Don't Get Your Nicaraguans in a Twist Quiz

Answer: Gioconda Belli

When Gioconda Belli was born, Nicaragua was ruled by the oppressive dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza Garcia. As the dictatorship continued under successive rulers, resistance grew amongst the Nicaraguan people and eventually led to the formation of the FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front). "The Country Under My Skin" describes Gioconda's role in the movement and offers an insight into what challenges the Sandinistas faced, what their aims for the country were and the sacrifices that needed to be made in order to achieve freedom from oppression.

One theme running throughout the work is how she is treated differently as a woman. Interesting meetings with Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos help to highlight this point.

Answer: Pitch a perfect game

A perfect game is a victory that lasts for at least nine innings, where no opposing player ever reaches a base. This is such a rare feat that it was only achieved 14 times during the 20th century, with Martinez's effort coming in 1991.

Martinez won the World Series once in 1983, when the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Philadelphia Phillies.

Answer: He was murdered

The United States had been involved in Nicaraguan politics for a long time. Sandino's guerrilla tactics were aimed at forcing the Americans to withdraw from the country, and they eventually left in 1933. He then professed his loyalty to the new president Juan Bautista Sacasa and agreed to surrender most of his weapons in return for some crucial concessions for his soldiers.

Unfortunately for Sandino, he was ambushed in 1934 following a meeting with Sacasa. The leader of the National Guard, the future dictator Anastasio Somoza Garcia, ordered the hit. He went on to depose Sacasa two years later, thus commencing the oppressive regime of the Somoza dynasty that would last until 1979.

Although revered as a national hero for his resistance to foreign rule, there are also those that question his ethics. To quote Todd Wallstrom's travel diary, "A Wayfarer in Central America", in a passage about a Swedish miner named Hjalmar Samuelson, "One morning the great bandit Sandino (often undeservedly called a hero in the fight for freedom) came along with his band on their way to attack the Marines' outpost in Cuajiniquilapa. As they were passing they decided they might as well cut the Swede's throat and appropriate his arms and ammunition." The Swede survived, but this is a clear indication that there are two sides to this story.

Answer: Costa Rica

Nicaragua failed to win an Olympic medal of any colour in the 20th century, but Nicaraguan born competitors did have more success. Claudia Poll became Costa Rica's first ever Olympic gold medallist, eight years after her sister Silvia became Costa Rica's first ever medallist.

A Nicaraguan born athlete also had success at taekwondo, with Steven Lopez winning the first ever gold medal in the sport at the 2000 Olympics. His siblings Mark and Diana have also won Olympic medals, but all of them were representing the United States. Mark and Diana were born after the family emigrated from the Central American country.

Answer: Ruben Dario

Ruben Dario is seen as an ambassador for the whole of Latin America. His travels saw him reside in many countries, including El Salvador, Guatemala and Argentina, and he drew praise from the likes of Pablo Neruda and Federico Garcia Lorca. He is seen as a national icon with the National Theater in Managua being named after him.

The city of Granada hosts an annual poetry festival that attracts luminaries from all over the world. Aside from Ruben Dario, Granada is associated with the Vanguardia movement, which was a significant departure to the poet's work. The festival acts as a focal point for 21ist century Nicaraguan writers as they seek to add their own influence to this deep culture.

Answer: Never Say Never Again

Carrera received her first Golden Globe nomination in "The Master Gunfighter", a 1975 Western set in Southern California that deals with issues surrounding the discrimination of Mexican landowners. This film was actually a remake of the 1969 Japanese samurai movie "Goyokin".

"Never Say Never Again" was the "unofficial" Bond film where Sean Connery reprised his role as 007. It was a remake of the 1965 film "Thunderball".

Answer: Leon

Somoza was shot at a party in the city of Leon. He was taken to a US military hospital in Panama in an attempt to save his life but he succumbed to his wounds a few days later.

It is generally thought that the Somoza regime was an oppressive dictatorship, even though it was backed by the United States. Anastasio Somoza Garcia was succeeded by his son Luis Somoza Debayle who was in charge until 1963, when he passed the job over to officials loyal to the regime. Anastasio Somoza Debayle was also Somoza Garcia's son and he was elected president in 1967, shortly before his brother Luis died of a heart attack at the age of 45. He remained in charge until the successful 1979 conclusion of the Nicaraguan revolution finally brought the Somoza regime to an end. He was assassinated in Paraguay in 1980.

The backing of the Americans was mainly because the regime was anti-communist. An oft quoted remarked attributed to Franklin D. Roosevelt goes "Somoza may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch." However, this is perhaps apocryphal as no evidence has been uncovered that he actually ever said this.

Answer: Restaurants

Cordua's rise to the dizzy heights of the culinary world came with the opening of the Houston restaurant "Churrascos" in 1988. A unique experiment at the time, the restaurant was an upscale affair that concentrated on South American cuisine. Although he struggled financially in the first few months, the critical acclaim he received led to a turn around in fortunes.

He subsequently opened up several additional restaurants that went on to win national awards in the United States, and has had a significant influence on the way Latin American cuisine has made inroads into the American market.

Answer: Mick Jagger

Bianca Jagger was only married to Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger for seven years before they divorced. Bianca cited adultery with Jerry Hall as the reason, though she is also quoted as saying that, "My marriage ended on my wedding day." Bianca and Mick's daughter is the well known Jade Jagger, whose skills include jewellery design.

Bianca is also known for her activism. Her founding of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation was inspired by events that she witnessed in Nicaragua during the 1970s. She witnessed the aftermath of the 1972 Managua earthquake and in 1979 was shocked at seeing the effects that the policies of the Somoza regime were having on the Nicaraguan people. Once the Somoza regime fell, she protested against the subsequent American intervention.

Answer: Daniel Ortega

Gioconda Belli's book "The Country Under My Skin" does not paint a pretty picture of Ortega. He is portrayed as a narrow-minded army general who is a strong, powerful figure but lacks certain powers of understanding. He was however, a central figure in the success of the revolution and has remained influential in Nicaraguan politics ever since.

Ortega has caused some controversy internationally. Under his rule Nicaragua became the first country after Russia to declare that they recognised the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia when they tried to secede from Georgia in 2008. He also spoke out in support of Muammar Gaddafi during the 2011 Libyan uprising.