Brown Trivia

1. Animals: There are many subspecies of brown bear, one of which is the grizzly. What is the (very appropriate) scientific name of the mainland grizzly bear?

From Quiz A Little Bit of Brown

Answer: Ursus arctos horribilis

As Bill Bryson said in 'A Walk in the Woods', the grizzly bear lives up to its name! The word 'grizzly' is thought to either be a reference to its shaggy fur, or 'grisly' as in 'gruesome'. Grizzly bears have long claws adapted for digging, and they are mainly found in Canada and the US, mainly in Alaska, though some live as far south as Yellowstone. Grizzlies are notoriously aggressive compared to black bears, and most of the attacks on humans are by angry mother grizzly bears defending their cubs. The other answers are the Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi), the Ussuri brown bear (Ursus arctos lasiotus) and the Marsican brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus).

From Quiz What Can Brown Do For You?

Answer: Rhode Island

Brown University is a prestigious college founded in Providence, Rhode Island, and they are known for their high-quality engineering programs. Admission into this college is extremely difficult to obtain and degrees in almost every field are offered. One of its many claims to fame was that it was the first college in the United States to accept a student based on their qualifications and not on their religious affiliation.

From Quiz Ten Shades of Brown

Answer: Herman's Hermits

The British invasion refers to the 1960s when bands from the UK, with The Beatles at the forefront, peacefully invaded the USA with a new type of music. Herman's Hermits, with lead singer Peter Noone, were among these bands and had two number one hits on the US Billboard Hot 100. 'Mrs Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter' was the first of these, reaching the top spot in March 1965 and was followed three months later by 'I'm Henry VIII, I Am' - neither of these was issued as a single in the UK. The band continued to have chart success until the late 1960s (early 1970s in the UK) but their fortunes waned when Noone left in 1971.

From Quiz What Can Brown Do For You?

Answer: India

In India, brown is the color of mourning instead of black. To their culture, brown is representative of the color of dying leaves. Makes sense to me.

From Quiz Don't Frown at Brown

Answer: Vivisection on living animals

Vivisection is surgery carried out on living creatures so that scientific experiments and investigations can be carried out. It is now law that any such experiment must include "tranquillisers, analgesics and anesthetics" for the creature. It is a practice rarely performed today by scientists however, and is completely opposed by organisations concerned about the welfare of all animals. During the period 1903-1910, activists broke into medical facilities where it was known such experiments were being carried out, and fought pitched battles with the staff of these organisations. This all began when one William Bayliss performed, in front of an audience at the Physiology Department at a London college, such a surgery on a dog. The poor little thing was supposed to be anaesthetized, but was clearly seen to be conscious and struggling.

From Quiz Get Down with Brown

Answer: Oda Mae Brown

In the film, Oda Mae Brown was a con artist posing as medium who could communicate with the dead. She came to realize that she really could after a murdered man (Patrick Swayze) spoke to her, and convinced her to help solve his murder. This character provided a number of comedic moments to a dramatic movie. Whoopi Goldberg was born Caryn Elaine Johnson in Manhattan, New York, on November 13, 1955. Her performance in "Ghost" won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She is one of only a handful of performers to have won an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy, and a Tony award. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001.

From Quiz Ten Shades of Brown

Answer: Caribbean

This small species of bat is found on the island of Hispaniola, home to the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and also in Puerto Rico. It feeds primarily on nectar and fruits although it will also eat insects. Roosts numbering in the thousands are common, in caves like most bats, and its numbers mean its conservation status is 'Least Concern' in the first quarter of the twenty-first century.

From Quiz A Little Bit of Brown

Answer: The Ring and the Book

'The Ring and the Book' is a novel-length poem based on a real-life event involving an Italian nobleman, Count Guido Franceschini, who was tried and convicted of murdering his wife Pompilia and her parents. He had suspected her of having an affair. Franceschini appealed to the Pope at the time, Pope Innocent XII, but his appeal was rejected and he was executed. Browning was on holiday in Italy when he bought a compilation of statements regarding the case at a flea market. The poems consists of twelve 'books', narrated from various points of view; Browning himself is the narrator of the first and final books.

From Quiz Don't Frown at Brown

Answer: Brown dwarfs

These objects have been thought to exist for some time prior to the verification of their existence. The long search for them finally bore fruit in 1988 when two professors at the University of California identified them. Brown dwarfs are sub-stellar objects that fit on the spectrum between large gas giants and stars lower in mass. They were originally known as black dwarfs, but today black dwarfs are classified as white dwarfs that have cooled down. So what does proof of the existence of brown dwarfs mean to the average person in the street? Don't ask me, I'm just the piano player.

From Quiz Ten Shades of Brown

Answer: Agatha Christie

Not as well known as many of the author's novels, probably because it features neither Poirot nor Miss Marple, the story involves a young woman who witnesses the death of a man who is killed on the tracks at an underground railway station. She finds a clue, which she follows up, only to find herself caught up in a complicated plot which takes her to Africa. The story is notable for being the first appearance of Colonel Race, a character who appears in three other Christie books, including two with Poirot. There have been two television adaptations of the story at the time of writing - one in the USA in 1989 and a French version in 2017.

From Quiz A Little Bit of Brown

Answer: Khuren

'Khüren' (transliterated) is the Mongolian word for 'brown'. For instance, a 'khüren azarga' means a 'brown stallion'. 'Chairo' is Japanese, 'kahve rengi' (which literally means 'coffee colour') is Turkish, and 'bhūrā' is Punjabi.

From Quiz What Can Brown Do For You?

Answer: Bringing a home-packed lunch to work

"Brown-bagging" is a term for bringing your lunch to work, from home. The name comes from the small, brown paper bags that were used for years before the advent of metal lunch boxes.

From Quiz Don't Frown at Brown

Answer: Both of these

Such is their determination to hang onto the brown association with their company, UPS has filed two trademarks on this colour so that other organisations can't use it. Somebody has to love brown and UPS does just that.

From Quiz Get Down with Brown

Answer: Survived the sinking of the Titanic

Margaret Brown became known as the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" after her death in 1932. She was a philanthropist, activist and socialite. She was one of the first students enrolled at the Carnegie Institute in New York. She helped to establish the National American Woman's Suffrage Association in Colorado, and even ran for the Senate in 1909. Ruth Handler created the Barbie Doll in 1959. Annie Edson Taylor survived a plunge over Niagara Falls in 1901, Mary Anderson patented the windshield wiper in 1905 and by 1916 it became standard equipment for all cars.

From Quiz A Little Bit of Brown

Answer: Brendan O'Carroll

'Mrs Brown's Boys' started out as a radio play, 'Mrs Browne's Boys', on Irish radio. Brendan O'Carroll wrote four books based on the play; one of these, 'The Mammy', was adapted into the 1999 film 'Agnes Browne', which starred Anjelica Huston in the title role. O'Carroll then put together a theatre company, Mrs Brown's Boys, and dressed in drag to play the role of Agnes Brown (now dropping the 'e') himself as the original actress never turned up. Other members of his family were also involved. In 2009, he was commissioned to turn the plays into a TV show, and 'Mrs Brown's Boys' was born. A feature film, 'Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie', came out in 2014.

From Quiz Get Down with Brown

Answer: Providence, Rhode Island

Brown was originally named the College of Rhode Island and located in the town of Warren when it was founded in 1764. The Brown family was instrumental in bringing the school to Providence in 1770, providing a great deal of funding. It was renamed in 1804, in honour of Nicholas Brown Jr., who graduated in 1786 and made significant monetary contributions to the school. The mascot is a bear named Bruno, and the school colours are seal brown, cardinal red and white. Cambridge, Massachusetts is home to Harvard University, New Haven to Yale and Hanover to Dartmouth, all Ivy League schools.

From Quiz Ten Shades of Brown

Answer: England

Brown was born in London and came to prominence in a series called 'Mind Control' in 2000. His performances include elements of magic, psychology and misdirection - he makes it clear that he has no supernatural powers. Brown's act is mostly based on magic and he often explains how he achieves his results. These explanations are frequently untrue though, and are part of the act and Brown's skill at misdirection.

From Quiz A Little Bit of Brown

Answer: Pam Grier

'Jackie Brown' was a homage to classic blaxploitation movies such as 'Coffy' and 'Foxy Brown', both of which also starred Grier, and was an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's 1992 novel 'Rum Punch'. It tells the story of Jackie, an air hostess who makes extra money on the side by smuggling money between Mexico and the US for gunrunner Ordell Robbie (Samuel L Jackson). She teams up with Max Cherry (Robert Forster), a bail bondsman, in a plan to cheat Ordell of his money. Like many Tarantino films, 'Jackie Brown' has a soundtrack featuring many classic rock and soul tracks by artists such as Bill Withers and Minnie Riperton. Samuel L Jackson won the Silver Bear for his part in the film at the 1998 Berlin International Film Festival.

From Quiz What Can Brown Do For You?

Answer: Chocolate

"Chocolate" was the original scent of the brown crayon in the "Magic Scents Crayons". It was not long before the company was inundated with reports of children eating the food-scented crayons. They replaced the food-based scents with non-food fragrances. The brown crayon changed from chocolate to "dirt".

From Quiz Don't Frown at Brown

Answer: Chocolate

Chocolate is produced from cacao seeds. It's been used as a food product for over 3,000 years in the area of Mexico, central and south America, and the earliest documentation of its use dates back to 1,100 BC. By themselves the seeds taste revolting. The process that brings out the chocolate flavour includes fermentation, drying, cleaning, roasting and then grinding the inner part of the seed to produce cocoa. Scientists claim that eating a moderate amount of chocolate produces a feeling of being in love, and some research indicates it can even lower blood pressure. I don't particularly like chocolate, so am apparently doomed to a loveless life which eventually concludes with a cerebral haemorrhage.

From Quiz Get Down with Brown

Answer: 4 points

The game of snooker is believed to be derived from other billiards games by Colonel Sir Neville Chamberlain (no relation to the World War II Prime Minister), while serving in India in 1875. The name itself came to be when Chamberlain called a young officer a "Snooker", referring to his inexperience after missing a shot. The game consists of one white cue ball, fifteen red balls worth one point each, and six coloured balls. Yellow (2 points), green (3), brown (4), blue (5), pink (6), and black (7). Players must sink a red ball, followed by a coloured ball and so on until all balls are down. The player with the most points wins the game.

From Quiz A Little Bit of Brown

Answer: Heroin

Heroin has many nicknames, and one of them is 'brown' after the brown colour it can have in powder form; it resembles brown sugar (another nickname for heroin). It can be smoked, snorted or injected, and is considered a Class A drug due to its extremely addictive and dangerous properties. In the UK, it is prescribed as a powerful pain medication under the name of diamorphine; diamorphine has also been used in other European countries to treat heroin addiction.

From Quiz What Can Brown Do For You?

Answer: Louise Brown

Englishwoman Louise Brown was born July 25,1978, becoming the first human to be conceived by in-vitro fertilization. This groundbreaking medical procedure has allowed many thousands of couples, with fertility problems, to bear children. Unfortunately, the media dubbed her a "test-tube baby" and the term has stuck, although it is inaccurate. Ms. Brown went on to have her own child in 1999.

From Quiz Don't Frown at Brown

Answer: Molasses

This is a dark bread with a sweet taste. It's usually cooked in a can or a cylinder. It can also contain any of a number of grain products such as cornmeal, wheat or rye. Apparently baked beans are one of its favoured toppings for a quick meal. Molasses and baked beans? And to think they criticise Aussies for Vegemite.

From Quiz Get Down with Brown

Answer: Dan Brown

Dan Brown was born June 22, 1964, in Exeter, New Hampshire. He was a teacher for many years before becoming a full time writer in 1996. He was also a singer-songwriter, releasing a CD in 1991 entitled Perspective. "The Da Vinci Code" was his fourth novel, and it rose to number one on the New York Times Best Seller List in just its first week of sales. His novels have been translated into more than forty languages.

From Quiz Don't Frown at Brown

Answer: 4 point

Snooker is a game played on a green covered table. It has six pockets into which balls are shot using a long stick known as a cue. White, red, brown, yellow, green, pink, blue and black balls are buried in the pockets, with the different coloured balls worth different points. The game is believed to have originated in India in the latter part of the 19th century.

From Quiz Ten Shades of Brown

Answer: Tennessee

This battle was part of America's Civil War and took place on 27 October 1863. The battle itself was relatively insignificant, but the victory by the Union Army meant that the Confederate Army could no longer prevent their opponents from using the Tennessee River to transport supplies to their forces near Chattanooga. The Battle of Chattanooga, which took place a month later, led to another Union victory with the Confederate Army retreating into Georgia.

From Quiz Don't Frown at Brown

Answer: Many were ex-communists

The brownshirts, or stormtroopers, were the paramilitary arm of the Nazi Party. They played a very important role in the rise to power of Hitler. The reason that brown was the colour chosen for their uniform was because a large number of brown shirts were left over from the First World War. These had been ordered for soldiers posted to Germany's colonies in Africa.

From Quiz Get Down with Brown

Answer: UPS

UPS is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and was founded in 1907. They are the world's largest package delivery and express courier service. They are famous for their little brown trucks and employee uniforms. The company's first official tagline didn't come until 1982: "UPS saves you money from the ground up". "Eat Fresh" is a slogan used by Subway. McDonalds has had many advertising taglines including "You Deserve A Break Today", and "I'm Loving It". FedEx had a very successful tagline with, "Absolutely, Positively, Overnight".

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Last Updated Feb 22 2025 5:55 AM

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