Famous People in "We Didn't Start The Fire" (2) Quiz

Answer:

"We Didn't Start The Fire" has a series of verses listing cultural and historic landmark events and personalities of the latter 20th century. And the chorus reminds us of the concept that many the conflicts around the world may seem like they were ignited by the current generation, but instead has actually been an ongoing pattern generation after generation. The song reached Number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and continues to get a lot of radio play as well as some parodies.

Rock Hudson, Che Guevara, Roger Maris, Abbott and Costello, Batista, Arafat are the names that are not among the famous people mentioned in this song's lyrics.

Richard Nixon and Marilyn Monroe are mentioned in the first verse, Nixon of course running against John F. Kennedy in 1960 for the U.S. Presidency but losing. And movie star sex symbol Marilyn Monroe would famously sing "Happy Birthday" to that man who defeated Nixon. Nixon would later ascend to the office on January 16, 1969 before resigning in scandal in 1974 after Watergate.

Joseph Stalin, Roy Cohn, Juan Perón, James Dean, Nasser and Prokofiev, Rockefeller, Campanella, Toscanini, Einstein, Bardot, Khrushchev, and Princess Grace all get mentioned in the verse coming right after the first chorus.

World leader Joseph Stalin led the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953, making them a major world power despite his reign featuring repression, human rights abuses, and millions of deaths by famine and purges.

Those purges of Stalin's were secretly denounced by Nikita Krushchev in 1956, at the 20th Party Congress. This ushered in the de-Stalinization phase of Russian politicos, hoping to reduce the cult of repression and promote more humane leadership in the Soviet Union. Krushchev would serve as Premier from 1958 to 1964.

Fellow world leader Juan Perón was a military officer and politician, and served as President of Argentina from 1946 to 1955 and again from 1973 until his death in 1974. But don't cry for him, he got to be elected three times so he had to be relatively beloved by his countrymen.

"Nasser and Prokofiev" had no link really, as Gamal Abdel Nasser was a world leader like Stalin, Krushchev and Perón, only Nasser was President of Egypt from 1956 until his death in 1970, where his legacy was bringing unity among Arab nations, while promoting culture and arts and the economy of Egypt.

Sergei Prokofiev was a renowned Soviet composer whose major works, including "Peter and the Wolf" and "Romeo and Juliet", signified him as one of the most important 20th century composers. His "Dance of the Knights" from "Romeo and Juliet" is sublime-in film school I made a music video of it using toy soldiers and monster dinosaurs. I called it, "It Came From Woolworth's".

Like Prokofiev, Arturo Toscanini was another brilliant leader in the world of classical music-he was an Italian conductor renowned for his intense style and contributions to music in the 20th century. He served as principal conductor of La Scala in Milan, music director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and conductor of the New York Philharmonic. Arturo Toscanini conducted Prokofiev's "Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25", aka the "Classical Symphony" for a live broadcast on November 15, 1947, with the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

Also in the arts and culture world, the song mentions actor James Dean who became a symbol of youthful rebellion for his performances in "East of Eden", "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant", receiving two posthumous Oscar nominations for them.
Along with Marilyn Monroe, film beauties Bardot and Princess Grace are mentioned. Brigitte Bardot was a French actress, singer, model and international sex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s, retiring in 1973 and becoming an animal rights activist.

Grace Kelly was one of Hollywood's most beautiful stars who also retired from acting after marrying Prince Rainier III of Monaco on April 18, 1956. Like Bardot, she became an outspoken rights activist, but for children's rights.

Rockefeller was also a key figure in charity-David Rockefeller of the banking Rockefeller family was a huge philanthropist, donating nearly $2 billion to various causes in education, public health, and the arts. He donated $100 million to the Museum of Modern Art and also donated to Rockefeller University and Harvard.

Roy Cohn was a prosecutor in the espionage trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, was chief counsel for Senator Joseph McCarthy, and became a mentor to Donald Trump in the 1970s, teaching him legal strategies and media manipulation.

Roy Campanella, like Jackie Robinson, was a key person in Major League Baseball's advancing in race relations as Campanella was one of the first Black athletes in the league. He played catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and was named the National League's Most Valuable Player three times (1951, 1953, and 1955).

Finally, Einstein was obviously a huge influence in science, but he became also a cultural symbol of intellectualism and creativity. His image became a recognizable figure in all spheres of civilization. His legacy continues as society debates humanity's future.