Born On The Wrong Side Of The Blanket Quiz / Test | People

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1. I was born on 16 August 1888, the illegitimate child of Sarah Junner and Thomas Chapman. My work in a region now known as the Middle East was immortalised in film by David Lean. My autobiography is entitled 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom'. I died in a motor cycle accident in May 1935.

Answer: T E Lawrence

Lawrence's mother was a Scottish governess and his father was an Anglo-Irish nobleman who left his wife to live with her. They called themselves Mr and Mrs Lawrence. Lawrence's mother was herself illegitimate and her father was alleged to have been John Lawrence which may explain why they adopted the name Lawrence. T E Lawrence was the second of five children born to Sarah and Thomas. John Logie Baird, Maurice Chevalier and T S Eliot we all born the same year as Lawrence - 1888.

2. William the Conqueror was the illegitimate son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy and his mistress, Herleva. William married Matilda of Flanders and they had at least nine legitimate children. Which of these is NOT one of them?

Answer: Harold

William the Conqueror became King of England in 1066 when he beat Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. Of William the Conqueror's children, Robert succeeded to his father's title of Duke of Normandy. William also succeeded his father and became William II, King of England. On the death of William II in a hunting accident, Henry seized the throne and became Henry I of England. Harold is of course the name of the Anglo-Saxon King that William defeated at the Battle of Hastings.

3. From such humble beginnings do big things grow. Eva Peron was the illegitimate daughter of an Argentinian rancher Juan Duarte. In 1947, in her capacity as first lady of Argentina, Eva embarked on a 'Rainbow Tour' of Europe. Three of these four world leaders met with her. Which one refused?

Answer: George VI, England

Duarte abandoned Eva's family when she was just one year old leaving Eva's family destitute. Eva Peron's rise to become first lady of Argentina is truly remarkable given this very difficult upbringing as she had very little education and no social connections.

She first met Juan Peron, the President of Argentina, at a gala to celebrate fundraising efforts to support victims of the 1944 Argentinian earthquake and they married in 1945. The reasons for George VI's refusal to meet Peron are not known.

4. I was born in the Caribbean in 1755 or 1757, the illegitimate child of a Scotsman and a married woman, Rachel Faucette. My father subsequently abandoned us and then my mother died of yellow fever in 1768 leaving my older brother and me orphaned. Despite these hurdles, I am considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America and became the first Secretary of the United States Treasury.

Answer: Alexander Hamilton

Whilst all of these men are considered to be Founding Fathers, it is only Alexander Hamilton's life that reads like a Charles Dicken's novel; and one that ends badly at that, when Hamilton is killed in a duel with Aaron Burr on 11 July 1804.

5. Leonardo da Vinci, the epitome of the 'Renaissance Man' was the illegitimate child of Piero da Vinci, a notary, and a peasant woman by the name of Caterina. He was born in Vinci, in modern day Italy, but where did he die?

Answer: France

Whilst most of da Vinci's working life was spent in various parts of modern day Italy, he died in France. In 1516, Leonardo entered the service of King Francis I of France. Francis gave him the use of the Chateau du Close Luce, near the Royal Chateau d'Amboise in the Loire Valley, France. Leonardo died there in May 1519 at the age of 67.

6. World famous opera singer, Jenny Lind, was the illegitimate child of Niclas Jonas Lind and Anne-Marie Fellborg. In what country was she born?

Answer: Sweden

Johanna Maria 'Jenny' Lind was born on 6 October 1820 in Stockholm Sweden. She was known as the 'Swedish Nightingale'. She toured extensively around the world and famously toured America at the request of P T Barnum. Their collaboration netted Lind $350,000 and Barnum $500,000 (multi millions of dollars each in today's money). Lind donated her earnings to her favourite charities. Who knows what P T Barnum did with his?

7. Fidel Castro was the illegitimate offspring of a Cuban farmer and a house-servant. Fidel was brought up alongside the children of his father's farm workers and struggled to get an education. He did make it to the University of Havana where he graduated in what field?

Answer: Law

Castro was born in 1926 and his parents had seven children, three sons and four daughters. His parents did eventually marry in 1943. Castro commenced his law studies in 1945 and he graduated in September 1950 as a Doctor of Law. Whilst at University he became involved in student politics and several of the Latin American Rebellions that occurred in 1947-48.

The seeds of his Marxism were also sown and grew during this period. Castro did set up a law practice in conjunction with two others but was not successful due mainly to a lack of concern for financial issues such as paying bills.

8. Orpah 'Oprah' Winfrey was born in 1954 to an unmarried teenage housemaid, Vernita Lee, in Mississippi. The town she was born in shares the same name as Australia's highest mountain. What is the name they share?

Answer: Kosciuszko

Winfrey, whose birth name was Orpah, was born in Kosciuszko, Mississippi. Her home town, like Australia's tallest mountain was named for Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish-Lithuanian freedom fighter who also took part in the American Revolutionary Wars.

9. Steve Jobs, born in 1955, was given up for adoption at birth as his biological grandfather was strongly opposed to the relationship between his parents. What nationality was Steve's biological father?

Answer: Syrian

Steve's father, Abdulfattah 'John' Jandali, was born in Syria and was Muslim. His mother was Joanne Carole Schieble, an American citizen, who was Roman Catholic. The two had met at the University of Wisconsin where they were both studying. Joanne's father strongly objected to their relationship and when she became pregnant she arranged to have Steve adopted.

10. Bernardo O'Higgins was conceived on the wrong side of the blanket in 1778. With which Latin American country's independence movement is he most strongly associated?

Answer: Chile

O'Higgins was born in Chile, the son of Ambrosio O'Higgins who was governor of Chile and later viceroy of Peru. His mother, Isabel Riquelme, was from a prominent local Chilean family and he was raised by them. His father, whom he never met, ensured that he was well-educated. O'Higgins is considered to be a founding father of Chile as he played a pivotal role during the Chilean War of Independence which freed Chile from Spanish rule.

He was Supreme Director of Chile from 1817 to 1823 until deposed in a coup.

Source: Author cazza2902

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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Born On The Wrong Side Of The Blanket Quiz

Being 'born on the wrong side of the blanket' was to be born illegitimate. Here are a few figures from history who were 'born on the wrong side of the blanket' but it didn't stop them from achieving great things.

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