Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Ernest Hemingway was born July 21, 1899. He completed schooling upon graduation from high school, yet he would go on to become an icon in American literature. Among his works was "The Old Man and the Sea" (1952) for which he would win The Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. In it, he told the story of an old Cuban fisherman named Santiago and his apprentice Manolin, with whom he shared stories of American baseball and his favorite player, "the great Dimaggio".
The great Ernest Hemingway passed away July 2, 1961. What was the cause of his death?
2. Halle Berry ended her higher education after two years before going on to become one of Hollywood's wealthiest and most popular actresses. She became the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in "Monster's Ball" (2001), and she even was awarded a Razzie for "Catwoman" (2004). But do you know in which film she was a "Bond Girl"?
3. Bill Gates, who was born October 28, 1955 in Seattle, WA, is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft, which is headquartered in Redmond, WA. He was ranked as the world's wealthiest person from 1995-2007, and is one of the world's most generous philanthropists through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
From what school did Mr. Gates drop out after his sophomore year?
4. Harper Lee came this close to finishing college, quitting in her senior year to pursue a career as a writer. To say she succeeded would be putting it mildly, as her only published novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird", would win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. Since then, it has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Later she was given a most prestigious honor, being named to the National Council on the Arts. Which U.S. president bestowed that honor upon Ms. Lee?
5. Woody Allen has done OK without a sheepskin, having won multiple Academy Awards, including one for Best Director with "Annie Hall" (1978), and has received over twenty Oscar nominations. He has written numerous plays, including "Don't Drink the Water" (1962) and "Play it Again Sam" (1969). His lack of a degree wasn't for lack of trying as he originally enrolled in New York University.
What was the reason for his leaving N.Y.U. after his freshman year?
6. Other than Ronald, what's the first name you think of when someone mentions McDonald's restaurants? Correct, Ray Kroc! Not only did he not get a college degree, he dropped out of high school in Illinois to boot. He managed to build an "empire" of over 30,000 burger joints in over 50 countries, providing employment for over 1.5 million people worldwide. He also was the owner of a Major League baseball team for 10 years. Which franchise was it?
7. Barbra Streisand had to pass up college to help her family, which was in near poverty after the death of her father. So, in her late teens, she became a nightclub singer. She would go on to win eight Grammys, two Oscars and sell over 140 million albums worldwide. As a freshman at Erasmus High, she sang in a 100 member glee club. What now famous classmate sang with her in that same club?
8. He is a political commentator with, most would say, a conservative point of view, and did attend college, but just for two years. He held the job of director of promotions for the Kansas City Royals baseball team, and has written two books, both of which made the N.Y. Times bestseller list.
In 2003, he briefly worked as a pro football commentator for ESPN, and in 2010 he was delighted to be a judge in the Miss America Pageant. Who is this guy?
9. Sir Winston Churchill passed up traditional university studies to attend the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. During his remarkable life, he led his country through WWII, served two terms as Prime Minister and was the first British P.M. to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, (1953). In a poll taken in 2002 he was voted the Greatest Briton of all time.
He was born November 30, 1874 in Oxfordshire, England, but which city did he call home from age two to six?
10. Sophia Loren, the beautiful, talented Italian actress was born Sofia Villani Scicolone on September 20, 1934. She dropped out of high school at 16 and went on to become an international star, making over 50 movies, including "Two Women" for which she became the first actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for a non-English speaking performance (1962).
She is the aunt to the granddaughter of another VERY famous Italian from years back. Who was he?
Source: Author
paulmallon
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Snowman before going online.
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