January 15 Birthdays Trivia Quiz

Answer: Frederick Stanley

Stanley had seven sons, two of whom created a hockey team called the Ottawa Rideau Hall Rebels after watching the new game at the 1889 Winter Carnival in Montreal. One of them, Arthur Stanley, also helped create the Ontario Hockey Association. As Lord Stanley became more and more interested in the sport, he was persuaded by his sons to donate a trophy to a challenge cup for the best amateur hockey team in Canada.

The Stanley Cup, which at the time cost less than $50, switched leagues over the next few decades until ending up in the National Hockey League, which awards the trophy (or at least the namesake of the trophy, as the original was retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame) to its champion to this day.

Answer: Pierre S. du Pont

Only two years after graduating from MIT with a degree in chemistry, Pierre and his cousin Francis Gurney du Pont created the first American smokeless gunpowder in the family tradition. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (now known as simply DuPont) began as a gunpowder mill in the early 1800s, and 100 years later Pierre and two other cousins - Alfred I. and T. Coleman - bought DuPont and made it a huge corporation, thanks partly to munitions contracts in World War I. Now, DuPont is one of the largest chemical companies in the world, having created such polymers as Neoprene, Teflon, Mylar, Kevlar, and Freon.

Answer: Aristotle Onassis

Aristotle Onassis earned his first million dollars before 1930 through a mix of legal and illegal activities involving his own tobacco company in Argentina. Through bribery, he was able to avoid massive taxation from Greek authorities on his shipping, allowing him to build up a shipping empire.

However, perhaps his most famous ship was his own yacht, "Christina," named after his daughter. It was originally a surplus navy vessel after World War II, and he spent millions renovating it into one of the most famous boats in the world.

Answer: Edward Teller

During his work on the Manhattan Project, Teller became known for his thorny personality, mostly due to his insistence on working on the hydrogen bomb, which at the time was a some steps ahead of the atomic bomb developed at Los Alamos. While there, he would bicker with his colleagues, refuse to do certain calculations, and played instruments at night that kept others awake - all while still contributing to the project.

After the war, Teller and Ulam put out a report that created the Teller-Ulam design in 1951, and by 1952 the United States had detonated the first thermonuclear hydrogen bomb.

In 1955, he wrote a magazine article stating that he was not the only one to credit for creating the bomb, but later claimed full credit.

Answer: Lloyd Bridges

Despite serving in the US Coast Guard during World War II, Bridges came under fire from the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) from being part of the Actors' Lab, which offered returning GIs a college education under the GI Bill of Rights. The Lab was investigated as an alleged "hub of Communist activity," and Bridges was temporarily blacklisted by Hollywood.

After helping inform for the FBI, he was cleared and began acting once more.

Answer: Gamal Abdel Nasser

Gamal Abdel Nasser was solely focused on promoting what was in the best interests of Egypt and Arab nations as a whole. Because of this, he shied away from favoring either side of the Cold War, causing the West to break off funding for the Aswan High Dam.

In response, Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, moving farther away from the West. After the Suez Crisis, his position was affirmed among the region, despite the fact that Israeli, French, and British forces had all but destroyed the Egyptian armies. Political pressure caused them to withdraw, and Nasser was a hero to the region.

Answer: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day met stiff opposition when it was first proposed to Congress in 1979, 11 years after he was assassinated. The only two other people to receive a holiday from the US government were George Washington and Christopher Columbus, so many wondered if King could match their accomplishments. Beginning in 1980, a petition to recognize the holiday garnered six million signatures, resulting in it being signed into law in 1983 and first observed in 1986, to be celebrated on the third Monday in January.

However, that was not the end of the drama, as several states opposed enacting the holiday. Arizona governor Evan Mecham rescinded the holiday before it was to be observed for the first time in 1986, with the support of Senator John McCain. After the NFL refused to play the Super Bowl in the state because of their stubbornness, the citizens of Arizona voted it a holiday in 1992. New Hampshire celebrated Civil Rights Day in place of Fast Day, before its named was changed to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Finally, South Carolina signed a bill to make the day a paid holiday in 2000, making January 15, 2001, which would have been King's 72nd birthday, the first time all 50 states celebrated the holiday at the same time.

Answer: Ronnie Van Zant

Ronnie Van Zant grew up wanting to be either a boxer or baseball player, but found his stride playing music at 16 years old. Lynyrd Skynyrd, whose name came from a gross misspelling by a high school gym teacher, found national acclaim in 1973 with their debut album, containing songs such as "Free Bird," "Tuesday's Gone," and "Gimme Three Steps." "Sweet Home Alabama" would be released the next year, and Van Zant enjoyed the band's success until the plane crash in 1977.

In 1987, the band got back together, with Ronnie's brother Johnny taking over as lead vocalist.

Answer: Bernard Hopkins

In July 2005, Bernard Hopkins was defending his undisputed middleweight championship for the seventh time with a lifetime record of 46-2-1, but Jermain Taylor, 13 years his junior, entered an undefeated 23-0, and left an undefeated 24-0 in a split decision.

In December 2005, the two matched up again, and Taylor won again, but by unanimous decision this time. At nearly 41, many thought Hopkins' career would be over, but instead he moved to the light heavyweight division and won the title with his first bout against Antonio Tarver, which he would lose in 2008 to Joe Calzaghe.

After a majority draw (two cards finished in a draw, one for Hopkins) against Jean Pascal in December 2010, the two rematched in May 2011, and the 46-year old Hopkins defeated the 29-year old Pascal, earning "The Ring" and WBC light heavyweight titles, and beating Foreman's old record by over 6 months.

Answer: Drew Brees

After mixed degrees of success in San Diego, Drew Brees tore the labrum on his throwing shoulder at the end of the 2005 season, leading the team to go a new direction in their 2004 #1 pick Philip Rivers. That offseason, the free agent Brees was questioned on his ability to come back from throwing shoulder injury, but the New Orleans Saints, fresh off a season displaced by Hurricane Katrina, took a chance on him.

In 2006, the Saints went 10-6, but lost in the NFC Championship game to Chicago. Neither 2007 nor 2008 brought the playoffs, but in 2009, a miracle run began.

They started 13-0, beating the 1985 Chicago Bears' record of 12-0 to start a season, although they would finish 13-3. After a blowout of Arizona in the divisional round, they squeaked by Minnesota in overtime for the NFC Championship.

They culminated the run with a 31-17 victory over Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLIV. San Diego lost their first playoff game.