Kiss Me, You Fool! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Philematology

Philematology is a word that first appeared in the 19th century. It is derived from the Greek word "philema," which (not surprisingly) means "kiss." Our word "kiss" comes from the Old English word "cyssan," which means "to kiss."

Answer: 2 to 5 calories

Studies have shown that kissing burns between 2 to 5 calories per minute, depending on how passionate the kissing is. By comparison, the average person will burn about 4 calories per minute when walking at 3 miles per hour on a firm, level surface. Kissing has also been shown to reduce blood pressure, tone facial muscles, and even help fight tooth decay.

Answer: Judas

Three of the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke - relate that after Judas had agreed to betray Christ, he identified him with as kiss. Here is the story as told in Matthew 26:47-50: "And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him."

Because of the Bible story, the term "Judas kiss" has entered the English language to mean an act of betrayal, especially one disguised as a gesture of friendship. The Mafia also has its "kiss of death," or "bacio della morte," to identify those marked for death for betraying the mob.

Answer: In a canoe

From the ancient Romans to the present day, many societies have tried to ban kissing - with very little success. For example, in 1439 King Henry VI of England banned kissing in an attempt to prevent the spread of the plague. But one of the strangest bans on kissing came in 1903, when the city of Boston, Massachusetts passed a law prohibiting kissing in canoes on the Charles River.

Telephone booths and motor cars were still rarities in 1903, but canoeing was a popular pastime, especially with young people. There were few places where an unescorted young couple could get together for a for a little passionate necking, but canoes offered an ideal opportunity for a little unchaperoned time. One outraged minister opined, "If these canoes could speak, what awful tales they would tell." So under the pretext of public safety - after all, those canoes could tip over - kissing in canoes was banned in 1903, with a then huge fine of $20 for violators.

And an attempt was made to enforce the law. Between 1903 and 1905, 37 couples were arrested and fined. But from the beginning it was obvious that the guardians of public morality were fighting a losing battle. Even the conservative "Boston Herald" wrote: "At that rate it is estimated that over a million dollars' worth of kisses are exchanged at that popular canoeing resort every fine Saturday night and Sunday." Courts eventually overturned the statute.

Answer: He was a notorious serial killer

Jack the Ripper was a rank amateur compared to Béla Kiss. Kiss killed at least 24 people, and probably many, many more.

In 1909, Béla Kiss, a tinsmith by trade, moved to the town of Cinkota, a suburb of Budapest, along with his pretty, and much younger, wife, Marie. Soon after their move, Marie took a lover named Paul Bikari. In December 1912, Kiss told his neighbors that his wife had ran off with Bikari, leaving him all alone in the world. He hired an elderly widow, Mrs. Jakubec, to be his housekeeper. He also began collecting large metal drums; when asked why, he said he was stockpiling gasoline in case war broke out.

A short time later, young women began disappearing in Budapest. Police investigations revealed they had all been seen in the company of a man named Hoffman, but little else.

In 1914, WWI broke out, and Béla Kiss was drafted into the Hungarian army. In July 1916, after receiving word that Kiss had possibly been killed or taken prisoner, his landlord went to the house where Kiss had been living, and discovered seven large metal drums. Puncturing one of them, he was greeted with the smell of decomposition and contacted the authorities. Dr. Charles Nagy, Detective Chief of the Budapest Police, came to investigate. Inside each of the drums was the naked body of a young woman, preserved in wood alcohol. A subsequent search found 17 more drums, each with a body inside; two of them contained the bodies of Kiss's wife, Marie, and her lover, Paul Bikari.

A search of the house revealed that Kiss had been placing ads in Budapest newspapers under the name of Hoffman, seeking young women. Carefully filed correspondence revealed that he had proposed marriage to at least 74 women. They also found books relating to strangulation and poisoning. Mrs. Jakubec remained loyal to her employer, insisting he was a kind person who would never harm anyone (she was exonerated from any involvement in the killings).

An investigation was launched immediately. On October 4, 1916 Kiss was located in a military hospital in Serbia. Dr. Nagy went there immediately. When he reached the hospital, there was a dead man in Kiss' bed. But it wasn't Kiss; he had somehow learned that the police were after him and substituted the body of a dead soldier for his own, and escaped.

Over the next several years there were alleged sightings of Kiss in Budapest, the French Foreign Legion, and even New York City. But he was never captured. The true number of his victims and his eventual fate is unknown to this day.

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

In "Romeo and Juliet," Act 3, Scene 5 Romeo discovers Juliet lying in her tomb. Thinking Juliet is dead, he gives a very long speech, and then drinks a vial of poison he has brought with him, saying: "Here's to my love! (drinks the poison) O true apothecary, Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die." Of course, a few seconds later, Juliet wakes up. Finding Romeo dead, she stabs herself with his dagger.

Answer: The surrender of Japan in WWII

Alfred Eisenstaedt was a staff photographer for "Life Magazine." On August 14, 1945 he was walking through Times Square in New York City when the surrender of Japan was announced. The people there went wild with joy. Eisenstaedt noticed a young sailor who was grabbing and kissing every woman he met. When the sailor grabbed a nurse and bent her over to kiss her, Eisenstaedt snapped a photo that became his most famous work, "V-J Day in Times Square."

Since neither the sailor's nor the nurse's face is clearly visible in the photograph, over the years many people have come forward claiming they were one of the famous couple. Neither's identity has ever been definitely established.

Answer: It's Been a Long, Long Time

It is reasonable that this song would have been a hit with so many couples who had been separated by WWII. It reached the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for on Kitty Kallen and the Harry James Orchestra on November 24, 1945. A couple of weeks later, another version of the song by Bing Crosby (with guitar accompaniment by Les Paul) also reached number one.

It has been covered by dozens of artists since then.

Answer: Kiss of the Spider Woman

"Kiss of the Spider Woman" is a 1985 film starring William Hurt, Raúl Juliá, and Sonia Braga. It is based on a novel by Manuel Puig, and takes place inside a Brazilian prison. In addition to an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, it was nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, and William Hurt won the Oscar for Best Actor.

It was later made into a Broadway musical.

Answer: Theda Bara

Theda Bara was Hollywood's original bad girl. She was born Theodosia Goodman in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 29th, 1885. She signed with Fox Studios and made dozens of films for between 1915 and 1919, of which only a handful survive today. The studio publicity department came up with her exotic stage name, and concocted a number of ridiculous stories about her background. She often wore very scanty costumes and heavy makeup in her films. Her sultry looks earned her the nickname "The Vamp" (short for vampire). Her films had titillating titles like "The Devil's Daughter," "Sin," "The She Devil," and "What Men Desire."

The famous line, "Kiss me, you fool!" is connected with one of her earliest movies, and one of the few that survive, "A Fool There Was," which was made in 1915. Theda Bara plays a woman who meets a successful and very married man on a cruise ship, and destroys both his marriage and his life. The film was so racy that it was banned in the UK! The actual line in the film was "Kiss me, my fool!" but the public imagination changed the "my" to "you."

Theda Bara's film career effectively ended in 1919, although she appeared in a few films during the 1920s. She died of stomach cancer on April 7, 1955, but her famous line lives on.