Turn the Light On! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Fred Astaire

"Tripping the light fantastic" means to dance in a nimble and light manner - and there are few people who did that as famously as Fred Astaire.

All of the incorrect answers were scientists who studied things related to light, but there is little evidence to support their possible dancing talents.

Answer: Crimean War

As a result of a vague order being miscommunicated, a unit of the British cavalry charged into enemy territory during the 1854 Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. Tennyson wrote the poem to exhibit the uncommon valour of men who were put into a near impossible situation.

More than forty years later, Rudyard Kipling wrote "The Last of the Light Brigade" about the remaining veterans of the same war in order to encourage public financial support for those men.

Answer: Welcome to Heartlight

Originally, written as "Heartlight", Loggins later expanded to title to avoid confusion with a somewhat sappy Neil Diamond song that was supposedly inspired by the movie "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial". "Welcome to Heartlight" is actually about a real school in California that was named Heartlight.

"Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)" is a Little Walter blues song covered by the Pat Travers Band. "Lightning Crashes" is by Live and "Dim All the Lights" was recorded by Donna Summer.

Answer: light-fingered

Light-headed usually means "dizzy", light-footed is having a springy step and generally applied to dancers. Light-handed means a touch or an influence that is unobtrusive (as opposed to heavy-handed) such as a painting stroke or a writing style perhaps.

Light-fingered means having nimble fingers and could pertain to several types of thieves (including safe crackers) or also magicians/prestidigitators.

Answer: Compact Fluorescent Lamps

Compact Fluorescent Lamps, commonly known as CFLs, are energy savers as compared to the alternative incandescent bulbs. In North America the most popular shape of CFLs is a helical design, while in Europe a tubular design is the norm. This technology has actually been around since they were invented by Peter Cooper Hewitt in the late 19th century.

Amongst others, GE (General Electric) did a lot of research into the household helical form of CFLs we see today. However, when proto-typed in the 1970s, it was deemed too costly to build new factories to produce these more efficient light sources, so other companies and countries were the first to market this particular innovation.

Answer: Shine A Light

Martin Scorsese directed this film during The Rolling Stone's "A Bigger Bang Tour". It also contains vintage footage, snippets of interviews and photographs over their long career. "Shine a Light" was chosen as the title because it "worked" regarding focusing on a particular subject and as well, because it is the name of a song released by the band.

Of the incorrect choices, "Light in the Piazza" is a 1962 romantic drama. "City Lights" is the classic 1931 Charlie Chaplin movie. "Bright Lights, Big City" was a decidedly less classy comedy film from 1988(too bad, really, because the novel was fairly good).

Answer: Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke received co-authoring credit for the work he put into the novel, which delves into the idea of wormholes and how they can be used, or misused. The book focuses on how people can covertly look in on others in the present, past and future.

William Gibson is American-Canadian and Ray Bradbury is American. Mr. Wells was British, but despite his "Time Machine" wasn't around when this novel was written (well, at least as far as we know ~).

Answer: Ultraviolet light

Ultraviolet (or UV) light is invisible to the human eye and (in combination with the pigment melanin) is associated with the amount/degree of tanning of human skin. A benefit of UV rays is that it helps with the production of vitamin D. If you don't have enough sun exposure you may be susceptible to diseases such as rickets. Some researchers also believe that multiple sclerosis could possibly be related to a deficiency in Vitamin D. The main drawback of UV rays is skin cancer. Use a sunscreen, drink/eat fortified milk/cheese - everything in moderation folks!

Answer: a match

A lucifer is a match (of the sort one would strike against a rough surface to ignite). Even if you've never used the term in real life, you may have heard it in the WWI marching song "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag, and Smile, Smile, Smile".

Answer: Fireflies

As it turned out, the sparks of light were merely flakes of frost that had broken off from the skin of the spacecraft and illuminated by the sun. But perhaps you might enjoy John Glenn's more poetic description instead:

"There, spread out as far as I could see were literally thousands of tiny luminous objects that glowed in the black sky like fireflies. I was riding slowly through them, and the sensation was like walking backwards through a pasture where someone had waved a wand and made all the fireflies stop right where they were and glow steadily."