Blood, Sweat and Tears Trivia Quiz

Answer: Blood

Bismarck gave a speech known as "Blood and Iron" ("Blut und Eisen" in German) in 1862, when he was the head of the Prussian government. The speech concerned the ability of the various German city-states to wield power, especially in light of the neighboring Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bismarck's speech ended with this famous line: "Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great questions of the day be decided-that was the great mistake of 1848 and 1849-but by iron and blood."

Answer: Blood

Elizabeth Bathory (1560-1614) was of Hungarian noble birth. Legends written more than a century after her death included the theme that she murdered young women and bathed in their blood to retain her own youth and youthful appearance.

Answer: Blood

Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950) was an American leader in the field of blood donation, storage in blood banks, and transfusions for those injured or undergoing surgery. Drew's work started in earnest in 1940, and his first blood donation and banking program supported the British war effort.

He started the first American Red Cross Blood Bank in 1941, supporting the U.S. war effort. He resigned from the Red Cross in 1942 in protest of the policy of segregating the blood of African Americans and Whites (Drew was African American). Drew died in a car crash in 1950.

Answer: Sweat

In the first televised presidential debate in September 1960, Vice President Nixon was thin and pale after a two-week hospital stay, wore no make-up, and was visibly sweaty. This, in contrast to the young and well-put-together Jack Kennedy, caused many to doubt Nixon and gave the debate "win" to Kennedy.

Answer: Tears

A photo of Michael Jordan crying at his induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 became a famous meme titled "Crying Jordan" or "Crying MJ". The image of the tear-streaked Jordan is usually used to mock large losses in either the sports world or other fields.

There is even a Crying Jordan Meme Generator app for those that have a continuing need to express themselves with this image.

Answer: Sweat

Number one on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) list of "Sweatiest Movies of all Time" is the 1967 prison movie "Cool Hand Luke" starring Paul Newman in the title role. A rural prison farm in the deep American South where the men work in chain gangs on road maintenance crews generates a lot of sweat, apparently more than other IMDB choices such as "Das Boot" and "In the Heat of the Night".

Answer: Tears

In a famous 1971 "Keep America Beautiful" TV commercial and print ad, a landscape strewn with garbage and pollutants is viewed by an American Indian figure. As the silent figure faces the viewer, a single tear is coursing down his cheek. "Iron Eyes Cody" was born Espera Oscar de Corti of Italian parents and played many roles as an Indigenous American despite having no actual ancestry with that culture.

Answer: Tears

Latin for "Tears of Christ", a wine produced near Mt. Vesuvius in Italy is called "Lacryma Christi" and is protected by a European Union Declaration of Conformity, meaning that term can only be used for a specific wine from that region. At least two legends support the name for the wine, which in the pre-Christian era was known as "Greek Wine", and both of course involve Jesus crying and his tears either enriching the land or turning directly into the wine.

Answer: Sweat

The infamous sweatshop in New York City caught fire in 1911 and 145 employees died, mainly because the main exit door was locked. The owner was accused of locking the door to prevent theft, but was found not guilty in a criminal trial. Many civil suits were filed, and the owner ended up paying an average of $75 to each family of the dead employees.

Answer: Tears

The 1992 movie stars Tom Hanks as a washed-up baseball player that is relegated to coaching a women's baseball team during WW2. One of the most memorable quotes comes after he yells at a player for making a mistake and she begins crying - "There's no crying in baseball!" The line has passed into common usage meaning "toughen up" or "stop complaining".