I Am Off to Sleep Trivia Quiz

Answer: James Watt

Although all these men are Scottish engineers, only Watt has an SI unit named after him. The watt measures the rate of energy conversion. James Watt was born in Greenock in 1736 and was responsible for refining the efficiency of steam engines by the use of a separate condenser.

His partnership with Matthew Boulton, 'Boulton and Watt', in Birmingham was set up in 1775 and was very successful. Carnegie emigrated to USA at the age of thirteen and was involved in the steel industry. Telford was a civil engineer, remembered for road and bridge building, with the Menai Bridge being one of his designs. Napier was also involved with steam engines for the shipbuilding industry.

Answer: Kevin Costner

Well, they are all American and actors, but it was Kevin Costner who played the lead role in 'JFK' in 1991. He also appeared in, and produced, the ill fated 'Waterworld' in 1995. The baseball clue referred to his roles in 'Field of Dreams' (1989) and 'Bull Durham' (1988) as well as his personal interest in the game.

He is part owner of the 'Lake County Fielders' who are based in Zion, Illinois. If those weren't enough, Costner also directed, produced and starred in the 1997 film 'The Postman'.

Answer: Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great was king of Wessex, the western part of England, from 871 to 899 and was the first to use the title of 'King of the Anglo-Saxons'. He is also the only English monarch to be known as 'the Great'. His time in power is notable for his reorganisation of the military and legal systems and his success in repelling Viking attacks. Legend has it that he took shelter in a peasant's hut while hiding from his enemies, and allowed the cakes he'd been asked to take care of to burn.

He died at Winchester and was buried there, although his grave has not been located. Victoria was queen from 1837-1901, Henry VIII from 1509-1547 and William I, also known as William of Normandy and William the Conqueror, from 1066-1087.

Answer: George Clooney

Hugh Laurie is English, so the clues should have ruled him out even though he stars in 'House', one of the most popular American television series around. Larry Hagman starred in 'Dallas' and Matthew Perry was one of the 'Friends'. The series I was sidetracked by was 'ER', which starred George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross.

He has also appeared on film as Batman in 'Batman and Robin' (1997) and Danny Ocean in 'Ocean's Eleven' (2001) and its sequels. 'Rosemary' referred to his aunt, Rosemary Clooney, who had success as a singer in the 1950s.

Answer: Jane Austen

These are all good, female, English authors, but writing about the gentry and Bath should have led you to Jane Austen, and Cassandra was the name of her only sister. Jane Austen is well known for her novels about the gentry, in particular their struggles to find suitable husbands for the single daughters. Among the best known books are 'Pride and Prejudice' (1813) and 'Emma' (1815) both of which have been dramatised on both television and on the big screen.

The irony is that Jane herself never married, but was a very keen observer of the social scene. Agatha Christie is best known for her murder mystery books, although she also wrote romantic novels under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott. Among George Eliot's works are 'The Mill on the Floss' (1860) and 'Middlemarch' (1872). Charlotte Bronte's best known novel is 'Jane Eyre' (1847).

Answer: Gordon Lightfoot

They are all Canadian and they all write their own songs but the reference to 'folk' should have eliminated Alanis Morissette and Bryan Adams for you. Joni Mitchell was still a possible, but it was Lightfoot who wrote 'Sundown' and 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'. 'Sundown' reached number one in Canada and on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1974, but only number 33 in the UK. 'Edmund Fitzgerald' was another Canadian number 1 and made number 2 in the USA in 1976 but again was not a UK hit.

In fact, the highest position Lightfoot ever reached in my home country was number 30 in 1970 with 'If You Could Read My Mind', which in no way reflects his popularity (in my, possibly biased, opinion).

In addition to his own versions songs written by Gordon have been recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary, Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash among many others.

Answer: Alexander Graham Bell

I needn't have bothered, as it was only someone trying to sell me double glazing, but it's too late now. All the options I gave you were born in Scotland, but it was Bell who emigrated to Canada, before moving on to the USA. He devoted his time to working on the education of deaf people and married Mabel Hubbard, who had been one of his pupils. Bell's greatest achievement was his work on long distance communication, the telephone, and the establishment of the Bell Telephone Company in 1877. Baird invented television, Fleming discovered penicillin and Lister pioneered the use of antiseptics in medicine.

Answer: Kylie Minogue

All these are Australian and have had hits, although I'm not sure quite how Rolf Harris achieved singing success. In case your mind has suppressed the memories I'll remind you about 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport', 'Two Little Boys' and the massacre of 'Stairway to Heaven'.

Helen Reddy is best known for 'I Am Woman' and Natalie Imbruglia for 'Torn'. Kyle has had numerous hits in the UK, Europe and her native Australia. These include 'Wow', which reached number five on the UK singles chart in 2008 and 'The Loco-Motion' at number two hit in 1988.

She also duetted with Jason Donovan on 'Especially For You', which they took to number one in 1988. As well as her successful singing career, Kylie also found fame as an actress notably in the Australian series 'Neighbours' where she played Charlene.

Her character was a mechanic who married Scott, played by Jason Donovan.

Answer: Jamie Oliver

All these chefs have appeared on British television, with Ramsay and Oliver also making small screen programmes in the USA. The hints refer to Jamie, though, whose first appearance were in 'The Naked Chef' (not that he was in the nude, but the meals were more simply presented than some). Jamie married Juliette Norton, who he calls 'Jools', in 2000 and 'Fifteen' is the name of a chain of restaurants owned by him.

The name came from the original concept of taking fifteen disadvantaged young people and training them in the catering industry. Jamie has also devoted himself to the cause of trying to improve people's diets, notably in the provision of school dinners.

The idea was taken to the USA and was televised using the name 'Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution'.

Answer: John Lennon

Although all these singers are from Liverpool, only Lennon fits all the clues. Billy Fury and Cilla Black are not known as songwriters. Gerry Marsden, of Gerry and the Pacemakers, did write some of the band's hits including 'Ferry Cross the Mersey', but the bed-in in Amsterdam should have led you to John Lennon.

He and Yoko Ono spent their honeymoon in bed at the Amsterdam Hilton hotel in March 1969 in a protest against the war in Vietnam. They repeated the event in Montreal, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, in May of the same year, when they recorded the song 'Give Peace a Chance'.