Unusual Deaths Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rasputin

The assassins first laced tea cakes and wine with cyanide. This apparently had no effect. He was then shot several times and they thought he was dead, but he opened his eyes. Next they beat him, bound him, and dumped him in the river.

These events are probably both real and exaggerated since the accounts came from the murderers. Hypothermia and drowning were probably the coup de grace.

Rasputin aroused jealousies as it was believed he had too much influence on the Russian royal family.

Answer: Ray Chapman

After this incident, baseball banned the spit ball or placing any foreign substance on the ball as this was believed to be the reason that the pitch came inside and Chapman did not see it. However, some 30 years went by before batting helmets were required.

Answer: Isadora Duncan

Isadora Duncan lived life to the hilt. She left a trail of lovers and alcohol in her wake. The film "Isadora" (1968) starring Vanessa Redgrave is based on her life. She is regarded as an innovator in modern dance.

Answer: Vic Morrow

Morrow was playing a bigot who goes back in time to witness the horrors of prejudice. Morrow is brutalized by Nazis, nearly lynched by the KKK, shot by an American patrol in Vietnam, and finally becomes a Holocaust victim. "Twilight Zone, The Movie" was the film.

The helicopter scene is not used in the picture. Morrow's break-through role was a rebellious teenager in "Blackboard Jungle".

Answer: Owen Hart

Hart was a member of a renowned Canadian family of wrestlers. His older brother Bret was better well known. Although the event was being televised live, the accident was not seen by the TV audience, due to tape delay, although it was described by the ringside announcer.

Answer: Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin was generally known as "The Crocodile Hunter", noted for his daring encounters with land and sea creatures. His television productions were well received as he always seemed to be pushing the envelope. Although his death was filmed, the tape was destroyed.

Answer: Peter

St. Peter is also regarded as the first Bishop of Rome. As the number of professed Christians grew, they became a target of Roman persecution.

Answer: Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood was one of those actors that was able to make the transition from child star to adult movie star. She was in movies for 38 years, starting at five and continuing till her death at forty-three. Notable films are "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947), "Rebel Without a Cause" (1954), "Love with a Proper Stranger" (1961), "Splendor in the Grass"(1961), "West Side Story" (1961) and "Gypsy" (1962).

There have always been conspiracy theories about her death. Robert Wagner, her husband, was rumored to be jealous of her relationship with Christopher Walken, who was then making a film with Natalie and who was on the yacht that night. Probably another urban legend.

Answer: Sherwood Anderson

Anderson is most noted for his collection of short stories called "Winesburg, Ohio". As a writer he greatly influenced such writers as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck and many others.

Answer: Moliere

Molière lived at a time when artists had to have a patron (someone who would support them because of his art). He had several, including the King of France. He also had a performance theatre group, in which he was the leading actor. Some of his plays were "School for Wives" (1663), "The Hypocrite" (1664), and the ironic "Imaginary Invalid" (1673).

The performance was in front of Louis XIV. Even though he broke down on stage with a coughing fit, he insisted on finishing the play. It is believed that he contracted tuberculosis while in a debtors' prison as a young man.