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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 20 general entries.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Died in the 1990s
| Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall died on January 24 in Bethesda, Maryland, at age 84. How many years did Marshall serve on the Court? | Deaths in the News: 1993
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24 years. Though best known as the first African-American justice on the Supreme Court, Marshall's legacy was secured before his appointment. He won the legendary Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954 that helped pave the way for school desegregation. During his tenure, 1967-1991, he was known for his liberal tendencies, especially his support of civil rights and opposition to the death penalty. Marshall's seat was eventually filled by another African-American, Clarence Thomas, whose conservative leanings and involvement in a sexual-harrassment scandal left a bad taste in the mouths of many blacks.
| Agnes De Mille died in New York City on October 7, at age 88. Though her family lineage included ties to Hollywood and Broadway, she had to work hard in order to excel in which profession? | Deaths in the News: 1993
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Choreography. At one time told that she was too fat to be a dancer, Agnes de Mille trained in the United States and Britain to achieve her goal. As a member of the American Ballet Theatre, she broke ground with her first original effort, "Black Ritual", in 1940; it was the first ballet ever done with black dancers. Over the course of time, she choreographed numerous hits, including both the stage and film versions of the musical "Oklahoma!". She was accorded honors by the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, in 1980. (Thanks to the Kennedy Center website for information on Agnes de Mille.)
| Actress Audrey Hepburn died in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, on January 20, at age 63. For which film did she earn an Oscar as Best Actress? | Deaths in the News: 1993
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Roman Holiday. Not related to the New England-born Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn (birthname Andrey Kathleen Ruston) was born in Belgium to a well-to-do family. After surviving the perils of World War II in the Netherlands, she would go on to London and take up ballet and modeling, which eventually led to an acting career. In "Roman Holiday", directed by William Wyler, she played a put-upon princess who wanted to get away from the limelight. (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database for information on Audrey Hepburn and "Roman Holiday".)
| Author Fletcher Knebel, aged 81, died in Honolulu on February 26. He was best known as the co-author to what Cold War-era novel, which eventually became a major motion picture? | Deaths in the News: 1993
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Seven Days in May. Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster headlined the cast of the 1964 Warner Bros. feature film, which, like the book, is about a military plot to overthrow a seemingly weak President. Another famous writer, Rod Serling, wrote the screenplay for "Seven Days in May".
| Longtime college basketball coach Henry Iba died in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on January 15, at the age of 88. In addition to 767 career wins and 2 national championships, how many Olympic gold medals did Iba earn as coach the US basketball team? | Deaths in the News: 1993
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2. A native of Missouri, Iba began coaching at Oklahoma A & M (now Oklahoma State) in 1934. During that time, he won back-to-back national championships (1945 and 1946), and became the first coach to win two Olympic gold medals in baskeball (1964 and 1968). Despite his achievements, he will always be remembered as the coach of the ill-fated 1972 Olympic team that was handed a controversial defeat in Munich. He was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969.
| Aviation pioneer James Doolittle, aged 96, died in Pebble Beach, California, on September 27. Doolittle led a daring daylight bombing raid on Tokyo in 1942, using which aircraft carrier as the staging platform? | Deaths in the News: 1993
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Hornet. After the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the US was anxious to strike back at Japan. Taking a crew of well-trained volunteers, Doolittle led a flight of 16 heavily-modified B-25 bombers from the deck of the Hornet on April 18, 1942, and into enemy territory. The low-level bomb runs helped spur American morale, and turned Doolittle into an American legend.
| Alfred M. Butts, aged 93, died in Rhineback, New York, on April 4. What popular board game did Butts invent? | Deaths in the News: 1993
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Scrabble. An unemployed architect, Butts decided to try and invent a new board game during the Great Depression. He originally called it Lexico before settling on Criss-Cross Words, and tried unsuccessfully to sell it to major game manufacturers. He kept trying and, in 1948, with the help of business partner James Brunot, finally brought the game, bearing its present name, to market. It's been in homes across the country ever since. (Thanks to the Hasbro website for historical information on Alfred Butts and Scrabble.)
| Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis died in Waltham, Massachusetts, on July 27 at the age of 27. What was Lewis doing at the time of his death? | Deaths in the News: 1993
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Playing basketball. A routine pickup basketball game turned into tragedy for Lewis, who was claiming his place among the NBA elite. Lewis suffered from arrhythmia, or an abnormal heartbeat, that caused his heart to enlarge. It is one of the most common causes of cardiac arrest.
| Air Force pilot and original Mercury astronaut Deke Slayton died on June 13 in League City, Texas, at age 69. What medical condition kept Deke grounded until the end of the Apollo program? | Deaths in the News: 1993
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Heart murmur. NASA took advantage of Slayton's rigorous training for Mercury by making him the head of the Astronaut Office. In that capacity, he helped oversee crew training and assignment for the Gemini and Apollo programs. He would fly on the joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in July 1975.
| Author James Dickey, aged 73, died in Columbia, South Carolina, of lung disease on January 19. Dickey, the author of the classic novel "Deliverance" and the screenplay for the motion-picture adaptation, also played what character in the movie? | Deaths in the News: 1997
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A sheriff. Though Dickey, an Atlanta native, is best known for this white-knuckled thriller, he was also an accomplished poet and flight instructor. In fact, he served as the poet-in-residence at the University of South Carolina from 1968 until his death. (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database and the website jamesdickey.org for additional information on James Dickey.)
| Business executive Robert W. Sarnoff, aged 78, died on February 22 in New York City. He served as chairman of what major corporation from 1970 until 1975? | Deaths in the News: 1997
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RCA. Succeeding his father, broadcasting pioneer David Sarnoff, Robert W. Sarnoff became president of NBC in 1956 and of RCA in 1965. The younger Sarnoff played a role in the integration of television, supporting Nat King Cole's groundbreaking variety series and Bill Cosby's role on the series "I Spy". Sarnoff was ousted after his attempts to diversify the corporation, including the acquisitions of Hertz car rental and Banquet frozen foods, went sour. (Thanks to the Information Please Almanac's online edition for information on Robert W. Sarnoff.)
| Rapper Notorious B.I.G. (real name Christopher Wallace) died on March 9 in Los Angeles, at age 24, from gunshot wounds. The tribute song made in his honor is derived from a popular song by what '80s group? | Deaths in the News: 1997
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The Police. Before Elton John rewrote his hit song "Candle in the Wind" to honor the fallen Princess Diana, B.I.G.'s friend, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, reworked The Police's classic "Every Breath You Take" in his honor. Faith Evans, B.I.G.'s widow, can be heard on the background vocals.
| Hall of Fame receiver Don Hutson died on June 26, at age 84, in Rancho Mirage, California. Hutson spent his entire career as a member of which team? | Deaths in the News: 1997
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Green Bay Packers. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's charter class of 1963, Don Hutson held 18 major records at the time of his retirement in 1945. He won the NFL's MVP award twice (1942 and 1943) and was voted all-NFL nine times. Like many players of his era, Hutson played multiple positions; he also played safety and placekicker during his time in the game. (Thanks to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's website for additional information on Don Hutson.)
| Author Helene Hanff died in a New York nursing home at age 80 on April 9. Who played Hanff in the theatrical adaptation of her famous work, "84 Charing Cross Road"? | Deaths in the News: 1997
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Anne Bancroft. A native of Philadelphia who wrote for such television series as "Playhouse 90" and "Hallmark Hall of Fame", Hanff began a running correspondence with a London bookstore that carried the types of books she liked. That group of correspondence was published as "84 Charing Cross Road" in 1970. (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database and The New York Times for information on Helene Hanff and "84 Charing Cross Road".)
| Singer Lawrence Payton died in Southfield, Michigan, on June 20, 1997, at age 59. Of what popular Motown group was Payton a founding member? | Deaths in the News: 1997
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The Four Tops. During the 1960s and 1970s, The Four Tops--Payton, Renaldo Benson, Abdul Fakir and Levi Stubbs--had a bevy of hits, including "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" and "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)". They debuted in 1964 with the hit "Baby I Need Your Loving", which rose to #11 on the charts. In 1990, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Thanks to history-of-rock.com for information on The Four Tops.)
| Civil rights activist Betty Shabazz died on June 23, at age 61, from burns she suffered in an apartment fire in New York City. What or who was responsible for that fire? | Deaths in the News: 1997
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Her grandson. The widow of civil rights leader Malcolm X, Betty Shabazz raised six daughters as a single mother. One of those daughters, Qubilah Shabazz, had problems raising her son, named Malcolm after her father. She sent the boy to New York, from her home in Minnesota, to live with Shabazz, hoping she would be a positive influence on him. Malcolm started the fire in hopes that he would be sent home. Ironically, Mrs. Shabazz died looking for him, thinking he was still trapped in the apartment.
| Multimillionaire Jack Kent Cooke died in Washington, DC, on April 6 at the age of 84. In addition to Jack Kent Cooke Stadium (now FedEx Field), Cooke was also responsible for the building of what West Coast sports arena? | Deaths in the News: 1997
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Great Western Forum. Great Western Forum was home to both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Kings from 1967 until 1999, and was the first privately funded facility of its kind in the United States. Cooke constructed the building after running into problems negotiating a lease with the city's coliseum authority to continue using the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
| Planetary geologist Eugene Shoemaker, aged 69, died in Alice Springs, Australia on July 18. What was the cause of his death? | Deaths in the News: 1997
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Car crash. Shoemaker was among the first to validate the idea that Meteor Crater in Winslow, Arizona was created by a meteoritic impact. His knowledge of impact cratering became valuable to NASA, who used him to train astronauts bound for the Moon. Shoemaker's wife, Carolyn, sustained serious injuries in the same crash, but survived.
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