It All Happened on July 18 (and so did I) Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. One thousand eight hundred ninety-nine years before I was born (64 A.D.), a great fire devastated Rome. What emperor reputedly fiddled while it burned?

Answer: Nero

The fire began near the Circus Maximus and some reports claim that Nero himself started the fire. Still others claim that Nero did NOT "fiddle while Rome burned", which is technically true since the fiddle was not invented until some years later.

2. One hundred thirty-three years before I was born (1830) a country in South America adopted its first constitution. What country, whose capital is Montevideo, was it?

Answer: Uruguay

Uruguay is populated heavily by people of European descent. However, people of African descent have lived in the country since long before the European peoples arrived. A traditional Uruguayan meal might consist of tira de asado (a barbecue dish) served with mate (tea) and followed by dulce de leche (a scrumptious sweet treat).

3. One hundred years before I was born (1863), my home country, the United States of America, was engaged in civil war. The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry made an assault on Battery Wagner on this date. What was significant about this unit?

Answer: it was the first formal African-American Union military unit

Battery Wagner was a fort on Morris Island, South Carolina just outside Charleston. The movie 'Glory' won an academy award for its depiction of the history of the 54th Massachussetts Volunteer Infantry and culminates in this historic battle.

4. Ninety years before I was born (1873) Oscar II was crowned king of Norway-Sweden. What are the current (2007) capitals of these two countries?

Answer: Oslo and Stockholm

Oscar II ruled as king of Norway-Sweden from Sept. 18, 1872 - Dec. 8, 1907. His official coronation ceremony was July 18, 1873. His motto was (in Norwegian of course) "The Welfare of the Brother Peoples". He held considerable stature internationally and was frequently called as an arbitrator in disputes. King Oscar II and his wife, Sophia of Nassau had four sons, Gustav, Oscar, Karl and Eugen.

5. Forty-five years before I was born (1938), an infamous pilot landed his plane in Ireland, the wrong destination. Who was this pilot?

Answer: Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan

Ryder, Harrison and Thompson are figments of my imagination. My apologies to anyone of the same name if there be anyone. Mr. Corrigan was indeed a pilot but apparently not very big on navigation. Following a flight from California to New York, he was to have returned to California.

However, he claimed that due to poor visibility and obstructed views of landmarks, he flew instead to Ireland. Although Corrigan never publicly admitted to having flown to Ireland intentionally, he had applied for permission on several occassions to make that flight.

It is assumed that he made a statement about governmental bureaucracy by making the flight. Corrigan was not just a prankster though, he made significant contributions to the field of aviation. He was one of the builders of the plane that Charles Lindbergh made famous, the Spirit of St. Louis.

6. I was three years old (1966) when the United States launched its 8th manned space flight. What was the name of the crew of the Gemini X spaceflight?

Answer: Young and Collins

Michael Collins (pilot) and John W. Young (command pilot) were the astronauts on the Gemini X spaceflight. The backup crew was Clifton C. Williams, Jr. (pilot) and Alan L. Bean (command pilot). Launched from Cape Canaveral on July 18, 1966, the mission lasted 2 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes.

The US Gemini flight program consisted of 12 missions and was implemented between the Mercury and Apollo programs.

7. When I was 6 years old (1969), a US Senator was involved in an automobile accident that cost the life of his passenger. What was the name of the island whose name lent itself to the incident?

Answer: Chappaquiddick

Sen. Ted Kennedy, brother of the late President John F. Kennedy, was returning from a party with Mary Jo Kopechne as his passenger. The car reportedly made a wrong turn onto an unlit road that led to a bridge with no guardrail and drove off the side into the water. Kennedy was able to swim free of the car, but sadly Kopechne was drowned.

The incident has haunted the term of Sen. Kennedy frequently since it occurred.

8. When I was 13 (1976), a young gymnast from Romania captivated audiences with her talent at the Olympic games held in Montreal. Who was this dynamic gymnast?

Answer: Nadia Comaneci

Nadia was the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in Olympic competition. She helped to popularize gymnastics worldwide. Nadia married fellow gymnast Bart Connor in her native country on April 27, 1996. They own a world-famous gymnastic facility in Norman, Oklahoma and have one son, Dylan Paul Connor, born 6/3/06.

9. The day I turned 21 (1984), a gunman opened fire at a fast food restaurant in San Ysidro, California killing 21 people and injuring 19 others before being killed by police. In what fast food chain did this tragedy occur?

Answer: McDonald's

41-year-old former welder, James Oliver Huberty, told his wife as he left for McDonald's that he was going "hunting humans" and had earlier made the remark that "society had its chance". He had been fired from his job as a security guard the week before. Tragically, his victims ranged in age from 74 years down to 8 months. McDonald's demolished the building and donated the property to the city and a community college was built there.

10. On my 35th birthday (1998), a 23-foot tidal wave slammed into an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, killing over 3,000 people. What is the name of this island nation whose capital is Port Moresby?

Answer: Papua New Guinea

PNG (Papua New Guinea) has hundreds of ethnic groups that have inhabited the area for thousands of years. Agriculture and exports form the main part of PNG's economy. The country consists of grasslands, rain forests, savannas and mountains and is roughly the size of the state of California in the United States.

A tidal wave, or tsunami, is generally caused by an undersea earth quake. The tidal wave that struck PNG in 1998 was generated from a 7.1 earthquake about 24 km offshore. It destroyed the villages of Arop and Warapu.

11. Sharing my birthday, but born 50 years before me (1913), was an American comedian and actor best known for his television show. Characters he created were Willie Lump-Lump, Cauliflower McPug and Clem Kadiddlehopper. Who was this American treasure?

Answer: Red Skelton

Red Skelton's characterizations became so well loved on radio that he was soon lured to television. He also created the characters of cross-eyed seagulls Heathcliff and Gertrude and the "mean widdle kid" Junior, who was known for saying "I dood it". Red Skelton lasted on American TV for approximately 20 years and he passed away Sept. 17. 1997.

12. Born on the same day as me, but 24 years prior (1939), was what American singer-songwriter who had hits with "The Wanderer" and "Runaround Sue"?

Answer: Dion DiMucci

Dion was born in Brooklyn, New York and began his career as Dion & The Belmonts. Dion and The Belmonts were part of the Winter Dance Party Tour along with Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens who were killed in a plane crash. In 1998, Dion was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

13. Arriving into this world 16 years ahead of me (1947) was what American entrepreneur, business magazine editor and former Presidential candidate?

Answer: Steve Forbes

Forbes ran unsuccessfully for the office of President of the United States in 1996 and 2000. He is president and CEO of the magazine which bears his name, Forbes. Steve and his wife Sabrina are parents to 5 daughters.

Buchanan is an author, columnist and host of CNN's Crossfire. Gurley Brown worked for Cosmopolitan for 32 years. Cavanaugh works for the L.A. Times.

14. I arrived on the 6th birthday (1957) of what star of the sport of golf? Hint: he is from England and has won 3 Open Championships and 3 US Masters titles.

Answer: Nick Faldo

For 98 weeks, Nick Faldo topped the Official World Golf Rankings. He was born in Welwyn Garden City, England and became a professional golfer in 1976. Faldo now is involved with golf course design.

15. On the day I turned 19 (1982), on the other side of the world was born Priyanka Chopra. This beautiful young woman would grow to become an actress and beauty queen. What pageant did Priyanka win in 2000?

Answer: Miss World

Priyanka won the title of Miss India World and went on to win Miss World 2000. Her father was in the army and she was partly educated in the USA, having attended schools in Massachussetts and Iowa. She has acted in several Bollywood films and has been nominated for and won many awards.

Now you, and I, know much more about what has happened on July 18 outside of the fact that I made my entry to this world. I learned a lot and sure hope you did, too. Oh, and don't forget to wish me a Happy Birthday every July 18! Thanks for playing my quiz and God bless!

Source: Author cat_brat63

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

We all know that ruby is the July birthstone and larkspur is the flower of July, but did you know what events in history took place on the same day I was born? Let's take a look at what has happened on July 18.

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