Cool Zooms, Part XXVIII Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Ed Sullivan Show

"The Ed Sullivan Show" was a CBS variety show which ran from 1948 to 1971, hosted by the eponymous Ed Sullivan, an entertainment columnist. Some of his "famous" guest stars included Itzhak Perlman, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Supremes, The Muppets and of course the performers mentioned in the question.

In 1955 guitarist Bo Diddley appeared on Sullivan's show but missed his cue and instead of singing "Sixteen Tons" (the Tennessee Ernie Ford hit), sang his own hit song, "Bo Diddley". Sullivan's response was "You are the first black boy that ever double-crossed me." Diddley never appeared again on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Ed Sullivan was conscious of both "Beatlemania" and the "British Invasion" in the 1960s. In 1963 he tried to organise a show featuring The Beatles with manager Brian Epstein. However, Epstein was able to parlay this into three consecutive shows in 1964. Their first appearance set a US television audience record and the first song sung was "All My Loving". The Beatles' final live appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" was in 1965.

The Rolling Stones first appeared in 1967, having been told to change the title of their hit single "Let's Spend the Night Together". The band reacted disapprovingly every time they sang the more innocuous "Let's Spend Some Time Together". Mick Jagger was castigated by Sullivan for not wearing a jacket during their performance. Altogether, the Stones appeared six times on "The Ed Sullivan Show".

The Doors also performed in 1967. Network censors insisted that the lyrics of "Light My Fire" be changed from "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" by changing "higher" to "better". Another source suggests that the modification was to "Girl, there's nothing I require". Lead singer Jim Morrison sang the original lyric during a tape for the show. Mediocre and time-consuming editing facilities meant that the network was powerless to change anything and the Doors never performed on the show again.

Phoenix Rising's psnz hopes that this question does not create any controversy and wants quizzers to know that "I'm sending all my lovin' to you".

Answer: The Marvelettes (1961)

When The Marvelettes auditioned for Motown, the label had not yet put its songwriting division into operation, so the girls in the group were asked to bring their own material. William Garrett, a songwriter friend of group member Georgia Dobbins had this song but it was a blues song so Georgia Dobbins rewrote it retaining only the title. She left the group soon after recording the song. This was the first number one hit for Motown Records. Marvin Gaye, 22 at the time and still an unknown, played drums on the record.

The Carpenters recorded this song in 1975 and it went to number one in several countries including Australia. It was their biggest hit but Karen Carpenter did not like the song as she believed they should not be recording covers at the height of their career.

The Beatles received permission to play this song, one of three permitted by Motown chief Berry Gordy. It was a crowd favourite.

This question was posted, not by the mailman, but by 1nn1, who has a personal connection to the Carpenters' version.

Answer: There are exactly 52,000 weeks in a millennium

A fortnight is defined as a period of two weeks or 14 days, a millisecond is defined as one thousandth of a second, and yes, (without getting into the complexities of defining the term 'year') generally speaking, most years have 365 days (leap years have 366). As it turns out, there are roughly 52,143 weeks in a millennium.

Incidentally, the Beatles also got it 'wrong' when they released "Eight Days a Week" in 1964. There are in fact only seven days in a week.

This question was recorded by Phoenix Rising member JCSon on the fourth day of the week in the eleventh month of the twentieth year of the twenty-first century in the third millennium of the Common Era.

Answer: Inability to recognise faces

Prosopagnosia, also called face blindness, is a cognitive disorder in which the sufferer cannot recognise familiar faces including their own. Other aspects of visual perception are unaffected. Prosopagnosia is mainly caused by brain damage although a small percentage of cases is caused by congenital defects. There is, at present, no effective treatment for this disorder. People afflicted with this condition may employ other recognition strategies such as noting clothing, body shape, gait and voice.

I've Just Seen a Face' was a Lennon-McCartney song recorded by the Beatles in 1965 and was their first fully acoustic composition.

Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing did not recognise the face of this question.

Answer: 1920s

Established in 1921 to commemorate South African soldiers killed during World War I, the Comrades Marathon is run annually between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. Its 89 km (59 mi) length makes it an ultramarathon. Technically, any run longer than a traditional 42.2 km (26.2 mi) marathon is classified as an ultra.

While not considered ultramarathoners, the Beatles included a song called "Run for Your Life" on their 1965 album "Rubber Soul". Set to a catchy, fun-loving tune, the lyrics are anything but, and are rather more menacing. In a nod to Elvis Presley's "Baby, Let's Play House" (1955), Lennon sings, "I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man".

Phoenix Rising's JCSon, who was born in Durban, went the distance with this question.

Answer: At least two languages

The New Zealand anthem is known as 'God Defend New Zealand'/'Aotearoa', with the Maori words comprising the first half of the song, followed by the English verses.
The South African anthem is referred to as 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika' ('God Bless Africa'), and is sung in five different languages, Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English.
'Advance Australia Fair', 'The Star Spangled Banner' and 'God Save the Queen' are all sung in English.

The Beatles 1965 hit, 'Michelle' includes the French phrase 'Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble', which translates as 'These are words that go together well'.

Question was sung tunefully by Phoenix Rising team member, ozzz2002.

Answer: The creation of Penguin Books

Allen Lane founded Penguin Books in 1935 with his brothers Richard and John. The aim of the enterprise was to produce relatively cheap paperbacks that could make books more affordable and therefore available to a much wider range of people. The books had a standard design and cover, with different colours representing different literary genres. They were also reprints of existing works to keep costs downs and the first set of ten to be released included Ernest Hemingway's 'A Farewell to Arms' and Agatha Christie's 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' - the first to feature her Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. The connection between Penguin Books and Agatha Christie may also go deeper than that fact; apocryphally Allen Lane is said to have come up with the idea after being dismayed by the lack of reading material for sale at Exeter railway station while returning from a trip to see Agatha Christie.

From these early beginnings, paperback books have since become immensely popular right round the world. They even inspired a hit number one song by The Beatles - 'Paperback Writer'.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81 who once had a collection of over 150 Penguin Popular Classics novels - none of which were works by Agatha Christie.

Answer: Eleanor

Actor Glenn Ford's first wife (he had four wives and numerous affairs) was actress and dancer Eleanor Powell. Her tap sequence to 'Begin the Beguine' with Fred Astaire is thought to be one of the greatest tap dances on film.
German philosopher Karl Marx had seven children; Eleanor Aveling, known as 'Tussy', was actually named Jenny Julia Eleanor Marx, which is very confusing as her eldest sister was also called Jenny.
King Henry II was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was a duchess in her own right, was Queen of France and upon her divorce from Louis VII, was quickly snapped up by Henry. A woman of strong ideas, she had ten children, and persuaded some of them to rise up in revolt of Henry, as she disagreed with his decisions, causing him to imprison her for many years.

The Beatles used the name in the song 'Eleanor Rigby'. Paul McCartney wanted a name that sounded 'natural'.

smpdit has a fondness for the name as her daughter is named after the Angevin Queen.

Answer: English Channel and England

The Isle of Wight is the roughly rhombus-shaped island located just off the south coast of England in the English Channel. At its closest point, it is only just over one kilometre from the mainland and is separated from it by a strait known as the Solent. The island has a long history of human occupation - a collection of Palaeolithic handaxes found on its beaches were dated to a period around 375,000-425,000 years ago, while in more 'recent' times it was known as Vectis and at least seven Roman villas were built there. The island is also home to Carisbrooke Castle, where King Charles I was imprisoned before his execution, and Osborne House, the favourite residence of Queen Victoria. Other notable features include the Needles, a chain of chalk stacks off its western point; the coloured sand of the cliffs at Alum Bay; and various steep-sided gorges known as chines.

The Isle of Wight is also a popular tourist destination thanks to annual events such as the Cowes Week regatta that includes the traditional Round the Island Race and the music festival that has been headlined by acts such as David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Paul McCartney. The classic Beatles song 'When I'm Sixty-Four' even included the line "Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight".

This question was written by a slightly melancholy Fifiona81 who, thanks to Covid-imposed home working, no longer gets to look out at the Isle of Wight each day from the office window.

Answer: He developed the art of trapeze

Jules Leotard was expected to become a lawyer, but instead, at just 18, he first experimented with the trapeze. Later he joined the Cirque Napoleon and his first public performance was in France three years later. The trapeze was hitherto unknown and the stunning aerial acrobatics caught the imagination of the public. He then designed the leotard, a one-piece knitted outfit that made it easier for him to perform his somersaults. This caught the imagination of the young ladies in the audience, although it wasn't clear if they were reacting to the performance or the leotard. George Leybourne and Gaston Lyle immortalised Leotard in song, composing "That Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze" in his honour.

Although Leotard was said to have been born in 1838, no reliable records are available and while the actual date is surmised to be March or August, it is possible that he was born several years later. Leotard died in 1870 from an unspecified illness, most popularly thought to be smallpox.

John Lennon was inspired by a poster of the 19th century circus (Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal) to compose 'Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite' on the 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' album of 1967.

This question was somersaulted into the quiz by leith90, who cannot somersault and wouldn't be caught dead in a leotard.

Answer: Each was married to the same woman

All the named gentlemen were married to Rita Hayworth. Rita first found fame in the 1940s and appeared in 61 films in 37 years. She was one of the top pin up girls in World War II and was the poster girl of 'Shawshank Redemption' fame. She was married five times, the missing spouse from the question being Prince Aly Khan.

Paul McCartney penned the track 'Lovely Rita', because he'd happened across the term 'meter maid' - an American traffic warden - and liked the sound of it. The Beatles had hit an experimental time of their music life, and this track features them playing the comb and tissue paper.

One husband is enough for smpdit. Five seems like too much effort.

Answer: Muskox

The muskox is a mammal in the Bovidae family of ruminant animals. It is known for its thick coat and the musky odour emitted by males during the rutting season. Muskoxen are naturally found in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic but populations have been introduced in regions such as Alaska and Siberia. Like many other animals, muskoxen have also been affected by climate change. Fluctuating weather patterns have impaired the muskoxen's ability to find food, resulting in smaller offspring that have poorer health and shorter lifespans. Herds of muskoxen have also been found frozen to death due to extreme weather events.

"I Am The Walrus" is a Beatles song written by John Lennon for their 1967 "Magical Mystery Tour" musical film. The walrus is another example of an Arctic mammal, though not a herbivore. Much of its diet consists of benthic invertebrates.

This question was scented by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Answer: No Country for Old Men

Released in 2007, the Coen Brothers written and directed "No Country for Old Men" won four Academy Awards including Best Picture. It also won three British Academy Film Awards and two Golden Globes. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem the film was based on a 2005 novel of the same name, written by Cormac McCarthy. The movie centres on Brolin's character Llewelyn Moss finding money from a failed drug bust. He is then chased by escaped prisoner Anton Chigur (Bardem) who has been hired to recover the money. In pursuit of both is Sheriff Ed Bell (Jones).

Antonyms are a central feature of the lyrics to the Beatles 1967 single, 'Hello, Goodbye'.

This question was presented to the quiz by Phoenix Rising's leith90 who admits to never having watched the movie, but loves a good brainteaser.

Answer: The further a galaxy is away from us, the faster it is moving.

Hubble's law is also known as the Hubble-Lemaitre law. The law states that the further away galaxies are from Earth, the faster they are moving away from Earth. The velocity is measured by their redshift - that is, the shift of the wavelength of the light they emit to the red end of the spectrum. This observation supports both the theory that the universe is expanding and the 'Big Bang' model.

Edwin Powell Hubble (1889 - 1953) was born in Missouri and it is for him the Hubble Space Telescope was named.

Cosmology is also found in the Beatles' song title 'Across the Universe'.

Phoenix Rising's falling star, mike32768 spaced out and, once again, initially forgot to write a humorous question outro. So instead you get this non-stellar replacement.

Answer: Rachel - Jacob

Rachel was, in fact, Jacob's wife. Jacob spent seven years working for Rachel's father, Laban, in order to make her his wife. However, on their assigned wedding day, he was tricked into marrying her older sister, Leah. A bargain was then made that he work for another seven years for Rachel, but he was able to make her his wife once the bridal week with Leah was over - so it appears that he got her on credit.

The Beatles' song, "Lady Madonna" was primarily written by Paul McCartney. "Madonna", from medieval Italian ma donna, meaning "my lady", may also refer to Mary, mother of Jesus. McCartney is quoted as saying: "'Lady Madonna' started off as the Virgin Mary, then it was a working-class woman, of which obviously there's millions in Liverpool."

This question was birthed by Phoenix Rising member lg549 who is the mother of two sons with biblical names.

Answer: Spyro

Spyro is a purple dragon (with yellow trim!) who is the main protagonist and titular character of a series of PlayStation games including 'Spyro the Dragon', 'Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!' and 'Spyro: Year of the Dragon'. Loosely modelled on Disney's 'Pete's Dragon', many of his features, including his colours, were changed to forestall being sued. He is described as 'courageous, headstrong, eager, and arrogant', all characteristics a good dragon should display. Spyro, a juvenile dragon, spits rather than breathes arrow-shaped fire bursts, and is still learning to fly.

Sly Cooper the raccoon is also a PlayStation character, and he doesn't fly. Sonic is a character in a Japanese video game series owned by Sega. An anthropomorphic brown Malayan Sun Bear, Banjo and his bird friend Kazooie appear in the Nintendo Microsoft Game Studios (Xbox 360).

Paul McCartney started to write the 1968 song 'Rocky Raccoon' in song when The Beatles were in India, and originally name the protagonist Rocky Sassoon, but thought that didn't sound sufficiently like a cowboy, so he changed it to Rocky Raccoon. It became the inspiration of the Marvel comic character of the same name.

The question played out in the mind of Phoenix Rising's VegemiteKid.

Answer: Pataphysics

'Pataphysics or pataphysics (minus the apostrophe) was invented by Alfred Jarry (1873-1907), a French writer. He intended it to parody traditional sciences. Whimsical nonsense and themes of spoofing and quackery are prevalent in his 1898 novel "Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician". A "pataphor" is an unusually extended metaphor based on Jarry's pataphysics.

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy dealing with ideas like being, knowing and time and space. Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that began in the early 19th century in the New England states of the US, with core beliefs of people's inherent goodness. Pastafarianism comes from "pasta" and "Rastafarianism" and is a light-hearted view of religion through the "Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster".

The first line of The Beatles' "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" refers to pataphysics:
"Joan was quizzical, studied pataphysical
Science in the home
Late nights all alone with a test tube
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine
Calls her on the phone
"Can I take you out to the pictures
Joa, oa, oa, oan?"

But as she's getting ready to go
A knock comes on the door
Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Came down upon her head
Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that she was dead"

Phoenix Rising's psnz stuck a fork into this question, twirled it dramatically and gathered up the essence, all the while consuming the philosophies expounded by his dinner companions.

Answer: Tahini

Tahini is made from toasted ground hulled sesame and is a popular food in the Middle East and North Africa. It can be served by itself as a dip; as an ingredient in such dishes as hummus (mashed chick peas, lemon, garlic), baba ghanoush (eggplant, olive oil and lemon) or as a sauce on a doner kabab. It is mild in taste and is not at all hot or spicy like the other three.

The connection here to the Beatles is the song "Mean Mr Mustard", another condiment.

This question was ground out by 1nn1 who prefers his tahini as a sauce on his hummus-infused Doner Kebab especially if listening to "Abbey Road" at the same time.

Answer: He developed and enforced the Edict of Nantes

The Edict of Nantes was decreed by Henry IV in 1598 and was designed to prevent religious persecution in France, especially of the Protestants who were a minority in the largely Catholic country. Henry's grandson, Louis XIV was fiercely Catholic and renounced the Edict of Nantes and in 1685 decreed the Edict of Fontainebleu which made Protestantism illegal in France. Many Huguenots fled the country to other parts of Europe and the world, taking great skills in a range of human endeavours with them.

Louis, who ruled France from the age of 4 in 1643 to his death in 1715, declared himself 'The State' and the 'Sun King' ('le Roi Soleil'). Largely written by John Lennon, 'Sun King' is the second song in the long medley on 1969's 'Abbey Road' album.

This question was inserted without edict into the quiz by MikeMaster99, who is always interested to learn more about major decisions in history and how they affected the world around them.

Answer: The End

"The End" was a black comedy that focussed on the subject of death. This was considered a risky project for Reynolds, who was riding high on the success of "Smokey and the Bandit", that had been released the previous year. Considering the subject matter and the fare that Reynolds had previously released, this was a totally unexpected move from the star and, as a result the critics panned it. Fortunately for the studio the audience loved it and it went on to gross in excess of $US40 million on a budget of $US3 million. The film, in which Reynold's character learns he has a fatal blood disease and seeks to end his own life, also starred Dom DeLuise and Sally Field.

'The End' was also intended as the final song on the final Beatles album 'Abbey Road' but the brief 'Her Majesty' was then added.

This question, which was finished off by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19, brings this quiz to the end.