The Famous & Infamous Trivia Quiz

Answer: Henry VII

Richard III was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth by Henry Tudor (the future Henry VII and father of Henry VIII) on the 22 August 1485. Richard's body was stripped naked and dumped in an unmarked grave in Leicestershire. It was not found until 2012, under what was then a car park, where it had lain for more than 500 years. Richard III's remains were buried in Leicester cathedral on the 26 March 2015.

Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, thereby uniting the Lancastrians and Yorkists and ending the Wars of the Roses. He was the first Tudor monarch whose dynasty ended with the death of his granddaughter, Elizabeth I, in 1603.

Question submitted by shipyardbernie

Answer: Dr. Henry Lee

Dr. Lee is a noted forensic scientist, who has personally has helped forensic science to advance over the years. The Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science in Connecticut, where he still taught at the age of 82, is one of the top Institues in the world. Dr. Lee has assisted in many famous cases, including the O. J. Simpson case and the JonBenét Ramsey murder case.

In 1991, Dr. Lee (who is one of the most renowned experts in DNA and blood spatter analysis), investigated the death of journalist Danny Casolaro. He claimed Casolaro's death was consistent with suicide but later he withdrew this conclusion, as advances in DNA did prove homicide. Dr. Lee stated, "A reconstruction is only as good as the information supplied by the police".

Question submitted by kennell

Answer: Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman, born into slavery in 1822, worked tirelessly for her community, despite long-term head and other injuries caused by extreme and prolonged physical abuse. She worked as a nurse, a spy, and an armed scout, who bravely led the raid at Combahee Ferry to free 700 badly mistreated slaves.

Using the name "Moses", she rescued hundreds of people from the violence of slavery, via the Underground Railroad network. She was one of the most influential people in making the United States aware of the evils of enslavement.

Question submitted by Waitakere

Answer: Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Rossini, 1792-1868, was an Italian composer who composed liturgical music, chamber music, and piano pieces, as well as 39 operas. His first opera was performed when he was only 18 years old. His father played the trumpet and his mother was a minor opera singer and seamstress. Rossini composed "The Barber of Seville" in 1816.

Giacomo Puccini 1858-1924, was an Italian composer known for the operas "Tosca", "La Boheme" and "Madame Butterfly". W. S. Gilbert 1842-1900 and Arthur Sullivan 1836-1911 were English. They created 14 comic operas including "The Pirates of Penzance" and "H. M. S. Pinafore". Giuseppe Verde 1813-1901 was an Italian composer known for his operas " Rigoletto", "La Triviata" and "Otello".

Question submitted by dekeaunt

Answer: Esperanto

Zamenhof was born in the Russian Empire. His native language was Russian, but he also spoke Polish, Yiddish, Hebrew, German, and French, and he had knowledge of Greek, Latin, Aramaic, English and Italian. He also learned the constructed language Volapük, which Esperanto superseded to a great extent.

Esperanto means 'one who hopes' and Zamenhof's hope was that an easy-to-learn, universal language would create a level playing field and thus conflict would be averted. Unfortunately, the plan did not bear fruit in Zamenhof's lifetime. In fact, he died during World War I, maybe thinking 'if only more people had learned my language'.

Question submitted by player thula2.

Answer: Frankie Laine

The first UK Singles Chart was published in November 1952 by the "New Musical Express" It consisted of a Top 12.

Frankie Laine's first number one of the '50s was "I Believe" written by Erwin Drake/Irvin Graham/Jimmy Shirl/Al Stillman. It peaked at number one on the 24 April 1953 and was there for nine weeks. It returned to the top on the 3 July and was there for six weeks. It returned to the top for a third time on the 21 August and was there for three weeks. It remained on the UK Singles Chart for 36 weeks.

"Hey Joe" was number one for two weeks in 1953.
"Answer Me" was number one for eight weeks in 1953.
"A Woman In Love" was number one for four weeks in 1956.

Question submitted by shipyardbernie

Answer: GG Allin

Born Jesus Christ Allin in 1956 in New Hampshire, USA, he got the name GG from his brother's mispronunciation of Jesus. GG's father christened him Jesus as he'd been visited by Christ who'd told him his second son would be the new messiah. GG's mother changed Jesus to Kevin when her son started school.

GG promoted himself as a rock and roll messiah. In his infamous Mission Statement in 1991, he claimed to have instigated its rise through Elvis by being born in 1956. He also claimed he was behind Iggy Pop, the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, but they had all disappointed him. He pledged to kill himself on stage several times, a messiah sacrificing his life to save rock and roll, but he was always in jail or prison on the arranged date.

GG was frequently naked during his live performances and he would hit and cut himself. In the mid-1980s, he started taking laxatives prior to the gig which meant things got quite messy on stage. This naked, bloody mess of a man would often attack the audience too, with most shows being stopped due to the violence, often on the arrival of the police.

GG died after one such show in New York in 1993, which was caught on film. The footage shows the wild show followed by GG and friends running from the police around Manhattan. They eventually ended up at somebody's apartment where a drug-and-alcohol-fueled party ensued. In the morning, the revelers realised GG was dead.

Question submitted by player thula2.

Answer: Mae West

Finely tuned to the fact that scandalous behaviour would bring great publicity, Mae West chose to go to jail rather than pay a fine when one of her plays was judged immoral. "And I wore my silk panties in jail too, none of that burlap for me!" she boasted later.

Publicly a supporter of gay rights and feminism (radical in the 20's and 30's), when her African American boyfriend was banned from entering the apartment building where she lived, she bought the building and lifted the ban.

As well as her other talents, she made several hit records and despite, or maybe because of criticism from many quarters, continued to be popular. By 1932, she was earning $5,000 a week (approx $95,000 today). She died in Los Angeles in 1980 at the age of 87.

Question submitted by Waitakere

Answer: Lloyd Price

Lloyd Price, March 9, 1933 - May 3, 2021, was born in Louisiana. He was among the early singers of rhythm and blues and the New Orleans beat. Among his hits were "Stagger Lee", "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Personality", which helped generate his nickname, Mr. Personality. Price was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Later in life he managed food companies which specialized in southern style food.

Fats Domino, born Antoine Domingue Domino, Jr. February 26, 1928 - October 24, 2017, in Louisiana, was famous for his hits "Blueberry Hill" and "Walking to New Orleans". He provided the instrumental introduction for Lloyd Price's song "Lawdy Miss Clawdy". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

David Louis Bartholomew, born Davis Bartholomew, December 23, 1918 - June 23, 2019, in Louisiana. He was a singer but more well known as a composer. He wrote "Ain't That a Shame" and "The Fat Man" for Fats Domino. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

Little Richard, was born Richard Wayne Penniman, December 5, 1932-May 9, 2020, in Georgia. He sang all genre of music from gospel to R&B and hip hop and had many hits, including "Tutti Frutti", "Lucille" and "Long Tall Sally". The Beatles opened several of his concerts during a European tour. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Question submitted by dekeaunt

Answer: Nelson

The Nelsons with Patriarch, Ozzie Nelson, made number one with "And Then Some" (1935), then his son Ricky Nelson with "Poor Little Fool" (1958), and then Nelson (featuring Ricky's twin sons Gunnar and Matthew) with "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" (1990).

Ozzie Nelson and his orchestra had 38 top twenty hits between 1930 and 1940. From 1944 he devoted his time to the radio and later television show "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" which of course featured his sons David and Ricky. Ricky's career on the charts stretched from 1957 through 1973 placing 63 records on the Hot 100 with twenty making the top ten. Apart from "Poor Little Fool" Ricky scored a number one with "Travelin' Man" in 1961.

Question submitted by Desimac