Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Who directed the film  Apocalypse Now?

2)  The "shekel" is a unit of currency for what country?

3)  The pejorative term "boat people" was used in reference to what group of people?

4)  On this date in 1972, Ceylon became known as the Republic of _________?

Answers:

1)  Francis Ford Coppola

2)   Used in ancient times by the Hebrews, the "new shekel" is in current use in Israel.  At the current exchange rate, it's worth .27 U.S. cents.

3)  Though it is sometimes used in reference to Cuban, Haitian or Dominican refugees, the term was initially applied to Vietnamese refugees. "Boat people" were often forcibly prevented from landing at their destination or they are subjected to mandatory detention after their arrival. Unlike the wave of Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s and early 1980s, most boat people arriving more recently have purchased their passage on large but overcrowded and frequently unseaworthy boats from illegal immigration operators, who may demand considerable sums from their desperate clients.

4)  On this date in 1972, Ceylon became the 'Republic of Sri Lanka' severing a 157 years old link with the British crown.  Although Sri Lanka cut its Constitutional connection with Britain it was to remain within the Commonwealth.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  It's Lawrence Tero's birthday today.  He is better known as __________.

2)  Cryobiology is the study of how the human body responds to _________ .

3)  How many wedges are in the Trivial Pusuit game's pie?

4)  Where is the malleus bone located?

Answers:

1) Mr. T

2)  cold temperatures
 
3) 6

4)  the ear

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)   Which U.S. president kept this candy near whether he was in the Oval Office or on Airforce One.

2)   Venice, Italy is located on what body of water?

3)   This actor won the Golden Globe award for Best Actor for his role as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in The Wrestler.

4)   The baby version of this animal is called a "pullet."

Answers:

1)  President Reagan enjoyed Jelly Belly brand jellybeans.

2)   Venice is situated on the Adriatic Sea.

3)  Mickey Rourke.  Though he continued to work in smaller films during the 90s and the 2000s, the height of his popularity  was the early to mid 80s with movies like Diner, Nine and 1/2 Weeks, The Pope of Greenwich Village, and Angel Heart.  His being cast as the lead in The Wrestler was considered a comeback role.

4)  A pullet is a young hen that's less than a year old.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This part of the eye receives no blood at all.

2)  What is the world's largest ocean?


3)   This manufacturer's washing machines have recently been recalled due to what problem?

4)  What does the acronym OPEC stand for?

Answers:

1)  the cornea

2)  the Pacific

3)  catching fire

4)  The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)   How many players are on a polo team?

2)  A horse's hock is equivalent to what body part on a human?

3)  On this date in 1929, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored films for the first time. What was the first film to receive the Best Picture award?

4)  Herpetology is the study of what?

Answers:

1)  4

2)  The equivalent of a hock on a human would be the ankle.

3)  There were two "Outstanding Picture" winners: Wings won for best production, and Sunrise, which won in the "unique and artistic" category, a category that was immediately dropped.

4)  Amphibians and reptiles

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1) St. Cecilia is the patron saint of what?



2)  This former Poet Laureate wrote "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"?

3)  Who famously said, "Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone"?

4)  Which Hollywood actress recently revealed to the New York Times that she had a preventative double mastectomy earlier this year?


Answers:

1) Singers and musicians

2) Maya Angelou



3) Dorothy Parker



4)  Angelina Jolie

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  West Side Story is based on this popular Shakespeare play.

2)  Benghazi is the second largest city in what country?

3)  The 1904 Olympics were held in this city.  It was the first Olympics held in the United States.

4)  Cattle become a herd; geese gather in gaggles; lions form a pride. When divas get together, what are the group of them called?

Answers:

1)  Romeo and Juliet

2)  Libya

3)  St. Louis, MO

4)  There is no official collective noun for divas, for as the Collective Noun Project explains,  

"Divas being without herding instinct, this noun of assemblage describes a phenomenon never yet observed in nature. A solitary predator with a strong territorial instinct, the diva may tolerate any number of scavengers, sycophants and assorted hangers-on but will fight a serious (younger/thinner) rival to the death."
example: "His extensive record collection paid homage to a ceremony of divas, each with bigger hair, more powerful a belt and a more poignant riches-to-rehab-to-return redemption story, than the last."

 

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  He was the first U.S. President to have a typewriter in the White House.

2)  They had a hit with the 1966 song, "Summer in the City."

3)  These are the only two vegetables that are perennials.

4)  What is lactase?

Answers:

1)  Rutherford B. Hayes

2)  The Lovin' Spoonful.

3)  Asparagus and rhubarb

4)  Lactase is an enzyme that aids digestion of dairy foods.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Laugh-In announcer Gary Owens made an appearance in this Oscar-winning film.

2)  After leaving Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, this saxophonist went on to have a great solo career as well as collaborating with Miles Davis and Joni Mitchell.

3)  The gemstone citrine is usually what color?

4)  What is a theremin?

Answers:

1)  Midnight Cowboy

2)  Wayne Shorter

3)  yellow

4)  The theremin is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after the westernized name of its Russian inventor, Léon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928. The theremin was originally the product of Russian government-sponsored research into proximity sensors (Wikipedia). It was frequently used as a sound effect in science fiction or suspense films, but it's most recognizable for its featured part in the Beach Boys' 1966 song, "Good Vibrations."

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  What was Louis Armstrong's first #1 hit on the Billboard charts?

2)  Mike Wallace once appeared in a commercial dressed as an old-time carnival barker, complete with a straw hat and cane. What product did the ad feature?

3)  What does the "I" in "ISDN" stand for?

4)  Candice Bergen was born on this date in 1946.  How many Emmys did she win for her show, Murphy Brown?

Answers:

1)  "Hello, Dolly" reached #1 on this date in 1964.

2)  Wallace was the spokesman for a number of diverse P&G products, including Revlon lipstick and Golden Fluffo lard. The carnival barker ad was for Peter Pan peanut butter.

3)  Integrated

4)  Bergen won 5 Emmys.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Which country is credited with starting the tradition of exchanging gifts at Christmas?

2)  This country was formerly known as Rhodesia.

3)  He composed The Magic Flute.

4)  What year was the Empire State Building completed?

Answers:

1)  This tradition began with St. Nicholas in Turkey. It moved throughout the world very quickly, and before the 10th century is is supposed that nearly every country was participating in this exchange (Answers.com).

2)  Zimbabwe

3)  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

4)  1931

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This actor had a brief term as a boxer and billed himself as "Packy East."

2)  What was the name of the plane Charles Lindbergh piloted in his famous 1927 solo flight from New York to Paris?

3)  This major-league pitcher, a noted knuckleballer, once struck out 5 batters in 1 inning.

4)  Sarah Connor is a character in this movie franchise.

Answers:

1)  Born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England, Hope's family emigrated to Northeast Ohio in 1906.  From The Cleveland Plain Dealer:

"Looking for a more masculine-sounding name than Leslie, he changed his named officially to Lester in 1920...Able to dance on canvas as well as hardwood, he tried amateur boxing under the name Packy East. Hope selected it because he thought it sounded tough and because there was a local boxer named Packy West. He used it for the first time, and almost the last, at an annual Golden Gloves tournament sponsored by The Plain Dealer.
'I had three fights," he said. 'I won two and got beaten so badly in the third that I gave up.'"

In the Eisenhower era, Hope boxed for charity in a fight with Jack Dempsey, which was held in Madison Square.

2)  The Spirit of St. Louis

3)  Joe Niekro

4)  Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

 

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)   On this date in 1954, Roger Bannister accomplished something no one had done before him. What was it?

2)  George Clooney celebrates his 52nd birthday today. When he was 21, he opted to try acting since he didn't make the cut for his original dream position.  What was it?

3)   England's "One Penny Black" was issued on this date in 1840.  What was the "One Penny Black"?

4)  In which decade was Casablanca released?

Answers:

1)  He was the first to run a mile in under 4 minutes.


2)  Clooney had tried out to be a centerfielder for the Cincinnati Reds.

3)  The One Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp.

4)  The 1940s.  Specifically, the film was released January 23, 1943.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Bing Crosby was born on this date in 1903.  Four of the many songs he sung won Academy Awards: "Sweet Leilani" (1937, "White Christmas" (1942), "Swinging on a Star" (1944), and "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" (1951). He also picked a Best Actor Oscar for his role in this 1944 film.

2)  What is the name of The Netherlands new king?

3)  This capitol was incorporated on this date in 1802.

4)  The latest Star Trek film  goes into wide release May 17. What is its name?

Answers:

1)  Going My Way

2)  King Willem Alexander

3)  Washington, D.C.

4)  Star Trek Into Darkness

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Stephen King wrote seven novels under this pen name.

2)  Who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 1993's The Piano?

3)  What state capitals have "City" as part of their names?

4)  What is the dot over the lowercase "i" called?

Answers:

1)  Richard Bachman

2)  Holly Hunter

3)  Jefferson City, MO; Oklahoma City, OK; Salt Lake City, UT; Carson City, NV

Jefferson City, MO

4)  That little dot over the "i" is a "tittle."

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  On this date in 1970, she became the first female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby.

2)  What is the birthstone for May? The flower?

3)  In the 60s there was a Batman television series which starred Adam West. Famous actors took turns guest starring as the various villains determined to vanquish the crimefighter.  One of the foes was called "Egghead." Who played that character?

4) This famous figure "retired" on this date in 1975. He is also the only American to have his own zip code.

Answers:

1)  Diane Crump

2)  Birthstone: Emerald. Flower: Lily of the Valley or Hawthorn.

3)  "Egghead" was played by Vincent Price. Here he is with egg literally on his face.

4)  Smokey the Bear! His zip code was 20252 (the special designated zip code for the U.S. Forest Service.

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  The first toy commercial on television was aired on this date in 1952.  What was the toy?

2)  Approximately, what is the world's population?

3)  On this date in 1993 a woman in Vancouver delivered the first of her triplets. How soon was it before the other two were born?

4)  What is the official language of Argentina?

Answers:

1)  Mr. Potato Head
(not the original ad, but this is an early one where children were still using potatoes).

2)   7.1 billion

3)  The other two came 45 days later, creating a record for the longest time to elapse between births of triplets.

4)  Spanish

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  This chain of mountains form the Continental Divide.

2)  This was the only #1 hit to feature a zither.

3)  On this date in 1986, Red Sox pitcher, Roger Clemens set an MLB record by striking out 20 batters in a regular 9-inning game against Seattle.  He broke the previous record of 19 strikeouts. Who held that earlier record?

4)  On the Canadian flag, what color is the maple leaf?

Answers:

1)  The Rocky Mountains

2)  The song, "The Third Man Theme" by Anton Karas reached #1 on this date in 1950 and stayed there for 11 weeks.

3)  Nolan Ryan was the previous record holder.

4)  red

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  According to dramatist Christopher Marlowe her face was beautiful enough to launch a thousand ships.

2)  In the Stephen King book, Cujo, what breed of dog was the rabid pet?

3)  On April 26, 1856, John Wilkes Booth was shot in a barn in Virginia by whom?

4)  Who composed the jazz standard "Misty"?


Answers:

1)  Helen of Troy

2)  St. Bernard

3)  Boston Corbett

4)  Erroll Garner

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  How many Apollo missions to the moon were there?

2)  On April 25, 1950, in the NBA draft, the Boston Celtics used their second-round pick to select the first African-American to play in the NBA.  What was his name?

3)  This quote is usually attributed to whom? -- "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

4)  How many sides does a heptagon have?


Answers:

1)  17

2)  Chuck Cooper of Duquesne University



3)  Voltaire



4)  7

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Whose theme song was "Moonlight Serenade"?

2)  Whose theme song was "Sunrise Serenade"?

3)  Whose theme song was "Sentimental Journey"?

4)  Whose theme song was "Lullaby of Birdland"?


Answers:

1)  Glenn Miller



2)  Frankie Carle



3)  Les Brown



4)  George Shearing

Alan Rock's Trivia!

Questions:

1)  Who was the only U.S. president to have never married?

2)  On April 23, 1952, in his first major-league at-bat, a New York Giants relief pitcher hit his first and last home run.  He pitched in 1,070 games in 21 years, but never hit another home run.  Who is he?

3)  On April 23, 1975, B.J. Thomas scored with the longest song title to hit #1 on Billboard's pop music chart.  What was the name of the song?

4)  He had a black and white horse named Diablo and a sidekick named Pancho.  Who played "The Cisco Kid" on TV and in movies?


Answers:

1)  James Buchanan, the 15th U.S. President, was born on April 23, 1791.  Buchanan's hobby was crocheting, but he tried to keep it a secret.  He figured if word got out that the President crocheted, everybody'd want an afghan.  So, with no wife in the White House, who do you suppose ran the country?



2)  Hoyt Wilhelm



3)  "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody-Done-Somebody-Wrong-Song"



4)  Duncan Renaldo (April 23, 1904 - September 3, 1980) played Cisco in many movies and the TV show of the same name.  The Cisco Kid ran from 1950 until 1956.