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Quiz about The Oddball Behavior of Famous People

The 'Oddball' Behavior of Famous People Quiz

A quiz to let us know that even the most famous and infamous have their little foibles, too.

A multiple-choice quiz by Oddball. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Oddball

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
86,822

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
8 / 15

Plays
1654

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. This Academy Award winning director-writer-actor has a phobia about antique furniture. Who is it? Hint

Billy Bob Thornton

Kevin Costner

Robert Redford

Matt Damon

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Question 2 of 15

2. One of the great satirists of the 18th Century, novelist Jonathan Swift, had an intense hatred for what? Hint

Flowers

Birthdays

Perfume

Bathtubs

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Question 3 of 15

3. This great leader of Russian history suffered from gephyrophobia, the fear of crossing bridges: Hint

Catherine the Great

Peter the Great

Ivan the Terrible

Nicholas II

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Question 4 of 15

4. Which of the following world leaders was NOT a cat hater? Hint

Henry III of France

Napoleon Bonaparte

Winston Churchill

Dwight Eisenhower

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Question 5 of 15

5. Which U.S. president's idea of humor was telling a radio station, 'We've passed legislation to outlaw Russia forever...we begin bombing in five minutes'? Hint

George HW Bush

Gerald Ford

Bill Clinton

Ronald Reagan

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Question 6 of 15

6. Which powerful U.S. congressman was caught in 1974 drunk driving with a stripper who then jumped into the Tidal Basin? Hint

Wilbur Mills

Strom Thurman

Claude Pepper

Daniel Moynihan

7. At his trial for the 1978 murder of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, defendent Dan White claimed as a mitigating circumstance in his defense that he did what? Hint

Ate too much junk food

Watched too much television

Smoked excessively

Heard voices in his head

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Question 8 of 15

8. Despite the early successes of this self made billionaire, who is better known as a recluse who developed an intense fear of germs in his later years? Hint

Andrew Carnegie

William Randolph Hearst

Henry Ford

Howard Hughes

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Question 9 of 15

9. Before he became a country music legend, who once drunkenly tried to burglarize a restaurant before discovering the business was still open? Hint

Hank Williams Sr.

Merle Haggard

Johnny Cash

Waylon Jennings

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Question 10 of 15

10. Which of the following did NOT directly lend their name to a sexually-related term? Hint

Comte Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch

John Montagu

Giovanni Giacomo Casanova

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Question 11 of 15

11. Which 'first lady' was discovered to have amassed over three thousand pairs of shoes in the presidential mansion? Hint

Eva Peron

Imelda Marcos

Margaret Trudeau

Nancy Reagan

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Question 12 of 15

12. Which evangelist claimed in 1987 that, unless he raised 4.5 million dollars in contributions, God would 'call him home'? Hint

Jimmy Swaggart

Oral Roberts

Jim Bakker

Pat Robertson

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Question 13 of 15

13. Known as the 'Witch of Wall Street', which multi-millionaire was so exceedingly miserly that her search for a free clinic resulted in the amputation of her son's leg? Hint

Elizabeth Miller

Edith Wharton

Hetty Green

Natalie Barney

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Question 14 of 15

14. The following are noted for their refusal to harm even the smallest insects. One, however, was NOT a vegetarian. Who was it? Hint

St. Francis of Assisi

Shrimad Rajachandra

Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi

Mahavira

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Question 15 of 15

15. Which famous children's author had an intense fear of being buried alive - to the point of carrying notes on his person in the event he was found asleep or unconscious? Hint

J. M. Barrie

Hans Christian Andersen

Louisa May Allcott

Lewis Carroll

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This Academy Award winning director-writer-actor has a phobia about antique furniture. Who is it?

Answer: Billy Bob Thornton

Thornton, who won the Oscar for writing 'Sling Blade' in 1996, claimed this fear in a magazine interview. This fear has been seen on screen in 'Sling Blade', 'Bandits', and 'Monsters Ball'.

2. One of the great satirists of the 18th Century, novelist Jonathan Swift, had an intense hatred for what?

Answer: Birthdays

Swift, author of 'Gulliver's Travels', always wore black on his birthday and refused any food.

3. This great leader of Russian history suffered from gephyrophobia, the fear of crossing bridges:

Answer: Peter the Great

As one of the great Czars, it was Peter I who led Russia from a backward feudal country to prominence on a par with the best in Europe - bridges or no.

4. Which of the following world leaders was NOT a cat hater?

Answer: Winston Churchill

Both Henry III and Napoleon were frightened in the presence of cats and the ailurophobic Eisenhower ordered any cats on the grounds of his home be shot. On the other hand, Churchill owned a ginger cat named Jock, who was a close companion to the former British prime minister in his later years.

5. Which U.S. president's idea of humor was telling a radio station, 'We've passed legislation to outlaw Russia forever...we begin bombing in five minutes'?

Answer: Ronald Reagan

The comments were actually made by Reagan before the airing of an interview in 1984.

6. Which powerful U.S. congressman was caught in 1974 drunk driving with a stripper who then jumped into the Tidal Basin?

Answer: Wilbur Mills

Mills, then Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, was seen with stripper Fannie Foxx two months after his arrest, on stage at a burlesque house in Boston. It was after that incident that he began seeking treatment for alcoholism. Needless to say, both incidents all but finished his career.

7. At his trial for the 1978 murder of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, defendent Dan White claimed as a mitigating circumstance in his defense that he did what?

Answer: Ate too much junk food

Known as the 'Twinkie Defense', White's attorney argued that his depression over not being reappointed to a city position he initially left, was compounded by an overindulgence of Twinkies. White was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter due to 'diminished capacity', a verdict that resulted in a riot in the Bay area.

8. Despite the early successes of this self made billionaire, who is better known as a recluse who developed an intense fear of germs in his later years?

Answer: Howard Hughes

A pioneer in the field of aviation, it was the crash of an experimental plane in the 1950s that led to a dependence on pain killers (especially morphine), combined with avoiding numerous charges of tax evasion, that may have contributed to his obsessions and need for privacy. Up until his death in 1976, Howard Hughes had not been photographed for over 20 years.

9. Before he became a country music legend, who once drunkenly tried to burglarize a restaurant before discovering the business was still open?

Answer: Merle Haggard

For this attempted crime in December, 1957, Haggard served time at San Quentin Prison. After he became a country music star, he was officially pardoned in 1972 by then-California governor Ronald Reagan.

10. Which of the following did NOT directly lend their name to a sexually-related term?

Answer: John Montagu

Austrian writer Sacher-Masoch's name was used to create the term 'masochism' (one who derives pleasure from pain), the term 'sadism' (deriving pleasure from inflicting pain) came from the infamous Marquis de Sade and to be called a 'casanova' is to emulate the 'Great Lover'. Montagu, also known as the fourth Earl of Sandwich, lent his name to the popular snack.

11. Which 'first lady' was discovered to have amassed over three thousand pairs of shoes in the presidential mansion?

Answer: Imelda Marcos

Wife of former Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos, her shoes were discovered before the couple were ousted from the Malacanang Palace in Manila.

12. Which evangelist claimed in 1987 that, unless he raised 4.5 million dollars in contributions, God would 'call him home'?

Answer: Oral Roberts

Amazingly, Roberts beat the deadline.

13. Known as the 'Witch of Wall Street', which multi-millionaire was so exceedingly miserly that her search for a free clinic resulted in the amputation of her son's leg?

Answer: Hetty Green

Hetty Green (born Hetty Howland Robinson) inherited her wealth from her father and multiplied it many times over before her death in 1916. Among her other frugal activities included buying broken cookies in bulk, washing only the bottoms of her dress where the most dirt accumulated and spending hours looking for a two-cent stamp she misplaced.

14. The following are noted for their refusal to harm even the smallest insects. One, however, was NOT a vegetarian. Who was it?

Answer: St. Francis of Assisi

According to author Irving Wallace, St. Francis, the Christian patron saint of animals, regularly ate pig's knuckles and chicken legs.

15. Which famous children's author had an intense fear of being buried alive - to the point of carrying notes on his person in the event he was found asleep or unconscious?

Answer: Hans Christian Andersen

Andersen, author of 'The Ugly Duckling' and 'The Little Mermaid', also left notes by his bedside saying, 'I only seem dead'.

Source: Author Oddball

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor thejazzkickazz before going online.
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