Shy, Not Retiring

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. The sixteenth President of the United States, this gentle giant of a man suffered from unbearable shyness in the company of strangers, especially around women. Who was he? Abraham Lincoln John Tyler John Adams James Buchanan

2. This inspiring woman was lonely and isolated as a child. She was reared by her grandmother from an early age following the deaths of both her parents. Insecure, yearning for affection and considering herself ugly, she went on to become the wife of a great American President (1933-45), and forged a brilliant public career of her own. Who was she? Eleanor Roosevelt Bess Truman Jacqueline Kennedy Mamie Eisenhower

3. This amazing man patented an astonishing number of inventions during his life. As a child, however, and partly related to a disability he had, he was painfully shy and wanted to become an actor to escape his reality. Who was he? Walter Houser Brattain Henry N. Cobb Thomas Edison Charles Babbage

4. It's strange but sometimes wonderful how a setback in one's youth can ultimately benefit most of mankind. If this man hadn't been struck in the face with a hockey stick when he was a boy, the world may never have experienced powered, heavier than air flight. Who is he? Leonardo da Vinci David Schwarz Joseph-Michel Montgolfier Orville Wright

5. A very accomplished pianist as a young woman, it was her chronic shyness and stage fright that prevented this British "Queen of Crime" from forging a career as a concert pianist. It was to her pen she turned for consolation, and millions of readers have enjoyed her work ever since. Who is she? Agatha Christie Edith Wharton Anne Bronte Margaret Twain

6. He was plagued with partial deafness from his childhood as a result of an ear infection. By the time this great future Australian colonial author was fourteen, he had gone completely deaf. With works such as "The Loaded Dog" and "Water Them Geraniums" to his credit, who was he? Mary Gilmore Banjo Patterson Henry Lawson Henry Handel Richardson

7. This very famous Scottish actor, who was born in 1930, is noted for the strong and powerful movie characters he has always played. Yet as a young man, he was scrawny, short, and very shy. Who do you think he could be? Mel Gibson Ewan McGregor Sean Connery Billy Connolly

8. This English philosopher, poet and author was another person prone to bouts of overwhelming shyness during his life. In 1798, he gave us the revolting work of an albatross strung around a mariner's neck. Who was he? William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge Charles Lamb Benny Hill

9. This British actor was born in 1907 and died in 1989. Not only was he a brilliant Shakespearian performer, his acting skills covered all movie categories as well. Once married to the beautiful but unstable actress, Vivien Leigh, who was he? Laurence Olivier Alec Guinness John Gielgud Ben Miller

10. This lady with the magnificent operatic voice suffered from acute shyness from when she was a small child, because her mother forced her to constantly perform in front of strangers. Who was she? Madonna Maria Callas Eidhneach O'Dempsey Roseanne Barr