On the 27th of November... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alfred Nobel

Alfred Nobel
He was born in 1833 in Sweden. In 1866 he invented dynamite and solved the problem of instability of nitroglycerine, which had been invented by the Italian, Ascanio Sobrero. The problem was not easily overcome, and during experimentation in 1864, an explosion killed his brother and several others. Nobel founded factories in over 20 different countries, and mostly lived in Paris once his invention had been established. He died in San Remo, Italy, on December 10, 1896.
George Peabody
He was a banker-philanthropist who established the Peabody Awards for excellence in broadcasting and journalism. He was particularly concerned with African-American education and served as a trustee of Hampton University.
John Heisman
He was a lawyer who founded, amongst other things, the National Football Coaches Association, having been football coach at several colleges. When he died, the Downtown Athletic Club Award was renamed the Heisman Memorial Trophy.
Jules Verne
The Jules Verne Trophy is for the fastest time sailing around the world, nonstop and unassisted. The last holder I could find is Bruno Peyron of France, in the catamaran 'Orange', having completed the course in 64 days, 8 hours, 37 minutes and 24 seconds.

Answer: 3

While 11 murders in Whitechapel, London, were at various times suspected to be the work of Jack the Ripper, only 5 are known to be his work: Mary Ann Nicholls, age 43, died 31 August 1888; Annie Chapman, age 47, died 8 September 1888; Elizabeth Stride, age 45, died 30 September 1888; Catharine Eddowes, age 46, died 30 September 1888; and Mary Jeanette Kelly, age 25, died 9 November 1888.

The identity of Jack the Ripper remains unknown, despite more than a hundred years of speculation and investigation.

Answer: The Howdy Doody Show

For all who have been accused of being part of the Peanut Gallery, Buffalo Bob Smith was the one who brought that institution into our homes... along with Clarabell the clown, and the immortal phrase, "It's Howdy Doody Time!" He died in 1998.

Bob Keeshan was Captain Kangaroo; he led the show from 1955 to 1992, and died in January, 2004.

Kukla, Fran and Ollie were puppets manipulated by puppeteer Burr Tillstrom, with Fran Allison as the hostess who interacted with the characters. It ran from 1948 to 1957.

Jack (Clayton) Moore was the Lone Ranger from 1949 to 1957. He died in 1999. And that's all for this topic, Kemosabe.

Answer: Cole Porter

Not simply a composer and pianist, Cole Porter also played the violin. In 1916/17 he enlisted with the French Foreign Legion and taught gunnery to American soldiers in Fontainebleau. He died in 1964.

Answer: Urban II

Pope Urban II, born Otho of Lagery in France, rallied the crusaders with his eloquence: "Let them turn their weapons dripping with the blood of their brothers against the enemy of the Christian Faith. Let them--oppressors of orphans and widows, murderers and violaters of churches, robbers of the property of others, vultures drawn by the scent of battle--let them hasten, if they love their souls, under their captain Christ to the rescue of Sion." (www.newadvent.org/cathen/15210a.htm) He was pope from 1088-1099, dying two weeks after Jerusalem had been liberated.

Victor III was the pope before Urban, he reigned from 1086 to 1087. He is most famed for being abbot of Monte Cassino, where his renown caused the abbey to be given numerous gifts of priceless artwork and books. He was already ill when he became pope, and died four months later.

Paschal II followed Urban as pope, and reigned for 18 years from 1099 to 1118. In a prolonged dispute with King Henry of France, he and his cardinals were captured, the result being that the right of investiture was ceded from the papacy to the crown.

Innocent II came a bit later, he was pope from 1130-1143.

Answer: New York City

The first parade was made up of costumed Macy's employees, floats, bands and live animals. The balloons took the place of the critters in 1927; the first balloon was of Felix the Cat.

Answer: Sweden

Born in Ovanaker, Sweden, he was professor of astronomy at Uppsala University from 1730 to 1744, published a collection of observations on the aurora borealis. His Lapland expedition in 1736 helped prove Newton's theory about the irregular shape of the earth, and developed a method for determining the magnitude of stars.

Answer: Eddystone

This lighthouse was an octagonal wooden structure off the coast of Devon, England. It was replaced in 1709, but that lighthouse was destroyed by fire in 1755. One of the keepers, Henry Hall, accidentally swallowed lead from the roof of the lighthouse during the fire, causing him to become the first documented case of lead poisoning (he died two weeks later).

The third lighthouse was made of a form of concrete, and still exists, although it had to be moved to another site at Plymouth Hoe due to erosion of the rocks on which it stood.

A fourth lighthouse is still standing, as of 2004.

Answer: Jimi Hendrix

Johnny Allen Hendrix
He joined the Army's 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky as a trainee paratrooper, but broke his ankle on his 26th parachute jump. He then took up playing guitar as backup to various artists, including Little Richard and Wilson Pickett. He was "discovered" in Greenwich Village, New York City, but didn't become famous until he moved to England. He died on September 18, 1970, as a result of a drug overdose. His music, however, is as alive today as when he first recorded it.
Pete Townsend
His first band, with John Entwistle and Roger Daltry was a skiffle band; Townsend played the banjo. They later became The Who, with Keith Moon on drums.
Jeff Beck
His first touch with fame came when he joined The Yardbirds in 1966.
Eric Clapton
or 'Slowhand' - also became famous while with The Yardbirds, and then went to John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Cream and Blind Faith followed, then Derek and the Dominoes. Drugs took their toll, but he rebounded and is probably the most highly-regarded guitarist alive today.

Answer: True

He was also known as George Nelson. He was an accomplished car thief by the age of 14, then later became an enforcer for Al Capone's mob. He was killed in a shoot-out with the FBI.