On This Day IX Trivia Quiz

Answer: Montreal

British news reels were constantly reporting the marriage of two of Hollywood's superstars.

Burton, the handsome Welshman - whose work on Broadway and on the London stage was well known even to those who had only seen him in films - and Taylor, the violet eyed beauty famed her smouldering looks and awesome acting.

They both appeared in the 1967 film "Taming of the Shrew". These two love birds never really got over each other, even after divorcing and marrying other people.

Answer: Regent's Park

The gardens, which were due to be open to the public a short time after, aimed to advance the knowledge of the animal kingdom and introduce "new and curious subjects" to an even more curious human audience. The zoo already had monkeys, bears, emus, kangaroos, llamas, lizards and turtles.

A humorous side to the event: gentlemen were asked not to bring whips to the gardens and women not to poke the beasts through the bars.

Ref: London Zoo Guide.

Answer: Lorenzo the Magnificent

His 23 year reign was of unequalled cultural brilliance. Lorenzo was a poet himself, was patron of a circle of influential philosophers and poets such as Pulci, and politians and artists such as Domenico Ghirlandaio, Fra Filippo Lippi, Andrea del Verrochio, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, plus musicians and architects, all of course great figures of the time. Lorenzo was a tyrant, but a refined one, and his city mourned him.

Answer: Elton John

Playing to eight sell out concerts in Leningrad, Elton John showed all his usual charismatic flair and musical talent to blow the crowd away. Each concert consisted of fourteen songs and a final rendition of the Beatles classic "Back in the USSR". John then went on to Moscow, where he played to three sold out venues.

At the beginning of May 1979 he was also the first western star to play in Israel, as part of the country's independence festivities.

Answer: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Julius, aged 35, and Ethel, aged 37, were both sent to their deaths in Sing Sing accused of passing atom bomb secrets to Russia. While thousands worldwide continued to protest, President Eisenhower turned down a final plea for clemency. "They have received benefit of our justice, I cannot intervene" he stated, adding their crimes were "worse than murder". The Rosenbergs' guilt - which they had never admitted - was seriously doubted throughout the world.

Prison officials reported they made no final requests, either for visitors or for the special last meal.

Answer: Betty Grable

The bouncy blonde was never lost for words and reached her peak in the movie world with such films as "Tin Pan Alley" (1940),"Moon Over Miami" (1941) and "Coney Island" (1943). Her legs were said to be her best feature, so like any sensible young woman taking care of her assets, Miss Grable insured them for that staggering amount.

Answer: Jackson Pollock

Pollock, who was 44, was recognised as a major talent, although recognition in some quarters was accompanied by derision in others.

His search for a process by which he could transfer his personality into his art led him to develop "drip painting", pouring paint onto a flat canvas in a seemingly haphazard manner.

According to Pollock, this demanded a great deal of mental preparation first. Pollock the man was plagued by alcoholism and psychiatric problems for much of his adult life. Only through his art did he ever feel good about himself.

Answer: Sub-human

Although it can be argued that all four of the above options were carried out by Hitler's ideals, it was the word "sub-human" that was uttered again and again in the rally at Nuremberg. The Jews were to lose their German citizenship; they were not to marry Aryans, were excluded from the entertainment industry and from schools and also lost their pension rights. The handful of Jews still working in the public sector and the media were dismissed.

"Jews Not Wanted" signs were appearing in public places all over Germany. Jewish children were excluded from schools, Jewish businesses were boycotted and Jews were constantly in danger of abuse and open violence with no recourse to justice.

Answer: A husband's immunity from the charge of raping his wife.

Five Law Lords ruled that the statement by 18th century Chief Justice Sir Matthew Hale that "by their mutual matrimonial consent and contract the wife hath given herself in this kind unto her husband which she cannot retract" formed no part of English law.

The decision upheld a Court of Appeal ruling in March 1991 that the marital exemption from prosecution was an "anachronistic and offensive fiction."

Women Against Rape, the pressure group that had campaigned for the reform since 1977, said the decision overturned "250 years of legal sexual slavery".

Source: Women's Institute

Answer: Fireside Summit

The broad message was to reduce each nation's nuclear arsenal by fifty per cent.

A range of other issues were also discussed, such as the emigration of Soviet Jews and the need to avoid a repetition of the Korean Airlines tragedy (Korean Air Flight 007 was a Korean Air civilian airliner shot down with all on board by Soviet jet interceptors on September 1st 1983, just west of Sakhalin island - an island that lies off the far east of Russia and north of Japan, and belongs to the former. KAL 007 carried 269 passengers and crew, including a U.S. congressman.)

The two men spent six hours together, alone except for interpreters.
Gorbachev was optimistic for the future, saying "The world has become a safer place."

Reagan was more guarded in his enthusiasm, but did agree that he and his opposite number now "understand each other better."