Who Am I--All Over The Place? Quiz | Who Am I?

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. I developed three laws of planetary motion. (I worked with a famous Danish astronomer.)

Answer: Johannes Kepler

Johannes Kepler (1572-1630) was a mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer. I worked with the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe and was mentioned by Galileo Galilei in the latter's writing about telescopes. He wrote several scientific works including "Astronomia nova" (1609).

Kepler was known well enough as a scientist that his name could be invoked when referring to other scientists. Scientist David Brewster, the inventor of the kaleidoscope, was known as "The Johannes Kepler of Optics".

2. I "discovered" an island and named it Van Diemen's Land. (I also visited New Zealand.)

Answer: Abel Tasman

Abel Tasman led voyages of exploration in 1642 and 1644 in service of the Dutch East Indies Company. On the first voyage, he visited a large island to the south of the Australian mainland which he named Van Diemen's land, after the then Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia).

The island would later be named Tasmania. Tasman was also the first European explorer to visit Aotearoa or New Zealand.

3. I was the first to pilot a plane across the English Channel. (My home country bordered the Channel).

Answer: Louis Bl�riot

Louis Bl�riot (1872-1936) of France made his fortune as the designer and manufacturer of headlamps for cars. Turning to aircraft, he won 1,000 pounds from the "Daily Mail" by being the first to fly a plane across the English Channel. He was no tortise on this trip, completing the crossing in less than 37 minutes.

He had spent many times the amount of the prize of his own money to meet this goal. He later produced airplanes that were used in World War One.

4. I helped to spread the popularity of the bossa nova style of music. (I am from the country where the city of Belen is located.)

Answer: Ant�nio Carlos Jobim

Ant�nio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994) was a pianist and composer in his native Brazil. In 1965, he scored a double coup at the Grammy Awards winning Album of the Year for "Getz/Gilberto" and Record of the Year for "Garota de Ipanema" (The Girl From Ipanema". Songs written by him have been covered by numerous artists.

Belem, Brazil, is the capital of the state of Para, in the northern part of Brazil. Over 1.4 million people live in the city.

5. I voiced Alfred Pennyworth on "Batman: The Animated Series" (I also worked on a show where I associated with J. Edgar Hoover.)

Answer: Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (1918-2014), appeared in television series like "77 Sunset Strip" and "The F.B.I." (where he became friends with Hoover). Zimbalist would voice Alfred the Butler in "Batman: The Animated Series" (1992-1995) as well as several related animated series.

He was also a World War Two veteran and was awarded the Purple Heart. He also appeared in an episode of "Rawhide" that focused on a money box stolen during a stagecoach robbery.

6. I was an expert on the Talmudic Law. (I lived in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.)

Answer: Moses Ben Maimon

Moses Ben Maimon (c. 1135-1204) was also known as Maimonides. He was a medieval philosopher and authority on the Torah, he had a large number of supporters and opponents. He was also known as a astronomer and a physician. He was referred to as "ha Nesher ha Gadol" or the Great Eagle because of his knowledge of the Torah. Maimonides believed the individual could be who he or she chose to be, whether righteous like Moses or wicked like Jeroboam.

7. I wrote the novel "The Castle of Otranto" (I also became a noble.)

Answer: Horace Walpole

Horace Walpole (1717-1797) "The Castle of Otranto" is considered the first Gothic novel. The novel tells the story of Manfred, the lord of the Castle of Otranto. Walpole also served for over two decades as a member of the British Parliament. Late in his life, he became the Earl of Oxford. An excerpt from the novel follows: "At last he was drawn forth almost smothered from under the wisp of linen, and wet even to the marrow."

8. I am considered one of the last of the "Old Masters" of painting. (I often worked for a monarchy.)

Answer: Francisco Goya

Francisco Goya (1746-1828) spent a significant part of his career working as a court painter for the Spanish monarchy. He was particularly skilled in his portraits, such as his 1801 work "Charles IV of Spain and His Family". He suffered tragedies in his life, including the death of several children in childbirth or infancy and grew more pessimistic as he aged.

There must have been many a time he had a grimace on his face.

9. I was the Grand Inquisitor in the Spanish Inquisition. (I may have had something to hide.)

Answer: Tom�s de Torquemada

Tom�s de Torquemada (1420-1498) was a Spanish Dominican friar who played an active role in harrassing, persecuting, and executing thousands of Jews and Muslims in fifteenth century Spain. He focused in particular on Jews and Muslims who had converted to Catholic Christianity and were thought to still be practicing their original religion in private.

He lent his support to the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. Kenneth Kimmel's book "Eros and the Shattering Gaze: Transcending Narcissium" includes a lengthy discussion about Torquemada.

It is thought that some of Torquemada's recent ancestors may have been converts themselves.

10. I was known as an author of novels in the Western genre.

Answer: Zane Grey

Zane Grey (1872-1939) was a skilled baseball player at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a dentist before he became a novelist. Grey's novels include "The Plainsman" (1909) and "Riders of the Purple Sage" (1912). When not writing, Grey enjoyed both travel and fishing. An example of his prose follows: "The air was sweet; it seemed to freeze as I breathed, and was a bracing tonic."

Source: Author bernie73

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Who Am I--All Over The Place? Trivia Quiz

Using the single piece of information, identify the famous (or sometimes not-so-famous) individual.

Questions		Choices
1. I developed three laws of planetary motion. (I worked with a famous Danish astronomer.)		Johannes Kepler
2. I "discovered" an island and named it Van Diemen's Land. (I also visited New Zealand.)		Francisco Goya
3. I was the first to pilot a plane across the English Channel. (My home country bordered the Channel).		Tom�s de Torquemada
4. I helped to spread the popularity of the bossa nova style of music. (I am from the country where the city of Belen is located.)		Moses Ben Maimon
5. I voiced Alfred Pennyworth on "Batman: The Animated Series" (I also worked on a show where I associated with J. Edgar Hoover.)		Horace Walpole
6. I was an expert on the Talmudic Law. (I lived in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.)		Zane Grey
7. I wrote the novel "The Castle of Otranto" (I also became a noble.)		Abel Tasman
8. I am considered one of the last of the "Old Masters" of painting. (I often worked for a monarchy.)		Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
9. I was the Grand Inquisitor in the Spanish Inquisition. (I may have had something to hide.)		Ant�nio Carlos Jobim
10. I was known as an author of novels in the Western genre.		Louis Bl�riot