January 12 Birthdays Trivia Quiz

Answer: Edmund Burke

Originally, Edmund Burke was behind the French Revolution, but when Parisian women stormed Versailles, he turned against the entire ordeal. In a response to Charles-Jean-Francois Depont's plea for his endorsement, Burke replied that "You may have subverted Monarchy, but not recover'd freedom." In a public condemnation, Burke announced that "they had completely pulled down to the ground their monarchy; their church; their nobility; their law; their revenue; their army; their navy; their commerce; their arts; and their manufacturers." His later work "Reflections of the Revolution in France" became the most influential work for modern conservatism, and therefore Burke is thought of as the father of Anglo-conservatism.

Answer: John Hancock

John Hancock was President of the Continental Congress in 1776, when the American colonies declared their independence from Britain on July 2. Two days later, the Declaration of Independence was adopted. According to legend, Hancock signed his name as he did so that King George III could read his name without glasses. However, the Declaration of Independence was not meant for King George, rather it was a justification of declaring independence from Britain to the colonists.

The original Declaration was most likely destroyed in the printing process used to create multiple copies to send around the (former) colonies. The first copies were all signed originally by Hancock because he was the President, so there was nothing for him to compare how big he should sign his name. The reason Hancock had the top and central spot was because of his position as President. Only Charles Thomson signed the Declaration before August 1776, and some delegates didn't sign it until years later, despite the famous painting by John Trumbull that would make onlookers think otherwise. Legends began to surface through the years of why Hancock's name was so large, but in reality the story is much less dramatic.

Answer: Jack London

Jack London's experiences early in life left him with a plethora of subjects to base his later books on. One of his first jobs was working the majority of the day at a cannery, and in order to get out of that work he bought a boat. He worked as an oyster pirate for a few months, and later joined the California Fish Patrol. Eventually, he ended up on the streets, and was sent to jail in Buffalo for vagrancy.

After London was forced to leave UC-Berkeley, he went to Alaska for the Gold Rush, but soon developed scurvy and could not find any gold. London died in November 1916.

Answer: Hermann Göring

During World War I, Herman Göring grew a liking to the new technology of aircraft. He finished training in 1915, and earned his first two kills before being injured in November 1916. When he returned to action, he earned the last of his 22 confirmed kills.

He earned several awards, including the Iron Cross, Zaehring Lion, Karl Friedrich Order, and the House Order of Hohenzollern. Following Germany's defeat, Göring and his men intentionally crashed their planes rather than surrender them, much like how navies scuttle their ships under the same circumstances.

Answer: Joe Frazier

Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali fought perhaps the most memorable trilogy in the history of boxing. The first, dubbed the "Fight of the Century," featured the 26-0 Joe Frazier against the 31-0 Muhammad Ali. Frazier was already the #1 boxer in the world (Ali was before Frazier but his refusal to enter the Army after being drafted cost him most of his #1 endorsements) but had not had any memorable fights to that point. Ali started the fight out quickly, but Frazier dominated most of the fight, and won by unanimous decision.

The second fight was not nicknamed, but Ali came back and avenged his loss nearly three years later. The rubber match was "The Thrilla in Manila," held in the Philippines. Ali was now holding the universal #1 status, and both had suffered two losses in their careers (Frazier had lost to George Foreman; Ali to Ken Norton). Ali knocked out Frazier in the 14th round, cementing his status as perhaps the greatest boxer in history. Joe Frazier was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1990 alongside Ali.

Answer: Kirstie Alley

Whilst Kirstie Alley made news in the latter part of her career for weight problems, she had a very successful acting career, especially before the year 2000. Her first major role was as Virgilia Hazard in Books I and II of the "North and South" miniseries.

She then earned a role on "Cheers" as Rebecca Howe, which she kept for 147 episodes. In 1988, she was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series at the Emmys, and was nominated at both the Emmys and Golden Globes for the same award from 1990-1993.

She won her sole award (for "Cheers") at both award shows in 1991. She was also nominated at both award shows for work on "David's Mother" (winning at the Emmys), and "Veronica's Closet."

Answer: Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh is well known for his controversial statements, but some made more noise than others. In 2003, Limbaugh worked for ESPN briefly on "Sunday NFL Countdown," where he remarked that Donovan McNabb was considered a great quarterback because "the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well." He was relieved soon afterwards. In 2006, he claimed that Michael J. Fox, a sufferer of Parkinson's disease, was "exaggerating the effects of the disease." Also, during the 2008 Presidential election primaries, he encouraged listeners to vote for Hillary Clinton over the favorite Barack Obama in order to create chaos in the Democratic Party.

Still, there is no questioning Limbaugh's impact on the conservative movement in America. He was one of the first one-sided talk show hosts (the Fairness Doctrine had required radio shows to produce both sides of a controversial issue) to reign over the air, and he began what would end up leading what would be a long domination of conservatives on radio.

Answer: Howard Stern

When he left terrestrial radio, the Howard Stern Show was the top non-politically based radio show in the nation. Despite all of its controversies, Stern actually did a great deed on December 7, 1994. Emilio Bonilla was listening to the show and called in from the George Washington Bridge connecting New Jersey and New York. Bonilla claimed that he was ready to commit suicide by jumping from the bridge, and Stern talked to him long enough so that police could come and take him into custody.

After that happened, Stern talked to several people at the scene (using Bonilla's cell phone), including two officers. Stern naturally made light of the issue - never completely convinced Bonilla was going to jump - and told the officers he expected to be given a citation and be called a hero.

Answer: Dominique Wilkins

Dominique Wilkins was drafted by the Utah Jazz in 1982, but was traded to the Atlanta Hawks before playing a game. The Jazz got Freeman Williams and John Drew in return for Wilkins, and in the end the Hawks easily got the better end of the deal. Williams was the #8 pick, and only played six seasons in the NBA. Drew was picked in the second round, but outperformed Williams by playing eleven seasons and making two All-Star games.

However, Wilkins played eleven and a half seasons with Atlanta, making nine All-Star games and seven All-NBA teams.

He won two championships during his career - a gold medal at the 1994 World Championships and a Euroleague Championship - but could not win an NBA Final. When he was elected into the Hall of Fame, Wilkins was second on the all-time scorers who had never won an NBA Championship, behind Karl Malone.

Answer: Heather Mills

Heather Mills met Alfie Karmal in 1986, and the two fell in love quickly. Mills was doing poorly, but Karmal paid for her to begin a modeling career, and she reached the final of the Cinzano Model of the Year Competition later that year. Mills asked Karmal to marry her, but he would only accept if she took care of her compulsive lying problems. One extreme example was that Mills claimed to have been kidnapped and assaulted sexually when only eight years old, but a neighbor who it actually happened to stated otherwise. Mills also apparently claimed the perpetrator (a pool boy) committed suicide, but it had never happened. The two got married after she got psychiatric help.

Mills went on a holiday in Croatia in 1990, but the Croatian War began soon afterwards. She helped several people escape the war, where she claimed there were "mines everywhere that weren't marked." Despite getting through the war effort unharmed, two years later she lost part of her leg while simply crossing a street in London. The police paid £200,000 but the motorcyclist was cleared of any wrongdoing, as he was responding to an emergency and reportedly had his lights and siren turned on.