Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In 1962, one of the world's most celebrated movie stars died tragically from an overdose of barbiturates. What the public did not know at the time was that she had been dependent on barbiturates from early on, in an attempt to overcome her chronic insomnia. Despite this, she had starred in movies such as "Niagara", "The Misfits" and "The Seven Year Itch". Who was this sleep-deprived blonde sex symbol?
2. True or False: French writer and philosopher François-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, was often awake well into the night and, as a rule, slept only four hours every night. This led him to enforce a strict diet, which included eating an apple under the Arc de Triomphe every morning at 7 am (his doctor believed this would make him go to bed and rise at regular times), and abstaining from tea and coffee.
3. This restaurateur, TV personality and chef seem to always have multiple projects going - managing Michelin-starred restaurants, writing cookbooks AND appearing on several TV series every year. If that was not enough, this person is also a triathlete! Perhaps is is not so strange to have so much time on their hands, when you consider that this person only sleeps for about three hours every night. Which night owl are we talking about here?
4. This action movie star appears in several movies per year, and is a huge part of a very popular franchise. He is also an avid fisherman, former pro wrestler, philanthropist, TV and movie producer and bodybuilder. How does he manage it all? By staying productive, making every minute count - and only sleeping three-five hours every night! Who is this (literally) huge movie star?
5. A sleep cycle where one sleeps in several intervals is known as a polyphasic cycle, and many famous individuals have done this. One artist, inventor, scientist and all-round "Renaissance Man" even has his own sleep schedule named for him. The free time he gained by not sleeping much must have given him a lot of time to paint such works as "The Baptism of Christ" and "La Gioconda", while also drawing "The Vitruvian Man" and inventions like an ornithopter and a parachute! Who was this power-napping artist?
6. True or false: Donald Trump: businessman, Twitter and TV personality and the 45th President of the USA, claims to only take about three to five hours of sleep a night.
7. One famous Russian-born novelist not only was an insomniac, but so loathed sleep that he named it a "nightly betrayal of reason, humanity, genius" and "mental torture". Subsequently, he only slept a few hours every night. In between short sleep cycles, he wrote classics such as "Pale Fire", "The Vane Sisters", and of course, "Lolita". Who was this author?
8. Genius inventor and engineer, poet, philosopher and connoisseur as well as being tall and good-looking, this Serbian-born gentleman seems to have had it all. The one thing he probably did not get enough of was sleep, as he claimed to only sleep two hours every night (with some intermittent naps). In his waking hours he worked on AC power, wireless communications, X-rays and radio controls, among other things. What was the name of this somewhat eccentric genius?
9. One of the most renowned military minds in history is said to have spent as little as four hours a night in bed, even while on campaign. The fact that he had double the time to work on his strategies might have been a key factor in his success, not to mention that it enabled him to seemingly be everywhere in camp and develop a special rapport with his men. Even his arch-nemesis, the Duke of Wellington, said of him that his presence was worth 40.000 troops in itself! Which military giant deserved such praise?
10. And finally; the ability to function well even with less than six hours of sleep every night might possibly be linked to a mutation in the p.Tyr362His gene, meaning it might in some cases be hereditary! The gene has been named after one British prime minister. Despite governing one of the largest countries in the world, instituting economic reforms and fighting a war, she was known for only needing about four hours of down-time every night. What is the name of the gene named after her? The ________ gene.
Source: Author
Twotallgnome
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
agony before going online.
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