What in the World? Trivia Quiz

Answer: A snowplow

On October 20, 2014, Christophe de Margerie was about to take off from Vnukovo International Airport outside of Moscow, Russia, when his jet collided with a snowplow upon takeoff. The landing gear snapped off and the plane, a Dassault Falcon 50EX, and went out of control. De Margerie, along with three crew members, were killed when the jet rolled across the grass next to the runway.

The driver of the snowplow, Vladimir Martynenko, was found to have been drinking. He pled guilty to violating safety rules and was sentenced to four years in prison, but was amnestied immediately. Four other people were also implicated in the accident.

Answer: A cap for eye drops

Tennessee Williams passed away on February 25, 1983. He choked to death on a cap for his eye drops. The press reported that he had been putting in the drops with the cap between his teeth. However, the truth came out some months later that Williams had been using the cap to take barbiturates.

Despite Williams' express wishes to be buried at sea, his brother had him interred at the same cemetery in St. Louis where his mother had been buried.

Answer: He slipped on an orange peel

Bobby Leach was a British stuntman who became the second person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel (and survived). He was injured badly in the fall, but managed to survive and tell the story to anyone and everyone. It was on a publicity tour in New Zealand in 1926 when Leach hurt himself in a way from which he would not recover.

He was walking and slipped on an orange peel. The resultant leg injury got gangrenous and the leg needed to be amputated. Due to complications from the surgery, Leach passed away.

He was buried in Auckland, New Zealand, far from home.

Answer: Toothpick

Sherwood Anderson was an Ohio-born copywriter who had a nervous breakdown which led him to abandon his old life. Starting anew, he discovered a passion for writing and published several short stories, essays, and novels. When he was 64, Anderson took a cruise to South America. On his way there, he had really bad stomach problems and had to disembark in Panama to seek treatment.

He died on March 8, 1941, in the Panamanian hospital from peritonitis brought about from swallowing a toothpick. 'ware what you put in your mouth, dear friends!

Answer: Jockeying a horse to victory

Frank Hayes was a horse trainer and jockey, or, at least, he aspired to be a jockey. Finally getting his chance, he was slated to ride "Sweet Kiss", a long-shot winner at 20-1 odds. The race began, a steeplechase, and amazingly "sweet Kiss" won by a head! However, Hayes had suffered a heart attack somewhere in the middle of the race and he was dead when he crossed the finish line. Miraculously, his body stayed in the saddle for the entire race and, after checking the rules, the victory was upheld. Hayes became the first jockey to win a race posthumously.

It was suspected that his sudden weight loss in preparation for the race was a factor in his death.

Answer: Carrot juice

Basil Brown was a British scientist and a health advocate. He died, however, when his self--experimentation went wrong, badly. He thought he would be healthier if he consumed vitamin A and carrot juice. Over ten days he took about 70 million units of vitamin A in tablet form and drank about 38 liters of carrot juice.

However, the effects of this was to cause cirrhosis of the liver, just like in heavy alcoholics. Also, when his body was found, his skin was bright yellow from all of the carrots he had drunk. No mention was made about his eyesight, however...

Answer: A cow

Holy cow! Joćo Maria de Souza was a Brazilian living in Caratinga, Minas Gerais state. It is a nice quiet town in southwestern Brazil and the home to some of the last muriquis living in the wild. For Joćo Maria de Souza, on July 13, 2013, it was not such a nice day. He had gone to bed in his home when, in the middle of the night, an escaped farm cow had climbed onto the roof of his house and fell right through. The cow fell eight feet and crushed the poor sleeping man to death.

Both the cow, and Joćo Maria de Souza's wife, sleeping next to him, were unscathed in this incident.

Answer: A robot

Robert Williams worked on the assembly line for the Ford Motor Company in their plant in Detroit, Michigan. On January 25, 1979, Williams went to inspect a robot that was not retrieving parts as fast as was expected of it or perhaps to retrieve the parts manually. He was crushed by a robot, making him the first human to be killed by a robot.

The reference to Asimov was due to Asimov's First Law of Robotics: "A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm." This is the basis for Asimov's "Robot" series all the way through to the "Foundation" trilogy.

Answer: Lawnmower

John Bowen was a twenty-year-old from New Hampshire that went to see the New York Jets host the New England Patriots at Shea Stadium on December 9, 1979. Part of the halftime show was an aerial demonstration by the Electronic Eagles, a New York-based club that showcased radio-controlled vehicles, particularly airplanes. An operator lost control of his plane, one shaped like a lawnmower, and it plunged into the crowd striking John Bowen and Kevin Rourke. Rourke was able to recover from his serious injuries. Bowen, however, passed away after four days of intensive care at the hospital.

Answer: A hockey puck

Brittanie Nichole Cecil was a high school student in West Alexandria, Ohio. She was attending a hockey game as a present for her fourteenth birthday, which was coming up in four days. The Columbus Blue Jackets were hosting the Calgary Flames. About halfway through the second period, a shot was deflected into the stands hitting Brittanie in the temple.

This caused her head to whip back damaging an artery. It was a rare injury that the doctors did not check for, and initially, Brittanie seemed to be getting better, but, she passed away two days after her injury.

She was the first casualty in NHL history, and her tragic death propelled the league into installing more safety measures to protect the crowd.