Half an Arthur Trivia Quiz

Answer: Miller

Arthur Miller is a Pulitzer Prize winner. He is considered to be one of the leading figures of American theatre in the twentieth century. He was controversial. He was blacklisted and... he was married to Marilyn Monroe. You would know him best for such plays as "The Crucible" (1953) and A View from the Bridge (1955).

His most touted work, "Death of a Salesman" (1949) is often cited as one of the best American plays of its time. Miller had had a brief affair with Monroe in 1951 and they would marry in 1956. Difficulties in the marriage surfaced while he was writing "The Misfits" (1961) and Monroe was in the habit of taking drugs, first to sleep and then to stay awake.

They divorced in 1961.

Answer: Wellesley

You may know Arthur Wellesley better as the 1st Duke of Wellington. Wellesley was considered one of the greatest defensive military minds of his time, a quality that worked well to minimise losses amongst his own forces and push toward victory, even against superior numbers. Ultimately, he was involved in sixty battles but it was the Peninsula Campaign, primarily his victory over the French in the Battle of Victoria (1813), that made his superiors take particular notice and had him promoted to the rank of Field Marshall. Two years later, allied with Gebhard von Blücher and his Prussian forces, they defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo.

During Napoleon's exile in 1814 Wellesley was appointed as the British ambassador to France and was awarded his dukedom. He eventually entered politics and served as the Prime Minister of Great Britain on two occasions, the first time from 1828 until 1830, and then again, for a short period, in 1834.

Answer: Conan Doyle

Born in England but of Irish descent, Doyle's father was an alcoholic which caused the family to scatter. Arthur was fortunate in that he had rich uncles and they provided for his education which led him to a medical career. When he was twenty seven he wrote the first of his Sherlock Holmes mysteries, "A Study in Scarlet", however, he struggled to find a publisher for his work. Finally published in book form in 1888, the work was so popular that an immediate sequel was commissioned. Doyle was a prolific writer and his works were not limited to crime mysteries but included the humorous tales of Brigadier Gerard, science fiction and fantasy as well as plays, poetry and non-fiction writings. Doyle was also a strong advocate of justice and personally took on two closed cases and proved the innocence of the accused parties.

Answer: Lowe

With a long acting career, Arthur Lowe is best known for his role as the grumpy and pompous Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army. Set in the Second World War, the series told of the antics of the Home Guard of the fictional town of Walmington-On-Sea. The program ran from 31 July 1968 - 13 November 1977. Lowe, who passed away in 1982 at the age of sixty six also scored the long running role of landlord Leonard Swindley in the UK soap opera "Coronation Street".

He would win a BAFTA (British Academy Television Award) as Best Supporting Actor for his role in "O Lucky Man!" (1973).

Answer: Clarke

If Sir Arthur Charles Clarke CBE FRAS were a cat, he'd have had nine lives. Not only was he interested in space and space travel, he was a television host, an inventor, an undersea explorer and a futurist, among other things. He was one of the most gifted and imaginative science fiction authors of the twentieth century, to the point where he was bestowed the title as one of the "Big Three" in the genre, alongside Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein.

He is best remembered for his work on the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey" and its subsequent novelisation.

Answer: Balfour

Arthur Balfour was a Scot who he entered politics in the House of Commons in 1874 as the Conservative MP for Hertford. Holding a series of key posts during his career, he would become Prime Minister of his country between 1902 and 1905. Viewed as an "esteemed debater" his greatest achievements as the leader of his nation included the Education Act 1902, which would become known as the "Balfour Act".

The Act remained in force for four decades but its introduction provided funds for denominational religious instruction in religious elementary schools, was highly contentious and controversial at the time.

Whilst it was supported by the Church of England, which was natural as they owned or administered the majority of the church schools at the time, it brought strong opposition to Balfour's Conservatives from both the Nonconformists and the Liberal Parties.

Whilst the Act was a success it hurt the Conservatives and they suffered a massive defeat at the 1906 general elections.

Answer: Rimbaud

Rimbaud has been described as a troubled and restless soul. He'd had a romantic, though volatile, relationship with fellow poet Paul Verlaine. This same passion flowed into his works which included the incomplete "Illuminations" (1886) and "A Season in Hell" (1873). Wallace Fowlie, from the University of Chicago, described his work as the "ultimate lesson" and "complex".

His work is seen as one of the forerunners of modern literature.

Answer: Blakey

Starting his life as the adopted son of a Seventh Day Adventist family, Arthur "Art" Blakey first learned the piano, then drums. Once he changed to the drums, he was in steady work with the likes of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sarah Vaughn to name a few.

He'd eventually form the first Jazz Messengers, a seventeen member big-band, combination. They would be described as "the archetypal hard bop group of the late 50s" by the "Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz". Blakey was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

Answer: Ashe

In a sporting milestone, Arthur Ashe was the first African-American male to be ranked No. 1 in the world in tennis. He was also the first African American to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon (1975), and the U.S. Open (1968). He was born in Richmond Virginia and was raised mostly by his strict by caring father, after the death his mother, when he was only six. Ashe was given the opportunity to develop himself when he moved west to undertake a degree at University of California, Los Angeles.

He would later add the Australian Open to his collection of Grand Slam wins in 1970. He passed away from AIDS-related pneumonia at the age of forty nine in 1993.

Answer: Phillip

The then Captain Arthur Phillip led the First Fleet in 1788, transporting British convicts to establish a settlement on the area that was to become known as Port Jackson. The penal colony would later become the city of Sydney and Phillip would become its first Governor.

He realised early that the new colony would require a civil administration and some system with which to emancipate the prisoners or the system would fail. He had extra pressures on him because he wasn't allowed to take tradespeople on the journey.

This was further exacerbated with the arrivals of the Second and Third Fleets. By the time he'd returned to England to retire the colony was well on its way to being established.