Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. On January 15, 1947, the severed and otherwise mutilated corpse of a young woman was found in an empty lot in Los Angeles. The body (parts) had been 'posed' (legs spread and and her arms placed above her head - something like that of a child making a snow angel). Her face had been carved, yielding a gruesome "smile" that went from ear-to-ear. She was identified through fingerprints and forever became known as 'The Black Dahlia' - but her name was actually Elizabeth Short. Theories abound as to what happened to this young woman but the case remains unsolved and open to this day. One of the following is NOT a solution considered. Which one?
2. He-man Hollywood actor Albert Dekker was found dead in his bathroom in 1968. Speculations swirl about this case for many reasons. Dekker was the picture of health, happiness, and overall good fortune and finding his demise like he did (dead in his bathtub with no wounds appearing fatal) seemed peculiar for this hearty 63-year old fellow. While it is evenly AND boldly improbable, what was finally named Albert Dekker's 'official cause of death'?
3. Let's address the fiendish (or was she?) Susan Leigh Vaughn Smith. Most say she was a monster who drowned her two little sons and I am with the majority on this one. Actually there is no question that the boys died at the hand of their Mother but many interesting, disturbing, and 'maybe this-or-that happened' scenarios which might help to at least explain such a tragedy surfaced in 1993. Which of the following has been said about this case?
4. On July 18, 1984 a man named James Oliver Huberty (an unemployed Vietnam veteran in California) took a short stroll from his apartment and entered a nearby McDonald's restaurant. 77 minutes later he had spent 257 rounds from a veritable arsenal on his person into the crowd of unsuspecting diners (most of which were Mexican or Mexican-American), leaving 21 dead and 19 wounded. Easy enough to say he was a madman but, as is fashionable in modern history, one can't be crazy without a cognizant reason. Which of the following was NOT given as even a flimsy excuse for this murderer?
5. On June 29, 1978 the body of a rather popular and well liked TV actor was found brutally murdered in his hotel room, beaten mercilessly with a blunt instrument about his head and with the cord of a VCR wrapped tightly around his neck (although it was determined he was already dead when it was tightened there). Robert Crane, forever reknowned for his starring role in "Hogan's Heroes" - a rather unexpected comedy hit set in a German POW camp - left behind a long trail of unanswerable questions and a rather unsettling string of facts after his homicide. Which of these is NOT true about the whole horrific Crane story?
6. The body of JonBenet Ramsey was found in the basement of her family's upscale home in Boulder, Colorado on December 26, 1997. She was only 7. Her tiny corpse, fully clothed, was discovered wrapped in a blanket with a white cord wrapped around her neck with a broken paintbrush handle attached which served as a means to tighten its grip (just a makeshift garrotte). Head trauma was evident as well. That's really all that is 'for certain' about this case because the police bungling and the media circus turned the tragedy into an enormous travesty. It seemed back then the most unnerving focus came in that the girl was a child beauty pageant contestant [Is that exploitation? Was it the motive?]. It was horrific - and the direction of solving the crime naturally got blurred as it went. Many things have been suggested loudly about the case. Which of the following ISN'T one that came up?
7. Salvatore Mineo, Jr. was on top of the Hollywood game in the 1950s, earning two Oscar nominations by the time he hit 21 (for "Rebel Without A Cause" and "Exodus"). His screen persona was generally that of a confused, albeit sensitive, juvenile delinquet and his real life was a bit of a roller coaster as well. He was stabbed in the heart and murdered behind an apartment building in West Hollywood in 1976 but the killer was found eventually (that the thug bragged about doing it while incarcerated for bad checks sped things up nicely). In his early career Sal Mineo had a nickname which was widely used in the press. What was it?
8. November 22, 1963 was a day of infamy, chaos, large historical relevance and global sadness - John F. Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas, Texas. The next day his alleged assassin was assassinated live on national television. Again here, the stories/beliefs in what actually happened behind the scenes and prior to event(s) that day differ depending on who you ask. Some say Lee Harvey Oswald worked alone as Kennedy's killer. Some think there was a conspiracy so complex that Oswald and Jack Ruby, who eliminated Oswald, were just pawns in a bizarre plot to stop Kennedy in his tracks. None of the three men, each now morbidly associated together in the bloody pages of history, can shed any light now. One of these answers is true about the fateful and doomed trio - all facts in a sea of possibilities. Which?
9. Dr. Betty Shabazz, the widow of activist Malcolm X, perished when her apartment in Yonkers, New York caught fire in June 1997. Actually, she died after a few days in critical condition since the injuries sustained were massive. There was only one other person in her flat that night - she managed to name the person when the rescuers showed up. Who was her guest? And what was the final outcome of this tragedy?
10. The lead actress in a western TV show which lasted some 25 years was born Beverly Louise Neill in 1929. I won't tell you what her stage name became just yet nor will I reveal the character she made famous for 19 years in duration at the moment - but think 'Long Branch Saloon' and Dodge City. She was a beautiful woman (sometimes referred to as 'The New Greer Garson'). She died prematurely at the age of 60 and the facts about her death were cloaked in mystery and public relations for years. How did this actress die and would it be correct to call it murder?
Source: Author
Gatsby722
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
DakotaNorth before going online.
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