A Slice in Time: 1950s History

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. In February 1950 this Academy Award-winning actress was at the center of an international scandal for giving birth out of wedlock. Censure against her included being denounced on the floor of the US Senate. Who was she? Vivien Leigh Sophia Loren Simone Signoret Ingrid Bergman

2. In July 1951 King Leopold III abdicated the throne of this country after he was accused of treason. He was succeeded by his son Baudouin. Where did this happen? Hungary Spain Denmark Belgium

3. November 24, 1952 marked the premiere of one of the longest running stage productions in history, "The Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie. It was based on a BBC radio play called what? Three Blind Mice Murder Most Mysterious Evil Under the Sun How to Catch a Mouse

4. One of the most famous frauds in archeology was exposed in 1953. It concerned what was purported to be the skull of a primitive hominid found in 1912 that was promoted as the "missing link" between humans and apes. What popular name was given to this artifact, which was really a composite of three separate fossils? Lucy Dawson's Link Piltdown Man Neanderthal Ned

5. This man, often cited as the "father of modern computer science" died in June, 1954. His illustrious career included leading the group of cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park that broke the code for the German Enigma machine. Who was he? Guy Falkes Thomas J. Watson Allen Dulles Alan Turing

6. This book was published in France in 1955 after major publishing houses in the US and UK turned it down because of its controversial subject matter. A movie was later made with the same title. Which book, also credited with the first use of the word "nymphet", is this? "Valley of the Dolls" "Memoirs of a Geisha" "A Clockwork Orange" "Lolita"

7. In which country did the Soviet government crush a revolt originated by students against the restrictive communist influence in October and November of 1956? Czechoslovakia Hungary Romania Greece

8. In March 1957 Ghana achieved independence from British colonial rule. What was the country's name prior to that? The Gold Coast Rhodesia Tobago British Guyana

9. Which three future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers were born in 1958? Cyndi Lauper, Sid Vicious, Ozzy Osbourne Eddie Van Halen, Whitney Houston, Sting Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson Bono, Jon Bon Jovi, Stevie Nicks

10. The Vatican issued an edict in April 1959 that forbade Italian Catholics to vote for whom? Communists Homosexuals Divorcees Protestants