Conventional Wisdom Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

Leonard Wood lead the charge up San Juan Hill. Second-in-command Teddy Roosevelt, lead the charge up Kettle Hill. Wood was a personal physician to Presidents Cleveland and McKinley. He with Roosevelt formed the Rough Riders. Wood, having more military experience, assumed overall command. Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri is named for him.

In the popular play and movie "Arsenic and Old Lace"(1944) Cary Grant's brother Teddy played by John Alexander, believes he is Teddy Roosevelt. Each time he runs upstairs he imitates Roosevelt charge up San Juan Hill, even though it is not accurate historically. Roosevelt's heroism was not in doubt. His fame was used in his political campaigns. The popularity of the film and play instilled this in the public mind.

Answer: False

William Henry McCarty, Jr. was the birth name of this infamous outlaw. The Kid used several names as a means of avoiding the law. In addition to William Bonney, the Kid also used Henry Antrim, Henry McCarty, Kid Antrim, William McCarty.

Answer: False

John Lloyd Wright invented and marketed Lincoln Logs. The design was based on his father's (Frank Lloyd Wright) design of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Lincoln was Frank Lloyd Wright's middle name at birth. Frank changed it honor his mother's family. But John Wright felt that since the inspiration came from his father, he would honor him in this way.

K'nec, owner of the current patent, denies this history.

Answer: True

Bierce had a ragtag group of men made up of expatriate Canadians, ne'er-do-wells, and idealists on an invasion of Canada. The goal was to spark a revolution against the British and free Canada as the United States had freed itself in the previous century.

The site of the invasion was Windsor, Canada which, unfortunately for the invaders, was protected by a strong British regiment. Most of the 'army' was either killed or captured. Bierce fled across the river to Detroit and returned to Akron, Ohio where he served as mayor for many years.

The library at the University of Akron is named for him. He was an uncle to the cynical writer, Ambrose Bierce.

Answer: False

In a review of Fleming's novels by Old Dominion University, Bond has a total of 317 drinks. In only 63 drinks was the beverage indentified. In 54 it was bourbon; in 19 it was a vodka martini. The films promoted vodka martinis and made a catch phrase of "shaken not stirred".

Answer: False

The Spruce Goose was mainly constructed of birch. Howard Hughes told Congress that the project was a failure. Designed as a troop carrier, its length was 218 feet, wingspan was 321 feet, and its height was 79 feet. But Hughes collected ten million dollars for the effort. The media invented the name, "Spruce Goose".

Answer: True

Although Mercury is closer to the sun, its temperature is about 465 Celsius on one side but -184 on the other that makes an average of 281. Venus, with its heavy cloud cover, causes it to magnify heat or greenhouse effect and is about 400 degrees Celsius.

Answer: True

In the sixteenth century, English entrepreneurs imported from the French area of Champagne batches of spoiled or undrinkable wine. They added sugar and molasses for fermentation and developed corks and bottles to contain their product. This was recorded by the British Royal Society in 1662. Dom Perignon is rumored to have tried a means to remove the bubbles.

Answer: False

You would end up in the Indian Ocean east of Africa and west of Australia. Note that China and the United States are both in the northern hemisphere.

Answer: True

Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio on keyboards, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar, and Nick Massi on bass guitar. All contributed to the vocals. Valli considered himself to be one of the four 'seasons'.

The group eventually broke up but the 2005 Broadway musical and Tony Award winning "Jersey Boys" revived interest. "Jersey Boys" has had international productions and casts.