Holding the Line Trivia Quiz

Answer: Strasbourg

As a result of World War I, the French built the Maginot Line in the 1930s as a defensive structure along France's border from Italy to Luxembourg. It was named after three-time French Minister of War Andrew Maginot, who served between November of 1929 and February of 1930, between March and December of 1930, and between January of 1931 and January of 1932. Unfortunately for France and the rest of the world, the defensive work proved virtually useless when Hitler simply by-passed the Maginot Line by crossing through Belgium in 1940.

A cultural bridge between the French and the Germans, Strasbourg changed hands between the two peoples many times. The city's metropolitan area is bordered by the Rhine itself. Visitors to the city today have access to a Maginot Line Tour.

France's second-largest city, Marseille, lies on the Mediterranean Coast. Quebec and Baton Rouge are both in North America.

Answer: Wyatt Earp

The buntline special was a long-barreled version of the Colt Single Action Army revolver. Popular history ascribes the weapon to the writing Ned Buntline, a dime novelist and acquaintance of Buffalo Bill Cody. According to an unsubstantiated legend, Buntline ordered long-barreled Colt .45s to be sent to Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and three other lawmen in appreciation of their efforts to add local color to Western tales Buntline had authored.

The tale is based on a fictionalized biography of Earp written in 1931 by Stuart N. Lake.

Answer: John Charles Daly

"What's My Line" was a panelist quiz show which ran on CBS from 1950 to 1967 and then on syndication from 1968 to 1975. Daly was the moderator for the complete run on CBS. Probably the best-known panelists were Arlene Francis, Dorothy Kilgallen, and Bennett Cerf, who served a total of 61 years between them. Daly was a broadcast journalist and executive.

John Wesley Hardin was an outlaw of the Old West who died in 1895. Oliver Wendell Holmes was a US Supreme Court justice who died in 1935. Jimmy Carter was US President from 1977 to 1981.

Answer: Wayne Cashman and Ken Hodge

The Espo Line dominated Bruin foes from 1967 to 1975. Esposito spent 18 seasons in the NHL and was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 1984.

Spahn and Burdette were dominating pitchers of the Boston Braves and Milwaukee Braves. Simon and Garfunkel were a singing duo. Pesci and Pacino are actors often associated with gangster films.

Answer: Lead Belly

Lead Belly is the better-known name of Huddie Ledbetter, folksinger and song writer who lived from 1888-1949. He has also been called the King of the Twelve-String Guitar. Among the songs most associated with him are "Midnight Special" and especially "Good Night, Irene."

Cash was born in 1932, Boxcar Willie (Lecil Travis Martin) was born in 1931, and Harrison was born in 1943.

Answer: Joaquin Phoenix

Phoenix' appearance as Cash earned the actor his second Academy Award nomination, after having been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as emperor Commodus in 2000's "Gladiator." In 2013 he would receive his second Best Actor nomination as Freddie Quell in 2013's "The Master." Film critic Roger Ebert, who claims to know Cash's record albums "by heart," said after closing his eyes and listening to the soundtrack of "Walk the Line," on which Phoenix sings Cash's songs, that he, Ebert, believed that it was Cash's voice on the soundtrack, not Phoenix's.

Answer: Balaclava from the Crimean War and Guadalcanal from World War II

Kipling wrote "Tommy" in 1890 and it was reprinted in 1892 in his "Barrack-Room Ballads." The poem includes the line, "But it's 'Thin red line of 'eroes' when the drums begin to roll" and is a reference to the Battle of Balaclava. Kipling uses the name Tommy, as in Tommy Atkins, which has become symbolic of the common soldier in the British Army.

Another modern reference to the British "thin red line" and its connection to the Battle of Balaclava is found in George MacDonald Fraser's 1973 novel, "Flashman at the Charge."

Jones' novel, "The Thin Red Line", takes place during the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomons during the Second World War.

Answer: American military academies

Based on a true story, "The Long Gray Line", released in 1955, was a film about West Point directed by John Ford. In the film, Tyrone Power plays an Irish immigrant who would spend 50 years working at the United States Military Academy, beginning as a dishwasher and eventually becoming a cadet, non-commissioned officer, and eventually an athletic instructor.

"The Long Gray Line" is also a painting by British artist Ben Maile, which has also been made into popular prints. Maile lived from 1922 to 2017.

Rick Atkinson's work, "The Long Gray Line", published in 1989, follows members of the West Point class of 1966. Born in Munich, Atkinson has won Pulitzer Prizes for news reporting as well as writing history.

Answer: Ernie Banks

Wrigley Field is a Chicago baseball stadium, home of the Chicago Cubs, and known for its ivy-covered outfield wall.

Ernie Banks, aka "Mr. Cub", spent his entire major-league career, from 1953 to 1971, with the Cubs. Fourteen times an All Star, Banks was also called "Mr. Sunshine" for his positive attitude. Elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977, Banks is considered by many to be the Cubs' greatest player.

Eddie Arcaro was a professional jockey, Enzo Ferrari was a racing car driver and founder of the Ferrari automobile maker, and Ella Fitzgerald was a singer known as Lady Ella, The First Lady of Song, and The First Lady of Jazz.

Answer: Morgantown, West Virginia

The distance from Morgantown, West Virginia, to Point Marion, Pennsylvania, is 10 miles. This would put Morgantown to within ten miles of the Mason-Dixon Line, which was first drawn between 1763 and 1767 to establish the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland. Located on the Monongahela River, Morgantown is 75 miles south of Pittsburgh, where the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers combine to form the Ohio River.

Located on Lake Erie, the city of Erie is 116 miles north of Pittsburgh, as the crow flies.

Located near Virginia's southern border on the state's Atlantic coast, Norfolk is about 250 miles from Pennsylvania's southern border.

St. Louis is about 600 miles from southwestern Pennsylvania.