People by any Other Name Quiz / Test | Name Game

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Known as one of the greatest men in show business, P. T. Barnum once said, "There's a sucker born every minute". Do you know what the P.T. stood for?

Answer: Phineas Taylor

Phineas Taylor Barnum was born in Connecticut in 1810 and made a career as a showman. He made no qualms about using hoaxes and curiousities to line his own pockets. He exhibited "The Feejee Mermaid" and "General Tom Thumb" as well as others to throngs of onlookers. He died in 1891.

2. A. A. Milne wrote a collection of stories for his son, Christopher Robin. Born in 1882, he served in WWI and was active in WWII. He is most famous for his stories of Winnie the Pooh, but what do the initials A. A. stand for?

Answer: Alan Alexander

Alan Alexander Milne was once a school student of H.G. Wells in 1889-90. Perhaps it is what inspired his imagination of talking animals in the Hundred Acre Wood. After a stroke and brain surgery left him an invalid in 1952, Milne gradually declined and finally passed away in 1956.

3. The creator of "The War of the Worlds", "The Invisible Man" and "The Time Machine" just to name a few, was H.G. Wells. Though born in 1866, his imagination created spectacular stories years beyond his era. What do the initials H. G.stand for with regards to this timeless writer?

Answer: Herbert George

Herbert George Wells, has been referred to as the "Father of Science Fiction". He was originally trained in biology and his early writings were far from science fiction. His "Kipps: A History of Mr. Polly", earned him comparisons to Charles Dickens. His various stories ranged from science fiction, to prophetic predictions and even social essays. Wells died in 1946 just short of his 80th birthday.

4. F. Scott Fitzgerald in his short life of 44 years wrote some of the most heralded novels of his time. "The Great Gatsby" and "Tender is the Night" were even adapted into films. Though named after his famous distant cousin, he went by the name Scott, can you identify the meaning of the initial F?

Answer: Francis

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was named after his famous distant cousin Francis Scott Key, the writer of the US national anthem. Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1896 and published his most famous novel "The Great Gatsby" in 1925. Despite success, he continued to have money troubles and heavy drinking contributed to his health problems. He died of a heart attack in 1940.

5. This Ireland born writer of "The Chronicles of Narnia" is named, C. S. Lewis. He was good friends with J. R. R. Tolkein and went by the name of "Jack" to friends and family, but do you know his real names?

Answer: Clive Staples

Clive Staples Lewis was born in 1898 in Belfast. From 1949 to 1954 he wrote his most famous series, the seven books of "Narnia". He married once to American writer Joy Davidman. The shortlived marriage ended four years later with her death from cancer. Lewis died on November 22, 1963, the same day as J. F. Kennedy and writer Aldous Huxley.

6. The first Prime Minister of Canada was Scotland born in 1815. His name was Sir John A. MacDonald, referred to by Canadians even today as just simply Sir John A. Quite possibly even some Canadians wouldn't know what the A stood for, do you?

Answer: Alexander

Sir John Alexander MacDonald became Canada's first Prime Minister on Canada's first day as a country, July 1, 1867. He served until 1873 and then again from 1878 until 1891. He is one of Canada's foremost "Fathers of Confederation". He died while in office in 1891, in Ottawa.

7. One of the strangest writers of the early 20th century has since been revisited by scholars and fans of today and thought now to be brilliant. H. P. Lovecraft was born in Rhode Island, USA in 1890. Do the initials H. P. ring a bell?

Answer: Howard Phillips

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was best known for his "Cthulhu Mythos" and his "Necronomicon" novels. Stephen King referred to him as "the twentieth century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale". Despite the noteriety that came many years after his death, he lived in poorer and poorer conditions during his lifetime.

In 1936 he was diagnosed with small intestinal cancer and died in 1937.

8. Though born in Missouri in 1888, T. S. Eliot became a British citizen at age 39. He was a publisher, playwrite and one of the most important English language poets in the 20th century. But what does T. S. stand for?

Answer: Thomas Stearns

Thomas Stearns Eliot is known for critically acclaimed poems such as "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", "The Waste Land", "The Hollow Men" and many more. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. He died of emphysema in 1965 at the age of 76.

9. Although he will always be known as "Lawrence of Arabia", T. E. Lawrence is his real name. He was a WWI hero leading breakaway Arab tribes against the Ottoman Empire. What do the initials T. E. stand for?

Answer: Thomas Edward

Thomas Edward Lawrence was born as an illegitmate son to Sir Thomas Chapman and a governess named Sarah Junner. The family moved and took on the name Lawrence. T. E. Lawrence took an early interest in archaeology and did extensive study in the Middle East. Due to his knowledge of the area and the peoples, when WWI broke out he was stationed in the area.

He was instructed to organize the tribes in an uprising against the Ottoman Empire. This would weaken the Ottoman ability to support Germany. He did so and wrote about his exploits in "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" after the war.

He died at age 46 in 1935 when swerving his motorbike to miss children on the road.

10. People will remember 'Alex P. Keaton' and 'Marty McFly' from television and movies and will remember they were played by Michael J. Fox, but do you know or ever wondered what the J. stood for?

Answer: Nothing, just a letter

A trick question, as it doesn't stand for anything. Michael J. Fox has a middle name of course but it is Andrew. Upon graduating from Canadian TV and movies, he signed on with the Screen Actors Guild in the USA, however he was to find character actor Michael Fox already owned the rights to his name. So to begin his career he had to take on a new professional name.

Not liking Andrew Fox or Andy Fox, he decided a letter would do the trick. As a tribute to actor Michael J. Pollard he adopted the J. Upon being diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease in the early '90's, Fox has been active in finding a cure.

He also continues his professional career as a producer, writer, and voice over actor.

Source: Author kingscourt

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

People by any Other Name Trivia Quiz

Sometimes people include their initials when they enter our history books or popular culture. We skip over them without thinking, but do you think maybe you know and can remember what those initials stand for?

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