First of All, February First! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Texas

Following the secession of six other states (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana) Texas held a state convention to consider secession. On February 1st, a vote was held, and at 166-8, the Convention approved an Ordinance of Secession from the United States.

The matter was voted upon later by the populace, and Texans voted 3-1 to secede. Following Texas' joining the Confederate States of America, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina also seceded and joined the Confederacy. In 1869, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. White that secession was illegal, and that the Confederacy had never legally existed. Texas was readmitted into the Union in 1870.

Answer: Clark Gable

Clark Gable began his acting career on stage. Working mostly in local theater companies at first, following his move to Los Angeles he also found work as an extra in several silent films. As he gained experience, and earned accolades from both fans and critics, his career took him to New York, and Broadway.

His performance there drew the notice of MGM, and he was soon under contract to the studio. While his best-known role may be as Rhett Butler in 1939's "Gone With the Wind", he also portrayed Fletcher Christian in "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935), and Peter Warne in "It Happened One Night" (1934) - and while he earned Academy Award nominations for all three films, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for "It Happened One Night". "The Misfits" (1961) was Gable's last film - and Marilyn Monroe's last film as well.

Answer: True

Celebrating the beginning of Spring, St. Brigid's Day is based on the pagan festival of Imbolc. It is one of the four major "fire" festivals referred to in Irish mythology, with the other three being Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain. In Irish mythology Brigid was a fire goddess. Now her canonization is celebrated with a perpetual flame at her shrine in Kildare.

There are several rituals observed on St. Brigid's Day, including the construction of a small corn dolly called the Brideog ("little Brigid" or "young Brigid") on January 31st. On February 1st the Brideog is taken from house to house by girls and young unmarried women, gathering decorations and food, and eventually ends at one home with a celebratory feast.

Another Irish custom is the construction of Brigid's cross.

It is usually made out of rushes or straw, and traditionally constructed on February 1st. It consists of a woven square with four arms, each tied at the end, and is said to protect against fires.

Answer: Mary Shelley

Born in 1797 in London, Mary Shelley was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin - with Wollstonecraft one of the first founding feminist philosophers, and Godwin one of the first proponents of anarchism. Four years after Wollstonecraft's death, which was just days after Mary's birth, Godwin remarried, but Mary grew to dislike her stepmother. Mary's education was diverse, and she benefited from exposure to some of her father's acquaintances, such as Aaron Burr, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and her future husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Her novel "Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus", which was published in 1818, was originally begun as a short story, prompted by discussions about Erasmus Darwin, galvanism and the possibility of reanimation.
Mary suffered ill health in the last years of her life, probably due to the brain tumor which eventually caused her death.

Answer: Tess

Following his arrest in March of 1977 for the alleged sexual abuse of a minor, Roman Polanski pleaded not guilty to all charges. Originally charged with six counts, including rape, a plea bargain was struck, five of the charges were dropped and Polanski pleaded guilty to "unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor".

He fled the country, however, before a final hearing was held, rendering him a fugitive. In 2009, at the behest of the US, he was arrested in Switzerland, but in 2010, Switzerland declared him to be a free man, and released him. Polanski dedicated "Tess" to his late wife, Sharon Tate. Prior to her death, she had given him a copy of Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles", and suggested that it would make a very good movie. Despite being a story that is set in England, "Tess" was filmed in France, to prevent Polanski's possible extradition from the UK.

Answer: Mauritius

Located in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands. The Republic of Mauritius is composed of several islands, including Mauritius, Rodrigues, Agaléga, Saint Brandon, Tromelin and the Chagos Archipelago.
In 1507, Portuguese explorers landed on the island, and found it uninhabited. In 1598 the Dutch settled the island, but had left in 1710. As a French colony in 1715 it was renamed Isle de France, but by 1810 it was under British control. During the Napoleonic Wars, Mauritius was used as a base for French corsairs, and as such was assailed then captured by British forces. With the French surrender, under terms that allowed them to retain their property, land, language, and French laws in civil and criminal matters, the island came under British administration. Rapid changes were made, including abolishing slavery, which had serious repercussions for the island's economy and demographics. Indentured servants were brought in mainly from India to work the sugarcane plantations.
In March of 1968 Mauritius became an independent state as a Commonwealth realm, and in 1992 it became a republic in the Commonwealth.

Answer: True

On its 28th mission, during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated. The crew, led by Commander Rick D. Husband, included William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown and Laurel Blair Salton Clark. All seven perished in the disaster.
A piece of foam insulation, which had broken off during launch, damaged the Shuttle's thermal protection system. While damage was suspected, the investigation was played down, simply because there was nothing that could be done.
During the recovery of the debris, Debris Search Pilot Jules F. Mier Jr. and Debris Search Aviation Specialist Charles Krenek were killed when their helicopter crashed.

Answer: Monty Python

At Oxford University, Terry Jones met Michael Palin, one of his future Monty Python co-stars. Along with Palin, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam, they formed the comedy group that has become a worldwide sensation. Terry Jones co-directed "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975), and was the director of "Life of Brian" (1979) and "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life" (1983).

He has also authored a number of books and screenplays, and hosted several documentary programs. He has been nominated for several awards, and has won the Palme d'Or for "The Meaning of Life".

Answer: shooting

Returning from Vila Vicosa, located in central Portugal, the royal family took an open carriage through Lisbon on their way to the palace. As they passed through Terreiro do Paco (Commerce Square), shots rang out. King Carlos was killed and Prince Royal Luis Filipe was mortally wounded. The younger son, Prince Manuel took a bullet in the arm, and the Queen escaped unscathed.
The pair of assassins, Alfredo Costa and Manuel Buica, were killed by bodyguards and police. In the confusion, a bystander was also killed.
Several days later, Prince Manuel became King of Portugal, but his reign was short-lived. In 1910, due to the Republican Revolution, the monarchy was dissolved and replaced with a republican regime, the First Portuguese Republic.

Answer: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Northwest Mounted Police, which was founded in 1873, and the Dominion Police, founded in 1868, merged into a single entity in 1920. The Mounties are primarily tasked with enforcing federal laws throughout Canada, but their duties are actually quite broader than simply federal law enforcement.

They are also a provincial and municipal policing body. An iconic symbol of Canada, the Mounties have been featured in numerous movies, television programs, books and songs.