The Bachelorette Trivia Quiz

Answer: Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth's (1533-1603) parents were Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Though she was legitimate at birth, she was declared to be illegitimate when Anne was executed and the marriage to Henry was annulled.

Elizabeth ascended the throne when she was 25. During her reign her advisers at first urged her to find a suitor and marry, and if not, then to nominate an heir. Elizabeth did neither. Apparently she didn't want to give any of her power to a man, and she also didn't want to name an heir for conspirators to use against her.

One of the pressing issues that Elizabeth dealt with early in her reign was the divisive issue of religion. The Act of Supremacy of 1558 gave Elizabeth the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The Act of Uniformity of 1559 enforced a single prayer book. Ultimately these were a compromise, but they sufficed to keep the extremists in check during her reign.

Answer: Emily Dickinson

Now regarded as one of America's top poets, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) had few of her poems published while still alive, and those were modified to fit the mold of popular ideas. In truth, she created over 1,700 poems in a style all her own.

Though she had requested that her papers be burned after her death, her younger sister Lavinia found the poems and published them. It wasn't until 1955 that the poems were published unedited, in approximate chronological order. Her poetry is now widely taught in schools and she is recognized as a poet of great distinction.

In addition to creating her poetry, she was a good cook and gardener. As the years passed, she became more reclusive, only seeing a few people outside of her family, but she corresponded with many.

Answer: Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) began writing as an outlet while still young and "Flower Fables" was published in 1849 when she was 17. Her stories of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy were published between 1868 and 1886. They were popular when published and have continued to be.

Due to financial circumstances, Alcott was not able to complete her education in public schools, and she and her sisters worked from an early age. However, she was fortunate to receive lessons from Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller.

Her youngest sister, May, illustrated the first edition of "Little Women".

Answer: Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) began her training as a nurse in 1844 against her family's wishes. So intent was she on her career that she rejected Richard Monckton Milnes after nine years of courtship.

It was in 1854 that Nightingale arrived to care for the wounded of the Crimean war with other women she had trained as volunteer nurses. The conditions there were horrible with overcrowding, no sanitation and bad sewers. She instituted hygiene practices and worked to have the conditions improved.

In 1860 she started the Nightingale Training School for nurses. Published in 1859, her book "Notes on Nursing: What it is and What it is Not" was used as a guide at the nursing school, and much is still pertinent today.

Answer: Mary Stevenson Cassatt

Born in Pennsylvania, Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) began studying her art at the age of 15. At the age of 22 she moved to Paris and studied with a private tutor which included copying of the masters at the Louvre.

Cassatt was invited by Degas to present her works with the Impressionists. She began to experiment with mediums such as pastels and printmaking. Cassatt continued to produce until 1914 when her eyesight had deteriorated to such an extent that she was almost blind.

In addition to the bewitching art that she created, she also encouraged American collectors to acquire Impressionist artwork. Her friend, Louisine Havemeyer would bequeath much of her collection to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Answer: Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson (1907-1964) began writing books about the sea in "Under the Sea Wind" (1941), "The Sea Around Us" (1951), and "The Edge of the Sea" (1955). The first book sold poorly until the second was published. The second was so popular that the first was republished and both became best sellers.

In her personal life she became the family earner in 1937 when her sister died and she had the care of her mother and two nieces. In 1957 one of the nieces would die leaving an orphaned son, and Carson adopted him while continuing to care for her mother. Rachel found in 1960 that she had cancer and began various treatments.

Carson worked on "Silent Spring" for over four years before publishing. The book was well written and documented and though there was much criticism, the book was a bestseller and helped to change the way the public thought about environmentalism.

Answer: Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel

Coco Chanel (1883-1971) was sent to a convent orphanage at the age of twelve. She learned to sew there and later was employed as a seamstress for a cabaret. It was here that she earned the nickname "Coco".

She met Étienne Balsan and became his mistress. About three years later, she met and began an affair with Captain Arthur Edward "Boy" Capel, one of Balsan's friends. Capel financed the start of her career and it then took off on a meteoric rise.

Her famous perfume, Chanel No. 5, was released in 1921, and this became the basis of her future wealth. One of her most innovative and popular ideas was to use jersey, heretofore used for men's underwear, as a fabric to create luxury clothing for women. The fabric was inexpensive and wore well.

During World War II she shut down her stores and began living at the Ritz. There are many articles which tell of her affair with the German officer, Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklage. In addition, there are many references to her being a Nazi collaborator.

In 1954 at age 70, she returned to France from a self-imposed exile to Switzerland, and was successful again. This time her designs were not as popular in France, but were very popular in America.

Answer: Jackie "Moms" Mabley

Born Loretta Mary Aiken (1894-1975), she took the stage name Jackie Mabley when one of her siblings criticized her choice of a career in show business. While playing at the Apollo, she earned the moniker "Moms" for being protective of the other performers. During her career she brought social issues to audiences through humor.

Accidents caused the death of both her father and mother at her age of eleven and thirteen, respectively. There is at least one report which states she left after being forced into a marriage. There are many reports which state that she had birthed two children born of rape before she left home at age 14 to begin a career on vaudeville.

She continued in show business throughout her life, appearing in movies, on albums, in theatre performances, and on television.

Answer: Greta Garbo

Greta Garbo (1905-1990) had made some Swedish films before she was contracted with MGM. She was unable to speak English, but that was no barrier to the silent films. She became a superstar and then successfully transitioned to sound in 1930 with "Anna Christie". Her acting in this film earned her the first of her Academy Award for Best Actress nominations.

Her last film would be "Two-Faced Woman" (1941). Tough she was presented many other offers, she would not appear in any more films.

Many articles praise her acting ability and the emotion she was able to convey with her posture, movements, and her eyes.

As to the quote in the question portion, her response to that was "I never said, 'I want to be alone.' I only said, 'I want to be left alone.' There is all the difference."

Answer: Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle

As part of the 1924 Olympic team, Gertrude Ederle (1905-2003) won two individual bronze medals and a gold as member of the freestyle relay.

On the first attempt to swim the English Channel in 1925, she was bitterly disappointed when she was touched (and thus disqualified) by someone in the support boat. The second attempt had her swimming 35 miles (instead of 21 if she had been able to swim as the crow flies). She was the first woman to successfully swim the channel and she beat the current record by more than two hours.

Today Ederle is relatively unknown. At a time when women were thought to be too frail for competitive sports, her successful swim changed how women in competitive sports were perceived. In addition, women during that time wore woolen swim suits from head to toe, Ederle designed a suit specifically for the swim which looked much like a tank top and shorts. She was also the first to use the "American Crawl" stroke on a long-distance swim, a relatively new innovation (often referred to as "freestyle" today).