Initials Trivia

1. Which Italian left Spain in 1492 with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria?

From Quiz 10CC

Answer: Christopher Columbus & Columbus

Columbus was looking for a direct ocean route from Europe to Asia and believed this could be attained by travelling west as it was thought that the circumference of the Earth was much smaller than it actually is. He landed in what he thought was Asia on October 12th 1492, but it turned out it was one of the Bahamian islands. In all Columbus made four journeys looking for a direct route to Asia and in doing so, accidentally found the Americas, including Central and South America as well as the Caribbean.

From Quiz BB King(s and Queens)

Answer: Bill Bailey

Bailey is also well known for his TV appearances on quiz shows such as "QI", "Have I Got News For You" and also music quiz "Never Mind The Buzzcocks", on which he may have had a slight advantage over other guests as he has perfect pitch, an ability he shares with Mozart and one which only approximately one in 10,000 people have. "Black Books" was written by Bailey's co star in the show, Dylan Moran and ran for three seasons between 2000 and 2004. It was a very funny show about book shop owner Bernard Black (Moran) who would rather drink wine and read than deal with members of the public.

From Quiz AA Members

Answer: Andre Agassi & Agassi

Agassi won gold at the Atlanta Olympics, beating Sergi Bruguera of Spain in the final 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. During his career Agassi won Wimbledon (1992), US Open (1994 and 1999), Australian Open (1995, 2000, 2001 and 2003) and French Open (1999).

From Quiz CD People

Answer: Westminster Abbey

Charles Darwin was an infamous British scientist famous for developing the concept of natural selection and evolution. His most famous work is "On the Origin of Species". Prior to becoming a natural scientist, Darwin studied to be a medical doctor but switched fields when he became interested in marine mammals while studying at the University of Edinburgh. When Darwin died in 1882, he was buried at Westminster Abbey in the nave nearby other prominent scientists such as John Herschel, who was a good friend of Darwin's.

From Quiz Initially, I Don't Use My First Name

Answer: Alan

A. Whitney Brown not only wrote for the show, he was a cast member in 1985. Brown left the show in 1991 and later was one of the original correspondents for "The Daily Show."

From Quiz Close Friends Get To Call Him T.C.

Answer: Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise is a multi-award winning actor whose career started in 1981 when he was 19. If you followed the clues, you will know he was a navy pilot in "Top Gun" (1986); a paralysed Vietnam marine in "Born On The Fourth of July" (1989) - a true story; the spy Ethan Hunt in "Mission Impossible" (several in the franchise from 1996); and some critics said he was ludicrously cast in the title role of ex-MP "Jack Reacher" (2012).

From Quiz Alphabet Soup

Answer: D.W. Griffith

David Llewelyn Wark Griffith (no wonder he went by 'D.W.') was an early American film director best known for his 1915 signature film "Birth of a Nation". Griffith (1875-1948) was born in La Grange, Kentucky; his father, "Roaring Jake" Griffith, was a Confederate Army Colonel and Civil War hero who passed on vivid war stories and melodramatic literary tales to his son. D.W. wound up as a director who happened to create such cinematic devices as 'the flashback', 'the iris shot', 'the mask' and 'cross-cutting'. He adapted his Civil War film from Thomas Dixon's novel "The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the KKK", and was praised for his vision and condemned for his racism.

From Quiz A Double Century

Answer: Ernest Evans

Ernest Evans was born in South Carolina and brought up in Pennsylvania. He was nicknamed 'Chubby' by one of his early bosses, and adopted the surname of Checker for his singing career. 'The Twist' was released in 1960 and went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, although it did very little in the UK. He had better UK success with 'Let's Twist Again', reaching number two on the Singles Chart in December 1961. Checker followed up with other dance tracks, but his name will forever be linked to the twist craze.

From Quiz What your Definition of I.S. is

Answer: Isaac Bashevis Singer

Isaac Bashevis Singer, known for his sometimes grotesque scenarios and the presence of demonic forces, was born in Poland in 1904, received a rabbinical education there, and moved to the U.S. in 1935. He wrote in Yiddish, but is considered an American writer; he was involved in several Jewish publications in the U.S., and wrote many short stories, such as "Gimpel The Fool", "Passions" and "The Golem". His work is usually about common people and is very appealing. He believed the world was full of endless mysteries. Singer won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1978. He died in 1991.

From Quiz I've got B.O.

Answer: Boston Bruins

Orr played ten seasons with the Bruins and parts of two others with Chicago. He was forced into an early retirement due to a succession of knee injuries. Along with Wayne Gretzky, Orr is regarded as the best player ever to play the game.

From Quiz How P.C. of Them

Answer: Jeff Bridges

The song was the first solo number one song for Phil Collins. He received an Academy Award nomination for "Best Song". Collins lost out to Stevie Wonder's song "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from the movie "The Woman in Red".

From Quiz People by any Other Name

Answer: Phineas Taylor

Phineas Taylor Barnum was born in Connecticut in 1810 and made a career as a showman. He made no qualms about using hoaxes and curiousities to line his own pockets. He exhibited "The Feejee Mermaid" and "General Tom Thumb" as well as others to throngs of onlookers. He died in 1891.

From Quiz M & M's Anyone?

Answer: Larry Hagman

Mary Martin starred as Nellie Forbush in 'South Pacific' in 1949 and also as Maria von Trapp in the original (1959) production of 'The Sound of Music' on Broadway. She won a Tony Award for both of these performances. She was married twice, first to Ben Hagman and later to Richard Halliday, but retained her original name of Mary Martin. All the actors in the choices above were of course from 'Dallas'.

From Quiz My Initial Quiz, But Not My First!

Answer: John Ronald Reuel

Even though everyone refers to Tolkien as a British writer, he was actually born in South Africa. Tolkien thought up the majority of his 'storyscape' for his books, while serving in the armed forces during World War One.

From Quiz What's My Initial?

Answer: Jay

Yes, the J. really stands for Jay. Homer Simpson is a stand up guy. Besides his famous "D'OH!", here is another of his funny lines: "What's the point of going out? We're just going to wind up back here, anyway."

From Quiz Initial Reaction

Answer: Taliaferro

Booker Taliaferro was born in 1856. When he started school, he took his step-father's - Washington Ferguson - given name as his new surname, but retained the initial letter of his original surname. One of the greatest black Americans of his generation, Booker T. Washington rose from poverty to become the founding Principal of the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. Washington's mentor was General Samuel Chapman Armstrong, head of the Hampton Institute in Virginia - where Washington had taken himself as a sixteen-year-old. Armstrong's educational philosophy centred around hard work, self discipline and self reliance - characteristics which Washington carried with him to Tuskegee.

From Quiz Initial Reactions

Answer: Alan Arkin

Alan Alda (actor, 'MASH'), Anthony Andrews (actor, 'Brideshead Revisited'), Arthur Ashe (tennis player).

From Quiz Some Initial Problems

Answer: Bean

Leon Leonwood Bean, or L. L. Bean, was responsible for the creation of the New England-based outdoor clothing company of the same name, opening it in Maine in the 1910s as a boot-making business. Over the course of a century, the L.L. Bean name expanded to more than fifty stores, all selling popular hiking, fishing, and leisure gear. Bean, himself, passed away in 1967, and his family would continue to operate the company in his stead well into the twenty-first century.

From Quiz Tough Initials

Answer: Orenthal James

From Quiz Known By Their Initials

Answer: W.H. Auden

Nice turn of phrase. He was right, too.

From Quiz 10CC

Answer: Charlie Chaplin & Chaplin

Downey Jr. won a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the great man in the movie "Chaplin" (1992). Chaplin is well known for his role of The Tramp in many of his movies but also received many plaudits for parodying Adolf Hitler in "The Great Dictator" (1940), which many consider to be his finest work.

From Quiz AA Members

Answer: Amy Adams & Adams

Adams was born in Vicenza, Italy in 1974, while her father was stationed at the US military complex there. The family settled in Colorado, USA when Amy was eight years old. Apart from her role as Earhart, she is known for playing Lois Lane in "Man Of Steel" in 2013, a role which she reprised in "Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice" (2016) and "Justice League" in 2017.

From Quiz CD People

Answer: Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was a prolific British author during the Victorian Era. His works focused primarily on the plight of the poor and indebted in England. Some of his novels and plays include "A Christmas Carol", "A Tale of Two Cities", "Great Expectations" and "Bleak House". Dickens' wife was Catherine Hogarth and together the couple had ten children, some of whom also became writers and editors. Catherine and Charles separated in 1858 and saw little of each other afterward. However, it is known from letters that Catherine remained loyal to her husband despite rumors that he had an affair with her sister.

From Quiz Initially, I Don't Use My First Name

Answer: Christopher

Howell has appeared in movies such as "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial," "Gettysburg," "Gods and Generals," and "The Amazing Spiderman."

From Quiz Close Friends Get To Call Him T.C.

Answer: Tommy Cooper

Tommy Cooper was a gifted magician - not that you would obviously have seen it since his stage act relied on his getting the tricks wrong, all in a hilarious way. Born in Wales in 1921, he died on the stage of Her Majesty's Theatre in London in 1984. The show was also being broadcast live on TV at the time. "Not like that - like that" was a catchphrase of Cooper's.

From Quiz Alphabet Soup

Answer: Kathryn Dawn

On November 2, 1961, Kathryn Dawn Lang was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She grew up to be a versatile musician who can sing country, pop, folk and jazz; she even performed Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Canada. She has won awards like the Grammy and the Juno, and was awarded the title of OC (Officer of the Order of Canada) by the Canadian Governor General in 1996. Her fans seem to have a "Constant Craving" to hear her sing; she has also teamed up with such notables as Tony Bennett, Elton John and Roy Orbison.

From Quiz A Double Century

Answer: Silent Cal

Coolidge was renowned for being a man of few words, and 'Silent Cal' was the most common nickname by which he was known. He was the thirtieth president of America and was in office from 1923 until 1929. There are many stories and jokes told about his uncommunicative nature, but there is little evidence that many of them are true. Despite being taciturn in private, Coolidge was an effective public speaker.

From Quiz What your Definition of I.S. is

Answer: Ian Smith

Smith was in favor of independence from Great Britain, and in the unification of the then "Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland". On the subject of racial equality he thought that only a gradual shift of power from white to black or to equality would work. He was against a black autocracy taking over if things changed too quickly, as in Ghana, Uganda and other countries. In his younger years he was a great athlete. Despite severe injuries incurred in his plane, he went back to fighting first for Rhodesia and then for Britain in WWII. He was shot down later over enemy territory and was helped by allied soldiers to safety. He resumed his education after the war at Rhodes University, and went into politics. Smith butted heads with Britain and radical factions in Africa, but he was successful in the political arena, and expanded his farming to become a 21,000 acre estate in the town where he was born. He died in Capetown, S.A. in 2007.

From Quiz I've got B.O.

Answer: Harvard

Obama graduated in 1991 after becoming the first African American elected president of the Harvard Law Review. His Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science is from Columbia.

From Quiz How P.C. of Them

Answer: AMC Javelin

The 1970's saw a trend of fashion designers getting involved in automotive design. Cardin's designs, however, were considered the most daring of all.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:48 AM

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