Better Known by Another Name Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mickey Rooney

Mickey Rooney (1920-2014) was born Joseph Yule Jr. in Brooklyn, New York City. Mickey appeared in over 300 films and started his career as a six year old in vaudeville. In 1927 he played the lead role as Mickey McGuire in a series of short films. Due to his popularity he took the name Mickey, then added Rooney. Tony Curtis (1925-2010) was born Bernard Schwartz in Manhattan, New York.

After serving in the US Navy during WWII he decided to try his luck in Hollywood. He was originally Anthony and the Curtis came from a family surname Kurtz. Boris Karloff (1887-1969) was born William Henry Pratt in Surrey, England.

There have been a number of theories as to the reason for his name change to Boris Karloff, but none have been confirmed. Peter Lorre (1904-1964) was an Austrian-Hungarian-American actor who was born Laszlo Löwenstein.

It was not clear when he changed his name.

Answer: Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. The city was founded in 1826 as Bytown but was changed to Ottawa in 1855 as it sits on the banks of the Ottawa River which name is derived from the Algonquin, Odawa, meaning "to trade". Oslo is the capital of Norway, founded in 1040 as Anslo, but when the city was destroyed by fire in 1624 it was rebuilt and called Christania. From 1877 -1897 it was spelt Kristiania.

In 1925 it was renamed Oslo. Kinshasha is the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was founded in 1881 as Leopoldville in honour of King Leopold II of Belgium.

The city was renamed Kinshasha in 1966. Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia and from 1248 to 1918 the city was known as Reval. From then it has been Tallinn and today the Old Town of Tallinn is well preserved and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Answer: Sugar Ray Robinson

Sugar Ray Robinson was born Walker Smith Jr. (1921-1989). He is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time having held the World Welterweight and Middleweight Championships. He was under the minimum age of 18 years to fight as an amateur, so he borrowed the birth certificate of a friend who was named Ray Robinson. Due to his fighting style he was referred to as "sweet as sugar". Thus he became known as Sugar Ray Robinson. Joe Louis (1914-1981) was a professional boxer who was born Joseph Louis Barrow in LaFayette, Alabama, USA.

He held the World Heavyweight Championship from 1937-1949. Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) was born Cassius Marcellus Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. He was an Olympic gold medalist at the Rome Olympics in 1960. He turned professional and won the Heavyweight World Championship.

Many consider him the greatest boxer of all time. Kareem Abdul-Jabber was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. in New York City in 1947. He spent 20 years (1969-1989) in the NBA. He was six times a NBA Champion and in two of those finals he was the MVP.

Answer: Pope Francis

Jorge Mario Bergogilo was born on December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied in Chile, Germany and Ireland and after finishing his theological studies he was ordained into the priesthood in 1969. In 1998 he became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. In 2001 he was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II. Bergogilo was elected pope in 2013 and he explained that he chose the name Francis in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Pope Benedict XVI was born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger in 1927 in Marktl, Germany. His papacy began in 2005 and terminated in 2013 with his resignation due to bad health. Pope John Paul II was born Karol Jozef Wojtyla (1920-2005) in Wadowice, Poland. His papacy was from 1978-2005. Pope John Paul I was born Albino Luciani (1912-1978) in Italy and his papacy lasted only 33 days from August 26, 1978 to September 28, 1978.

Answer: Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso was originally named The Republic of Upper Volta from 1958-1984; it had a French influence. It gained full independence in 1960 and renamed Burkina Faso in 1984. It is a landlocked country in West Africa surrounded by six other countries. The Republic of Malawi was originally known as Nyasaland which was a British Protectorate from 1893-1964.

When the country gained independence from Britain in 1964 it was renamed the Republic of Malawi. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was formerly the Republic of Zaire.

The country was colonised by Belgium in 1879 and for a period was known as the Belgian Congo. It only gained its current name in 1997. The Republic of Zimbabwe was for many years known as Rhodesia; even after gaining independence from Great Britain in 1965 it did not become known as The Republic of Zimbabwe until 1980.

Answer: Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin was born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili in 1878 and he died in 1953. In the early 1900s he wrote a series of articles under the pseudonym "K.Stalin" derived from the Russian word for steel (stal). This is the name he then used publicly. He ruled the Soviet Union from the early 1920s until his death in 1953. He was a ruthless leader who initiated ethnic cleansing, mass repressions and executions where millions of his subjects lost their lives.

Kirk Douglas, the American actor, was born Issur Danielovitch Demsky (b. 1916). Since his first film appearance in 1946 he has appeared in over 90 movies. He has received three acting Academy Award nominations, the first being in "Champion" (1949), "Bad & the Beautiful" (1952) and "Lust for Life" (1956). Yul Brynner (1920-1985) was a Russian-American actor born as Yuliy Borisovich Briner in Vladivostok, Russia. He starred in many movies including winning an Oscar for Best Actor for his role in "The King and I" (1956). Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) was born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov in Simbirsk, Russian Empire. He was a revolutionary and politician and headed Soviet Russia from 1917-1924.

Answer: El Cid

Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar(1043-1099) was a military leader in medieval Spain. The Muslim inhabitants (at the time known as "Moors"), referred to him as "El Cid", meaning Lord. He fought the Muslim rulers and to this day in Spain he is a folk-hero and icon. There have been many films, songs and plays made about his exploits. The 1961 epic film called "El Cid" starred Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren.

Jose Doroteo Arango Arambula (1878-1923) was better known as Pancho Villa, a revolutionary Mexican General. He was one of the leading figures in the Mexican Revolution or Mexican Civil War (1910-1920). He and the Mexican government came to an agreement in 1920 that he would give up his hostilities towards them. Speculation still surrounds his assassination in 1923 as to whether it was on government orders. Martin Sheen (b. 1940) is an American actor born as Ramon Antonio Gerard Estevez in Dayton, Ohio, USA. Martin has received many awards for film and television. Anthony Quinn (1925-2001) was born Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca in Chihuahua, Mexico. He has appeared in numerous movies and won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in "Viva Zapata" ( 1952) and "Lust for Life" (1956).

Answer: Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles started out as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901 and after one season relocated to St. Louis and became the St. Louis Browns. In 1954 they rebased in Baltimore and are now the Baltimore Orioles.

The Atlanta Braves started out in Boston in 1871 and became the Boston Braves from 1912-1935, Boston Bees 1936-1940 and then again the Boston Braves 1941-1952. They relocated to Milwaukee and were renamed the Milwaukee Braves from 1953-1965. In 1966 they became known as the present Atlanta Braves. The Minnesota Twins were either the Washington Senators or Washington Nationals from 1901-1960. The team then moved to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Twins from 1961 to the present day. The Oakland Athletics was founded in 1901 as the Philadelphia Athletics and then in 1955 relocated to Kansas City to become the Kansas City Athletics. In 1968 relocated again to become the Oakland Athletics and then won three consecutive World Series from 1972-1974.

Answer: Anne Rice

Anne Rice (b. 1941) was born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. She is best known for her series of "The Vampire Chronicles" of which two have been adapted into movies. "Interview with the Vampire" (1994) starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt and "The Queen of the Damned" (2002). George Eliot (1819-1880) who was born Mary Ann Evans was an English novelist, poet and journalist who wrote during the Victorian Era.

Her novels were usually set in provincial England. Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (1905-1982) was better known as the Russian-American writer and philosopher, Ayn Rand. Ayn was born and educated in St. Petersburg, Russia; she moved to the USA in 1926, taking out citizenship in 1931.

She gained fame with her 1943 novel "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" (1957). E.L. James was born Erika Mitchell in London and is best known for her trilogy "Fifty Shades of Grey", "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed", all of which have been adapted into movies. In 1987 she married Niall Leonard and became Erika Leonard, thus forming the E. L. in her pen name.

Answer: Mata Hari

Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (1876-1917- née Zelle) was a Dutch exotic dancer better known as Mata Hari. She married Dutch Colonial Army Captain Rudolf MacLeod in 1895 and moved to Indonesia. They had two children but the marriage was not a happy one and she moved back to The Netherlands.

She began her exotic dance routines and travelled throughout Europe. When WWI broke out she was able to travel across national borders due to her Dutch citizenship as during this period The Netherlands was a neutral country.

Although the French and British had no definite evidence of her spying for Germany there was enough proof that her association with officers of all armies was enough to convict her as a spy. She was executed by firing squad in October 1917. Meg Ryan was born in 1961, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA as Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra. Meg is an actress and producer.

The name "Ryan" was her grandmother's maiden name. Meg has appeared in many movies, some of her most memorable being "When Harry Met Sally"(1989), "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993) and "You've Got Mail" (1998). Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) was born Margaret Hilda Roberts in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England.

She became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1979-1990). She earned the nickname as the "Iron Lady" because of her uncompromising leadership qualities which became evident in her stance to defend the Falkland Islands against Argentina in 1982. Ann-Margret is a Swedish-American Actress (b. 1941) and was born Ann-Margret Olsson in Sweden. She was married to the actor Roger Smith from 1967 until his death in 2017.