Bath Time Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bobby Darin

Bobby Darin was born on 14 May 1936; "Splish Splash" launched his career as one of the most popular rock and roll American teen idols of the late 1950s.

He appeared in thirteen motion pictures, composing the score and theme for four of them, and was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in the 1963 film "Captain Newman M.D."

Bobby Darin died, aged 37, on 20 December 1973, following his second open heart surgery. He left instructions for his body to be donated to UCLA's Medical Center for research purposes.

In 2004 the film "Beyond the Sea" was released. Directed by and starring Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin, it is a biopic of his life.

Answer: Charlotte Corday

Leader of the radical Montagnard faction and a fervent anti-royalist who led demands for the King's execution, Marat carried on a long struggle with the right-wing Girondins, resulting in their overthrow in May 1793.

Charlotte Corday, a Girondin supporter, managed to get an audience with Marat by pretending she had information about uprisings. Marat, whose debilitating skin condition was eased by bathing, would often give interviews whilst in his bath. Corday plunged a knife into his chest.

She was quickly arrested and executed for the murder.

The scene was immortalised in a painting by Jacques-Louis David: "The Death of Marat".

Answer: Brides in the Bath

George Joseph Smith (alias Oliver George Love, Charles Oliver James, Henry Williams and John Lloyd) married his three victims bigamously.

His first victim, Bessie Mundy aged 35, was found dead in a bath in Herne Bay in 1912, five days after making a will in favour of her new husband Henry Williams, later found to be George Joseph Smith.

In December 1913, Alice Burnham aged 25, was found dead in a bath at Blackpool, after taking out life insurance in favour of her new husband George Smith.

In December 1914 Margaret Elizabeth Lofty aged 38, was found in a bath in Highgate. Again her new husband, George Smith, who was now using the identity John Lloyd, would benefit from her death.

When the landlord of the Blackpool guest house where Alice Burnham died read a newspaper report of the death of Margaret Lofty, he contacted the police and enquiries led to George Joseph Smith.

Smith took part in seven bigamous marriages between 1908 and 1914.

Answer: Bath Bun

The small round Bath Bun is available from a number of bakers and tea rooms in the city of Bath. There is no evidence of its origin, but its existence was recorded in 1763.

Bath has another famous bun, the Sally Lunn Bun, which is baked from a secret recipe handed down through the generations, and is only available at Sally Lunn's Refreshment House, where her baking became an established favourite of fashionable society in the 1680s.

Answer: Aquae Sulis

Durovernum is Canterbury, Ratae Coritanorum is Leicester and Eboracum is York.

In 55 and 54BC Julius Caesar brought his Roman Army to Britain, but could not successfully conquer the country. Caesar reported that the Britons were a strange breed of people, very barbaric and they dyed themselves blue.

When Claudius became Emperor in AD41 he chose to invade Britain in order to be seen as a strong leader and to gain popularity.

After much bloodshed the Romans emerged victorious and went on to conquer all of England, much of Wales and parts of Scotland.

Answer: The Butcher

Rub-a-dub-dub, three men in a tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker,
Turn them out, knaves all three.

There are other theories regarding the origin of this nursery rhyme, but it is generally thought to refer to three tradesmen who lost control at a local fair. They jumped into the bath shared by three (probably semi-dressed) maids at a sideshow. The rhyme, which was probably more bawdy in its original form, was a way of relating the scandal.

Answer: Solomon

According to 2 Samuel, Chapters 11 and 12, David incurred God's displeasure for his adultery with Bathsheba and for effectively murdering her husband, Uriah, by sending him into the heat of battle.

King Solomon was, of course, noted for his great wisdom.

Answer: bain-marie

When cooking with a bain-marie the food is surrounded with very gentle heat. It is used for cooking delicate dishes like custards or white sauces, or melting chocolates.

A pressure cooker is a strong, pressurized, steam-heated vessel, used for cooking foods at a temperature above boiling.

A Dutch oven is a large pot or kettle, usually made of cast iron, with a tight-fitting lid to keep the steam in, mainly used for braising and stewing.

A tandoor is a clay baking chamber, heated with live coals, and used for baking various Indian breads, tikkas and other tandoori items.

Answer: King George I

This Order of British knighthood was established by King George I in 1725, and conferred as a reward for either military service or exemplary civilian merit.

A system of 'Knights of the Bath' had existed from medieval times, the name probably arising from bathing as a purification ritual. Customarily a certain number of knights were created during grand royal occasions. These knights took precedence over knights bachelors, from whose ranks they had been promoted, but they never formed an order of chivalry.

Women are admitted to all classes of the order which currently includes the monarch, members of the royal family, foreigners (known as "honorary members"), and the classes of knights: 115 knights or dames grand cross (G.C.B.), 328 knights commanders (K.C.B) or dames commanders (D.C.B.), and 1,815 companions (C.B.).

Answer: Anticlimax

Webster's 1913 Dictionary gives the following entry for bathos:

Definition: Ba"thos, n. [Gr. ? depth, fr. ? deep.] (Rhet.)
A ludicrous descent from the elevated to the low, in writing
or speech; anticlimax.

The definition is also true today and can be found at http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=bathos