Whozit, Whatzit, and Which? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Forrest Gump

Tom Hanks won his second consecutive Best Actor Oscar for "Forrest Gump" (1994), after first winning for "Philadelphia" (1993). In "Forrest Gump", Hanks plays the title character, and what can I say about Forrest Gump? He's a simple, kind-hearted man whose life just happens to intersect with every pivotal moment in America from the 1950s to the late 1970s. The film was a critical and commercial success and became a cultural touchstone, known for quotes like "Life is like a box of chocolates" and the much emulated "Run, Forrest! Run!"

This back-to-back win made Hanks the second actor in history to win Best Actor two years in a row, following in the footsteps of Spencer Tracy in the 1930s.

Answer: Mad Cow Disease

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (or BSE if you're in a hurry) is commonly known as Mad Cow Disease. It is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects the brains and spinal cords of cattle. It causes the brain to become spongy and riddled with holes, leading to erratic behavior, loss of coordination, and ultimately death. The disease is caused by prions, misfolded proteins that induce other proteins to misfold, spreading the disease.

Answer: Air turbulence

It always seems like the simplest questions have the most complicated answers, doesn't it? Starlight travels undisturbed through the vastness of space for eons, only to run into all kinds of problems when it reaches Earth's atmosphere.
When light moves through mediums of differing density, it bends, a trick familiar to anyone who's ever watched a straw appear broken in a glass of water. But our atmosphere isn't uniform; its density is constantly shifting.

In short, stars appear to twinkle because of turbulence in Earth's atmosphere. As the light from a star passes through layer upon layer of air, each with its own ever-changing temperature and density, it's bent and jostled along the way. This makes the star's light shift and flicker ever so slightly, which is why we see that familiar twinkling, known to those fond of big words as "stellar scintillation."

Fun fact: You might notice that planets don't twinkle as much. That's because they appear larger in our sky, and little shifts here and there have less of an impact.

Answer: Bhutan

The flag of Bhutan features a bold white dragon striding across a field divided diagonally between yellow and orange. The dragon represents Druk, the Thunder Dragon of Bhutanese mythology, and reflects the country's self-identification as "Druk Yul", or Land of the Thunder Dragon.

The white dragon symbolizes purity, and the jewels clutched in its claws stand for the country's wealth and security. The yellow half of the flag represents the secular authority of the king, while the orange signifies the spiritual tradition of Buddhism, which is deeply rooted in Bhutanese culture.

Answer: A Night at the Opera

Queen's 1975 album "A Night at the Opera" was a bold, eclectic, and theatrical delight that became their first platinum-selling record. The title was borrowed from the 1935 Marx Brothers comedy, reflecting the band's love of both classic cinema and over-the-top showmanship.

Most famously, the album features the six-minute rock epic "Bohemian Rhapsody", a song that defied radio norms and went on to become one of the most iconic recordings in music history.

The album also includes other fan favorites like "You're My Best Friend" and "Love of My Life," showcasing Queen's versatility and Freddie Mercury's love of the dramatic.

Answer: Potatoes

While variations exist, potatoes are not traditionally part of a classic full English breakfast. You MIGHT see hash browns or fried leftover potatoes in some modern versions, but they're not traditionally standard.

A proper full English breakfast usually includes:

Fried or scrambled eggs
Grilled tomatoes
Baked beans
Bacon (usually back bacon)
Sausages
Fried mushrooms
Toast or fried bread
Sometimes black pudding

This meal dates back to the early 1800s. If you think you want to know what's in black pudding, nope. You really don't, but I'll tell you anyway. It's traditionally made from fresh pig's blood (dried blood is commonplace, though), pork fat, grains (barley or oats work), maybe some onions, and of course seasoning, because plain pig's blood would just be gross.

Answer: The Olympics

The Olympic Games trace their origins to ancient Greece, where they were held in Olympia every four years beginning around 776 BCE. These athletic contests were one part religious festival and one part sporting event, all parts dedicated to Zeus. However, as Christianity became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire, Emperor Theodosius I banned the games in 393 CE, considering them pagan rituals incompatible with Christian values.

More than 1,500 years later, the modern Olympic Games were revived in Athens in 1896, thanks largely to the efforts of Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator and historian. Today, the Olympics are a global event celebrating international athletes, with over 200 countries participating.

Answer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky

The composer of those pieces and more was none other than Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Born in 1840 in Russia, Tchaikovsky became one of the most celebrated figures in classical music, known for his emotionally expressive melodies and grand orchestration. His ballets remain some of the most frequently performed in the world.

"The 1812 Overture", composed to commemorate Russia's defense against Napoleon's army famously calls for live cannon fire and ringing church bells during its performance, although in my experience recordings are generally used. It significantly reduces the chance of audience fatalities, you see.

Answer: Orphan Black

Premiering in 2013, "Orphan Black" starred Tatiana Maslany in a quite remarkable performance as not just one, not just two, but a wide range of genetically identical human clones, each with distinct personalities, accents, and life stories. Her acting--portraying characters ranging from a hustler to a soccer mom to a Ukrainian assassin--earned her critical acclaim and ultimately an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2016.

Answer: A Wrinkle in Time

In "A Wrinkle in Time", published in 1962) by Madeleine L'Engle, awkward and misunderstood teenager Meg Murry, her precocious little brother Charles Wallace, and some kid named Calvin stumble into a cosmic rescue mission to save Meg's missing father. Guided by three peculiar, otherworldly beings (Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which) they "tesser," or fold space and time like a piece of origami, to battle a dark, mind-controlling force called IT on the planet Camazotz. It's equal parts family drama and interdimensional weirdness, proving once and for all that you can save the universe with the power of love, a stubborn attitude, and a decent sense of direction.

Madeleine L'Engle wrote "A Wrinkle in Time" after a period of professional rejection so demoralizing that she almost quit writing. She finished it in 1960, but over two dozen publishers rejected it for being "too strange," "too religious," or "too smart for kids".
Finally, Farrar, Straus & Giroux took a chance and published it in 1962. The book won the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1963 and has since sold millions of copies, been translated into dozens of languages, and inspired films and plays.