Family Feuds Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hatfield and McCoy

This feud, which is part of American folklore, lasted nearly 30 years (1863-1891) between the two rural families of the Hatfields (West Virginia) and the McCoys (Kentucky). The families lived on either side of the Tug Fork River that divided the two states.

The origins of the family feud are thought to have started during the American Civil War. Both families supported the Confederacy, but Asa Harmon McCoy joined the Union Army. He was murdered on his return home and it was believed the Hatfields had been involved.

In the 1870s a dispute errupted over the ownership of a hog, with the case going to Court. A friend (Bill Staton) of both families gave evidence that it belonged to the Hatfields so the Court ruled in favour of the Hatfields. Sometime later Staton was killed by two of the McCoy brothers.

The feud escalated in the early 1880s to 1890 when numerous members of both families were killed in disputes. A trial was held in 1891 when a number of family members were imprisoned and one hanged for his crimes.

In modern times the families are friendly with the area and a well known tourist destination.

Answer: Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine

Both Olivia (1916) and Joan (1917-2013) were born in Japan to British parents. They are the only siblings to have won leading acting Academy Awards. Olivia in 1946 in "To Each His Own" and 1949 in "The Heiress" and Joan in 1941 In "Suspicion". Their parents separated in 1919 and their mother took both girls to live in the USA. Joan always believed that Olivia was her mother's favourite and when Joan took to acting she was told by her mother that she could not use the family name.

The two sisters did not have an easy relationship while growing up and this spilled over when Joan won her Oscar in 1941 when Olivia was also nominated that same year for he role in "Hold Back the Dawn". For many years the sisters did not communicate and when their mother was dying of cancer in 1975 the sisters disagreed as to the treatment their mother should receive.

When their mother died Joan accused Olivia of not informing her of their mother's death for three weeks while she was on tour.

Answer: Sterling and Stephen Clark

Sterling Clark (1877-1956) and Stephen Clark (1882-1960) were brothers and heirs to the Singer Sewing Machine organisation and fortune. Both were very wealthy individuals and both had large, expensive art collections. The brothers fell out and came to blows in a lawyer's office in 1923. Sterling had recently married a French actress who had an illegitimate daughter from a previous relationship. Sterling wanted to include his new wife and her daughter into the family trust. Stephen opposed this, they came to blows and never spoke to one another for the rest of their lives. Stephen started the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 1939.

Answer: Stewart and Douglas

In 1440 the King of Scotland, the 10 year old James II, invited 16 year old William Douglas who was the 6th Earl of Douglas and his brother David, to dinner at Edinburg Castle. During the dinner, the symbol of death, being a black bull's head was placed on the table before William. The two brothers were then dragged outside and beheaded. The King was from the House of Stewart and this incident started a bloodthirsty fued between the Douglases and Stewart's.

Answer: Medici and Pazzi

The Medici and Pazzi families were both noble banking families in Florence during the Middle Ages. The Medici family were actually the rulers of Renaissance Florence. In 1478 there was an attempt by the Pazzi family to assassinate the Medici brothers, Lorenzo and Giuliano in the Florence Cathedral. Giuliano was killed and this event became known as the Pazzi Conspiracy.

There arose a vendetta against all Pazzi family members and their lands and property were confiscated and they were banished from Florence. Anyone with the name Pazzi could not stand for any public office and many took steps to change their name.

Answer: Graham and Tewksbury

The Pleasant Valley War was a range war that took place between 1882-1892 in Pleasant Valley, Arizona. The feud involved two ranching families, the Grahams and the Tewksburys about cattle, sheep and grazing grounds. During this period it is estimated that between 35-50 members of the feuding families were killed. The last two family members involved in the feud were Tom Graham, who was shot in the back in 1892 and his alleged killer Edwin Tewksbury who died of natural causes in 1904.

Answer: York and Lancaster

The supporters of the House of Lancaster, representing a red rose, and the House of York, representing a white rose fought each other for control of the throne of England. This became known as the War of the Roses. The conflict lasted from 1455-1487 with eventually the male line of both families being eliminated. Even today when the both English counties Lancashire and Yorkshire compete on the sporting field, the encounter is referred to as the War of the Roses.

Answer: Liam and Noel Gallagher

The first major feudal event between the brother's occurred on their 1994 tour of the USA when Liam frequently changed the words of Noel's songs. Noel eventually left the tour. There was continual arguing over the years and Noel quit Oasis in 2009. Nowadays, the brothers have a very fraught relationship.

Answer: Adolf and Rudolf Dassler

Brothers Adolf (1900-1975) and Rudolf (1898-1975) Dassler started a family sports footwear business in their parents family home in the 1920s in Herozogenaurach, Germany. They gained recognition when a number of Olympic medalists wore their running shoes in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, including Jesse Owens.

Their family feud began during WWII and after the war Adolf started his own business and called it Adidas. He was known as "Adi" so he combined Adi with the first three letters of his surname becoming Adidas. Rudolf started his own company and called it Puma, which is the native Quechua name for cougar.

The Quechua people come from the Peruvian Andes in South America. It is understood that after the breakup between the brothers, they never spoke to each other again, even though they both had a factory on opposite sides of the river that ran through the town. Both companies have become international giants in the industry of sports clothing and footwear.

Answer: Joan and Christina Crawford

Joan Crawford (1904-1977) had four adopted children, Christina (b. 1939), Christopher (1942-2006) and twin girls, Catherine (1947-2020) and Cynthia (1947-2007). Joan was completely estranged from Christina and Christopher. In fact when Joan died in 1977 she left nothing in her $US 2 million estate to Christina and Christopher. Catherine and Cynthia were mentioned in the will and later Christina and Christopher contested the will and received $US 55,000 between them. it was Christina who wrote the book "Mommie Dearest" published in 1978 explained child abuse and Joan's dependence on alcohol.

The book was received with mixed opinions from some of Hollywood's best. The book was adapted into a movie of the same name starring Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford.