January 11 Birthdays Online Trivia | January Birthdays

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. 347 - This man was the last Emperor to rule over the united Eastern and Western Roman Empires. He ruled for nearly 14 years, thwarting the attempted overthrows of Magnus Maximus and Eugenius. Who was this ruler, who changed the state religion to Nicene Christianity?

Answer: Theodosius I

The Roman Empire was made into separate Eastern and Western Roman Empires under Diocletian, slightly under 100 years before Theodosius I (or Theodosius the Great) took power. In 375, Valentinian I ruled over the Western Roman Empire while Valens ruled over the Eastern. That year, Valentinian I died, and his sons Valentinian II and Gratian succeeded him. Three years later, Valens died and Gratian appointed Theodosius as the head of the Eastern Empire. Gratian died in 383, and Valentinian II in 392, leaving Theodosius the sole ruler over the entire Roman Empire from 392 until his death in 395.

2. 1755 or 1757 - During the American Revolution, this man became George Washington's right hand man, and was later rewarded for that relationship by becoming the United States' first Secretary of the Treasury. Who was this politician, who influenced Washington to have a strong national government assume the states' debts and create a national bank?

Answer: Alexander Hamilton

Many people know that Alexander Hamilton was shot by Aaron Burr in a duel, but don't know why. In 1791, Burr defeated Hamilton's father-in-law in a Senate election. From 1800-1804, Burr was Thomas Jefferson's (a Democratic-Republican) Vice President. Jefferson decided not to keep Burr on as his VP, so when he ran for Governor of New York in 1804, Hamilton campaigned against him, despite the fact Burr was running as an independent. Hamilton defamed Burr's character, and following the defeat several letters were exchanged, which ended with the accepted challenge of a duel.

The two men met at the Heights of Weehawken, New Jersey, since dueling had been outlawed in New York. Reportedly, Hamilton shot into the air with his first shot, most likely indicating he did not want to kill Burr. Burr was not quite as amiable, and hit Hamilton in the abdomen, and he died the next day.

3. 1815 - This politician was the first Prime Minister of Canada, serving nearly 18 years in the post from July 1867-November 1873 and October 1878-June 1891. He united the newborn country politically and physically with the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Who is this man, who continues his legacy by being depicted on the Canadian $10 bill?

Answer: John A. Macdonald

John A. Macdonald was given awards several times throughout his political career. On July 1 (Canada Day), 1867, he became the first colonial leader in the British Empire to be knighted, when he became a Knight Commander of both the Order of the Bath and the Order of St. Michael and St. George.

In 1884, he would be upgraded to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. He was also made a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, and named President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada from 1883-1889.

He died while still in office on June 6, 1891.

4. 1923 - This American racecar driver and automobile designer won the "Sports Illustrated" Driver of the Year award in 1956 and 1957. However, his more lasting impact on the world came when he began designing cars. He made a variation on the Ford Mustang produced originally from 1965-1970, shown especially in the movie "Gone in Sixty Seconds." Who is this man, who also inspired the 5th-generation Mustangs released in 2007?

Answer: Carroll Shelby

Carroll Shelby introduced the world to some of the most memorable cars on the road. While the 1974 "Gone in 60 Seconds" used a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1 as the best car that the main character needed to steal, the 2000 remake, "Gone in Sixty Seconds," featured the 1967 GT 500 Shelby Mustang. In 2006, the first Shelby GT-H Mustang was introduced at auto shows, and in 2007 the Shelby GT was re-introduced as Ford's pride and joy as the fifth generation Mustang.

However, Shelby did not only work with Ford. Shelby helped design and actually drove one of the first Dodge Vipers ever produced as a pace car in the Indianapolis 500 in 1991. The Viper was even more powerful than the Shelby Mustang, but its comparatively high price led its sales to normally fall short of its main competition (of similar high performance vehicles) - the Chevrolet Corvette.

5. 1925 - This man was Mary Tyler Moore's 2nd husband, and helped her to create MTM Enterprises in 1969. From 1981-1986, he was the CEO of NBC, and with "Family Ties", "Cheers" and "The Cosby Show" among others, he brought NBC back up from being the last-placed network. Who is this television producer, also responsible for successes "The Bob Newhart Show", "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "Hill Street Blues"?

Answer: Grant Tinker

Grant Tinker was known as "the man who saved NBC," with his introduction of so many popular shows to the network. Even though most of MTM Enterprises' shows aired originally on CBS, his work in the top position of NBC allowed the company to survive through the 1980s.

After General Electric bought out NBC's parent company RCA, Tinker left and tried to create GTG Entertainment. GTG Entertainment produced several "Baywatch" episodes, but failed to do much past that, and dissolved in 1990.

6. 1934 - This man was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from 1993-2003. He dealt with billions of dollars in national debt, Quebec nationalists and an attempted kidnapping, and that was only during his first term. Who was this politician, made infamous for his "Shawinigan Handshake" - a chokehold he put on protestor Bill Clennett while walking to his limousine following a speech?

Answer: Jean Chr�tien

Jean Chr�tien was well known for his toughness, or at least his willingness to address confrontation. On November 5, 1995, Andr� Dallaire broke into his home with a knife. Chr�tien reportedly locked himself and his wife in their bedroom and armed himself with an Inuit carving in case Dallaire made his way into the room. Just three months later, he gave a speech in Hull, Quebec, for National Flag of Canada Day.

As he made his way to his limo, Bill Clennett confronted Chr�tien as a member of an anti-poverty group. Chr�tien grabbed him by the neck and chin and forced him to the ground, breaking one of Clennett's teeth in the process.

Afterwards, Chr�tien remarked that "some people came in my way... and I had to go so, if you're in my way and I'm walking... so I don't know what happened."

7. 1946 - This country singer paired with her daughter to become one of the most popular country duos in the business. From 1984-1992, they won the Academy of Country Music's Top Vocal Duo seven times, the Country Music Association's Vocal Group/Duo of the Year seven times, and the Grammy Awards Best Country Performance by a Duo five times. Who is this singer, who started a fund for Hepatitis C awareness?

Answer: Naomi Judd

The Judds, comprised of mother Naomi and daughter Wynonna, released fourteen #1 singles out of sixteen songs from 1984-1989. This included the three consecutive #1 albums "Why Not Me" in 1984, "Rockin' with the Rhythm" in 1985, and "Heartland" in 1987.

In 1989, they also released "River of Time," which hit #2 in the US and #1 in Canada. The Naomi Judd Education and Research Fund was created in 1991 for Hepatitis C awareness and to raise money for the American Liver Foundation.

8. 1952 - This American golfer won three NCAA Championships from 1971-1973 at the University of Texas. He then turned professional in 1973, and became the second player in history to win the first tournament of his career. He won The Masters in 1984 and 1995, despite suffering from Graves' disease. Who is this golfer, who finished 2nd at the PGA Championship in 1979 and the Open Championship in 1978 and 1979?

Answer: Ben Crenshaw

Ben Crenshaw's first professional tournament was at the San Antonio Texas Open in his home state. He beat Orville Moody, who had won the 1969 US Open, by two strokes. He did not win again on the PGA Tour until 1976, when he won three tournaments. The only PGA Tour Tournament he won in 1984 was The Masters, when he shot two strokes below Tom Watson, who had already won eight major championships.

In 1995 at age 43, he won The Masters again by beating Davis Love III, denying him the chance to win his first major.

9. 1971 - This American singer's debut album, "What's the 411?" got to #6 on the US charts, and was a good indication of where her career was headed. From 1994-2007, she released six albums, five of which got to #1. In those first eight albums (the second released in 1994), she had five singles make #1 on the US R&B charts. Who is this woman, whose "Family Affair" also hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2001?

Answer: Mary J. Blige

Aside from her musical career, Mary J. Blige has also enjoyed some roles as an actress. In 1998, the year after her first #1 album, "Share My World," was released, she acted in an episode of "The Jamie Foxx Show," where she played a singer. She was then part of independent films "Prison Song" and "Angel: One More Road to Cross," and then starred as Tanya in the 2007 Tyler Perry film "I Can Do Bad All By Myself." Also in 2007, she entered into a guest role in "Ghost Whisperer." Not wanting to stop there, she starred as herself in an episode of "30 Rock" in 2009.

10. 1972 - This American actress began her career in small films, but got her big break in "The Whole Nine Yards," when she played Jill St. Claire. That role led to three nominations at award shows, but only won the 2000 Young Hollywood Award for Best New Style Maker. Who is this woman, who later starred in "Saving Silverman", "Something's Gotta Give", "Syriana" and "The Whole Ten Yards"?

Answer: Amanda Peet

Though she does most of her work in movies, Amanda Peet also works in television. She was on several high-profile shows before getting her role in "The Whole Nine Yards." In 1995, she acted in both "Law & Order" and "One Life to Live." Her first recurring role came in "Central Park West," where she played Robyn Gainer in six episodes in 1996.

The next year she played in an episode of "Spin City" and "Seinfeld." Following her "Saving Silverman" success, she got one of the leading roles in "Jack & Jill." Several movies later, she starred in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," which earned her a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series.

Source: Author illiniman14

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Snowman before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

January 11 Birthdays Trivia Quiz

January 11 is, believe it or not, National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day, so don't get wet when finding out who gets to do this on their birthday.

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