Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The "Father of the Computer" failed to build his proposed computer, the Difference Engine. He was given Ł1,700 by the British government in 1823 to construct it; 19 years later, the government had paid ten times this initial amount and the project was abandoned as unsuccessful. Who is he?
2. This man was Vice President to Bill Clinton, received a Nobel Peace Prize and was awarded a Grammy for his book "An Inconvenient Truth". However, he failed in his attempt in 2000 to become president, losing to George W. Bush. Who is he?
3. This British suffragette died in 1913, killed by George V's horse in a Derby protest. Despite her full-time activism for the last seven years of her life, she did not see the achievement of suffrage: it would be another 15 years before women over 21 received the vote in Britain. Who is she?
4. This highly-decorated German swimmer failed to get a gold medal at four successive Olympics, instead walking away from events between 1992 and 2004 with four silver and six bronze medals. Who is this swimmer?
5. This Renaissance polymath tried to invent a perpetual motion machine, making at least four different designs before giving up in disgust. After his failure, he correctly deduced that the invention was impossible, and even guessed at a physical result later called Newton's Third Law. Who is he?
6. Rarely disputed to be the strongest female chess player in history, this woman from Hungary broke Bobby Fischer's record for youngest Grandmaster at age 15. However, when competing for the FIDE World Chess Championship in 2005, she finished last. Who is she?
7. This astronaut commanded Apollo 13, the American mission that failed to land on the moon, but did succeed in returning all of its crew safely to Earth. He was played by Tom Hanks in the film "Apollo 13". Who is he?
8. After a childhood injury, this author was unable to walk for the rest of her life, or even stand up without a crutch. Her reliance on horse-drawn carriages helped develop a passion for animal welfare that is the theme of her book "Black Beauty". Writing it in declining health in her 50s, she needed help from her mother to transcribe her prose. Within six months of the book's publication, she had died. Who is she?
9. Perhaps the most incredible mathematician of all time lived much of his short life in poverty, having lost a scholarship and then twice failed to obtain a degree due to poor academic results. Unappreciated by most mathematicians of his era, he died aged 32. Who is this man, the subject of "The Man Who Knew Infinity"?
10. This artist was very unsuccessful in his lifetime. He failed his university entrance exam to a theology course, and at art school became ill and left after being asked to repeat a year. Tragically, his life was filled with mental health problems: he mutilated his ear, was sent to an asylum, and eventually died by suicide. Yet today his beautiful artworks are some of the most expensive in the world. Who is he?
Source: Author
AdamM7
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gtho4 before going online.
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