A.K.A. Trivia Quiz

Answer: Charlie Hustle

Pete Rose, born in 1941, was one of the greatest professional baseball players of the 20th century. He started with the Cincinnati Reds in 1963 and played for 24 years. Among his impressive statistics at the time were: all-time hits leader; all-time at bats; all-time bases for a switch-hitter.

However, in 1991, he was excluded from inclusion in the Baseball Hall of Fame for gambling. In 2004, he finally admitted that he bet on his team and other sports while playing and managing the Reds.

Answer: Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was a British novelist who is often referred to as "The Queen of Crime". She is, of course, responsible for the creation of both Miss Jane Marple and Hercule Poirot. She appears, along with William Shakespeare in "The Guinness Book of World Records" as the best-selling writer of all time.

Answer: Eric Blair

Eric Arthur Blair, born in India in 1903, was an English novelist and journalist. He wrote "1984" in 1949 and "Animal Farm" in 1945. The term "Orwellian" has come to represent any harsh, dystopian society.

Answer: Octomom

Ms. Suleman was a California single mother who gave birth to octuplets in 2009. She already had six other children, all of whom were also the result of in vitro fertilization. She married Marcos Guitierrez in 1996 but they separated in 2000 because they were unable to conceive any children!

Answer: Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III

Captain "Sully" Sullenberg, a former Air Force pilot born in 1951, was the hero of Flight 1549. When the plane's engines caught fire because of a flock of birds, he performed what became known as "The Miracle on the Hudson", safely landing all 155 passengers and crew into the freezing waters of the Hudson River. He retired in 2010.

Answer: Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren (1782-1862) was the eighth President of the U.S. and the first born after America's independence in 1776. He was born in Kinderhook, NY and was elected in 1836. His nickname was often abbreviated "O.K.", which is one possible explanation of how that expression came about.

Answer: Calamity Jane

Calamity Jane (1852-1903) was a true pioneer woman of the early American West. She owned a saloon, had a well-know romance with Wild Bill Hickok and helped nurse the sick in Deadwood, S.D. during a plague of smallpox. In 1953, a movie was made about her life with Doris Day in the lead role.

Answer: Voltaire

Voltaire (1694-1778) was a Parisian author best known for his work "Candide". He also wrote about scientific, historical and theological issues. He spoke out for victims of religious and political persecution, spoke out against the government and the Church, and occasionally was imprisoned for his beliefs.

Answer: Renee Richards

Richard Raskind was born in New York City in 1935. He was a Yale graduate, a naval officer and had a wife and son. At 40, he had a sex reassignment operation and became Renee Richards. When she was barred from women's tennis, she won her court case and helped establish rights for transsexual athletes. She wrote her autobiography in 1983, titled "Second Serve".

Answer: Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand (1905-1982) was a writer and a philosopher born in St. Petersburg, Russia. Among her most famous works are "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged", both of which stress the rights of the individual over the collective.