A Slice in Time: 1950s History Part 2 Quiz

Answer: "Don't Be Cruel"

For his premiere on the "The Ed Sullivan Show" Elvis was actually introduced by the actor Charles Laughton as Sullivan was recovering from an auto accident. The second song he sang that night was "Love Me Tender", the title song from the movie he was then filming. "Blue Suede Shoes" was recorded by Carl Perkins; "Great Balls of Fire" was a hit for Jerry Lee Lewis; Elvis released "Little Sister" in 1961.

Answer: Directly descended from the Prophet Muhammed

King Hussein's son, King Abdullah, ascended the throne in 1998.

Answer: Dag Hammarskjöld

Dag Hammarskjöld (from Sweden) was the UN's second Secretary-General. In 1960 he undertook the first of four trips to the Congo in response to that government's request for military assistance to quell violent unrest. Hammarskjöld's plane crashed on the fourth good will mission, killing all on board.

Answer: Pantyhose

Go-Go boots made their debut in the Swinging Sixties; the strapless bra had already been introduced in the 1930s; tennis star Rene LaCoste made his "alligator" shirt with the stand-up collar famous in the 1920s.

Answer: Jerry Lewis was made a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (French Medal of Honor)

Yes, there really is a patron saint of television, the UK and Iceland had three "Cod Wars". Japanese cars were available in the US as early as 1958, but they just didn't begin to sell well until the oil price hikes of the early 70s. And while the French love Jerry Lewis, the French Medal of Honor is awarded mainly for military, scientific and academic achievements, not for comedic "genius".

Answer: Sukarno

Sukarno (no first name) was elected the first president of Indonesia in 1945 after 350 years of Dutch colonial rule and more than three years of Japanese occupation during WWII. Sukarno was ousted in a military coup in 1965 and replaced by Suharto. Kim Il-Sung and Syngman Rhee were, respectively, the leaders of North and South Korea at the outset of the Korean War. Haile Selassie was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930-1974 and claimed to be the descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

Answer: General Motors

GM achieved its phenomenal success under the innovative and daring leadership of Alfred P. Sloan, Chairman of the Board from 1937-1956. He is credited with establishing the priniciple of planned obsolescence by making yearly changes to the style of each vehicle.

The Business Schools at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford have programs named for him. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York is also named for the philanthropist.

Answer: 1,500,000

Pulitzer Prize winner David Halberstam died in an auto accident 2007 in California. He was on his way to interview former American football quarterback Y.A. Tittle for his next book on the 1958 game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts.

Answer: Christie Brinkley

The Uptown Girl was born Christie Lee Hudson in Michigan and was later adopted by her mother's second husband. She is NOT related to former NBC anchroman David Brinkley. SI cover girls Cheryl Tiegs and Kathy Ireland were born in 1949 and 1963, respectively. Iman, who did not appear on a swimsuit edition cover, was born in 1955.

Answer: Samuel Beckett

Fun facts about "Waiting for Godot": Bert Lahr of "The Wizard of Oz" fame and veteran actor E. G. Marshall starred in the Broadway premiere; Samuel Becket once worked as James Joyce's secretary; while Christopher Guest's 1997 film "Waiting for Guffman" is a play on the words of the famous Beckett title, its plot has very little to do with "Waiting for Godot" other than both involve a character who never appears.