Famous Works of Non-Fiction Trivia Quiz

Answer: It clearly explained what we now call classical physics.

This book is commonly called "The Principia". It was written by Sir Isaac Newton and first published in 1687 in Latin. It was published in English in 1728.It explained natural phenomena derived from Newton's famous three laws and simple Euclidean geometry.

He was able to prove Kepler's three laws and explain the mathematics of motion. It also stated the Universal Law of Gravitation. Classical (a.k.a. Newtonian) physics reigned supreme until the work of Einstein, Bohr, and Planck on relativity and quantum mechanics.

Answer: Cancer

Dr. Mukherjee is an oncologist and an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University in New York City. This book won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. It was made into a TV series. He also wrote the wonderful book on genetics "The Gene: An Intimate History". He is able to explain complex scientific ideas to the intelligent non-scientist.

Answer: The Elements of Style

William Strunk, Jr. lived 1869-1946. He was an English professor at Cornell University. In 1920 the first edition of this book was published. It was only 43 pages but it became a staple of college writing courses. It is a guide to clearly written English.

It includes rules of citation, rules of grammar, and rules of proper syntax. In 1959 E. B. White enlarged the book. By 1999 it was 105 pages. Many studies have shown that it is the most required textbook in American universities.

Answer: Night

This short, 128 page book is about the suffering of Elie Wiesel and his father at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. He was liberated in 1945 but his father had already passed away. "Night" was published in 1960. Elie Wiesel lived 1928-2016. He and his books won many awards. He won the Presidential Medal of Honor in 1992. The rest of the trilogy is "Dawn" and "Day".

Answer: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

In 1951 a 31-year-old African-American woman, Henrietta Lacks, developed cervical cancer. She was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland. She died of that cancer despite radium treatment. During the course of her stay at that hospital, cells were taken from her body for investigation at a tissue lab.

There was something odd about her tissues. Instead of just dying or normal multiplication and then cell death, her cells kept on doubling every 20 to 24 hours. The cells never really stopped duplicating. Without the Lacks family knowing it, these cells were shipped to more and more tissue labs and medical research companies.

The cells were sold making millions for the labs that sold them. They even named the cells "HeLa Cells." The family was not told about the sales and never received any share of the money.

The facts were finally revealed. Rebecca Skloot, an experienced science writer, wrote this amazing book. It was an instant hit. It was made into a movie.

Answer: The Right Stuff

It was written by Tom Wolfe in 1979. It was made into a wonderful movie. Tom Wolfe was assigned by Rolling Stone Magazine to cover Apollo 17 in 1972. In 1977 he again became interested in the space race and especially the pilots involved. He interviewed not only the pilots but their families, co-workers, bosses, and NASA technicians.

The book has been criticized for Wolfe's criticisms of Gus Grissom, one of the "Mercury Seven."

Answer: The Silent Spring

It was written by Rachel Carson who lived 1907-1964. The book was published in 1962 and had an immediate effect. People finally heard the truth about how the chemical industry is allowing harmful chemicals to get into our waters, into our forests and onto our beaches.

This wonderful book was a major influence in the movement to preserve our land and water from pollution. Much federal and state legislation has been passed due, at least in part, to what was revealed by this book.

Answer: Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin lived 1924-1987. He wrote this magnificent collection of essays from the late 1940's to early 1950's while he was still in his 20's. It is a collection of ten essays that deal with life as a black person in Harlem. It fully explains many of the ways racism affects the lives of people. It also noted the importance of the "protest novel." Baldwin also was a severe critic of the patronization of many so called liberals in relation to African Americans. Now, with the Black Lives Matter movement, this book has become popular again.

Answer: John Hersey

In 1946 Hersey began interviewing six survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Using the story telling methods usually used in fiction, he told the minute by minute story of each person's life that day. The book was an instant hit. Hersey lived 1914 to 1993. In 1985 a final chapter was added to the book.

Answer: The Best and the Brightest

David Halberstam wrote this book. He was a Harvard graduate who lived 1934-2007. He first went to Viet Nam in 1962 as a reporter. He was told by US Army officers to write that American missions and engagements were all victories. He refused to do so. After returning from Viet Nam he began interviewing people involved in the war.

In 1972 this book was published. It showed the terrible way the USA got into the war and how terribly it was managed.