They Died on July 9 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rip Torn

Rip Torn was born Elmore Rual Torn Jr. in 1931. He was best known for his comedic roles including playing Artie the producer on "The Larry Sanders Show" alongside Garry Shandling. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the film "Cross Creek" in 1983.

Although he never retired from acting, many of his roles toward the end of his life were guest appearances and cameos as his health problems prevented him from working full time. He died on July 9, 2019 at the age of 88 from complications from Alzheimer's Disease.

Answer: The Jeffersons

Isabel Sanford played Wheezy Jefferson on "The Jeffersons" alongside Sherman Hemsley as her husband George. For her role as Wheezy, Sanford became the first African-American to win the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Her first credited role was as Tillie in the film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" alongside Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn.

She died on July 9, 2004 from unspecified causes at the age of 86.

Answer: Lawyer

Melvin Belli was a prominent lawyer to celebrities who was well known for his skill in the courtroom. He represented, among many others, Jack Ruby, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker during their high profile trials. He was nicknamed the King of Torts and Jim Bellicose. Belli would on occasion parody himself by playing lawyers on TV and in films.

He died on July 9, 1996 at the age of 88 from pancreatic cancer.

Answer: The assassination of John Kennedy

Eric Sevareid was a war correspondent for CBS News and one of the Murrow's Boys, a group of journalists reporting on World War II. His major new item he reported was the fall of Paris in 1940 and the rise of Vichy France. In 1965, he was the last person to interview Adlai Stevenson, the former presidential candidate who died a few days later. Sevareid was amongst the first journalists to report on the atrocities of the Vietnam War in 1966 and was likely the first to report on America's lack of advantage during the war.

He also reported extensively on the regime of Yugoslavian dictator Josip Tito. He died in July 9, 1992 from stomach cancer at the age of 79.

Answer: Alice Paul

Alice Paul was one of the most famous suffragettes in American history. She was one of the most prominent and active supports of the Nineteenth Amendment which gave women the right to vote in the United States. She led the National Women's Party which worked to continue the progress made from the Nineteenth Amendment.

She worked to pass the Equal Rights Amendment through Congress and for the inclusion of protections for women in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Paul was imprisoned several times in her life for causing disturbances in protest.

She also went on hunger strikes while imprisoned for her cause. She died on July 9, 1977 at the age of 92.

Answer: Earl Warren

Prior to becoming Chief Justice, Earl Warren had served as Governor of California and ran for president in 1952. President Eisenhower, whom had been selected as the Republican nominee over Warren, appointed him to the Supreme Court in 1953 as Chief Justice.

The Warren Court is well known for ending many of the segregationist laws that were still on the books. Warren wrote the opinions in Brown v. Board of Education and Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, which ended school segregation and upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Warren was considered very progressive in many areas.

He wrote the opinion in Miranda v. Arizona which established that accused people must be made aware of their rights to due process and Loving v. Virginia which struck down laws against interracial marriages. Warren died on July 9, 1974 at the age of 83.

Answer: Liberal

Benjamin Cardozo was considered one of the Three Musketeers, a group of liberal justices who served in the 1930s. Cardozo's appointment to the Court was lauded throughout the country and many other potential nominees told President Hoover that Cardozo should be appointed of them. Cardozo is sometimes considered to be the first Hispanic-American to serve on the Court, although he was of Spanish and Portuguese heritage which is frequently excluded from the common definition of Hispanic. Cardozo was known for his rulings protecting the rights of minorities and workers.

He died while still on the Court on July 9, 1938 from a stroke at the age of 68.

Answer: Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor was elected President of the United States in 1848 and died about a year and half into his term. He is best remembered for his military career, where he earned the nicknamed Old Rough and Ready, when he led the U.S. to victory in the Mexican-American War.

His death on July 9, 1850 has been attributed to a stomach ailment caused by drinking cold milk and eating too many cherries at a Fourth of July celebration. However, the circumstances of his death are still not clear today and there is speculation that he was poisoned. Taylor was exhumed in 1991 and a new cause of death was attributed to cholera.

However, there was no cholera outbreak at the time. The physician who performed the tests determined Taylor probably died because his physicians were overwhelming his body with various, dubious medications rather than letting the illness run its course.

Answer: The Bab

The Bab is an important figure in the Baha'i faith. He was born in Iran in 1819 and worked as a merchant for most of his life. In 1844, Ali Muhammad began calling himself the Bab, which means the Door because he heard and began spreading a message from God. The Bab drew the ire of the Persian Government who executed him and thousands of his followers for apostasy against Islam.

Answer: Belgian

Jan van Eyck was born in Maaseik, Belgium, in an undetermined year. He quickly rose to become one of the most famous and prolific painters of his day. He was hired by royals throughout Europe to paint portraits and religious scenes and complete other works of art.

He was best known for his paintings of the Virgin Mary. His most famous pieces include the "Ghent Altarpiece" and "Madonna in the Church". He died on July 9, 1441 in Bruges in his late forties or early fifties.