The A. B. C. Murders Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arsenic

Arsenic was a very popular poison at one time, as it was quite hard to detect until a man named James Marsh devised a test for it in 1836. It was frequently used in insecticides and pesticides as well as in some metal alloys.

Arsenal is a word for a collection of weapons.
Arson is deliberately setting fire to things.
Argent is an old fashioned word for silver.

Answer: Black

Elizabeth Short, who was nicknamed "The Black Dahlia" was found murdered in 1947. Her killer was never found and the case has been the subject of various books and films.

Answer: Clarence

In Shakespeare's "Richard III" Richard has his brother, the Duke of Clarence, killed by being drowned in a butt of malmsey. A butt was a large barrel and malmsey was a type of wine. Richard III was a real King of England who reigned from 1483 to 1485.

Answer: Jill Dando

Jill Dando was shot and died on her own doorstep as she went to open her door. In 2001 Barry George was arrested and convicted of her murder, but some seven years later, in August 2008, his conviction was quashed at a retrial. The police did not reopen the case.

Answer: Her father

Mr and Mrs Borden were both found dead at home, having been killed by several blows from a hatchet. Lizzie Borden was arrested and tried, but acquitted of the murders. This has become a famous case in American folklore and there is still speculation as to who the actual killer was.

Answer: Fawkes

Guy Fawkes was a member of a Catholic group who, in 1605, tried to blow up the parliament of King James I of England. They planned to do this during the opening of a new parliament, as all the members of parliament and the King were certain to be there. The plot was discovered and all the plotters were executed.

Answer: Guillotine

The guillotine was a tall structure with a sharp blade that was hauled up to the very top, and then allowed to just drop. The speed at which it dropped and the sharpness of the blade meant that the unlucky victim was beheaded at once.
The French revolution lasted from 1789 - 1799 and led to the rise to power of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Napoleonic wards.

Garrote is something used to choke someone with.
Gavotte is an old dance.
Gutter is something on buildings to carry rainwater.

Answer: Harold

From 1975 to 1988 Harold Shipman is believed to have killed at least 218 of his patients by giving them a lethal overdose of pain killers. He was convicted on 15 specimen charges and given life imprisonment. He died in prison in 2004.

Answer: Infanticide

Infanticide is the act of murdering an infant. One of the worst cases in history can be found in the Bible, where King Herod ordered the killing of all male children under a year old. In some ancient cultures male children were valued more than females, because they would grow up to work and earn money, and they were also valued as soldiers, so baby girls were often killed as they brought nothing to the family, and had to be given a dowry if they married.

Infantry are foot soldiers of an army
Infantile is to act in a childish manner
Infanta is the name given to the daughter of a Spanish or Portuguese King.

Answer: Jack the Ripper

In 1888 Jack the Ripper killed five women in a very poor part of London. The murders took place over only a few months and stopped as suddenly as they had started. He was never caught and this remains one of the great unsolved murder mysteries of the world.