Hey Sunshine Trivia Quiz

Answer: Louis XIV

Louis XIV was known as 'The Sun King', or 'le Roi Soleil', in French. He ruled France for an impressive 72 years, helping reform France's government so it became more stable. The act of taking the sun as his personal symbol, representing his kingly status as being the center of the nation, was certainly consistent with Louis XIV's oft-quoted comment, "I am the state" (L'État, c'est moi).

Answer: United States Navy

Stuart Shadrick Murray graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1919. He was nicknamed both 'Sunshine' and 'the Gentle Giant'. Murray was assigned to Manila in 1941 at the start of the United States' involvement in World War II, and he took command of the USS Missouri in May of 1945, becoming crucially involved in the eventual surrender by the Japanese that was formally signed aboard that ship. 'Sunshine' Murray was promoted to the rank of vice admiral on December 7, 1955, on the 14th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

He retired less than a year later. Amongst the ten medals he was awarded for his military service are the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and Victory Medals for WWI and WWII.

Answer: Luis Miguel

Luis Miguel was born in Puerto Rico in 1970. His mother originally bequeathed his nickname to Luis Miguel, calling him 'mi sol'. His music career started in Mexico in 1982. Luis Miguel won his first Grammy Award when he was only fourteen years old, for a duet with Sheena Easton called "Me Gustas Tal Como Eres" (I Like You Just the Way You Are). True to his nickname, 'The Sun of Mexico', Luis Miguel released his debut album, "...Un Sol", in 1982, when he was eleven years old.

The Sun of Mexico only recorded his music in Spanish, and remained successful throughout his career and sold over 60 million records worldwide.

Answer: Democritus

Democritus was known as the 'Laughing Philosopher' due to his emphasis on the importance of cultivating cheerfulness. Democritus was born around 460 BC, making him a younger contemporary of Socrates. He is remembered for formulating an atomic theory of the universe, and believed atoms and empty space to be the basis of material reality beyond which was merely opinion.

A quote attributed to Democritus that is aligned with his 'Laughing Philosopher' sobriquet: "Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul."

Answer: James Monroe

James Monroe's presidency began in 1817, just as the U.S. was experiencing heightened morale and economic prosperity following the War of 1812. The era featured the collapse of the Federalist Party, ending bitter political disputes and ushering in an atmosphere that nurtured unity in the country. James Monroe earned his nickname, 'The Era of Good Feelings President', as he endeavored to minimize political divisiveness throughout his eight years as the USA's fifth president.

The phrase 'The Era of Good Feelings' was coined by Benjamin Russell in the Boston Federalist newspaper "Columbian Centinel" in 1817, after Monroe visited the city on a good-will tour of the nation.

Answer: Football

Ronnie Bass received the nickname 'Sunshine' from his football teammates in high school, due to his blonde hair and sunburn. Bass was the starting quarterback in 1971, the year that T.C. Williams High School won the Virginia State Championship (and the year featured in "Remember the Titans"). Ronnie Bass continued playing football in college at the University of South Carolina.

Answer: Hawaii

David Kalakaua was the last king of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and his sister Liliʻuokalani was the final monarch of Hawaii up until the monarchy was overthrown in 1893. Kalakaua was a cheerful king who enjoyed entertaining guests with the ukulele and singing. Dancing the hula was a forbidden and punishable offense in Hawaiian history, and while previous monarchs of the kingdom had begun to allow its practice, it was during Kalakaua's reign that the hula was truly celebrated. Kalakaua's legacy is annually celebrated in the Merrie Monarch Festival, a hula competition held in his honor.

Answer: Drums

James Murray was born in September, 1936, in Oklahoma, moved to and grew up in Philadelphia through his teenage years, and moved to New York City in 1956 where he played with several notable jazz musicians. The number of different musicians and styles of music he was exposed to and the dedication Sunny Murray maintained in studying and creating natural sounds with the drums aided him in being a pioneer in free jazz style of drumming - in which the traditional role of drums merely as a timekeeper was circumvented. Murray himself acknowledged the influence of physicist Hermann Helmholtz in his approach to drumming with drastic alterations in tempo.

Answer: Sunnyland Slim

Albert Luandrew was born in Mississippi in 1906 and moved to Chicago, where he was instrumental in the city being a bastion of blues music following World War II. Luandrew's stage name, Sunnyland Slim, was derived from a song called "Sunnyland Train", about a railroad line that traveled in the Midwest. Throughout his years as a blues pianist in Chicago, Sunnyland Slim played with musicians such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter. Sunnyland Slim was awarded the lifetime folk art achievement, National Heritage Fellowship, in 1988.

Lonesome Sundown (Cornelius Green III), Sonny Terry (Saunders Teddell or Saunders Terrell), and Sonny Boy Williamson (John Lee Curtis Williamson) were also blues musicians, and each one was adept at playing harmonica. Sunny stage names seem to be well suited to blues musicians!

Answer: Charles II

Of these four English kings, only James I and Charles II reigned in the 17th century (George III - 1900s; Richard III - 1400s), and most of King James' nicknames referenced his wisdom or foolishness. Charles II earned the nickname 'Merry Monarch' in part because an atmosphere of liveliness and frivolity accompanied his court. 1660, when Charles II came to power, saw a restoration of the Stuart monarchy after a decade of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth. The return to a more normal state of affairs contributed to the perception of the king's 'Merry' qualities.

The 1660s in England featured females being able to act professionally in the theatre for the first time. Charles II's court had a laidback tone such that satire was encouraged; people were regularly sarcastic with one another, contributing to a rather merry and jovial environment. Additionally, Charles II cultivated an interest in high fashion. All these factors contributed to Charles II being deemed England's 'Merry Monarch'.