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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 90 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Died in the 2000s
| Political cartoonist Jeff MacNelly died on June 8 of lymphoma, at age 52, in Baltimore. MacNelly won three Pulitzer Prizes for his political cartoons, but is best known as the creator of which comic strip? | Deaths In The News: 2000
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"Shoe". MacNelly cut his teeth as a cartoonist for The Daily TarHeel, the student newspaper at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and the Chapel Hill Weekly. After leaving Chapel Hill for the Richmond News Leader, he created his strip. The title character, a cigar-chomping old bird, was named for his editor at the Chapel Hill Weekly. (Thanks for macnelly.com and CNN.com for information on Jeff MacNelly.)
| Actress Meredith MacRae died of brain cancer on July 14, at the age of 56, in Manhattan Beach, California. Which of the buxom Bradley daughters did MacRae play on the CBS sitcom "Petticoat Junction"? | Deaths In The News: 2000
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Billie Jo. MacRae was actually the third Billie Jo Bradley, following Jeannine Riley (1963-65) and Gunilla Hutton (1965-66). She remained with the series until the end of its run in 1970. She was later a fixture on the game show circuit and served as a host for many years on the United Cerebral Palsy telethon. (Thanks to tvtome.com, CNN.com, and the Dead People Server for information on Meredith McRae.)
| Hockey star Maurice Richard (pronounced Ree-SHARD), age 78, died in Montreal on May 27, from complications due to stomach cancer and Parkinson's disease. What was Richard's famous nickname? | Deaths In The News: 2000
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The Rocket. Known for his toughness and temper, Richard became the first person to score 50 goals in a season and the first to score 500 goals in a career. A 13-time all-star selection, Richard won eight Stanley Cups as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. The trophy given to the NHL's regular-season goal-scoring leader is named in his honor.
| Singer/songwriter Jimmie H. Davis died on November 5, at the age of 101. In addition to writing a number of well-known songs, including "You Are My Sunshine" (co-written with Charles Mitchell), Davis also served as governor of what southern state? | Deaths In The News: 2000
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Louisiana. The oldest of eleven children, Jimmie Davis managed to excel in both entertainment and politics. While belting out country and gospel tunes and staring in "B" movies in Hollywood, he held posts, at separate times, as public safety commissioner of Shreveport and state public service commissioner. During two separate terms as governor (1944-48 and 1960-64), he set up the state retirement system, a statewide driver's licensing program, and funded a myriad of public works projects. Inducted into both the Country Music and Gospel Music Association halls of fame in 1972, Davis died in his sleep at his home in Baton Rouge only months after his last public appearance. "You Are My Sunshine", by the way, is one of the state's two official songs. (Thanks to peermusic.com and the Louisiana Secretary of State's website for information on Jimmie H. Davis.)
| Poet Gwendolyn Brooks died in Chicago on December 3, at age 83, of cancer. For which of her collections did she win a Pulitzer Prize in 1950, the first African-American to do so? | Deaths In The News: 2000
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"Annie Allen". Born in Topeka, Kansas in 1917, Gwendolyn Brooks moved at age 4 to Chicago. At an early age, she exhibited interest in poetry and prose writing. Her first book of poetry, "A Street in Bronzeville", was published in 1945. "Annie Allen" was published four years later. In 1968, she was named Poet Laureate of the state of Illinois, and she served as poetry consultant to the Library of Congress from 1985 to 1986.
| Pro football coach Tom Landry, age 75, died in Dallas from leukemia. During Landry's 29 years as head coach, how many Super Bowl appearances did the Cowboys make? | Deaths In The News: 2000
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5. Tom Landry became the head coach of the expansion Dallas Cowboys in 1960, and established a reputation for keeping cool under fire. In five Super Bowl appearances, his Cowboys won twice--Super Bowl VI in New Orleans in 1971 and Super Bowl XII, also in New Orleans, in 1978. After Jerry Jones took over the team in 1989, Landry, whose last teams did not enjoy the great success fans had become used to, was unceremoniously dismissed. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2003, Jones hired his fifth coach of the post-Landry era, Bill Parcells.
| Former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau died September 28, in Montreal, at age 80, from various ailments. Who did Trudeau replace as prime minister in 1968? | Deaths In The News: 2000
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Lester Pearson. Hailing from wealthy Quebec stock, Trudeau worked very closely with Pearson during his time as Justice Minister. After Pearson retired, Trudeau became the leader of the Liberal party and eventually won the prime ministership. In two separate terms--1968-79 and 1980-84, bookending a nine-month stint with Conversative Joe Clark at the helm--Trudeau was instrumental in preventing Quebec's bid for ceding from Canada, patriated Canada's constitution from Britain's Parliament, and developed the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (equivalent to the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution). A flamboyant statesman, Trudeau also enjoyed the high life, dating celebrities and driving fast cars. (Thanks to wikipedia.com and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation website, cbc.ca, for information on Pierre Trudeau.)
| TV producer and composer Thomas Yohe died of cancer in Norwalk, Connecticut, at age 63. Yohe is best known for creating what educational series? | Deaths In The News: 2000
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"Schoolhouse Rock" (ABC). A staple of ABC's Saturday-morning cartoon blocks for many years, the "Schoolhouse Rock" series set valuable educational lessons to catchy, memorable tunes and animation. Among the best-known segments are "Conjunction Junction", "I'm Just A Bill", "Figure Eight" and "Interjections!" Yohe also served as executive producer of the 1980 TV series "Drawing Power". (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database for information on Thomas Yohe.)
| Chick Hearn, the legendary play-by-play voice of the Los Angeles Lakers, died on August 5 in Northridge, Califorinia, of complications after suffering a fall at his home, at age 85. What was Chick's real first name? | Deaths In The News: 2002
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Francis. A native of Aurora, Illinois, Francis Dayle Hearn--he earned the nickname "Chick" after someone pulled a prank on him involving a chicken--moved out to Los Angeles in 1956 to become the play-by-play voice for USC's football and basketball games. In March 1961, Hearn became the play-by-play man for the Lakers, and called all but three of their games between then and December 2001, including an amazing 3,338 consecutive games between 1965 and 2001. It was only fitting that Chick's last game on the mike was a victory, as the Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets to win their third straight NBA title in 2002. (Thanks to ESPN.com for information on Chick Hearn.)
Car crash. Lopes was a member of TLC, one of the most successful all-female recording groups in history, along with Ronzanda "Chilli" Thomas and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins. But money and fame didn't shield Lopes from some off-the-mike problems, most notably setting fire to then-Atlanta Falcons receiver Andre Rison's home in 1994. Lopes and Rison had an on-again, off-again relationship that would end the year before she died. (Thanks to CNN.com for information on Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.)
| Author Chaim Potok died of brain cancer on July 23, in Merion, Pennsylvania, at age 73. Before becoming known as a writer, Potok engaged in what other line of work? | Deaths In The News: 2002
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Rabbi. Born Herman Harold Potok to an Orthodox Jewish family in New York and raised in Philadelphia, Potok earned his rabbinical ordination in 1954 and was commissioned as a chaplain in the US Army the next year. He served for over a year with front-line medical and engineering troops in Korea. Potok wrote a number of fiction and non-fiction works over his lifetime, including "The Chosen", "The Promise" and "My Name Is Ashev Lev". (Thanks to the La Sierra University website and ClassicNotes for information on Chaim Potok.)
| Fast-food entrepreneur Dave Thomas died at age 69 on January 8, in Fort Lauderdale, of cancer. Which statement about Thomas is FALSE? | Deaths In The News: 2002
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He named Wendy's after his mother.. Thomas used the success of the Wendy's chain to draw attention to adoption--he was adopted as an infant--and set up a foundation to encourage people to adopt children into loving, caring homes. He named Wendy's after his daughter, Melinda Lou; her siblings called her Wendy. (Thanks to Wendys.com and the Internet Movie Database for information on Dave Thomas.)
| Singer Waylon Jennings died on February 13, at age 64, in Chandler, Arizona, of complications from diabetes. In the mid-1980s, Jennings lent his vocal stylings to a quartet of veteran singers called The Highwaymen. Which singer listed below was NOT part of that group? | Deaths In The News: 2002
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Merle Haggard. Winner of two Grammy Awards and four Country Music Association Awards for his work in country music, Waylon Jennings typically didn't attend awards shows because he felt that musicians shouldn't compete against one another. His work ranged from playing for childhood friend Buddy Holly, who he almost died with in 1959, to joining Cash, Kristopherson and Nelson to form The Highwaymen. But he'll live on forever in reruns of the hit TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard", as both the singer of the show's theme and as the show's Balladeer. (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database for information on Waylon Jennings.)
| Hall of Fame baseball star Ted Williams died on July 5, at age 83, in Inverness, Florida, of congestive heart failure. The last man to hit .400 or better in Major League Baseball in the 20th Century, Williams hit .406 in what year? | Deaths In The News: 2002
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1941. Arguably the greatest hitter in baseball history, Ted Williams hit 521 career homeruns and finished with a .344 average. He also served two tours of duty as a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps, taking time from the game during World War II and the Korean War to serve the country, and received a number of decorations, including 3 Air Medals for meritorious achievement in flight. In 1995, the city of Boston honored him by naming a tunnel under Boston Harbor, a part of the city's Central Artery/Tunnel Project, for him. (Thanks to tedwilliams.com for information on Ted William's military achievements, and to bigdig.com on information on the Central Artery/Tunnel Project.)
| Military leader Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., died at age 89, from pneumonia, in Washington, DC. In which branch of the military did Davis serve? | Deaths In The News: 2002
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Air Force. The son of Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., the first African-American to rise to the rank of general in the US armed forces, the younger Davis was only the fourth black man to graduate from West Point. As the leader of the 332nd Fighter Group, the famed Tuskeegee Airmen, his troops never lost a bomber in combat. He became the first African-American to hold the rank of general in the US Air Force, and retired in 1970 at the rank of lieutenant general. Shortly after retirement, he supervised the federal sky marshal program and became an Assistant Secretary of Transportation. President Clinton gave him his fourth star, making him a full general, in 1998. (Thanks to ecctai.com for information on Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.)
| Animator Chuck Jones died in Corona del Mar, California, at age 89, of congestive heart failure. Jones won the first of his three Academy Awards for a cartoon featuring which character(s)? | Deaths In The News: 2002
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Pepe Le Pew. Cutting his teeth on cartoons out of Ub Iwerks Productions, Chuck Jones was hired by Friz Freleng to work at the Leon Schlesinger studios in 1936. He stayed on when the studios were bought by Warner Bros., and created a number of memorable characters, including the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, and Marvin the Martian. But it was his 1949 cartoon, "For Scent-imental Reasons", featuring the misguided, though well-intentioned, Pepe Le Pew, that earned Jones his first Oscar. (Thanks to chuckjones.com and The Big Cartoon Database for information on Chuck Jones and "For Scent-imental Reasons".)
| Actress Penny Singleton, aged 95, died of complications from a stroke on November 12, in Sherman Oaks, California. Before becoming the voice of Jane Jetson, Singleton played what famous character on the big screen? | Deaths In The News: 2003
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Blondie Bumstead. Born Dorothy McNulty in Philadelphia in 1908, Penny Singleton took her last name from her dentist husband, Lawrence Singleton, when the two married in 1937. Between 1938 and 1950, Singleton starred opposite Arthur Lake in 28 films revolving around the lives of Dagwood and Blondie Bumstead, characters originally created for the funny pages by Chic Young in 1930. As a member of the voice cast of "The Jetsons", Singleton worked with greats Mel Blanc (the voice of Mr. Spacely), Daws Butler (Elroy Jetson) and Don Messick (Astro the dog). (Thanks to CNN.com for additional information.)
| Star athlete Althea Gibson died of respiratory failure on September 28 in East Orange, New Jersey, at age 76. Gibson set the tennis world on its ear by winning both Wimbledon and the US National Tennis Championships in what year? | Deaths In The News: 2003
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1957. A native of South Carolina, Gibson's family moved to Harlem when she was very young. As a teenager, she took up tennis and won the very first tournament she entered. Gibson was a force on the all-black American Tennis Association circuit, winning ten straight national championships. In 1950, she became the first black person of either sex to play at Forest Hills and did the same at Wimbledon in 1951. In 1956, she won her first major, the French Championships, then won back-to-back titles at Wimbledon and the US Nationals in 1957 and 1958. After retiring from tennis, Gibson spent seven years on the LPGA tour, and spent much more time encouraging young black men and women to play individual sports. (Thanks to altheagibson.com for additional information.)
| Groundbreaking politician Maynard Jackson, aged 65, died on June 23 in Arlington, Virginia, from cardiac arrest. The first African-American to become mayor of Atlanta, Jackson was actually born in what Southern city? | Deaths In The News: 2003
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Dallas. Before throwing his hat into the political ring, Maynard Jackson focused his work as an attorney on issues around labor and civil rights. Unsuccessful in unseating Herman Talmadge from his US Senate seat in 1968, Jackson would become Atlanta's first black vice-mayor in 1970. He was sworn in as mayor in 1974 after defeating incumbent Sam Massell. His three terms as mayor (1974-81, 1989-93) were marked with numerous accomplishments, including the use of affirmative action for letting city contracts, establishing new neighborhood planning districts and helping secure the 1996 Olympic Games for the city. The day he died, Jackson departed Atlanta from his most visible achievement, Hartsfield International Airport, completed on time and under budget, on a Delta flight to Washington, DC. (Thanks to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website, ajc.com, for additional information.)
| Another centenarian, legendary politician Strom Thurmond, died on June 26, in his hometown of Edgefield, South Carolina. How many years did Thurmond serve in the US Senate? | Deaths In The News: 2003
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47 years. A 1923 graduate of what is now Clemson University with a degree in horticulture, Strom Thurmond obtained his first public position in 1929, when he became the Edgefield County school superintendent. In 1946, he succeeded Ransome Judson Williams as governor of South Carolina, as a Democrat.
| Actor Gregory Peck died in Los Angeles on June 12, at age 87. During his distinguished career, how many times did Peck play the President of the United States on the big screen? | Deaths In The News: 2003
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1. Peck's filmography includes some of the most celebrated films of all time, including "On The Beach" (1959), "The Guns of Navarrone" (1961), "Cape Fear" (1962) and "To Kill A Mockingbird" (1962), for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor. His turn as President came in the drama "Amazing Grace & Chuck" (1987), a movie about a young Montana boy who decides to give up baseball until the world gives up its nuclear stockpiles. He also did a turn as President on TV, playing Abraham Lincoln in the 1982 mini-series "The Blue and The Gray". (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database and jefflangonline.com for additional information. And thanks to Fun Trivia player professorjon for the information on "The Blue and The Gray".)
| Nuclear physicist Edward Teller, age 95, died in Stanford, California, on September 9. Regarded as the father of the hydrogen bomb, Teller led work to develop a miniaturized nuclear warhead for which missile-delivery system? | Deaths In The News: 2003
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Polaris. A native of Budapest, Hungary, Edward Teller studied theoretical physics under Niels Bohr in Munich and Copenhagen, and helped Werner Heisenberg lay the foundations of nuclear physics in Leipzig. He left Germany in 1934, when the Nazis came to power, teaching in London before coming to teach at George Washington University in 1935. In the United States, he worked with Enrico Fermi at Chicago and with Ernest Lawrence at Berkeley, and helped with the Manhattan Project. An advocate of strong national defense, Teller won numerous awards during his career, including the National Medal of Science and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (Thanks to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory website for additional information.)
| Singer Nina Simone died in Carry-le-Rouet, France, on April 21, at the age of 70. Although an expatriate at the time of her death, Simone was actually born in which Southern state? | Deaths In The News: 2003
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North Carolina. The sixth of seven children, Eunice Waylon was a talented piano player who, with the help of her music teacher, wound up studying at Julliard. It was in a job in an Irish bar in Atlantic City, however, that she would end up embracing her singing talent, and eventually changed her name to Nina Simone. Among her best known songs are "I Loves You, Porgy" (from "Porgy and Bess"), "Don't Smoke In Bed", and "Mississippi Goddam", an indictment of racism and hate in the wake of the infamous Birmingham church bombing that killed four young girls in 1963. Simone would leave the United States in 1974, living in several countries prior to settling in southern France, and continued to make music until a long illness took her down. (Thanks to ninasimone.com for additional information.)
| Longtime White House correspondent Sarah McClendon died in Washington, DC, on January 8, at age 92. Which President was the first one she covered during her many years on the beat? | Deaths In The News: 2003
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Franklin D. Roosevelt. A native of Tyler, Texas, and a graduate of the University of Missouri's School of Journalism, McClendon began covering one of journalism's most prestigious beats at a time when men dominated the field. As the head of her own news services she remained on the beat all the way until the Clinton Administration, when her health began to slow her down. Along the way, she worked with young woman and encourage many others to strive for careers in the field. At the time of her death, she still wrote a syndicated newspaper column. (Thanks to motherjones.com and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer website, seattlepi.nwsource.com, for additional information.)
| Well-travelled hockey coach Roger Neilson died at his home in Peterborough, Ontario, on June 22, of complications from skin and bone cancer. Shortly before his death, the head coach of which team stepped aside to allow Neilson to coach his 1,000th game? | Deaths In The News: 2003
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Ottawa Senators. During his long career, Roger Neilson served as a head coach for eight different NHL teams, including Toronto, Philadelphia, and Florida, compiling a career record of 460-381-159 and making 11 trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He never won a Stanley Cup as a coach, but was with the Edmonton Oilers as a video analysis specialist when they won in 1984. Neilson pioneered the use of videotape as a teaching tool with his teams--earning the nickname "Captain Video" in the process--and used off-ice training techniques to get the most from his players. As an assistant in Ottawa, he continued to teach and instruct, despite battling cancer. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November, 2002. (Thanks to NHL.com and sportsillustrated.com for additional information.)
| Talk show host Jack Paar died at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut, on January 27. Though wildly popular as host of "The Tonight Show", Paar stirred controversy in 1959 by interviewing which world leader? | Deaths in the News, 2004: Part I
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Fidel Castro. Cuba's leader since 1959, Fidel Castro's name has been tied to e-mails claiming that he tried out for (and was rejected by) a couple Major League Baseball teams, as a pitcher. Though Castro did play baseball in his native land, he proved to be much better at leading the revolution that overthrew the Batista government. Castro wouldn't be Paar's only controversy during his legendary run as "Tonight Show" host. (Thanks to jackpaar.com and the Internet Movie Database for additional information.)
| Hall of Fame receiver Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch died on January 28, in Madison, Wisconsin. Although he started his college career as a Badger, he would finish his college days, after a brief interlude, at what other midwestern school? | Deaths in the News, 2004: Part I
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Michigan. Hirsch got his nickname from a Chicago sports reporter, Francis Powers, who covered a game between Wisconsin and Great Lakes Naval Station in 1942. Powers described Hirsch as running like a demented duck, "his crazy legs...gyrating in six different directions at the same time", on a long touchdown run. As a pro, Hirsch played wide receiver opposite the prolific Tom Fears, and caught passes from the likes of Norm Van Brocklin and Bob Waterfield. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968, Hirsch went on to spend 18 years as the athletic director at Wisconsin and helped restore a football program that had fallen on hard times. (Thanks to sportsencyclopedia.com for additional information.)
| Actress Mercedes McCambridge died of natural causes on March 2, in La Jolla, California, at age 87. McCambridge won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in which film? | Deaths in the News, 2004: Part I
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"All The King's Men". A versatile actress who worked on radio for many years, McCambridge received her Oscar in her motion picture debut, playing journalist Sadie Burke in Columbia Pictures' 1949 adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's novel. She won a second nomination for her role as Luz Benedict in the sweeping Western epic "Giant". But McCambridge drew a cult following after Warner Bros. released "The Exorcist" in 1973. In that movie, she provided the low, raspy voice of the demon-possessed Regan MacNeil (played by Linda Blair). (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database and Reel Classics for additional information.)
| Lawyer Sam Dash, the chief counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee, succumbed to multiple organ failure in a Washington hospital on May 29 at age 79. Which of the other people listed here, also connected to the Watergate investigation, died that same day? | Deaths in the News, 2004: Part I
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Archibald Cox. Both Sam Dash and Archibald Cox were instrumental in leading the push for President Nixon to hand over the now-infamous secret White House recordings related to the Watergate scandal. Cox was so adamant about their release that, five months into his job as special prosecutor, Nixon moved to have him dismissed. Attorney General Elliot Richardson, a former student under Cox, resigned in protest, and his assistant, William Ruckleshaus, was fired himself for refusing to fire Cox. Solicitor General Robert Bork ended up firing Cox, who was succeeded by Leon Jaworski. (Thanks to the New York Times website for additional information.)
| "Guinness Book of World Records" co-publisher Norris McWhirter died on April 19 of a heart attack, in Wiltshire, England, at age 78. Just prior to his death, McWhirter had been engaged in what activity? | Deaths in the News, 2004: Part I
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Playing tennis. Before he and his twin brother, Ross, began their now-famous compendium of amazing feats, Norris McWhirter was a sportscaster for the BBC, and was on the microphone on May 6, 1954, the day Roger Bannister ran his historic sub-four-minute mile. They wrote and edited the Guinness Book together from 1955 until 1975, when Ross was gunned down by the Irish Republican Army. Norris continued on until 1985, and also hosted the BBC series "Record Breakers" until 1994. (Thanks to wikipedia.org for additional information.)
| Actress Jan Miner died at age 86, of natural causes, on February 15 in Bethel, Connecticut. Although she was an accomplished stage actress, Miner was best known for hawking which household product? | Deaths in the News, 2004: Part I
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Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid. As wisecracking Madge the Manicurist, Jan Miner convinced women everywhere that Palmolive was tough on grease dishes and soft on their hands. She spent nearly three decades in that role, while maintaining a busy schedule of stage and screen acting. (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database for additional information.)
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