Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This best-selling author wrote A Painted House and A Time to Kill.

2)  Nolan Ryan, owner of the Texas Rangers, turns 66 today. When he was a pitcher how many no-hitters did he have?

3) On this date in 1961, a chimpanzee became the first animal to be sent into space. What was his name?

4)  The Milky Way candy bar was actually copied from another candy bar. What was it's name?

Answers:

1)  John Grisham

2)  (from Wikipedia) "Ryan is the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven, three more than any other pitcher. He is tied with Bob Feller for most one-hitters, with 12. Ryan also pitched 18 two-hitters. Despite the seven no-hitters, he never threw a perfect game, nor did he ever win a Cy Young Award. Ryan is one of only 29 players in baseball history to have appeared in Major League baseball games in four decades and the only pitcher to have struck out seven pairs of fathers and sons."

3)   His name was Ham. Pictures of him and Ham's story can be found here.

 4)  Milky Way bars were copied from a Minneapolis candy bar called "Fat Emma."

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  The first of 2,956 episodes of The Lone Ranger first aired on this date in 1933 on Detroit's WXYZ. Before settling on the permanent name of "Scout," what did Tonto call his horse for the first few episodes?

 2)  Yogi Bear got his "big break" in what other Hanna-Barbera animated hit show?

3)  What did the first "J" in JRR Tolkien's name stand for?

 4) TV's Melrose Place centered around the lives of a group of twenty-somethings who lived in the same apartment complex in this city.


Answers:

1)  "Paint Horse" - that made sense because Tonto's horse was a Palomino, which is commonly known as a "painted horse."

2) Yogi Bear made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character on The Huckleberry Hound Show. He was given his own show in 1961.

Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw and Huckleberry Hound

3)  John

4)  Los Angeles, California

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  On this date in 1953 the first movie to have been filmed in Cinemascope premiered. What was the movie?

2)  Who directed The Shining?

3)  Actor/comedian Freddie Prinze died on this date in 1977 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was the star of the sitcom, Chico and the Man. Who was his co-star?

4)  William Claude Dukenfeld was born on this date in 1880. What was his stage name?

Answers:

1)  The Robe

2)  Stanley Kubrick

3)  Jack Albertson

4)  Dukenfeld was known to the public as the famous film curmudgeon, W.C. Fields.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  One of the distinguishing features of this city is that it's known for being populated with a lot of cats.

2)  This angel was one of God's messengers.

3)  Her book, And Then There Were None sold over 100 million copies.

4)  Dwight D. Eisenhower won both his elections in landslides over the same opponent. Who ran against him?

Answers:

1)  Key West is famous for carrying on a tradition begun by its most famous citizen, Ernest Hemingway. He famously kept a lot of cats around his place. Many of them were polydactyl cats, meaning they have an extra toe on their front paws.

2) The angel Gabriel is a deliverer of important messages and figures especially prominently in the book of Daniel and in Luke's account of the nativity.

3)  Agatha Christie

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Elvis Presley made only one television commercial in his career. What was the product?

2)  Who wrote the words to the New Year's song, "Auld Lang Syne"?

3)  Where is "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter?"

Answers:

1) Southern Maid Doughnuts

2)  The famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns

3)  The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is part of the Universal Theme Park complex, which is also in Orlando. From our studios at Orlando's University of Central Florida, it's roughly 25 miles due southwest.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  How many times has Serena Williams won the Women's Singles championship at Wimbledon?

2)  This man died on the island of St. Helena in 1821 while in exile.

Answers:

1)  5

2)  Napolean Bonaparte

Alan Rock's Trivia

Questions:

1)  On January 23, 1964, the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.  What did it do?

2)  What is Ursa Minor?

3)  On this date in1985, he was the first Heisman Trophy winner to be elected to pro football's Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

4)  Today is a cold day for Orlando, Florida, with the high only getting into the high 60s.  The coldest temperature ever recorded in the United States was at Prospect Creek Camp, Alaska in 1971.  How cold was it?


Answers:

1)  The 24th Amendment eliminated the poll tax in federal elections.

2)  Ursa Minor is a star constellation.

3)  O.J. Simpson was the first Heisman Trophy winner elected to football's Hall of Fame.

4)  The record cold in the United States was -79.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  It was on this date that the first female Secretary of State was appointed.  Who was she?

2)  On this date in 1987 this U.S. talk show was the first to tape a segment recorded in the former Soviet Union.

3)  Inventor David Edward Hughes died on this date in 1900.  What was his invention?

4)  On this date in 1968 a fast-paced satirical sketch comedy revue debuted on NBC. It featured hosts Dan Rowan and Dick Martin.  Some of the regular cast members included Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Judy Carne, Ruth Buzzi, Alan Sues, Henry Gibson, Gary Owens and Arte Johnson.

Answers:

1)  Madeleine Albright

2)  The Phil Donahue Show

3)  Hughes invented the microphone.

4)  Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This was the first Civil Rights activist event in which Dr. King took part.

2)  How old was Dr. King when he was assassinated?

3)  What year was he killed?

4)  Where was Dr. King born?

Answers:

1)  The Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott.

2)  39

3)  1968

4)  Atlanta

Alan Rock's Trivia

Questions:

1)  Born Ruth Lee Jones, this singer was equally at ease in jazz, soul and pop idioms. She performed with such jazz greats as Clifford Brown, Cannonball Adderley and Wynton Kelly. Her breakthrough crossover hit, "What a Difference a Day Makes" introduced her to the mainstream.  What was her stage name?

2)  Every U.S. president since FDR has had both a memoir and a presidential library dedicated to them. Who was the one exception?

3)  This president once said it would take 50 years to pass before anyone could write about him or his administration with any objectivity.

4)  How many eyes does the Greek mythological creature, the cyclops have?

Answers:

1)  Dinah Washington.

2)  John F. Kennedy has a library but not a memoir.

3)  Nixon

4)  A cyclops is a one-eyed giant.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What doe s the letter "E" in LED stand for?

2)  What is meant by saying a person who has that certain savoir-faire?

3)  In the phonetic alphabet what is the word for the letter "P"?

4)  When referring to clouds, what does the prefix "cirro" mean?

Answers:

1) emitting

2)  It is intended to indicate that they know what to do in any situation.

3)  papa

4)  high clouds

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What was the name of the nightclub where Duke Ellington played for years?

2)  On this date in 1920, the 18th Amendment, also known as The Volstead Act, went into effect. It was repealed in 1933. For what was the amendment intended to regulate?

3)  This week France launched a military air strike. What was the target?

4)  When did Sesame Street first air?


Answers:

1) The Cotton Club

2)  The 18th Amendment prohibited (as in Prohibition) the sale of liquor.

3)  Mali

4)  1969

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  How much cereal per capita, do Americans consume on an annual basis?

2)  This is the best-selling cereal of all time.

3)  This building is the world's largest office building.

4)  Trichology is the scientific study of the health of which part of the body?

Answers: 

1)  You could cover every American in 3 pounds of cereal.

2)  Cheerios


3)  The Pentagon. It covers 34 acres and has 17 miles of corridors.

4)  Trichology is the study of hair.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What was the original title of NBC's The Today Show (or Today)?

2)  This woodwind instrument, popular in both jazz and classical idioms, was invented on this date in 16910 in Nuremberg, Germany.

3)  On this date in 1963, this guest host became the first of a total of 124 guest hosts to fill in for Johnny Carson over the course of his 29 years of hosting The Tonight Show.

4)  On this date in 1914, Henry Ford introduced the assembly line method of manufacturing automobiles. This innovation made it possible for Ford Motor Company to turn out Model Ts at what rate?

Answers:

1)  The Rise and Shine Revue (pictured here: Dave Garroway)









2)  the clarinet



3)  Jimmy Dean was the first to host the show. At the time, Jimmy Dean was known only as a country music singer. It would be years before he began his second career as a purveyor of breakfast sausage.

4) The assembly line meant a new Model T could be manufactured at the rate of one every 90 minutes.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What did Marvin Middlemark invent for the television?

2)  This post-war era car managed to turn a lot of heads because itlooked pretty much the same coming or going.

3)  Born on this date in either 1755 or 1757 (the birth year is in dispute), he is known as a Founding Father. He also served as the country's first Secretary of the Treasury?

4)  On this date in 1964, this Surgeon General unequivocally stated cigarette smoking was a definite cause of lung disease.

Answers:

1)  Middlemark was responsible for the invention of the dipole antenna, also known as "rabbit ears."

2)  Alexander Hamilton

3)  The 1947-52 Studebaker Starlight coupe was the particular answer we were looking for. The windows, along with other details, make the car’s front and rear ends look so similar that it was often called the “coming or going Studebaker.”

The 1948 Studebaker Starlight Coupe

There have been other cars said to look the same coming or going. One example is the 1958 Zundapp Janus 250.   More recently, a 2009 Auto Show revealed the Renault Nervastella, which achieves the same effect.

The 1958 Janus Zundapp

The Zundapp again - here you can see the seats face opposite directions.

The Renault Nervastella

4)  Luther Terry was the Surgeon General who declared smoking cigarettes was the # 1 cause of lung disease.

Alan Rock's trivia!

Questions:

1)  Who was the pianist who played on "Freddie the Freeloader?"

2)  This city hosts the first major New Year's Eve celebration every year.

3)  On this date in 1946, the first General Assembly of the United Nations convened in this city.

Answers:

1)  Wynton Kelly

2)  Sydney, Australia

3)  London

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Early thermometers were filled with this substance instead of mercury.

2)  What country introduced French fries?

3)  What is the point value of the letter "H" in Scrabble?

4)  On this date in 1987, actor Arthur Lake died at the age of 81. He was known for one role in a series of 27 movies. He also played that same character in a short-lived television series.

Answers:

1)  Brandy

2)  Belgium

3)  An "H" is worth 4 points.

4)  Lake played the beleaguered sandwich-loving Dagwood Bumstead in the movie and TV incarnations of the Blondie comic strip.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:


1)  How many presidents had served as vice-presidents?

2)  For two years the U.S. had a president and vice-president in charge who, due to extenuating circumstances, had not been elected to office. Who were they?

3)  Elvis Presley was born in this town on this date in 1935.

4)  Until 1804 when this amendment was passed, the office of Vice-President had been given to whoever had the second highest number of votes in a presidential election. The amendment established that the electoral college voted separately for a president and vice-president. Which amendment was it?

Answers:

1)  There were 14 presidents who had been VPs: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore,Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush.

2)  Gerald Ford Ford and Nelson Rockefeller. Disgraced VP Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973 and Nixon appointed Gerald Ford to take his place. When the Watergate scandal caused Nixon to resign the following year, Ford assumed the presidency and appointed Nelson Rockefeller as Vice-President.

3)  Tupelo, Mississippi.

4)  The 12th Amendment allowed for the electoral college to vote separately for a president and vice-president. In time, the presidential candidate gained sufficient power that he could select his own running mate.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  On this date in 1789, this election took place. What made it notable?

2)  Melody Ranch debuted on this date in 1940 on CBS Radio. Who was the show's host?

3)  On this date in 1990 this famous public building closed due to safety concerns.

4)  The first commercial bank in the U.S. opened on this date in 1782 - in what city?


Answers:

1)  It was the first presidential election held in the U.S.

2)  Gene Autry hosted. The show followed the success of the 1940 movie of the same name, also starring Autry.

3)  The Leaning Tower of Pisa closed in 1990 to begin a 12 year-long effort to stabilize the tower which had tilted to the point of being unsafe for visitors. The 14,000-ton structure was secured by steel cables during the excavation and cement was injected in the walls to strengthen it. The tower now overhangs by four meters instead of four-and-a-half meters. The engineers predict it should stand for another 400 years (CNN.com).

4)  Philadelphia

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:


1)  This curmudgeon supposedly said, "Anyone who hates children and animals can't be all bad."

2)  This tenor player often played with Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Smith.

3)  In the periodic table, "I" stands for this element.


Answers:

1)  W.C. Fields - Although a very commonly attributed to Fields himself, this is derived from a statement which was actually first said about him by Leo Rosten during a roast at the Masquer's Club in Hollywood in 1939, as Rosten explains in his book, The Power of Positive Nonsense (1977) "The only thing I can say about W. C. Fields ... is this: Any man who hates dogs and babies can't be all bad."

2)  Stanley Turrentine

3)  Iodine

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  On this date in 1973, George Steinbrenner bought the New York Yankees for $10 million. Who sold them to him?

2)  Who was the first woman inducted in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame?

3)  The Beatles recorded their last song together on this date in 1970. What was the song's title?

4)  Eric Knight's classic, Lassie, Come-Home, was first published as a short story in the Saturday Evening Post in 1938. Where was "home"?

Answers:

1)  The Yankees were sold to Steinbrenner by CBS.

2)  Aretha Franklin

3)  The last song they recorded was "I Me Mine."  George wrote the song in one evening and a decade later,  the title would be used again for his autobiography. Harrison took his inspiration from a verse in the Bhagavad Gita: "They are forever free who renounce all selfish desires and break away from the ego-cage of "I", "me" and "mine" to be united with the Lord. This is the supreme state. Attain to this, and pass from death to immortality" (BG 2:71-72). Whether deliberate or not, the song addresses the clashes of egos in the Beatles' painful closing days as a group (read more at Wikipedia).

4)  Lassie's home was Yorkshire, England. The pic below is from the original 1943 movie with Roddy McDowall.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  The Andrews Sisters recorded "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" on this date in 1941.  The song was featured in what movie?

2)  This celebrity named one of his children "Sage Moonblood."

3)  This U.S. president signed a bill requiring that states limit highway speeds to 55 mph or else forfeit federal funding for highways.

Answers:

1)  "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was in Buck Privates which starred Abbott and Costello.

2)  Sylvester Stallone. By the way, Stallone's full name is Michael Sylvester Enzio Stallone.

3)  Richard Nixon signed the bill on this date in 1974. It was intended to address rising highway fatalities as well as fuel conservation.  Sammy Hagar complained about it in his song, "I Can't Drive 55."

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What year did the first New Year's ball drop in Times Square?

2)  On this date in 1902, Michigan was leading Stanford 49-0 in the Rose Bowl. With eight minutes left on the clock, the Stanford team forfeited and walked off the field. Rose Bowl officials were so embarassed they refused to host another game until 1916. What activities took the place of football in Pasadena's Tournament of Roses during the intervening years?

3)  Today is New Year's Day by the Gregorian calendar, marking the beginning of the year 2013 A.D. What do the initials "A.D." stand for?

4)  Since 1751,  most western and western-colonized nations observe New Year's Day January 1st.  Prior to 1751, when was New Year's Day celebrated?

Answers:

1)  It started with the 1907-08 New Year's celebration.

2)  The Tournament of Roses held chariot races.

3)  Anno Domini, Latin for "in the year of our LORD."

4)  March 25th - which at the time was also designated as being the first day of Spring.