Famous Deaths - Difficult Trivia

1. American actor Dean Martin died December 25, 1995. What is the name of the secret agent that Martin played in a series of four movies from 1966-1969?

From Quiz Died on Christmas Day

Answer: Matt Helm

Irving Allen, the former partner of James Bond producer Albert Broccoli, produced the movies based on the character created by Donald Hamilton in a series of 27 books. Martin's Helm was created to mirror his off screen persona and only had a passing resemblance to the agent in the novels.

From Quiz They Disappeared Into Thin Air

Answer: In a cab

Judge Crater left a restaurant, got into a cab to head to Broadway to see a show, and was never seen again... There were several mysterious circumstances in this case; Crater's wife was out of town and he had dined with his mistress, a dancer who also vanished around one year later. He had cashed cheques for a substantial amount earlier that day, August 6th 1929, and had received a "mystery phone call" which caused him to cut short his holiday with his wife to return to the city. Information was provided to the police in 2005, claiming that Crater had been murdered, and was buried under what is now the site of the Aquarium in New York city, and indeed, human remains had been found there in the 1950s. Sadly, they had been reburied in an unmarked pauper's grave, and thus lost to any possibility of modern forensic science proving their identity one way or the other. The phrase "pulling a Crater" passed into the vernacular of the time.

From Quiz Famous Burial Locations

Answer: Highgate, London

Due to his support of revolutionaries and socialist pamphlets, Marx had to leave Germany, Belgium and then France. He settled in London where the authorities were more tolerant. He continued to write and study in London until his death in March 1883.

From Quiz Daughter of Celebrity Burial Locations

Answer: The Bronx, New York

Miles Davis (May 25, 1926 - September 28, 1991) had a 45-year career as a jazz trumpeter. He changed his style of play every few years. Many consider his album "Bitches Brew" (1969) the best of his recordings. Miles succumbed to respiratory failure and is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.

From Quiz Death and the Letter C

Answer: Clement VII

There have been 14 popes bearing the name Clement, but our boy is Clement VII. He was born Giulio de Giuliano de' Medici (yes, one of those Medicis) in 1478. He was the illegitimate son of Giuliano de' Medici, nephew of the magnificent Lorenzo, and cousin to Pope Leo X, whom he served as principal minister and confidant. When Giulio became Pope himself, in 1523, he took the name Clement. He was thought to be a superb diplomat and a politically astute man, but his detractors thought he was too worldly and much too indifferent to what was going on in European religious circles, namely, the Protestant Reformation. When Henry VIII petitioned Clement to grant a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, Clement stalled, unwilling to incur the wrath of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (who was related to Catherine). The Pope sent spies to steal Henry's love letters to Anne Boleyn in order to prove that they were lovers. However, the letters provided no such evidence, and even Clement had to admit that there was nothing to show that Anne was not virtuous, even while he deplored the fact that she had a mind of her own. Clement continued to shilly-shally until he discovered that Anne had Lutheran tendencies, and that put paid to any hope of him granting the divorce from Catherine. His interminable delays on the issue finally brought about the birth of the Church of England. Pope Clement VII died in 1534 after eating a dish of mushrooms which included a death cap, the most poisonous of all mushrooms. Although he has gone down in history as the man who wouldn't give Henry a divorce, thereby precipitating the separation of England from Rome, he's also the chap who commissioned Michelangelo's painting of 'The Last Judgment' in the Sistine Chapel, for which, I'm sure, he would prefer to be remembered.

From Quiz Murder Most Foul

Answer: Ronald Goldman

Goldman was a waiter and part time model who was caught up in the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson. It was stated at the trial that he was only there because he was returning a pair of sunglasses that Nicole had left at the restaurant. Fuhrman was an investigator of the crime, Darden was one of the prosecution team and Ito was the trial judge.

From Quiz Quotable Death

Answer: statistic

Statistic: In the 1930s, the Ukrainian peasants resisted Stalin's policy of collectivization, so "Uncle Joe" sent 25,000 young party militants to force the 10 million peasant farmers onto collective farms. There were not enough militants to deal with the peasant farmers, so the government confiscated everything edible from the Ukraine's farms: in these circumstances, peasants were unable and unwilling to produce food and the result was mass starvation. Estimates put the death toll at between seven and nine million. This number does not include about six million other peasant farmers from elsewhere in the Soviet Union who were killed, nor the number of dissidents murdered outright. (from www.medhunters.com)

From Quiz Death and the Famous

Answer: He lost his mother and his sister.

The Rutledge story appears to be true; she died of "brain fever". Certainly, his marriage to Mary Todd was not made in heaven. As a young boy, Abe lost his mother, Nancy, to "milk sickness": the cows apparently ate toxic material and passed it on via their milk. After that Lincoln lost a beloved sister, Sarah, during childbirth. (Lincoln was never particularly close to his father, Thomas.) After his marriage, three of his four sons would die young.

From Quiz Historical Illnesses

Answer: Polio

Strangely, Franklin Roosevelt was stricken with childhood paralysis (polio) as an adult. He was in a wheelchair for most of his presidency. The press was much more accommodating in those days and would rarely photograph him being carried or in awkward positions. In 2003, an academic study suggested that the diagnosis of poliomyelitis was incorrect. The article in "The Journal of Medical Biography" posited the idea that the affliction he suffered from was Guillain-Barré syndrome.

From Quiz 10 Famous Duelists

Answer: Burr & Aaron Burr

Burr was upset because Hamilton had cast the deciding vote in favor of Thomas Jefferson over Burr in the presidential election of 1801. He finally got his revenge a couple years later...though it made him a pariah.

From Quiz Died on Christmas Day

Answer: Never Give a Sucker an Even Break

The movie was to be the last starring film of Fields' career. In it he plays a surreal version of himself showing his trademark sense of humour (there really was no plot to speak of). Fields began his career as a juggler and eventually became an unlikely movie star. He was best remembered for his contempt for dogs, children and women. The other choices are films by the Marx Brothers.

From Quiz They Disappeared Into Thin Air

Answer: Owain Glyndower

Owain Glyndower led a Welsh revolt against King Henry IV of England, and when the English finally managed to subdue Wales, Glyndower evaded capture and vanished into the Welsh mountains, never to be seen again. His wife was Margaret Hanmer, and, along with several of her children and grandchildren, she was captured at Harlech Castle in 1409 by forces loyal to the future King Henry V. Her fate is also unknown ...

From Quiz They Didn't Rest in Peace

Answer: Caligula

After Alexander died, he was embalmed and wrapped in sheets of beaten gold. He was supposed to be buried in his native Macedonia, but on the way home his body was kidnapped by one of his generals, Ptolemy, who took it to Egypt and buried him in the ancient capitol of Memphis. Later, a magnificent tomb was constructed in the Egyptian capitol of Alexandria, and Alexander was ensconced in a solid gold sarcophagus. Still later, one Ptolemy's descendents ran short of cash, so he stripped the gold sheathing from Alexander's body and melted down his gold coffin to be minted into coins to pay his troops. He put Alexander in a new coffin made of glass, and laid him out in his armor with his weapons at hand. Still later, when Egypt came under Roman rule, Caligula stripped the body of its armor and appropriated it for his own use. The location of the tomb, and the fate of Alexander's earthly remains, is unknown. If the tomb is ever discovered, it will be one of the greatest archeological discoveries of all time.

From Quiz Who am I and When Did I Die?

Answer: Rita Hayworth - 14 May 1987

The very beautiful Ms Hayworth died of Alzheimer's at the age of 68. She began to suffer from the disease at a very early age (mid-50s) and was hugely instrumental in bringing this terrible illness to public attention. The film referred to in the question is "Gilda".

From Quiz Daughter of Celebrity Burial Locations

Answer: Alan Freed

Alan "Moondog" Freed was born December 21, 1921 and died of uremia on January 20, 1965. Freed was the Cleveland, Ohio radio personality who is credited with coining the term "Rock and Roll", in 1951. He was cremated and his remains are in the Ferncliffe Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York.

From Quiz Death and the Letter C

Answer: Lord Cardigan

Lord Cardigan was responsible for what is generally thought to be one of the worst blunders in British military history, that same Charge of the Light Brigade, which took place during the Crimean War on October 25, 1854. Cardigan (who's full title was James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan) was by all accounts not the nicest fellow. He was notoriously short-tempered (he once had a fellow-officer up on charges for placing a wine bottle on the dinner table, instead of having the wine decanted!) and was even tried for murder in 1841 after a duel with a fellow officer. (He was acquitted). He joined the 8th Hussars in 1824, and by making judicious use of the prevailing practice of the sale of commissions he rose from the rank of lieutenant (1825) to captain (1826) to major (1830) and lieutenant-colonel (later in 1830). In 1836 he became commander of the 11th Hussars, that same regiment that rode into the Valley of Death in 1854. He returned from that trip without a scratch, but his order to charge cost the lives of two-thirds of the men under his command. Trivia side note: The Crimean War was arguably the war that resulted in the most fashion innovations: the cardigan (that warm, wool sweater that buttons up the front, which was initiated by Lord Cardigan so that his troops wouldn't freeze to death in the Russian climate), the balaclava (headgear named for the Battle of Balaclava, nowadays worn by small children, skiers and bank robbers), and the Raglan sleeve (designed by Lord Raglan, one of the commanding officers, by which one could quickly don or doff one's coat) were all products of the Crimean War.

From Quiz Murder Most Foul

Answer: Peter Kurten

Vampirism, cannibalism, rape and torture were all part of the depraved repertoire of Peter Kurten. After forty years of violence, bestiality and blood-lust he became the first serial-killer to be examined in depth by a criminal psychiatrist. He was executed on July 2, 1931. The other three people where among his victims.

From Quiz Quotable Death

Answer: George Bernard Shaw

Shaw also left these instructions for his funeral: "My situation is a solemn one. Life is offered to me on condition of eating beefsteaks. But death is better than cannibalism. My will contains directions for my funeral, which will be followed not by mourning coaches, but by oxen, sheep, flocks of poultry, and a small traveling aquarium of live fish, all wearing white scarves in honor of the man who perished rather than eat his fellow creatures." (Source: www.worldofquotes.com)

From Quiz Death and the Famous

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

Poor Edgar had a tough life. He lost his mother, Elizabeth, at an early age. Without a father, he ended up in the Allan household for a while. He later married his cousin (when she was 13); unfortunately, t.b. claimed her at an early age.

From Quiz Historical Illnesses

Answer: Syphilis

Poor Al. He left prison and retired to Florida with syphilis. Interestingly, the third stage of the disease includes dementia.

From Quiz Died on Christmas Day

Answer: Rocky IV

Brown sings the song as Apollo Creed enters the ring to fight the Russian champion Ivan Drago. Creed dies during the fight, setting the stage for Rocky's battle with Drago.

From Quiz They Disappeared Into Thin Air

Answer: Fred Noonan

Noonan was originally a sailor, and served with distinction during WWI, with his ships being sunk no less than three times by U-boats. He went on to become a pilot and mapped many routes for commercial airlines before joining up with Amelia Earhart for her epic round the world attempt. There is some evidence to suggest that remains found on the remote, uninhabited Gardner Island in the Pacific ocean are those of Amelia Earhart, but it is unproven, and no trace of Noonan has ever been found ... The TV show "Star Trek: Voyager" featured the character of Fred Noonan in an episode entitled "The 37s".

From Quiz They Didn't Rest in Peace

Answer: Formosus

It wasn't easy being pope back in early medieval times. Formosus was born around 816 and spent much of his early career in Bulgaria. He displeased Pope John VIII and was excommunicated in in 872, but was reinstated in his office as a bishop in 883, following John VIII's death. He was elected pope on October 6, 891, and died on April 4, 896. He was succeeded by Boniface VI, who lasted only 15 days. The next pope, Stephen VI, was an enemy of Formosus. Not one to let bygones be bygones, in January, 897 he ordered Formosus dragged from his tomb and put on trial for perjury, coveting the Papacy, and violating church canons. In what has come to be known as the Cadaver Synod, Formosus was found guilty. Three fingers of his right hand, the ones he used to give benedictions, were cut off. He was stripped of his vestments, and buried in a common grave used for foreigners. A short time later, he was dug up again, and his corpse was thrown into the Tiber. A monk fished it out and hid it. Meanwhile, Stephen VI had been desposed and strangled, and his successor, Theodore II, annulled the Cadaver Synod, and ordered Formosus reburied in full papal regalia in St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Sergius III, however, reaffirmed Formosus' conviction and sentence. Still later, Pope John XI, who was rumored to be Sergius III's illegitimate son, exonerated Formosus. By the way, the name Formosus means "handsome" in Latin.

From Quiz Famous Burial Locations

Answer: Andrew Jackson

President Jackson is buried on the estate he owned in Tennessee. The property was opened as a museum in 1899, and over a quarter of a million people visit each year.

From Quiz Daughter of Celebrity Burial Locations

Answer: Stamford, Connecticut

Gilda Radner (June 28, 1946 - May 20, 1989) joined TV's "Saturday Night Live" in 1975, the show's first year. She was the first actor cast for the show. She created many memorable characters for the show such as Roseanne Roseannadanna, an obnoxious woman with wild black hair would tell stories about celebrities' bad habits on the show's "Weekend Update" news segment. She was married to actor Gene Wilder at the time of her death from ovarian cancer. Gilda is buried at Long Ridge Cemetery in Stamford, Connecticut.

From Quiz Death and the Letter C

Answer: Cabbage Tree Ned

Edward Devine (1833-1909) was born in Tasmania and died at Ballarat in Australia. How he got the nickname Cabbage Tree Ned is beyond me. Is there such a thing as a cabbage tree? (Perhaps our Australian funtrivia quiz fans can tell us.)* Maybe he crashed into one. For many years, Ned was the driver of the coach that ran from Geelong to Ballarat. One of his chief claims to fame is the 1862 feat of driving a twelve-horse coach which carried 90 passengers (and over those roads, too!). That same coach carried the entire English cricket team which was making the first English cricket team visit to Australia, playing against the local talent. Ned was their coach driver for the entire trip. *Thanks to funtrivia member Baloo55 for informing me that there is indeed such a thing as a cabbage tree. I tracked it down on the internet and from its picture it looks like a palm tree that mutated. You can see for yourself - keyword: cordyline. Thanks, Baloo.

From Quiz Murder Most Foul

Answer: Karla Faye Tucker

Karla Faye Tucker died by lethal injection in Texas on February 3, 1998. She had been convicted of the murder of Deborah Thornton and Jerry Lynn Dean in 1983.

From Quiz Quotable Death

Answer: Winston Churchill

Although all four choices are frequently and widely quoted, this kind of wry, self-deprecating humor is unmistakably Churchillian.

From Quiz Death and the Famous

Answer: William Shakespeare

That's not a misprint: the son's name was Hamnet (not Hamlet). He died at age 11 from an illness.

From Quiz Historical Illnesses

Answer: Porphyria

Porphyria, his urine is said to have been blue. This is another illness that includes dementia as a symptom.

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