Factoid Foolery, A New Hope Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dynamite

Alfred Nobel, who was Swedish, invented Dynamite in 1866. It quickly became far more popular than other alternatives as it was considered to be much safer to work with. It was the great popularity of dynamite that provided Nobel, with the money to start up the prize.

He left the money to establish the Nobel Prize in his will. He wanted to give something back to the world after he came to hate the ways in which his primary invention, Dynamite was used, namely warfare.

Answer: Ronald Reagan

The Blueberry bean was born in 1981, invented especially for the inauguration of Ronald Reagan. This special bean was offered to those who went into the oval office, and travelled on Air Force One. A rather clever holder was even installed on the plane so that when things got bumpy - not a single bean was spilled on the floor.

Answer: Ambulance driver and mechanic

Born on 21 April 1926, Princess Elizabeth came to the throne in 1953. Before this, during the Second World War, while Prince Phillip was away serving with the Royal Navy, Princess Elizabeth joined the women's unit of the British Army. Here she became both an ambulance driver and a mechanic. Once the war ended, she married Prince Phillip in 1947.

Answer: Playing Cards

Nintendo began life in 1889, in the city Kyoto, Japan. It began with the production of playing cards called Hanafuda, which were all painstakingly made by hand. It wasn't until the '70s that Nintendo began to experiment with computer games, and released their very first game, "Computer Othello", which was placed into Arcades.

Answer: Barbara Millicent Roberts

"Born" in 1959, Barbie has been around for a long time. She shared her name with the daughter of her creator, Ruth Handler. Later in 1961 Ken appeared - his full name being Ken Carson. His name was also taken from the son of his creator. Both of the dolls have been produced by the toy manufacturer Mattel.

Answer: The monarch

This strange custom dates back to the twelfth century, when the monarch of the time declared that they would from now on have ownership of all mute swans. This is thought to have been because swans were a delicacy. In more recent times, the Queen only exercises her ownership on certain stretches of the Thames and its surrounding tributaries

Answer: Harlem Globe Trotter

In the December of 2000, The Harlem Globetrotters attended the general audience of the Pope. They gave him a t-shirt with his name emblazoned on the back. The Pope commented that basketball was 'the ideal environment for the exercise of numerous virtues'.

The Globetrotters themselves began in 1927. They have become world famous for performing basketball related tricks and comedy skits, rather than actually playing full games of basketball.

Answer: Mouse

In Mexico the Tooth Mouse replaces the western tooth fairy. However the process for getting the monetary reward is the same, you would place the tooth under your pillow, only to find it gone in the morning, instead finding some cash!

Answer: Spider

Ford, who was born on 13 July 1942, has had a glittering career - becoming one of the most successful actors of his generation. He has had considerable success with his lead role in the "Indiana Jones" trilogy, and his part in the "Star Wars" films.

It was in 1993 that a new species of spider was discovered and named after him; Calponia Harrisonfordi. It was discovered by a spider specialist called Norman Platnick.

Answer: Michael Douglas

Michael Keaton's full, original name was in fact Michael John Douglas. Born on the 9th September, 1951, Keaton appeared in "Night Shift" (1982), but rocketed to fame after appearing as the title character in the movie "Batman" 1989, and later in 1992 in "Batman Returns". He changed his name early in his career to avoid confusion with actor Michael Douglas.