Royals and Not Trivia Quiz

Answer: George

Six of the nine kings have taken the name George. King George I was the monarch for only 3 years (1714-1727) while King George II was King for 33 years from 1727 to 1760. The third King George reigned for 60 years (1760-1820). The fourth for only 10, from 1820-1830. George V didn't come along until 1910; he reigned until 1936. King George VI reigned before, during, and after WWII: from 1936 to 1952. The other three kings were: William IV 1830-1837, Edward VII 1910-1910 and Edward VIII in 1936.
There were two queens between 1707 and 1952: Anne 1707-1714 and Victoria 1837-1901.

Answer: Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen (1930-1980) was born to a single mother. He never knew his father. He was raised mostly by an uncle. As a juvenile he joined several gangs and was involved in petty crimes. He was declared "incorrigible" and sent to a camp. After joining the Marines in 1947 he was busted several times and did time in the brig, but he later said that the Marines taught him to be a man.

He left the Marines in 1950 and after some minor stage roles in New York, he moved to Los Angeles in 1955. His big break came when he was cast as Josh Randall in "Wanted Dead or Alive" (a tv Western that ran from 1958 to 1961).

He got his first lead role in the teen horror film, "The Blob" (1958).

Answer: The Queen of Sheba

The Kingdom of Sheba was located in what is present day Yemen. The Queen of Sheba's existence is a subject of dispute among historians. According to legend she ruled over a land of enormous wealth. The Queen believed that no other land surpassed hers in its wisdom.

When she heard of King Solomon's wisdom, she became curious and wanted to see for herself. She led a caravan filled with treasures to Jerusalem. She tested King Solomon's wisdom with riddles. She was amazed that he was able to correctly answer them.

Some traditions say she converted to Judaism and bore King Solomon a son.

Answer: False

False. Ellery Queen was a pseudonym created by authors Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee. The duo entered a detective story writing contest. Their protagonist was Ellery Queen. The entry was published in 1929 and the rest, as they say, is history.

Answer: False

The "Queen of Soul" was Aretha Franklin (1948-2018). In 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her mother, a gospel singer, died when she was 10. Her father moved them from Tennessee to Detroit. Her father was a renowned Baptist preacher and speaker. Aretha sang gospel at her father's church.

At the age of 18, Aretha went to New York. She was first signed by Columbia records, but later switched to Atlantic records. It was with Atlantic where she became a star. She had an immense fear of flying. She traveled in her custom-made bus (in common with John Madden). She was god-mother to Whitney Houston.

Answer: Emperor Naruhito of Japan

Emperor Naruhito ascended to the throne when his father abdicated in 2019. Akihito, Naruhito's father, became the first Japanese emperor to abdicate in over two centuries. The Japanese monarchy is a constitutional one, as well as a heredity one. Since Emperor Naruhito and his wife have no male children, the throne will be occupied by the son of Emperor Naruhito's brother.

Answer: No

There were no female hereditary monarchs, although the British parliament altered the line of succession in 2013 to allow for hereditary females. Princess Elizabeth of Belgium is heir apparent to the Belgian throne, Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands is heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands, Leonor, Princess of Asturias is the presumptive heir to the throne of Spain and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is heir apparent to her country's throne.

A hereditary monarchy: the throne passes to another member of the same family.

Answer: Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei

Hassanai Bolkiah began his reign over Brunei in October 1967. The monarchy in Brunei is absolute. An absolute monarchy is one where all the political power is vested in the monarch. There are no checks on his authority.

Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein began his reign in November 1989, Abdullah II of Jordan in February 1999 and Felipe VI of Spain, in June 2014.

Answer: King Kong

In spite of its amazing enormous popularity, "King Kong" did not receive any Academy Award nominations (there was no category for special effects in 1933). Faye Wray was told that her co-star would be "the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood". She mistakenly thought of Cary Grant.

Answer: Eleanor of Aquitaine

In 1137 Eleanor of Aquitaine married the future King Louis VII of France. In 1152 Louis was granted an annulment based on the grounds of consanguinity, but the real reason was that Eleanor had failed to produce a male heir. Two months later Eleanor, whose land holdings included a third of France, married the future King Henry II of England.

She bore Henry five sons, three of whom became kings: Richard the Lionheart, Henry and John.