Some Interesting People to Know Quiz

Answer: American humorist

Known as Franklin P. Adams, or simply as F.P.A., he was born in Chicago in 1881, and died in New York City in 1960. He was known for his syndicated newspaper column, called "The Conning Tower", in which he presented a satirical take on the events of the day.

Answer: English-born Virginia colonist

Although he died before he was thirty, colonist Nathaniel Bacon (1647-1676) is remembered for leading what is known as Bacon's Rebellion, against the governor and establishment of the Virginia colony. The causes were diverse, and the action included the burning of the capital Jamestown, but in the end the governor, William Berkeley, regained control and had many of the rebels hanged. Nathaniel Bacon escaped this fate, as he had already died of dysentery.

Answer: British Prime Minister

Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman GCB PC (1836-1908) belonged to the Liberal party in Great Britain, and served as the leader of the party from 1899-1908. He became Prime Minister in 1905 at the invitation of Edward VII, following the resignation of Arthur Balfour, and held the post until resigning due to poor health in April 1908. He died less than three weeks after his resignation.

Answer: American politician

Thomas E. Dewey (1902-1971) was the Dewey of the erroneous 1948 "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline in a Chicago newspaper. Dewey, then serving as Governor of New York state had been expected to become the next president, and someone at the paper jumped the gun with sending the paper to the press. Dewey, a Republican, served as New York's governor from 1943-1955.

Answer: American baseball player

Born in Oakland, California in 1954, Dennis Eckersley made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians in 1975, mostly as a starting pitcher. In that role, in May 1977, he threw a no hitter against the California Angels. Later, in a career that lasted until 1998, he converted to relief pitching, becoming one of the elite closers in the game, with nearly 400 games saved.

He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Answer: American admiral

David Farragut (1801-1870) entered the US Navy as a nine year old midshipman, and served under his foster father during the War of 1812. His first command came when he was in his early twenties and he participated in a number of conflicts, including the Mexican-American War. He remained loyal to the Union when the Civil War began, and rose to the rank of admiral by 1866, just after war's end. His order during the August 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay gave the language the often quoted paraphrase, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"

Answer: American actor

Handsome leading man, John Garfield (1913-1952) died far too young at age 39, of heart problems. He was twice Oscar nominated, once for Supporting Actor for "Four Daughters" (1938) and once for Best Actor, for "Body and Soul" (1947).

Answer: American cartoonist

Chester Gould (1900-1985) was the creator of cartoon detective Dick Tracy, who first graced the funny pages in 1931. I remember being fascinated as a child by some of Tracy's gadgets, like the watch-radio, and by villains like Flattop and Pruneface.

Answer: Norwegian dramatist

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) is probably the best known Norwegian playwright, at least outside of Norway. Sometimes called "the father of realism" in drama, his plays include "A Doll's House", "Hedda Gabler" and "Peer Gynt".

Answer: American choreographer

If you have ever seen the barn raising scene in the movie musical "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954), you have enjoyed the choreography of Michael Kidd (1915-2007). Born Milton Greenwald in New York City, Kidd was active on Broadway as well as in Hollywood.

He won five Tony awards, and received an Honorary Academy Award for his work in film. Induction to the American Theatre Hall of Fame came in 1981.

Answer: American firearms inventor

Even if you have never heard of this US Army officer, you might be familiar with the light machine gun to which he gave his name, at least from photos or the movies. In 1911, Isaac Lewis (1858-1931) refined a design by another inventor with the result being the Lewis gun, which saw service with the British, French and American forces (including on aircraft) during the First World War.

Answer: New Zealand author

Dame (Edith) Ngaio Marsh DBE (1895-1982) was born and died in Christchurch, New Zealand. In between those dates she made herself known as one of the Queens of Crime, alongside such authors as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Her best known character, Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn, appeared in thirty-two novels.

Answer: Hungarian-born American conductor

Born in Budapest in 1899 as Jeno Blau, he took the surname Ormandy a few years into his career, and later anglicised Jeno to Eugene. He served as music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra for over forty years, even continuing to make appearances with them after retiring at the age of 80. He died in Philadelphia in 1985.

Answer: Russian author

Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890-1960) is the man we have to thank for the novel "Doctor Zhivago" and he was also a well known poet in Russia. In 1958 the Soviet government forced him to refuse to accept the Nobel Prize and his career was effectively ended when the Soviet Writers' Union barred him.

Answer: American circus clown

Dan Rice (1823-1900) was famous as a circus clown and entertainer in the years before the American Civil War. He is credited with coining such terms as "jump on the bandwagon" and "one horse show", as well as having created a character that was the basis for the US symbol "Uncle Sam".