Terrible Twos Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sacco and Vanzetti

During the Red Scare in the aftermath of World War I, Sacco and Vanzetti, whose names were link to an anarchist activities, were both charged with the robbery and murder of a shoe company paymaster and his guard in 1920.

Questionable 'voir dire', dubious eyewitness accounts (one witness claimed Vanzetti drove the getaway car and another witness claimed to have seen Vanzetti in the back seat) and testimony which contradicted earlier statements given to the police followed at the trial. Additionally, the defense's attempt to impeach a prosecution witness based on an implication of an unpunished larceny charge in exchange for damaging testimony was disallowed by the judge. When the defense presented their case Sacco and Vanzetti were questioned at length regarding their political views and on July 21 Sacco and Vanzetti were both found guilty of first degree murder.

Between November 1921 and November 1923 seven motions were made for a new trial--all of them denied by trial Judge Thayer 1924. In 1925 a convict doing time for murder confessed to the crime, however, in 1926 the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts upheld its decision.

In his 1977 proclamation Dukakis cited prejudice, questionable conduct of trial officials and stated "any disgrace should be forever removed from their names".

(The proclamation can be found in its entirety at saccoandvanzetti.org)

Answer: Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos

The charges against Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos alleged they misappropriated funds from the Philippine treasury to the tune of $200 million and purchased NYC real estate.

Khashoggi was charged with aiding the couple in concealing their ownership of the properties. The Philippine government obtained a Federal court order forbidding the transfer/sale of the properties and the prosecution contended Khashoggi backdated documents in order to show that he had ownership before the court order was issued.

Imelda Marcos and Khashoggi were acquitted (Ferdinand Marcos, who was not present during the trial because of his failing health, died in 1989).

Answer: False

Spiro Agnew was the first U.S. Vice President to resign in disgrace. Agnew resigned on October 10, 1973, after the U.S. Justice Department uncovered widespread evidence of his political corruption, including allegations of accepting bribes as Governor of Maryland.

Less than a year later Richard Nixon resigned his Presidency on August 9, 1974.

Answer: Clarence Darrow

Darrow's decision to change the initial pleas to the charges of murder and kidnapping from "not guilty" was made to prevent the State from getting two opportunities to get a death sentence. The guilty plea also meant that the sentencing decision would be made by a judge, not by a jury.

Darrow's decision to plead guilty was based in part on his belief that the judge who would hear their case, John R. Caverly, was a "kindly and discerning" man. With the public seemingly unanimous in calling for death, Darrow did not want to face a jury.

Answer: his brother-in-law/her brother

Greenglass agreed to be a witness for the prosecution in exchange for immunity for his wife, Ruth. He claimed his sister had typed notes from classified information he had stolen. In a 1996 interview Greenglass recanted his original testimony and hinted that his wife was "probably" the typist.

Answer: False

Camille Kelley was a Memphis Family Court judge. Through her, Georgia Tann had the resources of the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County's Sheriff's Office at her disposal.

When child custody cases were brought before the court, Kelley would award guardianship to the Tennessee Children's Home Society, which was run by Tann. From that point, the children would be adopted out legally. The Society received seven dollars for each child adopted out to a family within the state of Tennessee. However, an out-of-state adoption sometimes cost as much as five-thousand dollars!

They targeted poor families, widows, divorced mothers, unwed mothers, pregnant women in prison and mental institutions. If the family didn't agree to release their child, the Court would issue an order signed by Judge Kelley. She also denied mothers the right to contact the children in any way following the child's separation from the mother.

In the 1940s, complaints from both the adopting parents and the children's birth parents gained the attention of Tennessee authorities. An investigation of the Tennessee Children's Home Society and its hidden Board of Trustees was begun.

In September of 1950, Georgia Tann died before the results of the investigation were made public. The same year, Kelley resigned after twenty years on the bench. She died in 1955 without having ever been prosecuted for her part in the illegal activities uncovered during the investigation.

Following the investigation, the Tennessee Children's Home Society was permanently closed.

Answer: He was a dwarf.

When traveling from town to town in western Europe she would go to the most expensive inn and have porters lug in a large steamer trunk or chest which she claimed had valuables which required safeguarding. Since there were no hotel safes at the time fine hotels would set aside a guarded safe room for their guests' valuables.

Once the chest was placed in the safe room, the dwarf would let himself out of the trunk, help himself to as much as the chest could hold (except for space for himself), and then lock himself back inside it. Usually in the wee hours, Erni would check out of the hotel, claiming some sudden emergency.

Although historical records are vague on how she got caught, her accomplice was never identified. Erni was beheaded in 1784 in Liechtenstein, and hers was the last execution in that country.

Answer: Alan Freed

In April of 1960 Clark testified he had given up all outside interests connected with the recording industry. He stated the only reason he had gotten involved with those businesses were for the tax advantages. Clark admitted owning rights to songs and successful investments in record companies prior to selling them.

Alan Freed, one the other hand, was the only major figure indicted. In December of 1962 he pleaded guilty to two counts of "commercial bribery" and was fined $300. Freed's initial refusal to testify, claiming he never played a record he didn't consider worthwhile, led to the DJ being blackballed by the industry. By the time the scandal came to a quiet end, Freed had become a "persona non grata". Tragically he died in 1965, at the age of 43--brokenhearted and penniless!

Answer: art (painting)

The "partnership" began when Duveen, an art dealer, would often consult with Berenson who was regarded as the preeminent authority on Renaissance art and a pioneer, specifically on works by the Old Masters. Berenson's verdict of authenticity not only increased a painting's value, but was often relied upon heavily by Duveen to complete sales of works to prominent collectors. Berenson received 25% of the successful sale's price.

Duveen and Berenson ended their relationship in 1937 in a dispute over "The Adoration of the Shepherds". Duveen was selling it as a Giorgione, but Berenson believed it to be an early Titian.

Answer: William Hare

The cadavers needed for research were in short supply in the early 1800s. This led to a doctor at Edinburgh College, Robert Knox, paying for illegally exhumed corpses, and body snatching flourished.

William Burke became resident at Hare's lodging house. William Hare would later testify that the episode began when together they sold the body of a deceased resident to Dr. Knox, in order to reclaim money owed by the deceased. Seeing an opportunity to make money, and spurred on by Knox, Burke and Hare no longer waited for their victims to die of natural causes and took matters into their own hands! They preyed upon tenants of the boarding house, prostitutes and strangers on the streets of Edinburgh. They developed a trademark method of suffocation which would later become known as "Burking".

At the trial both Hare and his wife testified against Burke, who was found guilty and executed.