Alan Rock's Trivia, December 21, 2010

Questions:

1) Jack Lord played a police officer in what TV series (which aired from 1968 to 1980)?

2) Adolf Hitler, Joseph and Napoleon Bonaparte and King Henry III of England suffered from what phobia?

3) Insects breathe through spiracles. What are spiracles?

Answers:

1) Hawaii Five-O.

2) These famous leaders suffered from ailurophobia or a fear of cats.

3) Holes on each side of an insect's abdomen.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) What was Stephen Spielberg's first directing job?

2) The ancient Chinese used what may have been the first insecticide. Name the compound and the insect it was intended to kill.

3) Born in Cleveland, this composer has been inextricably linked with the bop era. Writing for artists ranging from Count Basie to Dizzy Gillespie, this composer worked with Miles Davis in 1949 before sliding into drug worries and, ultimately, prison on 1959. Who was this man, composer of "If You Could See Me Now" and "On A Misty Night"?

Answers:

1) The TV pilot for Night Gallery in 1969. He directed the segment starring Joan Crawford.

2) They used powdered chrysanthemum as flea powder.

3) Tadd Dameron, who was born in Ohio in 1917, had a genius for jazz arrangements. He worked with some of the greatest jazz minds of all time, including: Miles Davis, Artie Shaw, Clifford Brown, Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie and Billy Eckstine. Though his life was curtailed at an early age by cancer in 1965, he is well remembered for his work with Miles Davis at the Paris Jazz Festival in 1949.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) This specific title for a law enforcement officer has been in use since 992 AD and remains commonly used today. What is it?

2) Born this date in 1936, he was promoted as being England's answer to Elvis Presley. Who was he?

3) On this date in 1969, entertainer Herbert Khaury married his fiancee, Victoria Budinger, on The Tonight Show. What was his stage name?

Answers:

1) Sheriff

2) Tommy Steele

3) Tiny Tim. He referred to his bride as "Miss Vicky."

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) In the original Wizard of Oz, what were Dorothy's slippers made of?

2) Who was the first running back in the NFL to rush 2,000 yards in a single season?

3) What city was the setting for the TV show, Car 54, Where Are You?

4) Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany on this date in 1770. When composing, to excite his brain, what did he do?

Answers:

1) Silver

2) O.J. Simpson completed more than 2000 yards rushing on this date in 1973.

3) New York

4) He would pour ice water over his head.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Who was the first to put together a jazz trio of piano, guitar and bass?

2) What show holds the record for being the longest-running police-themed show?

3) Television's first mini-series premiered on ABC on this date in 1954. What was the name of the series?

Answers:

1) Nat King Cole

2) The "documentary" series, Cops. It is one of the longest running series of any genre.

3) Davy Crockett

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Robert May wrote a poem that was illustrated and published as a Montgomery Ward pamphlet in 1939. 8 years later, John Marks set it to music. What was the poem?

2) The U.S. Table Tennis Association wanted to call the sport "Ping-Pong" but ran into a snag. Why couldn't they use "Ping-Pong"?

3) What is Richard Starkey's stage name?

Answers:

1) "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

2) Parker Brothers already owned the rights to the name.

3) Ringo Starr

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) This North Carolina native played tenor sax with some of the most influential jazz artists of his era. He's considered just as groundbreaking. Who was he?

2) This Philadelphia native cut his teeth playingwith the likes of Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman and Jimmy Dorsey, and gained widespread recognition as part of Woody Herman's "Second Herd." He helped popularize the bossa nova craze in the 60s, along with Jao Gilberto and Jobim. Who was he?

3) This Fort Worth, Texas native was an avant garde "free jazz" trailblazer. Who was he?

Answers:

1) John Coltrane

2) Stan Getz

3) Ornette Coleman

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) British Airways passengers consume six tons of this per year.

2) This New Orleans Creole musician proclaimed himself to be the inventor of jazz. Who was he?

3) In the U.S., what is the average number of people airborne per hour?

Answers:

1) caviar

2) Jelly Roll Morton

3) 60,000

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) What is the biggest selling Christmas single of all time?

2) Who lost the $8,000 in It's a Wonderful Life?

3) On this day in 1992, this couple announced their separation. Who were they?

Answers:

1) "White Christmas"

2) Uncle Billy

3) Prince Charles and Lady Diana

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Sean Penn received best actor nominations for his portrayal of jazz guitar player in the 1999 film, Sweet and Lowdown. His character was actually based on a famed French guitarist who recorded during the 1930s and 40s. Who was this great French guitarist?

2) How did American Airlines cut their costs by nearly &40,000 in 1987?

3) What is the minimum number of electoral votes each state can have?

4) Architect James Hoban died on December 8, 1831. What famous national treasure did Hoban design?


Answers:

1) Django Reinhardt

2) Eliminating an olive from each salad served in-flight

3) Three electoral votes are based on representation at congress, which means two senators and at least on House member

4) He designed the White House.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) The late, great bass player Ray Brown was once married to which jazz singer?

2) What us the best-selling jazz album of all time?

3) What important battle in history did Osami Nagano command?

Answers:
1) Ella Fitzgerald

2) Kind of Blue. It still sells 5,000 copies a week!

3) Japanese Adm. Nagano plotted and commanded the assault on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into World War II

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) How many U.S. presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize?

2) This violinist was known for his jazz prowess and was the first to play jazz?

3) a) When was the Republican Party first organized, and b) who was the first Republican president?

4) This Billie Holiday hit was covered by a jazz/rock group in the late 60s. What was the song and who had the hit doing the cover?

Answers:

1) 4: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

2) Stuff Smith

3) 1854 and Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president.

4) The song was "God Bless the Child." The band was Blood, Sweat and Tears. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v96P_AXzto&feature=related

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Britney Spears was born December 2, 1981. She competed in her home state of Louisiana at age nine as an athlete in what sport?

2) Which sport has a "sin bin"?

3) Henry Ford unveiled the Model A December 2, 1927. It was the first model to be available in a choice of colors. What was the price of a Model A?

4) What animal was on board the Mayflower?

5) On December 3, 1967 Dr. Christian Barnard performed the first successful surgery of its type - a surgery that is very commonplace today. What procedure was it?

6) From 1941 - 1950, M&Ms candies included violet in their mix of colors. What color replaced violet in 1950?

7) Who played the lead in the 1952 musical fantasy about Hans Christian Andersen?

8) What was Arthur Conan Doyle's profession before he quit to write Sherlock Holmes novels full-time?

Answers:

1) Gymnastics

2) A 'sin bin" is another name for hockey's penalty box.

3) $385

4) It has been recorded that there was at least one cat on the Mayflower.

5) He performed the world's first successful transplant.

6) Violet was replaced by tan

7) Danny Kaye

8) He worked as an optometrist

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) Bette Midler was born on this day in 1945. She won an Emmy in 1992 for her appearance on what show?

2) The first telephone to be installed in the White HOuse was put in on this date in 1878. The first received call was from a storm window salesman. Who was President at the time?

3) Where is the world's only roller skating museum located?

Answers:

1) She was awarded the Emmy for her appearance on the last night of Johnny Carson's stint as host for The Tonight Show.

2) Rutherford B. Hayes

3) Lincoln, Nebraska