Mononymous Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bono

Irish musician, entrepreneur and philanthropist Paul David Hewson was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1960. Under the stage name Bono (or Bono Vox), he is the lead vocalist for the world famous rock band U2. Bono has won over twenty Grammy Awards, and U2 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Among the group's major hits are "With Or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking", both from the 1987 album "The Joshua Tree".

Answer: Seal

Seal was born in London, England in 1963, with the name Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel. He is a world famous singer who uses the stage name Seal. Seal is perhaps best known for his hit song "Kiss from a Rose", released in 1994, from his second eponymous album.

The song was featured on the "Batman Forever" movie soundtrack, and it won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film, and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

Answer: Homer

Homer (circa 750 BCE) was the Greek author and writer of epic poems, i.e., "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey", considered among the finest works of Greek literature. "The Iliad" describes the ten year siege of Troy, called the Trojan War. "The Odyssey" depicts the aftermath or Odysseus' ten year journey back home to Ithaca after the fall of Troy, and the dangers he faces along the way. Homer's influence on Plato, and on all of society, is incalculable.

Answer: Pele

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pele, is considered one of the greatest footballers or soccer players of all time. He was born in Brazil in 1940, and began his career as a youth in 1953. Pele played on the Brazil National Team from 1957 to 1971, and played the position of forward attacking midfielder professionally for Santos and the New York Cosmos.

He was a FIFA World Cup winner in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Answer: Rihanna

Barbadian singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born in Saint Michael in 1988. Besides singing, she has evolved into a style maker, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. She moved to the United States in 2005 and released two albums that same year, both with a Caribbean sound, and both hitting the top ten on the Billboard 200 chart.

Her third album, "Good Girl Gone Bad" in 2007, with a dance-pop sound, featured the single "Umbrella", and made her a household name.

Answer: Plato

Athenian philosopher Plato was a disciple of Socrates. He was born in Athens, Greece in 429 BC. Plato was the founder of The Academy which was the very "first institution of higher learning in the Western World". His ideas, i.e., Platonist school of thought, as evidenced in this work "The Republic", are often credited with influencing Western religion and spirituality.

He went on to tutor Aristotle who, in turn, tutored Alexander the Great.

Answer: Twiggy

It was the 1960s and there was a counter-cultural explosion, with youth rising up to clash with the current 'norms' of society. Fashion was not immune to the changes, with model Twiggy becoming the icon for the 'new look'. Twiggy was born in London in 1948, as Lesley Lawson, a skinny teenage model who became the face of the "swingin' sixties".

Instead of the buxom look and long locks of previous generations, she had short hair and an androgynous look.

Answer: Banksy

Remember when graffiti was an eyesore on building walls in ghettos? Basquiat and Haring changed that, but not nearly as much as British street artist Banksy. I can't tell you his real name, but his satirical street art and dark humor have become an international sensation since the 1990s. Banksy's technique and style are clear and unmistakable, often with political undertones.

His 2010 documentary film, "Exit Through the Gift Shop", was nominated for an Academy Award.

Answer: Teller

Modern magicians or prestidigitators are few and far between, but Penn and Teller are the exceptions. There is the flamboyant Penn Jillette and his silent partner, Teller. For the curious, illusionist Teller was born Raymond Joseph Teller in Philadelphia, PA in 1948, but has changed his name legally to the mononym. Penn and Teller met in 1974, and have since performed in shows, films and on television. On April 5, 2013, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Answer: Sinbad

I am not referring to Sinbad, the mythical sailor, but the very real actor and stand-up comic who goes by the stage name of Sinbad. Sinbad was born as David Adkins in Michigan in 1956. He appeared on HBO television specials in the 1990s, and in films like "Jingle All the Way" (1996) and "Houseguest" (1995).

He also appeared as a genie in the 1990 movie "Shazaam", not to be confused with the 1996 movie "Kazaam" which starred Shaquille O'Neal as a genie.

Answer: Voltaire

From the ridiculous to the sublime, we have French writer, Francois-Marie Arouet, better known by the pseudonym or nom de plume Voltaire (1694-1778). Voltaire wrote during the French Age of Enlightenment which lasted from 1715 to 1789. He was an historian and a philosopher and a fierce critic of the Roman Catholic Church. Far ahead of his time, Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

His most famous work is "Candide", published in 1759.

Answer: Christo

Untraditional artist Christo was born in Bulgaria in 1935 with the name Christo Vladimirov Javacheff. He is known for creating environmental works of art with his wife Jeanne-Claude. Sadly, Jeanne-Claude died in 2009. Together they were responsible for wrapping the Reichstag in Berlin in 1995, and the Pont-Neuf bridge in Paris in 1985.

They also created the 26-mile-long "Running Fence" in Sonoma, CA in 1976, and "The Gates" in Central Park in New York City in 2005.

Answer: Galileo

From the modern to the distant, from the earth to the stars, we have astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), known simply by his first name. He was born in Pisa, Italy and earned the sobriquet the "father of the scientific method", along with the "father of observational astronomy". Galileo maintained that "all truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them". Among his discoveries were the Rings of Saturn, Ganymede, Europa and Io.

Answer: Dante

Known simply as Dante, writer and poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was born in Florence, Italy. He is credited with writing the most important poem of the Middle Ages and, perhaps, the "greatest literary work in the Italian language", i.e., "The Divine Comedy", written from 1308 to 1320.

It was originally called "Comedia", until Boccaccio christened it "Divina". The poem depicted the nine circles of Hell, as well as Heaven and Purgatory.

Answer: Adele

Finally returning to modern times, we have the very popular British singer known only as Adele. She was born in London, England as Adele Laurie Blue Adkins in 1988. In 2008, she released her debut album "19" which became a huge commercial success. The first song on the album is "Hometown Glory", written when she was just sixteen.

The following year she won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.