New Year's Resolutions Trivia Quiz

Answer: E M Forster

Edward Morgan Forster was born in Marylebone, and died in Warwickshire in 1970, aged 91. Other books for which he is well known are his first novel, 'Where Angels Fear to Tread', published in 1905, 'Howards's End' (1910) and his 1924 novel 'A Passage to India'. All four books are among several of his works which have been adapted for film.

Set in England and Italy, the film version of 'A Room with a View', which won several awards, was released in 1985 and starred Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy Honeychurch and Julian Sands as George Emerson, her romantic interest.

Answer: Frank Langella

All the above actors were born in 1938, but it was Frank Langella who was born on New Year's Day. 'Frost/Nixon' was based on the 1997 television interviews of Richard Nixon by British journalist and broadcaster Sir David Frost, played by Michael Sheen. These two actors starred in both the play and the film. Frank Langella won a Tony Award for his performance and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2008, the Award being won by Sean Penn for his role in 'Milk', based on the real life story of American politician Harvey Milk.

Answer: Linda Henry

Linda Henry was born on 1 January 1963. Her first appearance in 'EastEnders' was not, in fact, as Shirley Carter, but as Lorraine Stevens, the mother of character Mandy Salter, in 1991-92. Her first appearance as Shirley Carter was in December 2006. Her character has been the subject of several major storylines including her on/off relationship with Phil Mitchell and her issues with her children and her extended family, from whom she had been estranged.

All four choices are or have been in 'EastEnders'; Cheryl Fergison played Shirley's best friend Heather, Diane Parish as Denise Fox and Letitia Dean as Sharon Rickman.

Answer: Florence

Lorenzo de' Medici was the son of Piero di Cosimo de' Medici and the grandson of Cosimo de' Medici. The Medici family, who ruled what was then the Republic of Florence, was one of the wealthiest in Europe at the time, with its fortune from the banking industry financing both political power and philanthropic acts. Lorenzo de' Medici was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, and he was a patron of the arts during the time of Michelangelo and Botticelli, both of whom he was associated with and sponsored. Lorenzo de' Medici died in 1492.

Answer: Jerome David

Jerome David Salinger was born on 1 January 1919 in New York City. Although he had had several short stories published, even whilst still at school, it was with the publication in 1951 of 'The Catcher in the Rye' that he came to prominence. He subsequently shunned fame and lived a very reclusive life until his death. 'The Catcher in the Rye' was his only full length novel; his other works were collections of short stories and novellas. J D Salinger died on 27 January 2010, shortly after his 91st birthday, at his New Hampshire home.

Answer: Argentina

David Nalbandian was born in Córdoba Province, Argentina on 1 January 1982. As well as making the semi-final at all four Grand Slam events during his career, he played in the Men's Final at Wimbledon in 2002, losing out to Australia's Lleyton Hewitt. He also represented his country in three Davis Cup competitions. David Nalbandian retired from professional tennis in 2013.

Answer: Helen Wills Moody

Helen Wills Moody, born Helen Newington Wills in 1905, won nineteen Grand Slam singles titles and a further twelve in doubles events. She won Wimbledon nine times, and also won two Olympic Gold Medals at the Paris Olympics in 1924, in both singles and doubles.

Helen Jacobs, Althea Gibson and Maureen Connolly Brinker all won several Grand Slam titles, in singles and doubles. Maureen Connolly Brinker is perhaps best remembered as 'Little Mo' Connolly. Tragically, she died of cancer in 1969 at the age of only 34.

Answer: The Joker

Cesar Romero was born on 15 February 1907 in New York City, and died in California on New Year's Day 1994, aged 86. He was a wonderful Joker, a role which has been portrayed more recently in film by Jack Nicholson ('Batman', 1989) and Heath Ledger ('The Dark Knight', 2008, released six months after his death).

The other 'Batman' villains in the ABC series, which ran from 1966-1968, were Burgess Meredith as the Penguin and Frank Gorshin and John Astin as the Riddler, while the role of Mr Freeze was played in different episodes by George Sanders, Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach.

Answer: Norway

King Haakon III was King of Norway. He was born in 1182 and ascended the Norwegian throne on 9 March 1202, on the death of his father. Other European rulers to have died on 1 January were Odo of France in 898, Charles II of Navarre in 1387, Louis XII of France in 1515 and Christian III of Denmark, who died on 1 January 1559.

Answer: Heinrich Hertz

Heinrich Hertz was born on 22 February 1857. He was famous for his work in the field of electromagnetic waves and was the first to prove their actual existence, as had been hypothesised by Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell. The SI unit of frequency was called the hertz (Hz) after him. In his short life, Hertz achieved a great deal in the scientific world, becoming a professor at Germany's prestigious Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Bonn. It was in Bonn that he died of an infection on New Year's Day 1894. He was survived by his widow and two young daughters.

The other three choices were all German-born physicists, although Einstein, best known for his Theory of Relativity, later became a Swiss citizen and even later an American citizen. William Röntgen's work led to the first X-rays, and Max Planck's work was in the field of quantum theory.