Here Lies (5) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator

Cleopatra, also known as 'Queen of the Nile' was the last Pharoah of Egypt. After she died, the Roman Empire began ruling Egypt and continued to do so for the next 600-odd years.

Though Cleopatra is known as being Egyptian, she was actually born into a Macedonian Greek family. She became the co-regent of Egypt after her father, Ptolemy XII, died in 51 BC. Over her 21- year rule, Cleopatra was successful (for the most-part) in turning a war-torn, bankrupt country into a country of peace and prosperity.

Cleopatra was famously married to two of her male sibings and had a love affair with Julius Caesar before she fell in love with Marc Antony. During their relationship she bore him three children, even though he was married to Octavia for political reasons. Antony eventually secured a divorce from Octavia in 32 BCE and married Cleopatra. In all, Antony and Cleopatra were together for 11 years.

A declaration of war on Cleopatra by the embittered Octavian - Octavia's brother - caused the subsequent Battle of Actium in 31 BC and this was the beginning of the end for both Antony and Cleopatra. Knowing they were about to be defeated, they both fled from the battle raging in Roman Greece but were separated on their way back to Eygpt.

In true 'Romeo and Juliet'-style, when Antony received news by a messenger that Cleopatra has died, he was distraught and stabbed himself with his own sword. When he received another message saying she was still alive, the barely-breathing Antony had himself carried to Cleopatra, where he finally died in her arms. Cleopatra lived just long enough to care for Marc Antony's body. When she discovered that Octavian was planning to parade her through Rome as a defeated Queen, Cleopatra chose to take her own life. Her death was purported to be by asp bite, though many historians believe it many have been by a poisonous ointment or by a sharp implement introducing poison to her body. Either way, it wouldn't have been a pleasant demise. I have been unable to find any information on Cleopatra's funeral and it is not known if she was mummified, however it is thought she would have been.

Octavian may have declared war on Antony and Cleopatra and certainly wasn't happy at Cleopatra taking her own life, however, he must have had some comprehension of the love this pair shared, as he did allow them to be buried properly together. Unfortunately (or fortunately - depending on how you look at it) their burial tomb, which is believed to be somewhere near Alexandria, was lost when the ancient city was hit by a tidal wave around 1,000 years ago. Naturally people have been searching for the tomb for centuries and with new technologies being invented every day, no doubt at some stage the tomb of this once great 'Queen of the Nile' and her beloved Roman husband will be found.

Answer: George Michael

George Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in East Finchley, UK, in June 1963. Unsurprisingly, with his birth name, his father was a Greek Cypriot. His mother, who died of cancer in 1997, was an English dancer.

When George formed a friendship at school with a man named Andrew Ridgeley and they discovered a shared passion for music, the stage was set for them forming a duo. Wham! was born in 1981 and continued until 1986, when it saw an amicable split. The duo had several big hits including 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' and 'Last Christmas'.

In regard to his sexuality, George said he fell into depression when he realised in the mid 80s that he wasn't bisexual, but gay. (And isn't that a sad sentence?)

Michael went on to have an incredible solo career and in his short lifetime won numerous music awards, including two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. He recorded a wealth of songs and sold more than 125 million records worldwide.

George, who had suffered from depression for many years, was found dead at his home by his boyfriend, Fadi Fawazon, on Christmas morning of 2016. His autopsy showed that George had dilated cardiomyopathy and a fatty liver. In the weeks before his death, people were concerned that he looked tired and bloated.

While tributes flowed in from all over the world, George's funeral was very small and very private. It was held in a chapel in London that was built in 1839 that seated just 30 people. Geri Halliwell, Spandeau Ballet's Martin Kemp, and Wham! partner, Andrew Ridgeley, attended the funeral.
George was buried in Highgate Cemetery in London, next to his mother. Sadly, and rather incredibly, his sister, Melanie, died on Christmas day exactly three years after George. She died of diabetic ketoacidosis at age 55 and was buried near George and his mother.

Answer: Rasputin

Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (also spelled Grigory) aka the 'Mad Monk' was born in January 1869 near Tyumen, Siberia. The son of peasant parents, he was the only one of seven children who managed to reach adulthood.

Rasputin was married and had seven children himself (only three of which reached adulthood) when he had a religious awakening which saw him leave his family to travel all over Russia as a 'holy man' in 1901. In 1905 he was introduced into Tsar Nicholas II's household where he proceeded to seemingly help the the son of Tsar Nicholas, Alexei, who was suffering acutely from haemophilia.

Alexei did appear to improve under Rasputin's care and therefore Rasputin became invaluable to Tsar Nicholas and his wife, Alexandra. But, unfortunately, Rasputin didn't just contain himself to looking after Alexei - instead he began exerting his influence on political decisions. This very much put him in the cross-hairs of the Russian elite. One of these was Felix Yusupov. Felix decided that he needed to show himself as a patriot and man of action, and at the same time, protect the throne from a malign influence. He and other nobles began plotting Rasputin's murder.

The murder itself happened in December 1917. It took a while: Rasputin was first poisoned at Moika Palace by Prince Yusupov. However, after realising the poison hadn't worked, Yusypov shot Rasputin in the back, leaving him for dead. On returning to check on the body, Rasputin grabbed Yusupov and attempted to strangle him. At that moment, other conspirators arrived and fired at Rasputin. After being hit three times in the back, he fell again. As the conspirators neared his body, they were amazed to find him still alive and struggling to get up, so they began clubbing him. They then bound his body, wrapped him in a carpet and threw him into the icy Neva River. At this point, Rasputin had been poisoned, shot four times, clubbed and submerged in a freezing-cold river while bound.

Amazingly, Rasputin's autopsy established that the cause of death was drowning; but that Rasputin's arms were found in an upright position, as if he had tried to claw his way out from under the ice.

Rasputin was buried under the orders of Empress Alexandra on December 22, 1916, in a chapel near Tsarskoye Selo palace in Saint Petersburg. Interred with him was an icon signed by the grand duchesses and their mother (all who would later be killed themselves less than two years later). In the following spring, after the February Revolution, a group of workers from Saint Petersburg exhumed Rasputin's body and then burned his remains.

Answer: Charlie Chaplin

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (or Charlie Chaplin) was born in 1889 in London to actor parents. Charlie, it has to be said, had a rough and traumatic childhood. His father, who was an alcoholic, left the family unit when Charlie was just one, and his mother had psychotic episodes that caused her to be in and out of asylums. As a result, Charlie spent much time in very bleak orphanages and workhouses. Nevertheless, Charlie did have the opportunity to act on stage when he was just five and by age nine, realised this was where he wanted his future to lie. He later joined the 'Eight Lancashire Lads', a clog-dancing act, and began touring music halls, working as an actor and comedian.

Charlie next secured a contract with the Fred Karno company, which gave him the opportunity to go to the U.S. Here he was signed to Keystone Studios in 1914, where he created his famous 'Little Tramp' persona. By 1918, he was not only one of the world's best known celebrities, but was also one of the highest paid - earning a staggering $670,000 a year. (About $13 million a year in today's terms.) In all, Charlie spent nearly 75 years of his life either writing, acting in, or directing some 80 films, many of which were silent. Some of his most memorable were 'The Great Dictator,' 'The Circus,' 'Limelight,' 'The Gold Rush' and 'City Lights'.

Charlie moved from the U.S. in 1952 after being accused of being a Communist (though Chaplin maintained he was a pacifist). He eventually settled in Switzerland after working in the UK for several years. In 1972, Charlie was offered an Honorary Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the U.S. At the gala event Charlie was honoured with a 12-minute standing ovation - the longest in the Academy's history. Three years later, in 1975, Charlie was then awarded the ultimate British honour - a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II. However, Charlie by now had very frail health, having suffered several minor strokes. Too weak to kneel, he had to receive the honour while in his wheelchair.

Sadly, on Christmas day 1977, Charlie had a stroke that took his life. He was 88 years old. He had a small, private funeral and then was buried in Corsier-sur-Vevey cemetery in Switzerland. But this wasn't quite the end of the 'Little Tramp'. Just a few months later, in March 1978, two characters by the names of Roman Wardas and Gantcho Ganev, dug Charlie's coffin (and body) up and hid them. They then tried to extort money from Charlie's widow, Oona Chaplin, who had been left $100 million by Chaplin. In May, the pair were caught after a large police operation was conducted. Charlie's coffin was luckily located in the nearby village of Noville, and Charlie was once more interred in the Corsier cemetery - but this time in a reinforced concrete vault. (I wonder if Charlie Chaplin would have been horrified or amused at this rather farcical turn of events?)

Answer: Steve McQueen

Terrance Steven McQueen (Steve McQueen) was born in 1930 in Indiana, U.S, to a single mother (his father left months before Steve was even born). With a name like McQueen, he was unsurprisingly of Scottish descent. Steve had an unsettled childhood. He was moved to a farm his grandparents ran and then back to Indianapolis numerous times during his childhood.

Dyslexic and partially deaf, Steve had problems with school and soon was running with street gangs whenever he was with his mother and his step father, who Steve hated as he was abusive towards Steve. As a youth, Steve worked as a real life getaway driver and a pimp. At one point he had to work for 30 days in a chain gang for vagrancy when he ran away.

Then, when he was 17, McQueen joined the marines. After a rough start here because of his undisciplined attitude, he settled down considerably. At one point he was even assigned to the honor-guard responsible for guarding US President Truman's presidential yacht.

In 1952 he started studying acting in New York, and it was here he discovered a love of motorbikes (particularly Triumphs and Harley Davidsons) and racing. Three years later he moved to Los Angeles and it was here his career took off. He starred in such films as 'The Magnificent Seven,' 'The Great Escape,' 'Bullitt,' 'Papillon' and 'The Towering Inferno', amongst many others.

Steve developed a very persistent cough in 1978 and a year later a biopsy revealed that he had pleural mesothelioma - a cancer that is associated with asbestos exposure. He is thought to have got this when he was working in asbestos removal while in the marines. Two years later, and despite some very radical treatments in Mexico, he tragically died of a heart attack 12 hours after surgery to remove a huge tumour on his liver.

Steve had a small private funeral in Los Angeles, after his body was flown back from Mexico in a Lear jet. He was then cremated and his ashes spread over the Pacific ocean. Unfortunately there is no gravesite or marker for the man who went from rags to riches - becoming the highest earning actor in the world in 1974.

Answer: Neil Armstrong

I think it would be fair to say that any adult American who has not heard of Neil Armstrong may have just landed on planet earth! As ex-president Barack Obama said at Neil's funeral, 'Neil was among the greatest of American heroes - not just of his time, but of all time.'

Neil Armstrong was born in Ohio in 1930 and joined the navy as a teenager. By the age of 19, he was a midshipman and at age 20 he became a naval aviator. After serving as a pilot in the Korean War, he completed a bachelor degree in aeronautical engineering. By the age of 32 he was working for NASA and by age 35 he was NASA's first civilian astronaut to fly in space, as the command pilot of Gemini 8.

Neil once had a very close call when he was training for the Apollo 11 mission.
He was forced to eject from the LLRD (Lunar Landing Research Vehicle) just moments before it crashed to earth from 60m (200ft) up. Later analysis showed that had he ejected half a second later than he did, his parachute could not have opened in time - and our history lessons would have been very different indeed. Even though Neil was very nearly killed, it didn't stop his passion and on 20 July 1969, and at the age of 38, he became the first human in the (known) universe to step onto the surface of the moon.

After this momentous event, Neil, who stated that he didn't plan to go into space again, went into teaching, becoming a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. In 1985 he joined Sir Edmund Hillary on an expedition to the North Pole, saying he had seen it from space, but was curious to see what it would look like from the ground. He was also commissioned by NASA on occasion. His most notable role in this regard was to help in the investigation of the 1986 Challenger disaster.

Neil had coronary bypass surgery on August 7th, 2012 at the age of 82. Though he seemed to be recovering well from this, just a few weeks later, on August 25, he died from complications. His family knew Neil as a 'reluctant hero' and instead of having a state funeral, they chose what they believed this humble man would prefer - a small private funeral in Cincinnati. His body was then cremated and his remains were taken aboard the USS Philippine Sea. Here, with great ceremony, the ashes of Neil were scattered into the Atlantic Ocean. A public memorial was held at the National Cathedral in Washington DC in September 2012 and after tributes had been made, a slow and solemn version of the song 'Fly Me to the Moon' was played.

Answer: Jerry Springer

Gerald Norman Springer was born in London in an underground bomb shelter (Highgate Station) in 1944 to parents who were German refugees. At age four, his parents emigrated to the U.S. In 1965, at the age of 21, Springer earned a B.A from Tulane University, majoring in political science - something he became interested in at the age of 12 when he saw JFK on television during the 1956 Democratic National Convention.

After working with JFK as a political campaign adviser until Kennedy's death, he became a lawyer. Though he had high political aspirations, his political success really peaked when he became the Mayor of Cincinnati in 1977. Springer, who was also interested in journalism and broadcasting, set up the Jerry Springer show in 1991, which, for the first three years, was a politically-oriented talk show. At that time he had guests such as Oliver North and Jesse Jackson.

He then revamped the show to focus on tabloid sensationalism. The show eventually became renowned for having the general public as guests. Shouting, arguments and the occasional fist fight became the order of the day and security intervention was often required. The show concluded in 2018.

Jerry Springer, who had pancreatic cancer, apparently suffered only for a short time before he succumbed to the disease in April 2023. He was 79 years old. Springer had a private funeral in Chicago three days after his death. Buried in an undisclosed location in the suburbs of Chicago, he knew before he died what he wanted written on his tombstone. On his Jerry Springer show, before going to a commercial break he would say 'I will be right back'. For his tombstone he wanted the words: 'I won't be right back.'

Answer: Matthew Perry

Matthew Langford Perry was born in August 19, 1969, and was an American/Canadian actor. His greatest claim to fame was most probably for his role as Chandler Bing on the long-running sitcom 'Friends'. However, Matthew, an accomplished actor, was also known for his leading roles in films such as 'The Whole Nine Yards,' 'Fools Rush In,' 'Almost Heroes,' '17 Again,' 'Serving Sara' and 'The Whole Ten Yards'.

Matthew's mother, Suzanne, was a Canadian journalist, who was once a press secretary to Pierre Trudeau - the Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. His father, John, enjoyed a career as an American model, turned actor. However, the relationship fell apart early on and John and Suzanne separated when Matthew was just one.

Matthew became a bit of a terror when he was aged around 10. He started smoking, stealing and and bullying other classmates - one of these apparently being the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. He started consuming alcohol at the age of 14. At the age of 15, he moved from Ottawa (where he'd be living with his mother) to L.A., where he began living with his father. It was here that Matthew undertook acting lessons and three years later, in 1987, he graduated at age 18. For the next few years he landed quite a number of TV roles, but it was in 1994 that his big break came in the form of 'Friends'.

Matthew, unfortunately, had issues with alcohol pretty much from the age of 14. Then, in 1997, after a jet-skiing accident, he became addicted to Vicodin. He became so addicted that at one stage, he was taking as many as 55 Vicodin a day. In 1999, at the age of thirty, he was admitted to a medical centre for alcohol-induced pancreatitis. Two years later, in 2001, he sought in-patient rehabilitation for his addictions to not only alcohol, but also methadone and amphetamines. His issues, unfortunately, continued to plague his life. In 2021, Matthew said that he estimated that he'd spent $9 million on his addiction problems (Including stomach surgeries, rehab and therapy). He went on to say he'd attended somewhere in the region of 6,000 A.A. meetings.

Sadly, this sort of life wasn't sustainable, and Matthew was found unresponsive in his hot-tub in LA in October 2023, and was later pronounced dead at just 54 years old. His death shocked and saddened many of his fans worldwide. His funeral was held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. A memorial service, held at the Forest Lawn Church of the Hills, was attended by his five 'Friends' co-stars as well as other family and friends. The burial itself, in the Courts of Remembrance, was attended by close family only. The service concluded with the song 'Don't Give Up' by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush - one of Matthew's favourites.

Answer: Karen Carpenter

Karen Carpenter was born in 1950 in New Haven, Connecticut. She moved to Downey, California with her family - her mother, father and her only sibling, Richard - when she was 13 years old. Richard had developed an interest in music at a very young age, and was in fact, a piano prodigy. The move to California was in part to help Richard's chances of a career. While Richard was a piano prodigy, it was also obvious from a fairly young age that Karen was both a talented drum player and an excellent singer. Before long, the two were performing together as a duo, and in 1969, A&M Records signed them up as the Carpenters.

The Carpenters went on to have great success, producing such hits as 'Rainy Days and Mondays', 'Top of the World', 'Close to You', 'Yesterday Once More', 'Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft', 'Ticket to Ride' and a host of others. Since their inception, they have sold over 100 million records.

Karen started dieting in 1967 when she was still at high school. She weighed 67kg and said she was 'tired of being fat'. On getting encouragement from friends on how good she looked after her weight loss, she took to dieting very seriously and continued to diet for the rest of her adult life. However, she became obsessed with her weight and combined dieting with using a vomit-inducing drug called 'Ipecac' to keep the weight off. She was also, allegedly, at some point, taking10 thyroid pills a day to increase her metabolism. In September of 1982, Karen weighed just 77lbs (35kg).

Karen was only 32 years old when she collapsed in the closet of her bedroom at her parent's home on February 4, 1983. She died a short time later at a nearby hospital. Her autopsy showed her death was caused by 'emetine cardiotoxicity due to or as a consequence of anorexia nervosa'. Her blood sugar level was measured at 1,110 milligrams per decilitre, which was apparently more than ten times the average.

Her death was devastating for her brother Richard and her parents. They confessed that while they wanted to help Karen, they didn't know how. Though the term 'anorexia nervosa' had been coined in the 19th century, few people outside of medical circles had really heard of it until a book was published by Hilde Bruch, a psychoanalyst, in 1978.

Karen's funeral in California was attended by nearly a 1000 people, including Dionne Warwick, Toni Tennille and Olivia Newton-John. Just prior to her funeral, a soloist played a medley of the Carpenter's hits. During the funeral, Rev. Charles Neal, her childhood minister, spoke the words: 'On the day you were born, the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true', which most fans will recognise as being some of the lyrics to 'Close to You'.

Karen was originally buried (on Tuesday 8th February, 1983) at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress, California. However, in around 2003, her remains and those of her parents were moved to a new location - the Carpenter family mausoleum at Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California.

Answer: Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong was born on Boxing Day in 1893 in the Hunan Province, and was the son of a peasant farmer - who was also a strict disciplinarian. In his teenage years Mao briefly served as a soldier in Republican army, taking part in a revolution that overthrew the Qing dynasty. At just 16 years old, he adopted Marxism-Leninism while working as a librarian at Peking University. Two years later, in 1921, he became a founding member of the CCP - the Chinese Communist Party. Six years after this, in 1927, he led a small peasant army against local landlords in what became known as the 'Autumn Harvest Uprising'. Though this failed, it gave him the impetus to recruit troops for the Communist military - and this was the start of the Red Army. In 1949, Mao established the People's Republic of China - with himself as the Chairman.

While Mao might have thought he had the right ideas for the Chinese people, his actions achieved quite the opposite. His 'Great Leap Forward' for example, which occurred between 1958-1962, was meant to 'communize agriculture and speed industrial growth'. What it actually did, was to cause the deaths of an estimated 30 million due to starvation. It also left the Chinese economy in ruins. In fact, all up, during Mao's 27 year regime, it is estimated that around 78 million Chinese people died. Apart from starvation, they died from mass executions, and the effects of prison labour and persecution. This made Mao one of the largest mass-murderers in history, surpassing Stalin and Hitler.

Mao died, aged 82, in 1976 of a heart attack. His last words were reported as 'I feel ill. Call the doctors'. Having read up quite a lot about Mao (Wild Swans is a very good read), all I can say is that Mao was quite a polarising figure - some revered him, while others despised him.

Against his wishes, Mao wasn't cremated - rather the reigning officials decided he was to be embalmed and displayed in a glass coffin. Apparently, doing this would (quote): "Inspire the people into applying his instruc­tions supporting Marxist-Leninism and into carrying through the proletarian revolution."

If you ever feel like visiting Chairman Mao, his address is: Mao's mausoleum, Tiananmen Square, Beijing. You can visit at any time, except Mondays. (Oh, one last thing, you might have a bit of waiting time... apparently about 30,000 people visit him - every DAY!)