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Quiz about 1961 Year in Review
Quiz about 1961 Year in Review

1961 Year in Review Trivia Quiz


Questions concerning the people, places and things that happened in 1961.

A multiple-choice quiz by shanteyman. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
shanteyman
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
291,161
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
3480
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 64 (7/10), Stonecreek (6/10), debray2001 (6/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The 1961 National Football League championship game featured the Green Bay Packers shutting out the New York Giants 37-0. Who was the quarterback for the losing New York Giants? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Which Nazi war criminal was tried by the Israelis in 1961 after being captured in Argentina the previous year? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. In 1961 Natalie Wood appeared in the film version of "West Side Story". In the same year she starred with Warren Beatty in his film debut. In which 1961 movie did they appear together? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. "Judgment at Nuremberg" was released in 1961 and featured an all-star cast. Which actor portrayed the chief judge overseeing the trial? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The biographical book "The Agony and The Ecstasy" by Irving Stone was published in 1961. Which famous artistic person is depicted in the book? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In November, 1961, a tragic song about a coal miner hit the top of the charts. What was the title of the Jimmy Dean song? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In 1961 Elvis Presley was back making films after his stint in the Army. He released two films that year. In which film did Elvis portray the son of a plantation manager named Chad Gates? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. President John F. Kennedy began his presidency in 1961 after defeating Richard Nixon in 1960. He was an advocate of NASA. Which astronaut was the first American in space? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which New York Yankee surpassed Babe Ruth's home-run record by hitting 61 home runs in the 1961 season? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Which of these was NOT introduced in 1961? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Oct 28 2024 : Guest 64: 7/10
Oct 18 2024 : Stonecreek: 6/10
Oct 12 2024 : debray2001: 6/10
Oct 12 2024 : Guest 18: 0/10
Oct 10 2024 : Quizaddict1: 6/10
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Oct 03 2024 : Guest 71: 5/10
Oct 03 2024 : Guest 75: 7/10
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Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The 1961 National Football League championship game featured the Green Bay Packers shutting out the New York Giants 37-0. Who was the quarterback for the losing New York Giants?

Answer: Y. A. Tittle

Yelberton Abraham Tittle was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971. He is a seven time Pro Bowler and a four time All-Pro. The 1961 game was the first championship game played in Green Bay. Bart Starr played at quarterback position for Green Bay. The Baltimore Colts' quarterback was John Unitas and the Chicago Bears had Bill Wade at the position. Tittle played for the Baltimore Colts and the San Francisco 49ers before playing for the New York Giants. Tittle was traded after the 1960 season when the 49ers decided to use Brodie as their starting quarterback. During a 17-year career Tittle passed for 33,070 yards and 242 touchdowns.

He received the NFL Most Valuable Player Award twice. On January 1, 1961, The Houston Oilers won the first championship of the newly formed AFL by defeating the Los Angeles Chargers. Alabama was the national college champion and The University of Washington won the Rose Bowl.
2. Which Nazi war criminal was tried by the Israelis in 1961 after being captured in Argentina the previous year?

Answer: Adolf Eichmann

Adolf Eichmann rose quickly through the German ranks because of his organizational skills. He was eventually considered to be the architect of the holocaust. After the war he traveled to Argentina by using a fraudulently obtained passport issued by the International Red Cross.

He resided there under a false identity working for Mercedes-Benz until 1960. He was captured by Israeli agents in Argentina then tried and convicted in the Israeli court in 1961 on fifteen criminal charges including crimes against humanity and war crimes.

He was sentenced to be hanged. Rudolf Hess was sentenced to life imprisonment. Josef Mengele fled to Argentina and died in Brazil in 1979. Klaus Barbie was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 and died after serving four years.
3. In 1961 Natalie Wood appeared in the film version of "West Side Story". In the same year she starred with Warren Beatty in his film debut. In which 1961 movie did they appear together?

Answer: Splendor in the Grass

Warren Beatty started his acting career making appearances on television series such as "Studio One", "Playhouse 90" and "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis". He made his film debut in 1961 opposite Natalie Wood in "Splendor in the Grass" directed by Elia Kazan. Beatty was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Motion Picture Actor for his appearance in the successful movie. Natalie Wood was nominated for Best Actress for "Splendor in the Grass" and again in 1963 for "Love with the Proper Stranger". "Bonnie and Clyde" featured Beatty with Faye Dunaway in 1967. "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" is a 1961 British motion picture made by Seven Arts-Warner Bros pairing Beatty with Vivien Leigh. If you preferred to watch television instead of going to the movies a color set would cost around $495, approximately one-tenth of the average annual salary.
4. "Judgment at Nuremberg" was released in 1961 and featured an all-star cast. Which actor portrayed the chief judge overseeing the trial?

Answer: Spencer Tracy

"Judgment at Nuremberg" is a fictionalized account of the post-World War Two Nuremberg Trials. It was written by Abby Mann and directed by Stanley Kramer. Spencer Tracy portrays Chief Judge Dan Haywood. Also featured are Burt Lancaster as Dr. Ernst Janning, Richard Widmark playing prosecuting attorney Col. Tad Lawson, Marlene Dietrich, Maximilian Schell, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift, Werner Klemperer and William Shatner. Werner Klemperer went on to play Stalag Commander Colonel Klink in the television show "Hogan's Heroes". Maximilian Schell took home the Academy Award for Best Actor. Spencer Tracy was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination went to Montgomery Clift and a Best Actress in a Supporting Role nomination went to Judy Garland. Before his "Star Trek" fame William Shatner played Capt. Harrison Byers in the film.

Many of the notable actors who appear in the film did so for a fraction of their usual salaries because they believed in the project.

Some popular TV shows premiering in 1961 were "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "Hazel", "Dr. Kildare", "Ben Casey" and "ABC's Wide World of Sports".
5. The biographical book "The Agony and The Ecstasy" by Irving Stone was published in 1961. Which famous artistic person is depicted in the book?

Answer: Michelangelo

"The Agony and the Ecstasy" is Irving Stone's biographical novel of Michelangelo Buonarroti. Stone lived in Italy for years working in marble quarries and apprenticed himself to a marble sculptor as preparation for writing the book. A primary source for the novel were Michelangelo's letters. Stone translated all 495 letters.

The Italian government honored Irving Stone with several honorary awards for his efforts in depicting Italian history. The novel was adapted to film in "The Agony and the Ecstasy" in 1965 starring Charlton Heston. "Lust for Life" is also written by Stone and depicts the life of Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent Van Gogh was played by Kirk Douglas in the film adaptation of the book.

Other notable books published in 1961 include "Mila 18" by Leon Uris, "The Carpetbaggers" written by Harold Robbins and Steinbeck's "The Winter of Our Discontent".
6. In November, 1961, a tragic song about a coal miner hit the top of the charts. What was the title of the Jimmy Dean song?

Answer: Big Bad John

"Big Bad John" was recorded by Jimmy Dean and composed by Dean and Roy Acuff. It was released in September, 1961, and by the beginning of November it was number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Big Bad John" won Dean the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. "Big Bad John" was also the title of a 1990 television movie starring Dean. Jimmy Dean went on to work as an actor and appeared as Willard Whyte in the Bond film "Diamonds Are Forever".

He is best known today as the founder of the Jimmy Dean Food Company. "Goodbye, Liza Jane" was sung by W.P. Detherow. "One Way Out" is a blues song first recorded in 1961 by Sonny Boy Williamson II. "Johnny Remember Me" is British producer Joe Meek's first number one production.

The song was a 1961 UK hit for John Leyton and The Outlaws.

Other number one hits in 1961 were Del Shannon's "Runaway", "Travelin' Man" by Ricky Nelson, "Hit the Road, Jack" by Ray Charles and "Blue Moon" by the Marcels. A then-unknown group called the Beatles made their first appearance at Liverpool's Cavern Club in 1961.
7. In 1961 Elvis Presley was back making films after his stint in the Army. He released two films that year. In which film did Elvis portray the son of a plantation manager named Chad Gates?

Answer: Blue Hawaii

"Blue Hawaii" was Elvis' eighth film and his second 1961 release. It began production in March and hit theaters in November after a premier at a Honolulu theater. It costars Joan Blackman as his love interest Maile Duval and Angela Lansbury as his mother. Juliet Prowse was originally cast as Maile Duval but was replaced by Blackman before production began.

In the film Chad's parents manage the fictional Great Southern Hawaiian Fruit Company but Elvis prefers to work at a travel agency. The movie soundtrack became one of Elvis Presley's biggest selling albums, including such songs as "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Rock-a-Hula Baby".

In June of the same year "Wild in the Country" was released. "Follow That Dream" and "Girls, Girls, Girls" premiered the following year. "Girl Happy" was released in 1965. "The Guns of Navarone", "The Hustler", "The Parent Trap" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" were other top movies in 1961.
8. President John F. Kennedy began his presidency in 1961 after defeating Richard Nixon in 1960. He was an advocate of NASA. Which astronaut was the first American in space?

Answer: Alan Shepard, Jr.

The Russians actually won the space race when Yuri Gagarin was launched into space on April 12th, 1961. On May 5th Alan Shepard, Jr. made his 15-minute space flight. Virgil Grissom did his sub-orbital flight in July. John Glenn was the first astronaut to orbit the Earth and Neil was the first man to step on the surface of the moon. Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. started his military career on the destroyer USS Cogswell after graduation from Annapolis.

He was in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

He received his wings in 1947 and eventually achieved the rank of Rear Admiral. He commanded the Apollo 14 mission and was the fifth person to walk on the moon. He was descended from Mayflower passenger Richard Warren. Shepard passed away on July 21, 1998. If he bought a jar of Tang to take into space in 1961 he would have paid fifty-one cents. For those who were earthbound and mailed a letter the stamp cost four cents.
9. Which New York Yankee surpassed Babe Ruth's home-run record by hitting 61 home runs in the 1961 season?

Answer: Roger Maris

Because the season had been expanded to 162 games Commissioner Ford Frick insisted that an asterisk be placed next to Roger Maris' name after he beat Babe Ruth's home run record. Willie Mays hit four home runs in one game in 1961 for the San Francisco Giants. Clemente and Cash went head-to-head during the 1961 season for batting average honors. Pittsburgh's Clemente hit .351 and Cash attained a .361 batting average playing for Detroit.

In 1961 major-league baseball expanded for the first time in over 50 years when the American League grew to ten teams.

In Indy news A. J. Foyt won his first Indy 500 just three years after making his first appearance at the event. Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to their third straight NBA championship and took home the MVP award.
10. Which of these was NOT introduced in 1961?

Answer: Tab

Nestlé introduced Coffee-Mate in 1961. It was the first powdered non-dairy creamer. The round ball in the IBM Selectronic typewriter gradually made the old typewriters a thing of the past after 1961. Sprite was introduced by Coca-Cola in 1961. It was produced to challenge the popularity of 7-Up.

The diet soft drink Tab was introduced by Coca-Cola's Fanta division in 1963. Tab became the second highest selling diet cola behind Diet-Rite Cola. If you were concerned about your weight you could read "Calories Don't Count" introduced in 1961 by Dr.

Herman Taller. If you wanted a snack with your soda you could get a Bird's Eye frozen dinner for forty-nine cents or four Pillsbury cake mixes for a dollar. Bread was twenty-five cents a loaf.
Source: Author shanteyman

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