Heart-Shaped Quiz

Answer: Pluto

New Horizons was launched on January 19, 2006, while Pluto was still classified as a full size planet. Nearly eight months later, the IAU (International Astronomical Union) released the new requirements for an object to be classified as a planet. It was determined that Pluto did not comply with the new criteria and it was demoted to a dwarf planet.

New Horizons' trajectory took it through the asteroid belt and around Jupiter, using the gas giant as a gravitational slingshot to hurl it towards Pluto. The probe made its flyby of Pluto in July, 2015 capturing the first clear images of the dwarf planet's surface since its discovery in 1930. The heart shaped feature shown in the photograph was given the name Tombaugh Regio, which is named after Pluto's discoverer Clyde Tombaugh.

Answer: Kingdom Hearts

The first "Kingdom Hearts" was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. It was published by Square (aka Square Enix) who found success with their "Final Fantasy" series of role playing games. The main protagonist of "Kingdom Hearts" is Sora, a young boy who wields a weapon known as a keyblade (a sword in the shape of a key).

During his journey Sora fights enemies known as the Heartless alongside Donald Duck and Goofy. The plot takes him through various worlds found in movies and cartoons produced by Walt Disney, such as "Alice in Wonderland", "The Little Mermaid" and others. Many "Final Fantasy" characters also make appearances in the "Kingdom Hearts" series such as Cloud Strife and Sephiroth from "Final Fantasy VII". The game's popularity helped spawn multiple sequels and spinoffs.

The picture shows the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, which inspired some of the castles featured in Walt Disney's classic films.

Answer: Hickenbottom

Michael Shawn Hickenbottom is a former wrestler who is more well known by his ring name "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. In his early years, he made appearances for various wrestling promotions before signing with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1987.

In the WWF, Shawn Michaels was paired with Marty Jannetty as a tag team named The Rockers. In a famous segment that aired in 1992, Shawn Michaels turned on his partner and threw him into the window of Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake's "Barber Shop" set. In 1997, Shawn Michaels launched the D-Generation X stable alongside Triple H, Chyna and Ravishing Rick Rude. He was also involved in the infamous "Montreal Screwjob" against Bret "The Hitman" Hart. Shawn Michaels had a successful career in WWF/WWE and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2011.

Answer: Neil Young

"Keep me searching for a heart of gold". "Heart of Gold" was first released in 1972 and was featured on Neil Young's fourth studio album "Harvest". The song would achieve number one status in both the United States and Canada, where Neil Young was born. The song has been performed by many other bands and musicians from various genres.

In 2001, heavy metal band Black Label Society released their version on their "Alcohol Fueled Brewtality" live album. Also in 2001, American pop singer Tori Amos released a cover of "Heart of Gold" on the album "Strange Little Girls". Johnny Cash also recorded a cover of "Heart of Gold" which was released following Cash's death as part of the compilation album "Unearthed" in 2003.

Answer: Hearts of Steel

"Hearts of Steel" was a four-issue mini series that was released by IDW Publishing in 2006. In this series, several Transformers (Autobots and Decepticons) awoke from stasis in the United States during the mid-1800s. In order to disguise themselves, robots from both factions adapted themselves to transform into various objects and vehicles from that era.

Several of them disguise themselves as steam locomotives (hence the photo) including Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. Shockwave, one of the Decepticons, disguised himself as a steam-powered ironclad battleship. Megatron, the Decepticon leader, transformed into a mobile cannon, much like those used during the American Civil War.

Answer: Their heart is backwards

Dextrocardia is a rare birth defect that affects the heart. Imagine if the human heart were a strawberry leaning on one side. In normal people, the point of the heart faces their left side. In a person diagnosed with dextrocardia, the point of their heart faces their right side (as shown in the photo).

Although, people who have this condition can live full lives, the reversal of their heart may cause issues for them should they develop any further cardiovascular problems. There might also be people who are diagnosed with dextrocardia with situs inversus which means that other internal organs may be on the opposite side of the body in addition to the heart.

Answer: Alabama

The word Dixie is often used to describe the southeast region of the United States. Many historians believe that the word was derived from the Mason-Dixon line, which divided the free and slave states prior to the American Civil War. Other historians believe the word originated as a slang word used by French speaking citizens in Louisiana.

Alabama was admitted as a state on December 14, 1819. In 1861, Alabama seceded and became part of the Confederate States of America. Alabama's geographical location within the former Confederacy led it to be given the nickname the Heart of Dixie, which was born as a promotional slogan that the state began using in the late 1940s. The state began placing the slogan on its license plates in 1954. The photograph features the Alabama State Capitol in the city of Montgomery.

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

"The Tell-Tale Heart" was a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. It was first published in January, 1843 as part of a group of stories compiled for a periodical literary magazine named "The Pioneer". The story focused on an unnamed murderer who was haunted by the beating of his victim's heart.

In an episode of "The Simpsons" titled "Lisa's Rival", Lisa Simpson attempted to sabotage a rival classmate. Lisa stole the girl's diorama that depicted "The Tell-Tale Heart" and replaced it with an animal heart. Lisa soon began regretting her actions after she was haunted by a beating heart much like the man in the story.

The photo is an illustration drawn in 1935 by Arthur Rackham that was featured in the compilation book "Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination".

Answer: Jean-Luc Picard

In the episode titled "Tapestry" of "Star Trek: The Next Generation", Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was on the verge of death after he had been injured during a mission. Captain Picard had an artificial heart which left him vulnerable to a weapon that would have been less effective if he still had his regular heart.

The omnipotent alien named Q (John de Lancie) tricked Picard into thinking that he was God and that Picard was preparing to face the afterlife. Q then gave Picard the opportunity to relive the moments that led to him getting stabbed by aliens during a fight and prevent his impending death. It was shown that Picard's career would have gone down a different path if the fight did not occur. The Captain later woke up from his near-death experience.

The photograph features Earl Grey tea, which was Captain Picard's favorite beverage.

Answer: Care Bears

The Care Bears were characters created in 1981 by American Greetings, a greeting card company based out of Ohio. They partnered with American toy companies Parker Brothers and Kenner to launch a line of teddy bears based on their designs. The popularity of the Care Bears led to dozens of television shows, movies, games and books.

Each individual Care Bear was designed with a different color and each one had various patterns drawn on their bellies. Some of the Bears' names included Tenderheart Bear (brown with a red heart), Grumpy Bear (blue with a rain cloud) and Funshine Bear (yellow with a Sun). Brave Heart Lion and Lotsa Heart Elephant are two of the Care Bear Cousins who were introduced in 1984.