Johnny B Goode Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla in Poland in 1920. He became head of the Catholic Church in 1978 and remained so until he died in 2005. His name was in honour of the previous incumbent, Pope John Paul I, who unfortunately died after only 33 days in post. Pope John Paul II was well traveled, visiting 129 countries during his tenure, including the first visit by a Pope to the White House, where he was met by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981, when he was shot by a gunman from a militant fascist group. Other attempts were made, but none came so close.

Red Crew's smpdit would not want to have to keep the papal robes such a sparkling white.

Answer: John Wayne

Born Marion Morrison in 1907, John Wayne carved a niche in films during Hollywood's Golden Age specializing in war and westerns. 'The Duke' was an impressive figure who rose to stardom in the film 'Stagecoach' in 1939. He starred in a total on 142 films before tragically dying in 1979. His last movie was 'The Shootist' where he played a cowboy dying of cancer in a display of art mirroring life. He was married three times and had seven children, some of which followed him into the field of cinematics. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, when he turned 72, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.

Red Crew's smpdit has been known to randomly yell 'Fill your hands, you son of a ... ' when irritated.

Answer: John Gotti

John Gotti, a New York native, was once the head of the Gambino crime family. In 1992, he was found guilty of a multitude of crimes ranging from murder to tax evasion and sentenced to life in prison without parole. He died of throat cancer in 2002.

PR's Red Crew member, jaknginger, added this question to the team quiz.

Answer: John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck was an American author of over 30 novels, non-fiction books and short stories. Some of his novels were called 'Dust Bowl' novels, in that they were set in California during the Great Depression. Once such novel, arguably his greatest, was 'The Grapes of Wrath' (1939), for which he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. His 1937 novel 'Of Mice and Men' was the first of many Steinbeck novels be adapted to the big screen.

Phoenix Rising's Red Crew member leith90 picked and peeled this question before feeding it to the quiz.

Answer: Elton John

Elton John was born Reginald Dwight in 1947. He is a very accomplished singer, songwriter and pianist. Known for his love of eccentric, over the top costumes with a vast number of extravagantly decorated spectacles, he is a larger than life showman. His partnership with Bernie Taupin brought about an era of well-loved songs such as 'Candle in the Wind', 'Crocodile Rock', and 'Rocket Man', the latter of which became his most common nickname and the title of the film that chronicled his life story. He is married to David Furnish with whom he has two children.

Phoenix Rising Red Crew's smpdit is old enough to remember when rock was young.

Answer: John McCain

John McCain came from a strong Naval background. His father and grandfather were both Admirals in the US Navy. John was a naval aviator during the Vietnam War. He was a Prisoner of War for more than five years, two of those in solitary confinement. He received a multitude of awards for his service and sacrifice in Vietnam.

After his heroic military service, McCain entered politics in 1982 as a House Representative for Arizona. In 1987, he was elected to the US Senate. Although he ran for US President in 2000 and 2008, his presidential aspirations never came to fruition. He served six terms in the US Senate before succumbing to cancer on August 24, 2018.

Jaknginger added this question in awe of such military sacrifice and bravery.

Answer: John Constable

John Constable (1776-1837) was a Suffolk- born artist famous for his landscape paintings. Although he did not make much money from his paintings, he is now regarded as one of the best English painters of all time. He created a series called 'The Six Footers", titled as such because of their size. Arguably one of his most famous paintings is the six-footer 'The Hay Wain', which was first displayed at the Royal Academy in 1921. Today it is on permanent display at the National Gallery in London.

Red Crew's leith90 is a sucker for a good landscape, but can't paint a wall, let alone a landscape.

Answer: Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson was born in Iowa and grew up mostly in Nebraska. His Navy stint in WWII provided him a way to attend college, where he graduated in three years with a degree in radio and speech. He helped support himself doing magic shows. Known for his quick wit, he hosted several shows before being asked to take on the helm at The Tonight Show following Jack Paar's announced retirement. He initially turned down the offer, but was eventually persuaded to host starting in 1962. He had already worked with Ed McMahon and Skitch Henderson, and brought them along to the show. McMahon's 'Here's Johnny' intro and Carson's golf swing into the wings have been parodied multiple times. Carson had several recurring characters he portrayed on the show, including Carnac the Magnificent, a turbaned psychic. The show was initially recorded in New York City (at 30 Rock) and moved to Burbank in 1972. Carson remained the host for thirty years, retiring at the age of 66. He died at age 79 in 2005 from emphysema, likely related to his long-term heavy smoking.

Player pusdoc of Phoenix Rising's Red Crew is a good party host, but has never had her own TV show.

Answer: John Howard

John Howard was elected as Australia's 25th Prime Minister in 1996. He lead the Liberal-National Party to a landslide victory in the 1996 elections, ousting Paul Keating's Labor Party. One of his first Parliamentary enactments was to introduce reformed gun laws, following the Port Arthur massacre. A law that proved popular with the majority of the Australian people. His second, much less welcomed, was to introduce a new tax (the GST), thus breaking a pre-election promise. Howard went on to serve 11 years as the leader of Australia until he was defeated in 2007 by Kevin Rudd's Labor Party. Howard also lost his seat of Bennelong in Sydney, becoming only the second PM in Australian history to do so.

Red Crew's leith90 has voted in every Australian election since reaching her majority, not only because it's mandatory, but so she can cheer or whinge according to the results.

Answer: John the Baptist

John the Baptist was born to the priest Zechariah and Elizabeth, a relative of the virgin Mary. He wore clothing made of camel's hair and ate honey and locusts - some say that rather than the insects known as locusts this refers to the pods of carob trees. He preached in the Judean wilderness and drew a group of disciples to be baptized. In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 3, he chastises the religious leaders of the day and warns that the Messiah is coming. Jesus comes to be baptized and at first John demurs, but Jesus urges him to fulfill prophecy. During the baptism, a voice is heard saying "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (NIV translation). John continued his outspoken ways, and in Matthew 14 we learn that he warned Herod that it was unlawful for him to be married to his brother's wife. He was thrown in prison, but Herod's wife schemed to have her daughter request John the Baptist's head on a platter in exchange for dancing for the king.

Player pusdoc of Phoenix Rising's Red Crew would wear a camelhair coat, but she'll pass on the locusts.