How Great Thou "Art" : Famous Arthurs Quiz

Answer: Arthur Pendragon

Geoffrey de Monmouth recorded the myths of King Arthur in his 12th Century work, "Historia regum Britanniae". He relates that Arthur's father, Uther Pendragon, slept with Igraine (or Igerna), wife of the Duke of Cornwall. He managed this because the magician Merlin had charmed him to look like the Duke. Arthur was the resulting child.

The Fonz (who didn't need magic to attract female attention in the TV series "Happy Days") was Arthur Fonzarelli.

Answer: Henry VIII

Henry VII was the King who seized the English throne from Richard III in 1485 following the War of the Roses and Arthur was his eldest son. Arthur was named after the mythical King Arthur as part of an attempt to give extra credibility to the family's lineage.

Henry was eager to forge an alliance with Spain so, at the age of 2, Arthur was promised in marriage to the Spanish Katherine of Aragon whom he duly married aged 15. Six months after his marriage, Arthur was dead.

Henry VII was keen to further the alliance and therefore arranged for Katherine to marry Arthur's younger brother, Henry. The marriage took place in 1509 shortly after Henry had begun his reign as Henry VIII.

Later, however, Henry sought to divorce Katherine claiming, among many other things, that his agreement to the marriage had been given under duress. The divorce was the central factor in the eventual split from Rome.

Answer: Yes

Arthur Middleton, following in the footsteps of his father, was elected to the Continental Congress as a representative from South Carolina. He died in 1787 aged just 44.

Answer: The Duke of Wellington

Wellesley was born in Ireland in 1769. He is best remembered for his part in the Battle of Waterloo, which brought the Napoleonic Wars to a close. As well as being a noted military leader, he also served twice as British Prime Minister. His tough stance on reform led to his nickname, the "Iron Duke", arising from the installation of iron shutters at his home to protect it from unruly mobs.

Answer: Chester Arthur

Vice President Arthur came to power when James Garfield finally died from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt. He served between 1881 and 1885 but was denied a further term when he failed to secure the nomination of the Republican Party.

Answer: Arthur Balfour

Balfour succeeded his uncle, Lord Salisbury. His brief tenure saw the end of the Boer War and the passing of the 1902 Education Act. The Act is a significant one in the history of UK education in that it put existing LEAs (Local Education Authorities) in charge of education and abolished school boards.

Answer: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Conan Doyle was born in 1859 and baptised with the middle name of Ignatius. His interest in spiritualism developed after the death of his wife and son and must be seen against the then fashionable popularity of the movement and the rapid pace of scientific discovery leading many to believe that such phenomena would become scientifically explainable.

Sherlock Holmes was the admittedly part-time violinist. Arthur was a keen cricketer and played for the MCC and it has been claimed that Holmes' name is derived from those of contemporaneous cricketers.

Answer: Stan Laurel

Stan Laurel was born as Arthur Stanley Jefferson in the English town of Ulverston in 1890. He appeared in over 100 films with partner Oliver Hardy. Although these were comedies, the pair played an important part in the history of cinema with a career that straddled the transition from silent to talking movies. Laurel died in 1965.

Answer: Arthur Honegger

Honegger was born in 1892 and baptised with the names Oscar-Arthur although he never used the first part. As well as being one of the twentieth century's leading composers, he also served with the French Resistance during the Second World War and had a keen interest in trains.

Answer: Goalposts that light up when a score has been made

OK, so it was a bit of light relief to finish. The idea was patented with soccer in mind. An electro-magnetic strip on the ball would cause the goalposts to flash if, and only if, the ball had completely crossed the goal line. (Source : UK "Sunday Mirror", 28th September 2008)

Personally, I'm still holding out for the flashing aquarium fish!