All White on the Night Trivia Quiz

Answer: White Christmas

Bing Crosby was the one who sang the original version of the classic Christmas song, "White Christmas", which was written by Irving Berlin, and was first released in July 1942. The lyrics to this nostalgic song described the white Christmases of the past, and spoke of a yearning for each and every Christmas to be equally as magical. Surprisingly, (given the song's eventual popularity), it did not perform very well during its initial release, but by October of 1942, it had hit the coveted number one spot on the "Your Hit Parade" chart.

Moreover it managed to stay at the top spot for four months, and also spent eleven weeks at the top of the "Billboard" charts.

Answer: Yes

Based on a fairy-tale written by the brothers Grimm, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was Walt Disney's first full length film, and was released in 1937. In 1935, when she was just nineteen years old, Disney picked Adriana Caselotti, an unknown actress at the time, to be the voice of Snow White. Following this, Caselotti had intended to pursue a career in opera, just like her mother and sister, but found that the very man who had propelled her to stardom was the same one blocking her way. For Walt Disney did not want Caselotti to ever perform again, and was even quoted as saying "that voice can't be used anywhere. I don't want to spoil the illusion of Snow White".

Answer: To be frightened or ill

The idiom and simile, "to be as white as a sheet", relates to being either ill or frightened. Thought to date back to the very early seventeenth century, it describes the paleness of one's skin, which can often be attributed to illness. However more often than not, it refers to the draining of the blood from one's face, which is the body's natural reaction to fear.

Therefore as a direct result of the similarity between the pallor caused by fear and the whiteness of bed-sheets, (which were, at the time, all white), the term was coined.

Answer: Milk

In 1989, a memorable, UK milk advert caught the attention of the nation, and promptly caused milk sales to soar. In the advert, two young boys were pictured with a bottle of milk, with one of them exclaiming "Milk? Ugh!", thus prompting the other to say, "My mum says Ian Rush says if you don't drink your milk you'll end up playing for Accrington Stanley." The other boy duly answered "Accrington Stanley, who are they?", leaving his friend to respond with "Exactly!".

The advert then ended with the pair squabbling over the milk bottle, and cries of "Give me some".

The implication was of course that, at the time, Accrington Stanley was not a well-known football club.

Answer: Michael Jackson

There has been much speculation regarding the real reason Michael Jackson took to wearing a single, white glove. Jackson first appeared with the sparkling glove in May, 1983, during his appearance on NBC's "Motown 25", when he performed his hit single, "Billie Jean". Over the coming months, the white glove became a regular part of Jackson's wardrobe, and, like its wearer, it too began to evolve, so much so that eventually, each glove was hand-sewn with around 1,200 crystals, a task that took up to ten days to accomplish.

Moreover the following year, CBS Records threw a party in Jackson's honour, (for the 1984 Grammy Awards), and 1,500 invitations were sent out on white gloves. As for his reasons for wearing the glove, many rumours have circulated over the years, including the claim that the glove was an early attempt to cover up Jackson's vitiligo, the pigment changing skin condition that eventually spread to the rest of his body.

Answer: Ally McBeal

The television series, "Ally McBeal", centred on the daily trials and tribulations of lawyer Ally McBeal, (played by Calista Flockhart), who worked at Boston law firm, Cage and Fish. One of the firm's co-founders, John Cage, (played by Peter MacNicol), was frequently inspired by the music of Barry White, and throughout the series he regularly used it to bolster his confidence in court. White himself made two cameos on the show, the first of which was during the season two episode, "Those Lips, That Hand", while his second was in the fifth season's "Bygones".

Answer: Great white shark

Contrary to popular belief, the great white shark does not actively prey on human beings, but rather bites them out of simple curiosity, before then releasing them. This is in stark contrast to the tiger shark, which is a known man-eater, and is far less likely to allow its prey to escape once it has been bitten.

Indeed while 55-80% of those bitten by a great white survive the attack, the chances of surviving a tiger shark attack are considerably less.

Answer: Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll wrote "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" after telling three of his friend's daughters a story about a young girl named Alice, who went looking for an adventure. The novel was eventually published in 1865, some three years after Lewis Carroll narrated the story to the girls, and introduced the world to numerous characters that went on to delight generations of children.

These included the white rabbit, who was first introduced in chapter one, and was promptly followed down the rabbit hole by Alice, who then entered the fantastical world of Wonderland.

Answer: Fighting infection

The white blood cell, also known as a leukocyte, is an integral part of the human body's immune system. These cells are always present in the bloodstream, but once an infection develops, they grow considerably in number before congregating in the infected area, in order to neutralise the threat to the body.

Indeed they are a key factor in fighting infection, and if a blood test reveals a high number of white blood cells, it is a sign that there is an infection somewhere in the body, even if it is not immediately obvious from the outside.

Answer: Blindness

Like many other nursery rhymes, including "Mary, Mary Quite Contrary" and "Georgie Porgie", "Three Blind Mice" was based on historical events. Indeed the rhyme's farmer's wife is an allusion to Queen Mary I, who was nicknamed "Bloody Mary" due to her enthusiasm for torturing her subjects.

The three mice represent three Protestant noblemen, who were all accused of conspiring against the Catholic queen, and were promptly burned alive as a result.