Flyin' Ryan Trivia Quiz

Answer:

This brief biography of Jack Ryan, who first appeared in Tom Clancy's "The Hunt for Red October" (1984), is taken from the novels in the series. It should be noted that there are some significant differences between the books and those "facts" that appear in the movie versions and television series.

Jack Ryan was born in Baltimore in 1950 to Emmet Ryan, a Baltimore homicide lieutenant, and Catherine Ryan, who had a career as a nurse. He attended Boston College where he earned a degree in economics with a minor in history. Curious and studious, he also passed a Certified Public Accountant's exam while awaiting his acceptance into the Marine Corps.

A helicopter crash off the coast of Crete saw him seriously injure his back, cutting short his military career. The crash, along with the death of his parents in an air accident almost a year and a half later, instilled a fear of flying in young Ryan.

Discharged from the Marine Corps, he takes on a job as a stockbroker on Wall Street with the Merrill Lynch organization, where he makes a small fortune, aided by a tip-off from a client. He is invited to dinner with Joe Mueller, the firm's senior Vice President and it is here that he meets Joe's daughter Catherine, who is destined to become a gifted ophthalmic surgeon. The pair fall in love and marry.

During their courting Jack has a recurrence of his back injury. Through her connections at John Hopkins Hospital, Cathy introduces Jack to a famed neurosurgeon who cures Jack's chronic back condition. Jack and Cathy would have four children, up to the release of "Act of Defiance" (2024).

Now for a quick peek at the stories that make up this quiz:
A Soviet submarine captain appears to have gone rogue and has absconded with his country's cutting edge submarine in "The Hunt for Red October" (1984). While the Soviets are chasing the submarine, Ryan is racing against time to prove that the Soviet skipper is looking to defect, rather than preparing to launch a nuclear attack on the USA.

In "Patriot Games" (1987), Ryan becomes the target of an Irish terrorist group after foiling their plot to kidnap the Prince and Princess of Wales in London.

"Clear and Present Danger" (1988) sees Ryan elevated to the position of Acting Deputy Director of the CIA; in the process, he uncovers a covert war being conducted by members within the Agency against the Colombian drug cartels. Ryan is no longer "acting" in "The Sum of All Fears" (1989) he is now the Deputy Director of the CIA, and he finds himself in the midst of a Middle Eastern plot that aims to create a war between the USA and the Soviet Union.

An internal cabal takes over the Japanese government in "Debt of Honor" (1994) with the aim of starting their own war against the USA but, standing in the way of their plans, is Jack Ryan who is now his country's National Security Advisor.

Not content to sit still, in "Executive Order" (1996), a book that was dedicated to the late President Ronald Reagan, Ryan finds himself as the President of the United States.

"Red Rabbit" (2002) goes back in time to a period set just before the happenings in "Patriot Games". Here, Ryan is a CIA analyst who winds up assisting in the defection of a Soviet communications officer who has learned of a plot, by his own people, to assassinate the Pope.

"Dead or Alive" (2010) follows a group known as The Campus on the hunt for a Middle East terrorist known as The Emir. The story draws on a range of characters from the "Ryan-verse", including Jack, now the former President, and his son, Jack Jr.

"Locked On" (2011) follows on from "Dead or Alive", once again following the cell known as The Campus, who are looking to defuse a nuclear threat to the USA, while Ryan is in the midst of a campaign to become the US President for a second term. That leads us into "Threat Vector" (2012) with President Ryan working hard to avert a conflict brewing in the South China Sea.