was its other name?

2) Who was the only performer to perform live instead of lip-synching on American Bandstand?

3) On this date in 1952, this toy was the first to be advertised on television. What was it?

4) Queen for a Day debuted on this date in 1945 on the Mutual Broadcasting System. Who was the show's first host?


Answers:

1) "Boulder Dam." Here's the rest of the story, courtesy of the Hoover Dam Tour Company: Initially the surveyors suggested the dam should be built at Boulder Canyon due to the granite rock floor. This brought about the name "Boulder Dam." Once the dam's height was reviewed it was determined that Black Canyon would be more suitable since the dam would not have to be as high as at Boulder Canyon.

While preparing for the dam's construction, the railroad had to lay track to the dam site. To officially begin the railroad track project, on September 17, 1930, Secretary of the Interior, Ray L. Wilbur, named the dam "Hoover Dam" at the spike driving ceremony. This announcement came as a surprise to reporters.

Then in 1933 the country changed political party representation by voting Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt into office. Early in his term on May 8, 1933 Harold Ickes, Secretary of the Interior changed the name back to "Boulder Dam."

After 14 years congress felt compelled to pass a joint resolution to change the name back to "Hoover Dam" in honor of the United States 31st president, Herbert Hoover.

2) Jerry Lee Lewis performed live in 1957.

3) Mr. Potato Head

4) Jack Bailey

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) What material is traditionally used for the first-year anniversary gift?

2) What was the one and only instrumental hit featuring a zither?

3) One heavyweight boxing champion is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, close to the tomb of the unknown soldier. Who was he?

Answers:

1) Paper

2) "The Third Man Theme" by Anton Karas hit #1 on this date in 1950 and remained there for 11 weeks.

3) Joseph Louis Barrow, commonly known as Joe Louis, is buried there. He was the heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) On this day in 2001, millionaire Dennis Tito did something nobody else had done before. What?

2) Jay Leno went for ten years before having someone else guest host. Who was the first to sub for Leno?

3) The shortest war on record was between Britain and Zanzibar. How long did it last?

4) The 5th U.S. president, James Monroe was born on this date in 1758. He was the third of five presidents to do this on the 4th of July. What was it?

Answers:

1) Tito was the first "space tourist." He paid $20,000,000 to join a Russian crew and visit the international space station.

2) Katie Couric filled in for Leno

3) 38 minutes

4) He died. Congress later banned the firing of cannons at 4th of July celebrations.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) On this date in 1981, Ringo Starr married a former "Bond girl." Who was this actress?

2) On this date in 1937, the first of these payments were issued. What were they?

3) Who was the only heavyweight boxing champ to have retired undefeated?

4) In the original Olympics Greek runners were naked, or almost naked. What did some of them wear?

Answers:

1) Barbara Bach

2) The first Social Security checks went out.

3) Rocky Marciano

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) What are the only two planets in our solar system without moons?

2) Comets have three main parts: the nucleus, tail and what else?

3) What year was the first postage stamp introduced?

Answers:

1) Mercury and Venus

2) The third part of a comet is called its "coma."

3) The world's first postage stamp, the "Penny Black," was from Great Britain. It featured the image of Queen Victoria and was introduced in 1840.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Question:

1) On this date in 1985, one of America's most trusted brands announced it was going to make a change to its main product. This change was so soundly rejected, it became a synonym for failure or flop. What was it?


Answer:

1) "New" Coke. Classic Coke was back on the market to pick up the pieces within three months.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Jack Nicholson was born on this date in 1937. He won Best Actor in 1975 for his role in what movie?

2) Who was television's first news anchorwoman?

3) What TV series was Aaron Spelling's first as writer/producer?

Answers:

1) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

2) Barbara Walters for ABC. She first co-anchored with Harry Reasoner, with whom she had an uneasy relationship.

3) Johnny Ringo

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Today is Tony Danza's birthday. Before landing a role on TV's Taxi, what did Danza do for a living?

2) Of all individuals on public assistance, 66% have this in common.

3) CBS had a radio quiz show that premiered on this date in 1940 called Take It or Leave It. The grand prize question was called what?

Answers:

1) Danza was a professional boxer, middleweight division.

2) 66% of those on public assistance are too young to vote.

3) The "$64 Question." That phrase was adopted into the U.S. lexicon as a common expression for people whenever they were stumped by a question or faced with a conundrum.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) On this date in 2008, Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy car race. Which race did she win?

2) Who was the first world leader to send an e-mail?

3) What modern-day assignment did the church give the Virgin Mother?

Answers:

1) The Indy Japan 300

2) Queen Elizabeth II

3) Mary is the patron saint of aircraft.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Who was the first U.S. Postmaster General?

2) Who in the MLB led in number of games played?

3) Which was the first state to abolish slavery?

4) Where did Memorial Day originate?

Answers:

1) Benjamin Franklin, in 1775.

2) Pete Rose

3) Then a colony, Rhode Island was the first to abolish slavery in 1774.

40) Memorial Day was first commemorated in the South, honoring the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) This day in 1926 was especially meaningful for bookworms. Why?

2) Who was the second man ever to fly in an airplane?

3) According to an 8-year study published in 1994 by the National Institute for Highway Safety in Canada, side and front impact two-car accidents are reduced by doing what simple thing?

Answers:

1) The "Book of the Month" club was started.

2) Wilbur Wright

3) Turning on the car's headlights during the daytime.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Who was the Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and MVP that broke the color barrier by being the first African-American to play in the Major League? For what team did he play?

2) Which state was ceded to the U.S. (in 1819) after having previously belonged to another country?

Answers:

1) Jackie Robinson

2) Florida was ceded to the U.S. after having been under Spain's rule.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Born in India this date in 1941, she appeared in Dr. Zhivago, Shampoo, Separate Tables, and more recently in the blockbuster Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Akzaban and the Oscar-nominated Away From Her. Who is she?

2) President William Howard Taft started what is now a tradition on this date in 1910. What did he do?

3) It was on this date in 1775 that the first U.S. abolitionist organization was formed. Who were the organizers?

Answers:

1) Julie Christie

2) Throwing out the first baseball of the season.

3) Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Why was TV's The Muppet Show banned in Saudi Arabia?

2) Who was the first African-American (male) to win an Oscar for Best Actor?

3) Which state bears the nickname, "Ocean State"?

4) On this date in 1782, this town was the first of what would be many in the U.S. to be named "Washington." In which state was the first Washington?

Answers:

1) Due to the Islamic prohibition against pork, the show's heroine, Miss Piggy, was viewed as unacceptable and therefore the show was banned.

2) Sidney Poitier

3) Rhode Island

4) North Carolina

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Name the world's largest desert.

2) Which president had the greatest electoral vote victory?

3) How many events are included in the modern Olympic decathlon?

4) How many days after Robert E. Lee surrendered, was Lincoln assassinated?

Answers:

1) The Sahara Desert in North Africa is the largest at 3.5 million miles.

2) The 1980 win of Ronald Reagan, where he won 525 electoral votes versus Mondale's 13.

3) As the Latin suffix would imply, there are ten.

4) Lincoln was shot only five days after Lee's surrender.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor of England was a happy Prince on April 9, 2005. Why?

2) In the film The Right Stuff, who played test pilot Chuck Yeager?

3) Who did the United States make an honorary citizen on this date in 1963?

4) What was the name of the plane Charles Lindbergh flew during his famed solo flight from New York to Paris in 1927?

Answers:

1) At long last, he married Camilla Parker-Bowles.

2) Sam Shepard.

3) British statesman Sir Winston Churchill. As of 2008, six people have had this honor bestowed upon them, three during their lifetime. They were: (1) Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (or Lafayette), a French general in the American Revolution (On 28 December 1784 the Maryland General Assembly honored Lafayette. He was made an honorary citizen of Maryland again in 1823 as well as of Connecticut the same year. He was also recognized as an honorary citizen in a 2002 joint congressional resolution); (2) Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister during World War II (posthumously 1963); (3) Raoul Wallenberg, Swedish diplomat who rescued Jews in the Holocaust (posthumously 1981); (4) William Penn, 17th and 18th century proprietor and governor of the American colony of Pennsylvania (posthumously 1984); (5) Hannah Callowhill Penn, second wife of William Penn and administrator of Pennsylvania (posthumously 1984); and (6) Mother Teresa, Albanian Catholic nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity in India (1996).

4) The Spirit of Saint Louis.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Who was the actress, born on April 8, 1893, known as "America's Sweetheart"?

2) What food product was patented on April 8, 1873?

3) It was on this date in 1960 that the U.S. Senate passed this landmark bill. What was it?

Answers:

1) Mary Pickford

2) Margarine

3) The Civil Rights Bill.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Eleanora Fagan was born this date in 1915. We know her by her stage name which was what?

2) Where are the taste buds on a butterfly?

3) On this date in 1970, actor John Wayne did something for the first -- and last -- time. What?

4) What was actor James Garner's first film?

Answers:

1) Famous jazz singer Billie Holiday.

2) Their feet.

3) He won an Oscar (for "True Grit").

4) 1948's Joan of Arc starring Ingrid Bergman, in which he played a peasant. It was six years before his next film role.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) The first version of a Cinderella story appeared in what country?

2) The U.S. government began operations under the Constitution on March 4, 1789 with the meeting of the first Congress in what city?

3) Who was the first man to stand at the North Pole?

4) During World War II, a select group of young women pilots became pioneers, heroes, and role models. These WASPs were the first women in history trained to fly American military aircraft. The U.S. Congress recently bestowed the highest civilian honor on those we have lost and those we still cherish. What does WASP stand for?

Answers:

1) China

2) New York City.

3) Robert Peary, on April 6, 1909.

4) Women Airforce Service Pilots. For more information, go to http://www.wingsacrossamerica.us/wasp/.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Name the son of a U.S. president who served in a presidential cabinet in 1881.

2) Which famed author created the fictional character Perry Mason?

3) Name the top five highest populated U.S. cities:

4) Which U.S. president's wife had the same maiden name as his family name?

Answers:

1) Robert T. Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's son, served as secretary of war under Presidents James Garfield and Chester Arthur.

2) Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970).

3) New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix.

4) Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin Roosevelt.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Born this date in 1725, he was known as the world's greatest lover. What was his name?

2) What animal did Lewis and Clark find during their exploration and send back to Jefferson as a pet?

3) From where was Christopher Columbus?

Answers:

1) Casanova, an Italian nobleman who had many lovers.

2) A prairie dog.

3) Italy.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Actress Ali MacGraw was born this date in 1938. She was married her co-star from the movie The Getaway in 1973. They divorced in 1978. Who was he?

2) MacGraw was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her starring role in which film?

3) The first personal computer company to $1 billion in sales was ____________.

Answers:

1) Steve McQueen

2) Love Story

3) Apple. Apple Computers achieved over $1 billion in sales in 1982.