Name Droppers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nick

We may call him Old Saint Nick, but he is readily known as Santa Claus, He was likely inspired by Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century Christian bishop. He is the patron saint of children, brewers and....toymakers.

Nick Nolte is an American actor with a long history of roles in television and movies. He was first recognized for his role in the TV miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man" (1976), for which he won a Primetime Emmy. He received three Academy Award Best Actor nominations for "The Prince of Tides" (1991), "Affliction" (1998) and "Warrior: (2011). He has appeared in dozens of other TV shows and movies.

Answer: Ford

Harrison Ford is one of those actors who was in the right place at the right time. He has had great success, being in "American Graffiti"(1973), playing Han Solo in the "Star Wars" movies, and the title character in the "Indiana Jones" movies.

The Ford Motor Company introduced the Thunderbird as a two-seater sports car (with a removable hardtop) in 1954 - as a 1955 model, their answer to Chevrolet's Corvette. In 1958 the two-seater gave way to a four-seater and it became larger over the years. Production was stopped after the 1997 model year but started up again in 2001 as retro cars became popular in the U.S. but it couldn't compete with the "muscle cars" offered by competitors. Production halted in 2005.

Answer: Truman

Truman was the 33rd U.S. president. He succeeded Franklin Delano Roosevelt upon Roosevelt's death in 1945. He made the decision to use nuclear weapons against Japan to help end World War II. He was elected to a four-year term in 1948. He famously had a sign on his desk stating "The Buck Stops Here", taken from the term "passing the buck" (one meaning of which is to let someone else take responsibility for a problem), indicating he would make decisions and not pass them off to someone else.

Truman Capote was an American author and playwright. Probably his best-known works were "Breakfast at Tiffany's", a novella made into a movie, a poster for which produced the iconic illustration of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly and "In Cold Blood", a novel about the murder of a Midwestern farm family. Capote spent about six years working on the novel, aided by his friend and next-door neighbor, Harper Lee, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Answer: Peter

Saltpeter is a name for the chemical compound potassium nitrate. It is used primarily in fertilizers, rocket fuels and fireworks and sometimes in processed meats to produce a red color. It is also the victim of the urban legend that it will reduce the sex urge of members of the military or prison inmates.

Peter Jackson is a movie director from New Zealand. His career as a director, producer and screenwriter began in 1987. His best known works are the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (2001-2003) and "The Hobbit" trilogy (2012-2014), all are from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. "The Return of the King" (2003) won him three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director and Beast Adapted Screenplay.

Answer: Arthur

There may have been a real King Arthur - no one is really sure. He may have lived in England in the 5th or 6th century. Any good tale grows in the telling and Arthur eventually acquired a dozen knights, a wizard and a mighty sword named Excalibur, which he received from the "Lady of the Lake." The legend of Arthur was ripe for puncturing, as happened in the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" when a peasant told Arthur that receiving a sword from a woman in a pond was not a valid basis for government.

Arthur Ashe was a top-rated American tennis player. He won three Grand Slam titles in singles and two in doubles. (A Grand Slam is winning the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and The U.S. Open in a single year.) He was the first black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon. He had hereditary heart disease. In 1988, during his second heart surgery it is believed he was given HIV-contaminated blood transfusions. He died from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1993 at age 49.

Answer: Jet

Fighter jets are combat aircraft. They seat one or two people, are powered by jet turbine engines, are fast (capable of twice the speed of sound and more) and are highly maneuverable. They are designed for air-to-air combat and are frequently used to clear airspace of enemy aircraft allowing attack aircraft and bombers to do their work.

Jet Li (born Li Lianjie) is a martial artist and actor. Born in Beijing, China, he showed early talent as a wushu (kung fu) practitioner and was given special training. He came to the U.S. in 1974 as part of a wushu demonstration team during the time of "ping-pong diplomacy" between the two countries. He is given credit for reviving kung fu movies in Asia. His first American movie role was in "Lethal Weapon" (1998) followed by many movies of the action/martial arts type.

Answer: Gomez

Selana Gomez is a singer and actress from Texas. She began her career in the children's TV show "Barney and Friends" (2002-2004). In a nationwide talent search, Disney discovered her in 2004. She has appeared or starred in several TV shows and movies. She began a singing career in 2008 and has released several solo albums and several albums with the group Selena Gomez & the Scene.

Gomez Addams is the patriarch of the Addams Family, a macabre, other-worldly family created by cartoonist Charles Addams in the mid-1930s. John Astin defined the role of Gomez in "The Addams Family" TV show which ran from 1964 to 1966. It has been revived for movies and animated versions over the years.

Answer: Cruise

Tom Cruise is an American actor, beginning his career in the early 1980s. His first big role was in "Risky Business" (1983). He has starred in several big movies including "Rain Man"(1988), "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and the "Top Gun" and "Mission Impossible" franchises.

A cruise ship is a passenger vessel that takes people on vacations to various ports of call. They are floating resorts which feature dining, entertainment, swimming pools and side trips on land. There are smaller versions that were built to be used on various rivers and inland waterways.

Answer: Berry

Halle Berry is an American actress who began her career as a model and beauty pageant contestant. She was Miss Ohio of 1986. She began a film career in the mid-1990s and became the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in "Monster's Ball" (2001). She has acted in several superhero movies as well as being "Bond Girl" Jinx in "Die Another Day" (2002).

A berry is a juicy fruit that has a seed instead of a stone inside it. Berry bushes may be small and compact or a couple of yards (meters) high. Blueberries, raspberries and cranberries are familiar examples but grapes and strawberries are berries too.

Answer: Martin

The purple martin is a North American passerine bird of the Hirundinidae swallow family. They are not really purple but a blackish-blue with an iridescent shine that may look purplish in certain light. They range across North America as far north as central Alberta, Canada. They spend winters in much of South America. Bird lovers may put up special purple martin houses for them that are often two or three "stories" high with several nesting rooms in each story.

Martin Luther was a 15th and 16th century German who was an Augustinian friar in the Roman Catholic religion. He grew disenchanted with certain Catholic practices and drew up a list, known as "Ninety-five Theses," in 1517, of those he disagreed with. At the time he was a professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg, Germany. The list was quickly printed and distributed. Pope Leo X excommunicated him in 1521. He is credited with being the prime mover of the Protestant Reformation and had a religion, known as Lutheranism, named after him, although he did not found it.