Famous People Who Had Poliomyelitis Quiz

Answer: Mia Farrow

Born in 1945, former model Mia Farrow is an American activist and actress. She has starred in many movies, but first rose to viewing fame in the television series "Peyton Place" which ran from 1964 until 1969, and in which she played the role of Allison McKenzie, the on-again off-again love interest of the heart throb of the show, Rodney Harrington, who was played by Ryan O'Neal. This series told the story of the many interwoven lives, loves and scandals in an American small town. At the age of nine, Mia contracted polio during a small epidemic (relatively speaking) in Los Angeles which hit 500 people. After spending some time in an isolation ward, she eventually recovered, and went on to become one of the leading stars of the silver screen.

The photo clue reference is of a sow giving birth to piglets. This is known as a farrow, and the litter is also referred to as such. The connection to the question is a farrow to Mia FARROW.

Poliomyelitis is a very severe, highly infectious viral disease in which the grey matter of the individual's spinal cord becomes inflamed. This can lead to permanent full or partial paralysis.

Answer: Johnny Weissmuller

Johnny Weissmuller (1904-1984) was amazing. He was an American swimmer who won 52 national swimming titles, five Olympic gold medals for swimming, and one bronze medal for water polo. As if that wasn't enough, he starred in 22 films, ten of which saw him as the character Tarzan, a boy reared to manhood in the jungle by nurturing apes. He also combined his film career with television, by starring as Jungle Jim in a series of the same name. This ran from 1956 until 1958, based around the storyline of a hunter, guide and explorer who conquered many challenges and adventures in Africa. Add to this the fact that he married five times, a strenuous enough activity all on its own. So how did he get into all this? He caught poliomyelitis at the age of nine, following which the family doctor advised his parents to have the child take up swimming to strengthen his weakened muscles. It most definitely worked. Johnny's sense of humour too was excellent. He previously arranged, following his eventual death and funeral in 1984, to have a recording of his world famous Tarzan's yell played loudly three times as his coffin was being lowered into the ground, leaving his friends and family smiling through their tears. What a class act.

The photo clue reference is an image of a chimp, a duplicate of Tarzan's loved companion pet, the chimp Cheeta. There were many Cheetas in fact, one even being played by a small human boy. The connection to the question is that Cheeta was a chimp, Tarzan owned that chimp, and the character Tarzan was made famous by JOHNNY WEISSMULLER.

For every ten people who contract poliomyelitis, nine recover, but one is left paralysed in some way. Between 1930 and 1960 in Australia alone, this disease left 40,000 people permanently paralysed. That figure could have been 400,000.

Answer: Francis Ford Coppola

Born in 1939, Francis Ford Coppola is a noted American producer, director and screenwriter, with many exceptional movies to his credit. These include the 1970 production of the film "Patton" which saw him winning the first of his Academy Awards, this one for Best Original Screenplay. The story is based on the role that US General George Patton played during World War II in North Africa, Sicily, France and Germany. This film ends on a particularly poignant note, but I won't ruin that for you if you haven't yet seen it. When Coppola contracted polio as a young boy, he spent many long periods of his childhood bedbound. To while away those long days, he entertained himself by creating scenes and dialogues for his home made puppets - and the world of cinema reaped the eventual awards of his early absorption in being able to at least control those small figures and make them move about him, even if he could not do so himself.

The photo clue reference is a 1921 Model T Ford. The connection to the question is a Ford to Francis FORD Coppola.

The polio virus works by destroying the body's motor neurons, leaving its victims with weak to chronic muscle weakness or full paralysis in different parts of the body.

Answer: Kerry Packer

Kerry Packer (1937-2005) was a somewhat controversial figure, but rather admirable nonetheless. Born to well off parents in the newspaper business, he appears, in addition to an attack of childhood poliomyelitis which saw him spending nine months confined to an iron lung, to have had to deal with childhood dyslexia as well. This met with little sympathy from his father, who referred to his son as "the family idiot". Kerry compensated for his lack of academic skills by excelling at various school sports, and overcame that dyslexia to become the richest and most powerful man in Australia. His career saw him working his way up from the lowest rung in the newspaper business, the loading docks, to eventually owning a controlling interest in many large corporations. These included the TV station channel nine, Australian Consolidated Press, the Crown Casino, various gambling and tourism ventures, mining, chemicals and heavy engineering. Kerry's nature was rather abrasive, he fell out with many people, sacked more, argued with the Australian Taxation Office and had to face a Royal Commission along the way. He also found the time to become a first rate polo player, and establish World Series Cricket, those one day games played all over the globe which injected a new and vibrant life into that much loved sport.

The photo clue reference is a long ago snap of packers working in a factory. The connection to the question is a packer to Kerry PACKER.

There are three different types of poliomyelitis. The most common is spinal polio. It hits the trunk, limbs and breathing muscles. The worst hit of its victims becomes unable to move and cannot breathe properly, having to subsequently spend some or all of their lives in a large, horribly cold, steel, coffin-like structure known as an iron lung.

Answer: Arthur Clarke

British born Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (1917-2008) was a famous science fiction writer, explorer, inventor and TV host. He is most well known, perhaps, for his science fiction works, which include novels such as "Childhood's End" (1953), "The Foundations of Paradise" (1979), "The Songs of Distant Earth" (1986) and the "Space Odyssey" series of books. He served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, has a first class degree in mathematics and physics, contributed to the development of geostationary satellites, and became the television host of several well television programmes dealing with the unusual and mysterious in between times. In 1962, this intriguing personality contracted poliomyelitis as an adult. This left him so weakened that he spent most of his following life in a wheelchair for mobility purposes - but it most definitely never incapacitated him. He fought back and went on to appear in several films, was the first Chancellor of the International Space University from 1989 until 2004, Chancellor of Sri Lanka's Moratuwa University from 1979 until 2002, Patron of an organisation fighting for the preservation of gorillas for years, and the Vice Patron of the British Polio Fellowship for an equally long period. At the end of his fascinating life, which included many more achievements than those listed here, Arthur Clarke died from breathing and heart problems associated with the post-polio syndrome he also developed.

The photo clue reference is of Clark Kent aka Superman. The connection to the question is the homophone Clark to Arthur CLARKE.

Bulbar poliomyelitis hits the breathing, speaking, swallowing, tongue, tear ducts, face and vision. Because of the breathing problems in particular, people with this form of polio can suffocate. Up to 5% of children, and up to 30% of adults who contact any form of polio, die.

Answer: Neil Young

Singer-songwriter and musician Neil Young was born in Canada in 1945. In 1951, in the last major epidemic of the disease in Canada, he developed poliomyelitis. This took months from which to recover, but at the same time, he was also dealing with type 1 diabetes and epilepsy as well. Not the luckiest of people health wise, he then had to deal with a brain aneurysm in his later life which almost killed him, yet he refused to let anything defeat him. Young's long musical career includes founding several bands, and becoming a member of several others over the years. On this list are two of the top name bands of the time, Buffalo Springfield (which he co-founded) and Crosby, Stills and Nash which he joined as their fourth member. Various albums were released with these bands, but Young has also released an incredible number of his own solo albums and singles in his own right, such as his popular "After the Gold Rush" album in 1970 and his 1972 single "The Needle and the Damage Done". This great performer has received a large numbers of awards over his lifetime, both for his music, and other achievements. He has also worked on the development of a hybrid-engine car for some years, helped found Farm Aid for struggling farming communities, has held an annual concert for many years to raise funds for disabled children, holds two honorary Doctorates for his musicianship, has had his music nominated for an Oscar, is part owner of a toy train and railroad accessories company, holds the US patent for several inventions related to model trains, has been awarded the Order of Manitoba and the Order of Canada for his work with disabled children, and ranks as number thirty-four on the Rolling Stones Magazine list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.

The photo clue reference is a mother duck with her brood of baby ducklings. The connection to the question is her young to Neil YOUNG.

Bulbospinal poliomyelitis combines the symptoms of spinal and bulbar polio. It is the worst form of the three polio types. There is no cure for all three types of this disease should it progress to the paralysis, only its prevention by immunisation.

Answer: Dinah Shore

Singer, actress and television host, Dinah Shore, was born in Tennessee in 1916. She died in 1994 while living in California. Dinah is most remembered as a top vocalist during the Big Band era of music history, and had an astonishing number of hits in the 1940s and 1950s, conquering a music world hitherto dominated almost exclusively by male performers. In addition to that, she had forty albums to her credit, acted in fifteen films and documentaries, and starred in and hosted eighteen television variety shows and talk shows between the 1950s and 1970s. Her hits, eighty of which reached the top levels of the music charts, included the popular numbers "Sweet Violets" and "My Heart Cries for You" both of which went as high as number three. Dinah's love life was just as prolific it seems, and she was quite active in that regard. Comically so, her long time and very happy relationship with the much younger Burt Reynolds is said to have taken the pressure off that star to maintain his exhausting ladies man reputation on the open market. When she was two, this beautiful, talented woman caught poliomyelitis. It left her with a limp and deformed foot for the rest of her life. She initially turned to singing for consolation, and maintained that love all her life, but, refusing to let her disability hold her back physically, she also became a first rate player of many sports in her early life, and a semi-professional golf player in her later years.

The photo clue reference is of a sea shore. The connection to the question is shore to Dinah SHORE.

Long time casualties of the poliomyelitis paralysis face a lifetime of physiotherapy, braces, special shoes, crutches, wheelchairs, muscle weakness, stares, numerous operations, and missing out on the simple pleasures of life that are the happy lot of those without the illness. A walk on the beach, for example, or climbing a tree, running, climbing stairs, the list is endless. One small step for humanity becomes one giant step for a person who lives with polio.

Answer: Ray Peterson

Texas born pop singer Ray Peterson lived from 1939 until 2005. After catching poliomyelitis as young child, he fought back physically, turning to singing during his recovery period - and the world of music was the winner. Peterson had an amazing four-octave range with his voice, a gift that is rare indeed. His first big hit was "The Wonder of You" which hit the charts in 1959, but it was his 1960 "Tell Laura I Love Her" that really cemented his reputation as a singer. By the mid 1960s, he was considered somewhat of a musical giant in the United States. His rock career only lasted ten short years however, for, in the 1970s, Ray Peterson suddenly turned his back on fame and fortune and became a minister in the Baptist church. That's a pretty incredible achievement in its own right. Ray died from cancer at the age of 65 in 2005, leaving behind a wife, seven children and the haunting musical recordings of a once exceptionally gifted voice.

The photo clue reference is of a manta ray. The connection to the question is ray to RAY Peterson.

Early warning symptoms of poliomyelitis include fever, sore throat, blinding headaches, attacks of vomiting, overwhelming tiredness, and pain and stiffness in the neck, back, arms or legs. Then the paralysis hits - suddenly - and, if standing, you will drop to the ground, unable to move an inch. In its worst form, you will then find it increasingly hard to breathe, you will not be able to call out for help because your voice production muscles have become paralysed, you will go blind, and the pain will become almost unbearable if anyone touches you.

Answer: Jack Nicklaus

Born in Ohio in 1940, Jack Nicklaus, known as "The Golden Bear" is a top professional golfer. His career winnings include eighteen major championships, placing second in nineteen more, and nine third places in yet more. Over a time period of 25 years, Jack took out an amazing 73 victories at the top level of his sport. As a young boy, this fine athlete had already been playing golf for several years when poliomyelitis attacked him at the age of thirteen. Such was the determination of this champion to win, he was able to fight back and conquer any residual effects. By 1960, and still playing as an amateur, he was married and the first of his five children were landing on the green. This saw Jack deciding to switch to the professional ranks in order to support his growing family. Jack Nicklaus finished his professional golfing career at St Andrews, Scotland, and said of this that "I'm very sentimental and the place gets to me every time I go there. In May I walked around and welled up with hardly anyone watching me. St Andrews was always where I wanted to finish my major career" - and this fine golfing champion did just that. He ended his career with a fifteen foot birdie there on the 18th green.

The photo clue reference is an image of Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas. The connection to the question is the homophone Saint Nicholas to Jack NICKLAUS.

The Post-Polio Syndrome is a new addition to the woes of those with long term poliomyelitis related paralysis. It occurs decades after the initial infection, mainly as a result of the body's remaining working motor neurons beginning to deteriorate. Symptoms are increased muscle weakness and chronic fatigue, and, by default, knowing there's no cure, and having to live that horror all over again, occasional attacks of overwhelming despair for many who have endured for so long.

Answer: Sir Walter Scott

Scottish born Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) was a judge, businessman, novelist, playwright and poet whose works of literature today are looked upon as classics. These include his famous 1820 historical novel "Ivanhoe" which relates the tale of one of the last Saxon nobles in England when it was by then dominated by Norman rule. He is disinherited by his father for supporting Richard the Lionheart, so off he goes with Richard to face many adventures during and after the Third Crusade. Scott himself was the son of a solicitor and his early bout with poliomyelitis, which left him permanently lame, had a profound effect on his life. Sent to recover to his grandparents who had a farm on the Scottish borders, it was there he learned so many of the tales and fables which became the hallmark of his written works in later life. Returning to Edinburgh after several years in the country, he studied the classics and law at the University there, and, though he did indeed practice law throughout his life, he began to devote more and more time to his writing from the age of 25. He would go on to become one of the most famous writers, not only in the British Isles, but right throughout the English speaking world of his time. Interestingly, Scott, who had a deep and abiding love of history, was able, by studying many documents over a period of time, finally able to locate the missing Crown Jewels that had disappeared many years previously under the reign of Oliver Cromwell. As a result, he was awarded the title of baronet from George, the extremely grateful Prince Regent of the united Kingdom.

The photo clue reference is of a bagpipe playing, kilt wearing Scotsman. The connection to the question is the homophone Scot to Sir Walter SCOTT.

The world almost had poliomyelitis completely defeated, until recent fatwas in several Islamic countries declared that the vital immunisations so vital in this battle were designed by the West to sterilise their people. They subsequently banned them. Consequently, polio is trumpeting a victorious return, particularly in northern Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with epidemics beginning to spread out from there. Please, I beg of you, as a battle scarred survivor of childhood poliomyelitis of the worst kind - have your children immunised.