Hey! You Forgot Me Again! Trivia Quiz

Answer: David Bowie

Affleck is the tallest of the four at 6' 3", Crowe and McCartney each measure in at 5' 11". The esteemed Mr. Bowie, unless he's had a growth spurt or something equally unlikely, is 5' 10" tall.

Answer: Washington, D.C.

And, no, politics had nothing to do with it! Also, Washington didn't fare nearly as badly as many other major cities did (Pittsburgh, NYC and Chicago rounded out the bottom of the list). To note: sanitation wasn't a big factor in compiling the ratings since, if you think about it, who cares about pristine streets if the mere act of drinking the water or taking a breath might kill you? San Francisco, by the way, came in as one of the top five 'cleanest' cities.

Answer: Victor Morrow, actor - died in 1982

Blackbeard was shot dead, then his head was removed. He wasn't a very popular sort and it seemed an unnecessarily harsh way to show disrespect for his remains, I'd say. Miss Duncan, reknowned for wearing long and flowing scarves, got one of them stuck in the tire spokes of a moving car she was riding in and her neck was broken immediately once the vehicle accelerated.

A widely-thought myth is that Jayne Mansfield was decapitated but she wasn't. A car accident left her with massive head injuries but what was seen flying out the back of her convertible was her signature blonde wig.

Her head stayed on. Vic Morrow's death was a tragic accident, too. While filming a stunt for the film "Twilight Zone: The Movie" he was carrying two small children when a helicopter spun out of control and crashed into them, beheading him and one of the children with its blades.

The other child was crushed to death.

Answer: The Judds (1985)

Poor Naomi and Wynona, right? As time went they did just fine for themselves (and, back then, country artists were not high on the list to Grammy voters). It really was one of those "just be glad we nominated you" situations, I imagine. How on Earth do you pick between them and Cyndi Lauper (who won it), anyway? Those who had the "She's So Unusual" album in their collection had probably never even heard of "The Judds".

Answer: Ben Hogan

Nicklaus was born in Ohio in 1940, Palmer in Pennsylvania in 1929 and Snead in Virginia in 1912. Ben Hogan (1912-1997) was born in Texas and was, arguably, the best golfer of his era in America. Sam Snead was a close second. I'm sure he would have said I got the order all wrong there.

Born just weeks apart, Ben and Sam had a healthy and friendly rivalry throughout their rather brilliant duffing careers.

Answer: Penélope Cruz, actress (Chihuahua, Mexico)

Miss Cruz was born in Madrid in 1974 and is also the youngest of these people listed (Montalban born in 1920, Santana in 1947 and Hayek in 1966). Penélope might also be the least famous overall as well, one of her biggest "splashes" being on the arm of Tom Cruise for a while (before Katie Holmes showed up and he started jumping around on couches and acting altogether off his rocker, that is).

In her native country she is known as "The Spanish Enchantress" and that nickname seems to fit her just fine.

Answer: Walt Whitman, American poet/essayist

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) not only had two parents that were wed but he also had 8 siblings! He was born in New York and grew up in Long Island (and remains quite the hero there to this day, having schools and highways, etc. named in his honor). His fate as "icon" was sealed upon publication of two collections of poetry: "Drum-Taps" and the exceptional "Leaves of Grass".

Answer: Official land mammal: Chinook Aleutian Husky

Actually the moose is the state land mammal but the huskies should not feel completely left out since 'dog mushing' is the official state sport. The flower is the Forget-me-not, the gem is jade and the tree is the Sitka spruce. Aside from that it's the largest state (by far), and entered the union in 49th place, AND was nicknamed "Seward's Folly" (why would we want it?, or so it was asked at the time) it is also interesting to note that the temperature in Alaska, state-wide, can range from +100°F to -80°F. Also, the state of Rhode Island would fit into Alaska's borders 425 times.

It's not an ageist place, either, they tell me. The state flag was designed by a 13-year-old boy named Bennie Benson from Cognac.

Answer: Smokey the Bear

Some days it seems like everybody and their brother has appeared in these ads - from film stars to athletes and just about everything in between. In terms of creatures not-so-real, nobody asked Smokey (I suppose bears aren't notoriouly known as milk drinkers?).

The campaign started in October 1993 and didn't use celebrated people or images at all. Generally the subject of the promotion was an average Joe who had a mouth full of sticky peanut butter which prevented him or her from getting their words out. What they absolutely and immediately needed was a glass of milk to wash it down. Supermodel Naomi Campbell was the first celebrity to appear and, over the years, these ads are held responsible for rescuing the milk industry from a 20-year slump. Can you imagine, by the way, being 'fired' from one of these things? It happened.

The Olsen twins were supposed to shoot one and were dismissed when it was discovered that Mary-Kate had an eating disorder. Yes, even milk gets political sometimes.

Answer: Ken Burns - TV documentarian ("The Civil War", "Baseball", etc.)

The requirements to become a member really aren't complicated here. All you have to do is score at or above the 98 percentile on any one of an assortment of IQ tests. Scores are irrelevant except in how they compare to other scores, meaning that a high score on its own means nothing if enough other people scored higher.

There really is no benefit to Mensa, anyway, except the sharing of social events as a group on occasion. "Mensa" comes from the Latin word for 'table' and all the organization builds from is the concept of a collection of members who are equal when gathered together.

The beauty of the group, if there really is one, is its diversity. A rocket scientist has no better chance of getting in than does that erstwhile fellow who serves you breakfast at the local diner. Also, it need be said, the one common thread in all Mensans is that they are never, as a general rule, afraid to ask questions. I like that observation. And, I'll add further, it very easily could be that Mr. Burns, named the non-member here, may have just never bothered taking an "intelligence" test. Hope you had some fun with this!