TWTYTW 1948 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mohandas Gandhi

Gandhi was nominated for the Peace Prize five times, including 1948. When it came time to award the Nobel Prizes that year, none was given in the Peace category, the Nobel Committee saying there was "no suitable living candidate." In 1999, Gandhi was second to Albert Einstein as Time Magazine's "Person of the Century."

Answer: Dewey Defeats Truman

Truman won three key large states (California, Illinois, and Ohio) by less than one percent in each state, giving him 78 electoral votes which, if Dewey had won them, would have turned the results around. Everyone had assumed that Dewey would win the election, based on polls going back to the summer. Nonetheless, Truman also won the popular vote and took home the grand prize.

Answer: Hamlet

Laurence Olivier had the title role as the Prince of Denmark. Another nominee I did not use as a choice, but which won the Golden Globe that year for Best Picture, was "Treasure of the Sierra Madre, for which John Huston won for Best Director, and his father, Walter, won Best Supporting Actor."

Answer: London

The first Olympiad to be held since 1936, the London Games did not include Germany and Japan, who had not been invited, nor the Soviet Union, which had been invited, but chose not to attend. The two biggest athlete stories were those of Fanny Blankers-Koen, a Dutch mother of two, who duplicated the four track victories achieved by Jesse Owens in 1936, and American Bob Mathias, who won the decathlon only two months after graduating from high school.

Answer: "Buttons and Bows"

"Que sera sera" was a number one hit for 27 weeks in 1956 for Doris Day. "Slow Boat to China" was recorded in 1948 by Kay Kyser. "Tennessee Waltz" was number one for 26 weeks in 1950 for Patti Page.

Answer: Berlin

Allied planes took off and landed every three minutes in West Berlin from June 1948 to May 1949 bringing 2.3 million tons of food, fuel, and medicine to the blockaded city.

Answer: Hells Angels

As of the end of 2010, there are more than 100 sanctioned Hells Angels chapters in 29 countries. New Zealand was the first country outside the USA to have a sanctioned chapter, established in 1961. Although the "Hells Angels Motorcycle Club" is often regarded as an "outlaw" or criminal organization, it is also known for a great amount of charity work, such as its Toys for Tots donation program.

Answer: The Naked and the Dead

Mailer won two Pulitzer Prizes, one for "The Armies of the Night" in 1968 and one for "The Executioner's Song" in 1972.

Answer: The Netherlands

Queens regnant, like Juliana and Elizabeth II, rule in their own right. Their husbands are not accorded the title of king. A queen who is married to a king is referred to as a "queen consort." When a king's widow survives him but does not rule, she is a "queen dowager." When a queen dowager's child is the ruler, she becomes a "queen mother."

Answer: Harry S Truman

Since it was an Executive Order, it had to be signed by the Commander-in-Chief, which is the President. The order was signed on July 26 and established the "President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Forces." This is the wording of the first line of the document.